I Just Want To Hear You Sing

As she weaved her way through the tables, collecting as many empty glasses as she could on the tray she carried, Katie happily hummed along to the country music playing over the loudspeakers near the bar. Temporarily forgetting where she was, Katie even began to sing along, her voice soft and sweet. One of the regular patrons, seated at the last stool by the bar's edge smiled at her as she passed him. "You've got the voice of an angel, Darlin'" he said. Immediately, Katie's cheeks turned a bright shade of red as his comment dragged her back to the reality of the bar. 

"Thanks," she said sliding away from him with her tray, toward the sink to wash the glasses she'd collected. I think. As she washed and dried, Katie went back to her humming, soon becoming lost in her own little world.

"Hey, Katie!" The voice of her manager, Troy, made her jump. She looked over her shoulder to see him leaning against the doorway leading to the staff area. Well, a small anteroom with several doorways, leading into the break room, the staff toilet and Troy's office. 

"Are you working on Tuesday night?" Troy asked when she reached him. 

"I don't know," she said, scrunching her eyebrows together as she tried to picture her calendar. "I don't think so." 

Troy's face  fell momentarily. "Could you?" 

Katie looked at him. His eyes were wide and sad, like a puppy dog begging for food. She wanted to scold him for pulling that face. It was a cheat. Everyone knew you couldn't resist, couldn't say no when someone pulled the puppy dog eyes. But, he was her boss. So instead, she said, "sure," causing the smile to return to his face. 

"Thanks Katie," he said, making to head back toward his office. "You're a star!" 

Katie never gave Troy's request a second thought. He asked her to work extra shifts all the time, or to cover for one of the other girls who worked at the bar. Who was she to deny them? It was extra money after all. There was nothing out of the ordinary. What she had forgotten was that Tuesday was karaoke night, and little did she know, Troy had heard her singing softly to herself when she had thought she was alone and away from prying ears or in the moments when she temporarily forgot where she was. 

A smile spread across Katie's face when she walked in for her shift to find them setting up. "Hey Katie!" called Nate, Troy's nephew, waving at her from where he was helping set up over by the makeshift stage on the other side of the room. 

"Hi Nate," she called, waving back as she hurried to put her things out the back before her shift started. Katie shook her head. Somebody had to tell that young boy that there was absolutely no chance that what he was hoping would actually ever happen. She knew it wouldn't, but wondered if he knew it too, because if he did, he had a major case of denial happening. She shook her head, feeling bad for him as she emerged from the break room to start her shift.

As she always did when she was lucky enough to be rostered onto a shift on karaoke night, Katie enjoyed listening to the songs and humming along to the tunes, most of which she knew off by heart. As always with karaoke, there were those who surprised everyone with their talent while others made her want to cover her ears to block out the noise, of what to them was singing, but to everyone else was a whole lot of wailing. All of this, Katie had expected. What she hasn't was what Troy said, up on the stage after what she thought would be the last act.
"Well, folks," he said, "I hope you've enjoyed our karaoke night. But, it's not quite over yet. If she'll oblige us, we have a very extra special treat for you all tonight! She's one of our own, and it's her first time on this stage so please put your hands together and give a warm welcome to Katie!"
At once, it seemed the whole room was staring at her, causing her cheeks to grow hot. She pointed to herself, glaring at Troy, whom she had a clear view of seeing as the crowd seemed to have parted like the Red Sea for her surely imminent ascent onto the stage.
Troy nodded, a small smile on her face. Suddenly, Katie understood his request for her to work that night had not been as innocent as it had first seemed. He beckoned with his finger, but she stood her ground, folding her arms across her chest and continuing to glare back at him.
"Well folks, it looks like she might need a little encouragement!" At once, there was the loud steady rhythm of clapping as the crowd repeatedly chanted her name and Katie knew, should have known all along, that there was no getting out of it this time. Just as she was about to step out, she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked over to see the man from the other night. "It's alright Darlin," he said. "We just want to hear you sing. Troy's heard ya! He knows how great you are! He just wants to share it with the rest of the world. An angel's voice like yours'd be selfish to keep to yourself, don't you think?" Katie shrugged and looked back toward Troy before taking a breath and taking that fateeful first step.

She could have laughed when she reached Troy on stage. Well, at what he said as he handed her the microphone. "I just want to hear you sing."