The club was closing, so they loaded the merchandise into the van and Donna and Haley left to drive back to the hotel. Ellie had invited Hana and Jenny back to her house for a drink, and they had eagerly accepted; the invitation probably would have been extended to Donna and Haley as well, but they were worn out and wanted to call it an early(ish) night.
Stepping outside into the crisp, chilly night, Hana and Jenny followed Ellie on foot for a few blocks, into a residential neighborhood and to the front door of a huge, tacky McMansion. Alarm bells were ringing in Hana's head as they entered -- clearly this was Ellie's parents' house, and in the clearer light inside, Ellie looked younger than she had at the club. Hana's policy was to take no chances with jailbait, especially in Texas.
As soon as the door closed behind them Hana spoke up. "Listen, Ellie, I hate to ask this, but, um... how old are you?"
"I'm 18," said Ellie. "And don't worry, my folks won't be back till after New Year's."
"Sorry to be like this," continued Hana, "but you wouldn't have any, like, ID, would you?"
Ellie looked pouty but after few seconds she walked over to a bureau in an anteroom off the kitchen. Her birth certificate was in the top drawer, and she handed it to Hana with a bit of attitude. "Will this do?"
Hana looked at the birthdate, did the math, and handed it back to Ellie. "Sorry," she repeated, "but you can't be too careful."
Ellie got over her sulk quickly, and led them to her father's liquor cabinet, a towering wooden structure in a corner of the living room. When she opened the door they saw what had to be more than a hundred bottles of high-end liquor, most of them full or nearly full. Hana immediately developed a picture of Ellie's father as the type who liked to brag about his fancy booze but didn't really have the taste for it. He was probably a Bud Light drinker, really. But Hana would enjoy it properly.
"Help yourself," encouraged Ellie. "He won't miss it."
Hana spotted a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue, which she'd never actually tasted before. She poured herself a generous glass and went to the kitchen to find ice. When she returned, taking a first delightful sip of the golden nectar, Ellie was standing there with a pile of records in her hand.
"I feel silly," Ellie said, "but would you mind?" She handed Hana the records and a sharpie.
Hana was impressed -- Ellie really did have all their records, including their first single, of which only 500 copies had been pressed. She signed them happily and handed them back. "Which one should we listen to?" asked Ellie.
"To be honest," answered Hana, "I hear plenty of our music. What else do you have?"