Chapter 26.1

The radio gig went well; a first for Mitch after such a long string of bad luck.

Though it’d been years since he sat in a DJ booth, most of the equipment remained the same. Ingrid gave him a quick primer on what he wasn’t familiar with, and he caught on fast.

“Oh shit, we need a name,” Ingrid laughed between bites of a burrito that she ordered for dinner. “You got anything?”

Mitch gave it a few minutes thought, and looked over the playlist that he’d spent the last few weeks painstakingly curating; were he still in high school, he would have been proud to burn it to a CD and offer it as a gift. “How about Mixtape Lounge?” he offered.

She pursed her lips and mulled it over, then responded with, “Love it. Thank you for making my job easier.” After another bite, she added, “By the way, for next week?”

“Yeah?”

“Ditch the button up, you look like a fuckin’ dweeb.”

Mitch’s face flushed, but he appreciated the feedback. “Noted,” he laughed. “By the way, can I give shout outs?”

“Hey, as long as you play the music and don’t get us in trouble with the FCC, have at it,” she waved dismissively.

At 6:59pm, they straightened up and took positions. As the seconds neared the top of the hour, Ingrid counted down via hand gestures. Mitch put the headphones over his ears and greeted whoever may be out there listening, giving special thanks to all of Monument Wrestling Academy. Since Jodie donated for a sponsorship spot, he was allowed to advertise for Monster Mash Wrestling’s next set of tapings. Jodie sent him a string of excited texts, saying that she had his show playing over the school’s PA system.

The three hour timeslot blew by so quickly that Mitch was startled when Ingrid gave him the 5 minute warning to wrap things up. The songs he picked were mostly in relation to his fellow roster members, so he closed it out with ‘Twilight Zone’ by The Golden Earring, as tribute to Rod, since Mitch knew he was scheduled to be at the school helping students with their promos. Ingrid fell apart behind her station, which delighted Mitch, and he muted his mic once the song started.

“He can’t stand that song,” she gasped for air and wiped her eyes.

“No, I know,” Mitch giggled. After he signed off, Ingrid joined him outside for a cigarette. She congratulated him for a good job, and said Tom had already sent a text with his assessment.

“A text means he’s impressed, considering that he still has one of those flip phones. He’s gotta hit that 7 button a thousand times to get to the ‘s’.”

“Honestly, that’s the main reason that I upgraded to a smartphone,” Mitch exhaled. Then, while attempting to maintain a very serious expression, he asked “So, you sure you don’t wanna go back to God talk?”

Ingrid responded by whacking him upside the head, and shouted, “Calvert, you’re not allowed to leave me. Ever!”

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