Ah, the future. Here's a little piece on life in the year, well, probably about 2020 or so. Oh, and on a side note, I found a very Chandler-esque quote: "Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional." And with that, I give you A Song for Dad.
Note: song by Keith Urban, not me. Characters? Also not mine, except for the ones you don't recognize.
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I walked through the door of the beautiful two story house that had been my home ever since my little brother, Nathan, was born 12 years ago. I threw my keys down in the dish by the door, where Mom made me put them everyday. No one was home at this time of day, so I quickly darted up to my room and slung my backpack on the hook behind the door, before setting my guitar case down next to my desk.
Cautiously, I opened the top drawer of my desk and pulled out a small notebook, covered in stickers and sketches. My phone rang shrilly, causing me to jump in my chair. I took a deep breath before answering.
"Yeah," my custom greeting.
"Hey Danny," a girl's voice filled my ear, and I smiled. Jennifer Thompson had lived two blocks away ever since we moved in, and we'd been best friends the instant we met.
"Only my little brother is allowed to call me that, Jen," I returned. "What's up?" My eyes fell on a picture of the two of us when we were eleven. Other kids in the neighborhood said we wouldn't stay friends for long; we were too different. I was a young white boy from the city, she a young black girl from the suburbs.
"What's up? What are you, from the 20th century? Anyway," she continued quickly, "Are you free tonight? The guys wanna get together."
"Uh, hang on." I set the phone down and moved to my calendar, where my mother had placed all my important dates and appointments so I wouldn't forget. In big red letters, on today's date, I saw: NATHAN GAME 5 PM. I picked my phone up and sighed.
"Sorry, my little brother's got a soccer game tonight. Mom and Dad missed his last one, so they promised him they'd go this time."
"And they're dragging you with them? Bummer."
"Bummer? Stuck in the 80s much?"
"You, Daniel Bing, are very annoying," she laughed.
"That is so not true," I retorted, crossing my arms over my chest. "Besides, I love my little brother, I want to go. He's getting very good; he could go a long way."
"Right, so when can we get together? The battle is next weekend, and we have to rehearse our set one more time."
"What set? The battle is one cover and one original. No big deal. Is Tanner stressing again?" I smiled at the thought of the normally laid-back surfer from LA running around frantically.
"A little," Jen agreed.
"Okay, what about Saturday at your place?"
"Why don't we ever practice at yours?" Jen asked suddenly.
"Have you met my mom?" I said. "I've heard horror stories from the gang about her and music. But I have to go. Nate's game is in an hour, and I have homework, not to mention college applications." I rolled my eyes.
"Kay, see ya."
"Yeah," I hung up quickly and switched my laptop on. I had saved up my allowance, plus summer job money, to pay for half – the agreement I had made with my parents. Pulling my notebook and texts out of my backpack, I put the finishing touches on my Calculus homework. For the next half hour, I researched and documented everything about music and it's evolution through the years for my Senior Thesis. After I'd written all I could without going crazy, I put that away to do over the weekend and grabbed the red folder labeled: COLLEGE. Laughing at my mother's fanatical obsession with order, I opened it and read her little sticky notes about each college I'd chosen. I laughed even harder when I saw Dad's "comments" underneath Mom's. Dad and I shared a unique sense of humor that often annoyed Mom and Nathan to death.
Quickly, I filled out a few of them, after looking more thoroughly at the brochures. Noticing I only had ten minutes to make it to the fields, I grabbed my jacket, threw the small notebook back into my desk, and darted out the door.
"Hey Mom, Dad," I greeted as I approached them from behind. They turned and smiled, my mother engulfing me in a small hug before letting go and returning her hands to her pockets.
"You know, for February, it's actually quite warm," Dad offered, wrapping an arm around Mom's shoulders and kissing her hair. I smiled at them; to some teenagers, parents showing affection was just wrong on so many levels. But to me, it was natural. Even in their late forties, my parents were in love, and they never hesitated to let everyone know. I turned my attention to the field, where my little brother had just stolen the ball and was dribbling down the field. He was in, out, and around everyone in the blink of an eye, and he scored easily on the off-guard goalie.
"Way to go, Nate!" I yelled, throwing my hands in the air. Mom and Dad cheered as well, along with the entire left stands.
The game ended with the home team up 10-0. Nathan scored six of the ten goals, making him the game's MVP. As we walked in the door, the phone rang, causing Mom to dash for the living room. Nathan and I trudged up the stairs, and I ruffled my little brother's hair.
"Nice job out there, Sport. You got talent," I said.
"Thanks, Danny," he responded.
"Welcome, now go take a shower because you stink!" I shoved the 12 year old in the direction of the bathroom, and the young boy stuck his tongue out in return. I just laughed as I shut the door to my bedroom, turning on my radio.
*****
Dinner at the Bing residence progressed as normally as it could with two jokesters, an athlete, and an over-obsessive chef. I swallowed my fettuccine before speaking.
"Who was on the phone?" I asked, genuinely curious. Mom was being unusually quiet, and Dad hadn't cracked a joke all night.
"Your grandmother," Mom said vaguely. As I thought about it, I realized either way it wasn't good.
"Which one?" I asked, knowing if it was Grandma Judy, Mom was going to be in a slump for the rest of the night.
"Nana," she said, glancing at Dad, "She's coming down next weekend."
"Oh," I responded distantly. Nana was going to be at the battle to hear my band play. But most of all, she was going to be here to criticize Dad. It really was scary how much Nana turned into Grandma Judy after Mom and Dad got married. They told me that when I was born, Nana threatened to move in and take care of me in case Dad couldn't handle it. I can only imagine how furious Mom was; both at the audacity of her mother-in-law, and the fact that Nana had no faith in her son. Sure, Grandpa Charlie was a little – odd – but that didn't mean Dad was horrible. In fact, Dad was the one who let me hang out with Phoebe and let her teach me guitar when I was little. Granted, her methods were strange, but to a nine-year-old, they were funny and cool.
"What about Grandma Judy and Grandpa Jack?" Nate asked, looking up from the Sports Illustrated in his lap. "Didn't they say they were coming for Danny's battle thing?"
"Yes, but Nana is coming a couple days ahead of time to spend time with you guys. She doesn't get to see you as often as Mom and Dad," Mom answered, yanking the magazine from his lap. "Now eat your dinner, finish your homework, and get ready for bed." Nate shoveled the food in his mouth, deposited his plate in the sink, and dashed up the stairs.
"Wow," I said, "never saw a kid so eager to do his homework." Dad chuckled as Mom rolled her eyes, then straightened up and looked at me.
"Well, you should take a lesson from him. Go work on that paper for English, then bring us your college folder." Mom smiled at him, and it was my turn to roll my eyes. I then realized my mistake as his hand came up and cuffed me in the back of the head. I threw him a sheepish grin as I finished my plate, took it and Mom's to the sink, then followed Nate up the stairs.
*****
The next week was a blur with practices, papers, and games. Finally, Thursday evening rolled around, and when I walked in from a late practice, Mom and Dad were visiting with Nana in the living room. She stood and embraced me, eyeing my guitar with distaste.
"Really, Chandler. You shouldn't allow this boy to stay out so late. God knows where he's been, and who he's been with." She cupped my face in her hands as if I were the victim. Mom looked about ready to blow her top, while Dad had sort of a defeated look on his face.
"Actually," I put in, "I was just practicing for the battle with my band mates. And I called earlier to tell Mom I was gonna be late." I moved from Nana's grasp and kissed Mom hello on my way up the stairs. As I ascended, I heard Nana's voice float through the house.
"Chandler, that boy's turning into you." Her voice did not sound praising, and I found myself bristling at her words. I loved my Nana, but the way she attacked Dad all the time made me a little angry. She didn't know all the things he'd done for Nate and me, and I found myself wishing that there was a way she could.
I knocked on my brother's door, knowing he was probably getting ready for bed. At his answer, I quickly opened the door and slipped inside. He was sitting on his bed, polishing his All-Star MVP trophy. I laughed as I grabbed a chair, turned it around, and straddled it backwards.
"Hey, Nana's here," I told him.
"I know," he said, not looking up. "She accosted me when I got home from school, asking me all kinds of questions."
"Accosted? Where'd you learn that word?" I asked before groaning in realization. "Dad's still buying that 'Word of the Day' toilet paper, huh?" Nate nodded, smiling. He looked a lot like Dad when he did that, with his dirty blonde bowl cut and bright blue eyes.
"Why doesn't she get along with Mom and Dad?" he asked.
"She does, she just wants to make sure we're being taken care of." I tried to give an answer he would understand, but wouldn't ask too many more questions. As a young teen, I accidentally discovered what Grandpa Charlie did for a living. Needless to say, I was shocked when I found out, but it helped me to understand why Nana didn't think Dad could handle kids, however preposterous that notion was. Of course, hanging out with Joey and Phoebe, I got a lot of stories about how Dad was before he and Mom got together. Nate's voice pulled me back to reality.
"She obviously doesn't know our parents very well," he laughed. I laughed with him, hoping he'd drop it, and he did. "I gotta get to bed; big game tomorrow." I ruffled his hair and returned the chair to his desk.
"Goodnight Sport," I shut off his light and closed his door behind me. As I walked into my room, I was struck with inspiration, and I pulled out my notebook. We were going to have a lot of practicing to do tomorrow.
*****
"You're changing one of our songs a day before the battle?" Tanner was not a happy drummer, and it seemed as if Jen and Miguel agreed.
"What are you thinking?" Miguel raved, picking his bass guitar from its stand.
"Look, just listen for a second, and if you absolutely don't like it, we'll stick with 'Long Road Home.'" I took Jen's acoustic off the stand and sat on the stool. I started picking out a soft melody, singing the song I had written the night before. When I was finished, Tanner had stopped pacing and Jen and Miguel were staring at me. Our keyboarder, Kienan, had come in half way through, and was watching me intently.
"What was that?" he asked when I'd finished, his Korean accent still present even after ten years in the States.
"Our new original," Tanner answered, sitting down at his drum set. I smiled at him as I placed the acoustic back and picked up my electric. Jen grabbed hers and the sheet music I'd written for her. I handed out the rest of the music to Miguel and Kienan, and we started our warm-ups.
"We got a lot of practicing to do," Kienan pointed out after our first run through. "We've got the cover down fine, but this new one's gonna take some time."
"We got all night," Jen offered. "My parents are at some function; they won't be back till morning."
"Guess it's good to be an only child," I said, looking at the music.
"Hey, what if you used the acoustic?" Miguel offered. "Push the back rhythm Jen has to a soft pluck."
"Yeah, and this drum line can be scaled back to fit the acoustic style," Tanner put in. I thought about it for a moment before nodding. I jotted some changes down and changed guitars quickly. After noting the adjustments, I began. It took us several run-throughs and a couple of hours, but we finally landed it perfectly, and I yawned happily as I closed my guitar case.
"Hey, you guys hungry?" Jen walked in with her phone, and Tanner jumped up, pocketing his sticks.
"Let's order pizza!" he grabbed the phonebook.
"Yeah, because we never do that," I retorted, but agreed when my stomach growled.
"So, is everyone ready for tomorrow?" Kienan asked over his third slice of pepperoni pizza. Grunts of affirmation and "yeses" were given, and we all smiled.
"We've been working so hard these last couple of years. This could be something big for us." Jen was always optimistic, and I slung my arm around her shoulder.
"What happens when we all go off to college?" Miguel asked suddenly.
"Well," I said, swallowing, "we'll keep in touch, of course. Where is everyone going?"
"Looks like Boston College for me," Miguel said smiling.
"UConn for me," Kienan said, grabbing another slice of pizza.
"Virginia Tech offered me the best music scholarship, but Florida A&M is a better school," Tanner laughed.
"Yeah, if by 'better school' you mean 'has hotter chicks and better beaches," I slapped him lightly on the shoulder.
"Of course!" he said, causing all of us to break out into laughter. It was nice to know some things never changed.
"What about you, Jen?" I asked, genuinely curious.
"Well," she blushed slightly, and I knew the reason. She never liked to brag about her genius, but she was extremely smart. I was the only one who knew she had applied to Oxford College in England. I was just waiting to hear if she was accepted.
"Oh come on!" I urged. "I'm probably gonna end up going to NYU, like Dad."
"Ah, a second generation of Bings," Tanner joked. I cuffed him lightly and turned back to Jen.
"I got into Oxford!" she screamed, jumping into my arms. I spun her around laughing, and she hugged everyone else in turn. Her chocolate eyes were dancing with excitement. "They offered me a full ride for Pre-Law, and I have a good shot at getting into Oxford Law too!" She was full blast now, and not even a train could stop her. I found myself smiling, truly happy for her. But for some reason, I couldn't help but feel sad that she would be on the other side of the planet. "Plus, they said they'd give me two free round-trip tickets back here per year!"
"We have to get together once or twice a year to jam," Tanner said, "It just won't be the same without you guys around."
"Hey, it's getting late," Kienan said, grabbing one slice of pepperoni for the road. "I gotta get home, and we gotta get up early." We all grunted in agreement as we checked our watches.
"Oh my God!" I screamed, "It's almost midnight! My parents are gonna kill me."
"I'll drive you home; it'll be quicker," Jen said, grabbing her jacket. Five minutes later, I said goodbye and raced up the front steps. Quietly, I slid the key in the lock and turned it slowly. I waved at Jen to let her know I was in and opened the door to face my grandmother. She leered over my shoulder at Jen driving away, then grabbed me by my ear.
"Why are you walking through the door at midnight young man? And who was that girl?" I tried to explain, but she continued on. "Do your parents know about her? Is she pregnant? Is it yours?"
"Mom!" I whirled around smiling as I heard Dad's voice behind me. He and Mom were standing in their nightclothes, staring at Nana. "What's going on?" I stood and walked over.
"We practiced a lot tonight to make sure we were ready for tomorrow, then we ordered a pizza and started talking about the future and stuff. We lost track of time, and Jen just dropped me off." I explained everything to them, and they turned to Nana.
"What was with the third degree?" Dad asked her. I looked at Mom for approval, and at her small nod, I raced up the stairs. Quickly, I brushed my teeth and got in bed, every now and then catching a small bit of the conversation going on downstairs. As I drifted off to sleep, I smiled to myself, knowing that tomorrow everything was going to change.
*****
I gripped my guitar tightly as the band on stage finished their original. The crowd applauded politely, but I grimaced in sympathy as the judges shook their heads. Kienan clapped me on the back, grinning like the Cheshire cat.
"This is it! You guys ready?" Miguel nodded, his face set in a grim determination.
"Dude, loosen up," I told him, "We're not going to war." His shoulders sagged slightly, and a small smile graced his face. Jen smiled at me and kissed my cheek in excitement as the stage manager called us up. The MC stepped up into the spotlight as we took our places on the dark stage.
Against my better judgment, I snuck a look out into the crowd, my eyes falling on the front row. Mom had insisted that we leave almost two hours early so they could get good seats; and it had worked. Mom and Dad sat center row with Nathan and his friend Kyle. Nana sat on the other side of Dad, and Joey and Phoebe were next to her. Grandma Judy and Grandpa Jack were sitting next to Nathan, and Uncle Ross sat with Aunt Rachel and Emma. I didn't see Uncle Charlie, but I knew he was here somewhere; he had emailed me and promised me that he would be here, even if it meant he missed his show.
"And now, from J.P. Morgan High, here is The American Dream, with a blast from the past: 'Learning to Fly' by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers." I hid a smile as Joey and Phoebe whooped, and Nathan let out an excited yell over the clapping. I stepped up to the mike and looked back at the band. Jen gave me a small nod and I smiled. I turned to face the crowd, adjusted one more thing on my electric guitar, and waited. Tanner counted off, and we began. We had practiced the song so much, it had become second nature to us, and when we ended, the audience cheered. Jen grabbed a stool from backstage and set it up in front of the mike as I switched to the acoustic. I came back and took a seat, adjusting the mike to the proper place to introduce the original to the judges.
"We actually had another original planned up until two days ago. Maybe someday you'll hear it, but not today. Late Thursday night, I was moved to write this song, and I managed to convince these guys to play it instead of 'Long Road Home.' There are a lot of important people in my life, and I love each one of them dearly. Sometimes I don't get to tell them as much as I should, so I'd like this to be the start of my amends. Here's 'A Song for Dad.'"
I didn't even look at him, because I knew I wouldn't be able to handle it. Instead, I began the soft intro, and Tanner came in measures later with a soft low beat. Jen followed with rhythm, and Miguel kept the bass low. Kienan set his keyboard to sound like a violin trio and waited for his entrance. Taking a deep breath, I began the song, looking out into the crowd with pride.
Lately I've been noticing I say the same things he used to say
And I even find myself acting the very same way
I tap my fingers on the table to the rhythm in my soul
And I jingle the car keys when I'm ready to go
When I look in the mirror, he's right there in my eyes
Starin' back at me and I realize
~
The older I get, the more I can see
How much he loved my mother and my brother and me
And he did the best that he could
And I only hope when I have my own family
That everyday I see a little more of my father in me
~
There were times I thought he was being just a little bit hard on me
But now I understand he was makin' me become the man he knew that I could be
In everything he ever did he always did with love
And I'm proud today to say I'm his son
When somebody says I hope I get to meet your dad
I just smile and say you already have
~
He's in my eyes, my heart, my soul, my hands, my pride
And when I feel alone, and I think I can't go on
I hear him sayin' "Son you'll be alright"
Everything is gonna be alright
~
The older I get, the more I can see
How much he loved my mother and my brother and me
And he did the best that he could
And I only hope when I have my own family
That everyday I see, oh I hope I see
I hope everyday I see a little more of my father in me
~
As we hit the last note and the sound faded out, the silence rang in my ears. Then, everyone erupted, and I smiled. I placed the guitar back on the stand and turned back around to see Dad crying. Nana was smiling proudly at me, then hugged Dad. We took our bows and exited the stage with our instruments. Jen nearly squealed as she threw her arms around my neck.
"That was perfect! And did you see your dad?" I nodded, unable to speak as the MC received the envelope of winners from the judges. I felt Jen grab my hand and squeeze it tightly as we waited impatiently for him to open it and read the winners.
"Third place and $250 goes to Cupid's Arrow!" The audience applauded as a couple walked out onto the stage hand in hand and received their check. "Second place and $500 goes to Risen." The gospel choir from some Christian high school leapt out onto the stage, and the director accepted the check graciously.
"And first place, a grand prize of $1000 and tickets to the upcoming Rock-fest in Madison Square Gardens goes to…" he paused for dramatic effect and Jen squeezed my hand so hard I thought it was going to break. "American Dream!" I didn't even register the crowd's roaring applause or the standing ovation (started by the front row) as we ran out onto the stage. We each grabbed the large check and held it up, beaming like idiots. We all took a bow before hugging each other and jumping up and down. In all the excitement, Jen kissed me, and Tanner whooped as he clapped me on the back.
After it all died down, we met our families and friends outside. I was immediately engulfed in a group hug of about ten people, and I noted Mom was crying. When they released me, I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to face my dad's bright blue eyes. I smiled and pulled him into a hug, barely noticing as the others stepped back to give us some privacy.
"I'm proud of you," I heard him say. We stepped back and smiled at each other before Dad turned and pulled Jen into a bear hug. "Proud of you too, Jennifer," he added with a smirk. Mr. Thompson pulled me into a half-hug, and I blushed as Jen's mom kissed my cheek.
"We're all proud of you," her dad stated as our parents beamed with pride. I laughed as Mom tried to keep Dad from hugging the rest of my band mates. As I talked with the large group about the song, and laughing as everyone asked about "Long Road Home," I noticed someone in the distance, standing almost behind a wall. It was Grandpa Charlie, and I made a quick excuse before trotting off toward him. I stepped behind the wall with him and he hugged me. I don't know if I was more surprised that he was wearing pants or that he actually hugged me. Dad always told me that Grandpa Charlie was never a big hugger, and that was why he hugged us so much. When I pulled away, he was grinning.
"I can't believe you actually came," I said, looking at him from head to toe. "And in that." His laugh echoed so much, he clamped his hand over his mouth as he reached into his pocket.
"Well, times change," he told me. "Besides, I'm near retirement anyway. Harry and I just want to settle down and live a quiet life." He pulled his hand out of his pocket to reveal a small business card, which he handed me.
"What's this?" I asked, reading the writing. Harold Kilborn, Recording Agent
"You're good, kid. Really good. You've written two songs, and though I've only heard one of them, I can only imagine what the other one sounds like. Harry's waiting in a taxi, but he asked me to give that to you, just in case. If you ever want to record anything, give us a call. You have our home number as well, and it wouldn't hurt to give your old grandfather a call now and then." He winked at me and I laughed, the corners of my eyes crinkling.
"Why don't you come say hi to everyone?" I said, thumbing in their direction. "Dad would be happy to see you."
"I don't think so, kid. But could you give him this?" He handed me an envelope with Dad's name on it. I nodded as I pocketed the small item, along with the card. "And think about that," he said, indicating the card. He pulled me into an awkward hug once more before bidding me goodbye and leaving. I watched him go before returning to the group.
"Okay, who wants ice cream? My treat!" Dad called, and Nathan and Kyle jumped in the air.
"Awesome!" Tanner called, causing all of us to roll our eyes. "What?" he asked, and Miguel ruffled his hair. "Dude, watch the hair!" Jen looped her arm through mine as we walked to our SUV.
"Can we talk later?" she whispered to me, and I smiled.
"Sure thing," I whispered back. Something told me that things were about to change; and as we piled into the SUV, Dad smirked knowingly at us.
*****
Later that night, I fingered my $250 happily before stashing it in a small lock box under my bed with my other money. My 18th birthday had proven to be quite lucrative, and as I counted, I found I had almost $600, which I had decided to save for a trip to England this summer.
After a long talk with Jen, we decided to start dating. Our parents couldn't have been happier, though they all said they saw it coming. I had told Mom and Dad that I planned on accompanying her to London to see her settled in, which had earned me a long talk. They sat me down and told me all kinds of stories about being in a foreign land and something about behaving myself. I swear sometimes my parents are out of their minds.
My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on my door, and I quickly shoved the money under my bed and stood as Dad opened my door.
"Hey," he said as I picked my jeans up off the floor. I smiled as I reached into the pocket and pulled Grandpa Charlie's envelope out. "What's this?" he asked as I handed it to him.
"Grandpa Charlie came today," I explained. "He didn't want to make a big scene, but he promised me he'd come. I saw him after, and he gave me this to give to you." Dad's face wrinkled in confusion as he opened the letter and began reading. I stood in curious silence while Dad read, and when he was finished, he simply folded the letter and put it in his pocket.
"Thank you," he said quietly before hugging me and bidding me goodnight. I smiled as I climbed into bed, recalling the almost happy look on Dad's face as he closed my door behind him. Just before I succumbed to my exhaustion, my eyes fell on the small white card sitting on my desk, and I sighed contentedly. Tomorrow, I had a phone call to make.
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Well, what do you think? Definitely something different from me.