You draw your hand through your teased hair and shake your head to let the locks fuzz out and form a halo.

You pucker your mouth, take a deep breath and exhale slowly.

Then you start skipping lightly to calm your nerves and keep your adrenaline busy.

You look down at the Fender hanging from your neck. You’ve come a long way.

You rest your right hand on the strings over the pickups and lightly wiggle the whammy bar while your left hand mocks a few chord presses high up on the neck.

Through the smoke rising from the stage floor you see the lead singer turning to you, flashing a smile.

The crowd starts chanting your name.

You turn your head to smile at your better half, then close your eyes.

Your left hand instinctively forms a G chord while your right hand starts a gentle, rhythmic strum.

The distortion creeping through the speakers draws howls and whistles from the crowd.

Then you jump onto stage, into view, and haul your right hand’s fingers over your axe’s strings.

The boom you draw from your six stringed weapon of mass distortion causes the crowd to go ballistic.

You’ve arrived.