Page 4 of Behind the Bars

We’d been sitting for forty-fiveminutes.

Ray approached us and patted me on the top of my head. “Hey, Snow White.” He’d given me that nickname a long time ago when I was just a kid, and I loved it. I still loved it just as much atsixteen.

“Hey, Ray,” Ireplied.

He raised an eyebrow. “You have a good day?” Which was code for ‘Did your mother drive you insanetoday?’

Sometimes, even when she wasn’t trying to be, Mama could be ahandful.

I nodded. “I had a goodday.”

He wrinkled his nose, unsure if I was telling the truth, but he didn’t press for more information. He’d never ask what was wrong in front of Mama, because he knew how sensitive she got if she felt she was being judged. Ray kissed her forehead. “I’m gonna go wash up quickly and change outta these clothes. Then we caneat.”

“Okay,” Mamareplied.

With that, he left to wash his hands. I sat leaning on the table, watching Mama’s eyes follow Ray as he disappeared down the hallway. When she turned back to me, the love she held in her stare faded, and she sat upstraighter.

“Elbows off the table, Jasmine, and sit up straight or you’ll get a hunchedback.”

Ray joined us at the table, and we chatted about how recording his album was going. “I love it here in New Orleans because there’s an authentic feel to the city. People around the world don’t make music the way they do down here. It’s not as real, aspainful.”

When Ray talked about music, it made me want to only focus onthat.

“Did you ever reach out to Trevor Su for me?” Mama asked, referring to aproducer.

Ray cringed. “No. I told you this already, he’s not a good guy. We don’t need him for Jasmine’scareer.”

Mama didn’t like that answer, based on the way her nose wrinkled. “Trevor Su is one of the top producers in the world, and you have an in with him. I don’t see why you would think Jasmine isn’t good enough to work withhim.”

“No,” Ray barked, shaking his head. “Don’t twist my words. That’s not what I said at all. He’s not good enough forher.”

“And whynot?”

“Because he’s asnake.”

Mama huffed. “Who cares if he’s a snake, as long as he gets the jobdone?”

Ray disagreed, “No. The way he uses people to climb the ladder is disgusting. I’ve watched him trample good people just for money. It’sdisgusting.”

“It’s business, Ray,” Mama groaned. “And maybe if you understood that, you’d be more successful than you actuallyare.”

“Mama,” I gasped, shocked by hercomment.

Ray didn’t even flinch. He’d become used to her harsh words. He was pretty much numb to herjudgments.

That didn’t make it easier for me to hearthem.

He and Mama were completely different when it came to the world of music. Ray led with his heart and Mama with herbrain.

“It’s callednetworking,” she’dsay.

“It’s called selling out,” he’d disagree. “Plus, he’s too much. He’d push her to herlimits.”

“Her limits need to bepushed.”

“She’s just a kid,Heather.”

“And she could be extraordinary if you allowedit.”

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