Tenney

A Second Chance

Tenney slips away from the table to be alone, glancing up at the framed “Hound Dog” record Mom gave her for her eighth birthday. Half an hour later, Aubrey comes upstairs and reports that Mom and Dad are fighting. She insists that Tenney shouldn’t have lied to them. Tenney responds that she didn’t lie. She just wanted a chance to perform her music. Tenney breaks out in tears.

Aubrey pauses, and then apologizes for making Tenney cry. If it was her choice, she’d let Tenney perform; her music is really good. Tenney manages only a hopeless “Thank you” before Aubrey hugs her and climbs into bed. Too keyed up to sleep, Tenney grabs her beater guitar and heads downstairs.

Passing the family room, Tenney hears her parents talking, calmer now. Mom notes that Dad knows what the music business can do to people, but Dad reassures her Tenney has them to guide her, and banning her from the Mockingbird Records showcase is too extreme since playing it doesn’t mean committing to a career. Not wanting to get caught, Tenney slips out to the porch.

Outside, the night has cooled after a miserable day. Tenney settles on the porch steps with her guitar, playing softly until the door creaks open behind her. Mom apologizes for startling her, sits down, scratches their dog, Waylon, and asks her to play the song properly.

Still stinging from the fight, Tenney takes a breath and starts “Reach the Sky.” She stumbles over the tricky part twice but pushes through, her voice carrying the story of a small seed determined to grow skyward no matter who tries to shape it. When Tenney’s done with the song, she turns to see Mom standing in the doorway, her eyes wet. Tenney asks, alarmed, if she’s upset. Mom shakes her head and insists the opposite, calling the song fantastic and saying it means more to her than Tenney could know. Tenney almost admits the fight inspired it but instead offers that she knows her parents are trying to do what’s best for her.

That opens something in Mom. She admits performing once mattered to her more than anything, and that a music career demands real sacrifice. Her own mother pushed her hard at Tenney’s age, though Mom just wanted to write songs for people who loved music. A producer offered to sign her at sixteen for a few thousand dollars, but the song she recorded wasn’t hers. When she asked to record her own material, he said she’d need to dye her hair blonde, lose ten pounds, and start wearing heels first. Mom laughs, admitting she dyed her hair anyway, hated it, and decided to stay true to herself. The producer decided she wasn’t “star material,” and when she asked for her songs back, she learned the label already owned them, since her mother had signed away the rights unknowingly.

Tenney is outraged, but Mom just shrugs.

Squeezing Mom’s hand, Tenney understands the fear behind the arguing and apologizes. Mom hugs her, admitting it took years to get over, but she can’t ignore how much Tenney loves music, and standing in the way out of fear isn’t fair, especially now that Dad has reminded her they can protect Tenney in ways her own mother never did.

Still puzzled, Tenney asks if she’s still grounded. Mom smiles. She and Dad believe Tenney and Mason learned their lesson and are grateful for their honesty after the fact, and they’ve decided to let her perform after all, as long as it never crowds out family, friends, and schoolwork. Overwhelmed, Tenney squeaks and hugs her, and Mom laughs, calling it a good noise. Tenney promises to make her proud, and Mom assures her she already has.