(See Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4 of this series.)

Ben had been working for Chief Systems Tech Jim Fredrick for a few months, and he was starting to get the hang of it.

It was a really good break that Doug McDougald, his predecessor, had moved on to Monitors and was now preparing to go out on a major tour.

Most of Ben’s work in Systems wasn’t that different from what he’d been doing for Jack in the shop - maintenance on the AC distro boxes, repairing cables, and labeling new racks.

Jim was a patient and careful supervisor, which is something that Ben admitted he needed but also enjoyed.

The pace was still slow, but he was learning new things and putting the skills he’d learned working for Jack to use on a daily basis.

From his vantage point in Systems, Ben was also starting to get a better sense of the overall layout of the “big PA,” as they called it in the shop. Understanding the distribution of AC was something new, even though he’d been reading up on it. This was serious stuff and its importance didn’t escape him.

One surprise: David had seemed to turn over a new leaf. This former nemesis now was coming by to talk once in a while, and had started to be more polite and friendly. The change really helped to lighten the atmosphere around the shop.

One Friday afternoon, Jim was out on a job and Ben was just buttoning up a new distro box when David wandered in. He came right up to Ben and whistled when he saw the new rack, then said, “Nice work, man. That looks great.”

Ben appreciated the compliment, since it was kind of a rare thing at Frank’s. David continued: “Hey, listen. Would you be interested in meeting some of the crew from The Flaming Skulls tour? They’re in town for a benefit concert down at the convention center.”

It took Ben less than two seconds to reply: “Sure – that would be great!”

David added, “OK, well, we’ll probably have to cut out a little early today so we can get down there before sound check. I’ll let Frank know what we’re up to.” Ben was grateful for the opportunity, and for the attention.

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