One-Shot Theme Song: The Spirit of Radio by Rush
Heidi and I were sitting on her porch overlooking a stormy coast, with thunder and lightning running wild above. I'd been distracted all day after school as it'd been especially unpleasant.
McArthur and his goons had demolished me once more in a game of dodgeball, and this time Mrs. Riley hadn't even bothered to stick around. She'd gone back to sit in her office to "do paperwork", which was code for "I'm hungover, don't bother me".
Thankfully this time I wasn't hit in the head, but I'd taken a few hits to the stomach and afterwards as we headed to the locker room I'd been shoved to the floor, bruising my hip. Since it was only 4th period I still had about 3 hours left of school to limp around and then walk home.
It would still be at work after school let out, so Heidi was going to pick me up from home. We occasionally switched up where she'd pick me up to bring me to her house so as to avoid rumors from overly nosy townsfolk.
Getting home was painful, and I concentrated as much as I could on a song stuck in my head. The guitar riff had come to mind as I'd been walking out the door on the way to school that morning, and it hadn't left my mind all day.
Begin the day with a friendly voice,
A companion unobtrusive.
Plays the song that's so elusive,
And the magic music makes your morning mood.
Heidi noticed immediately as I walked out gingerly to her car that something was wrong. I then had to explain to Heidi gym class had once again been a living hell. If it weren't for the fact that she still had whatever this student trip was to carry out I don't doubt that she would have gone to hunt down each person involved.
I could have sworn that she gripped the steering wheel tight enough to leave permanent indents in it. Her now black eyes took a while, and me lightly massaging her arm, to turn back to red.
We rode in not-too-uncomfortable silence, her speeding taking us all the way there in just over 20 minutes.
Off on your way, hit the open road,
There is magic at your fingers.
The sky had begun to rain on our way, but not enough to make the roads too slick. About an hour after we arrived, however, the downpour started.
I'd always loved storms because they felt healing. The rain washed everything away, while the thunder and lightning rumbled deep into my chest. Much like music, they were an all consuming experience that took me away from whatever else was going on.
For the spirit ever lingers,
Undemanding contact in your happy solitude.
Without thinking much of it I began to hum the melody of my "companion unobtrusive" softly as Heidi and I sat.
Invisible airwaves crackle with life,
Bright antenna bristle with the energy.
"What is that you're humming? You have a lovely voice by the way". I smiled and blushed at her praise.
Emotional feedback on timeless wavelength,
Bearing a gift beyond price, almost free.
"It's a s-song…by a band I r-really like. 'S-spirit of Radio' by…Rush".
As she turned her mahogany hair shifted a little bit and brushed my cheek. One arm wrapped around me, her chilled fingers began to trace circles on my arm.
"I'm afraid I've done little to stay up to date with human music over the past century, but perhaps I'll have to look into them. Your love of music is rather infectious, you know. What do you like about this artist?".
No one had ever asked me about a band I loved or even shown the slightest interest in what I care about. The calm I felt from both the storm and Heidi standing next to me in the kitchen holding my hand provided just enough distraction so that I didn't overthink how I responded. I didn't even stutter or pause as much as I normally did, as I felt myself shift into this different "mental zone".
I technically didn't even start out by answering her question, but rather with the history of the band. I always felt like the foundational context for a song or album helped better set up the significance of it.
I went on about how they were from Canada, how Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson met at school and shared backgrounds with families affected by the Second World War, how Neil Peart's love of literature inspired thought-provoking lyrics.
How the album the song was from, Natural Sciences, marked a shift in the band's sound from an incredibly ambitious prog rock sound to a more mainstream, but still intricate, approach to their compositions. Their love of music and the medium of radio expressed through the blending of musical styles and lyrics in the song.
All this machinery making modern music,
Can still be open-hearted.
Not so coldly charted, it's really just a question,
Of your honesty, yeah your honesty.
I got into how much the lyrics meant to me, and how they resonated with my own intimate love of music. How it was so deeply tied to my emotions, and how it truly gave me a sense of safety I didn't feel elsewhere. Had I been paying attention I'd have noticed her eyes narrow at that admission, but she remained silent.
I couldn't stop myself as I rambled off on all of the thoughts and feelings I'd kept locked up about music in general. There was a bit of anxiety to it, even though I wasn't stopping long enough to think about it. Who knew when this opportunity might arise again, and then I'd be back to suppressing what I held so dearly? Would Heidi finally realize how weird I was and want nothing to do with me?
Invisible airwaves crackle with life.
Bright antenna bristle with the energy.
Finally, I stopped when I'd run myself out, and it caught up to me the verbal hurricane that I'd just unleashed. The anxiety I'd kept back before now was all I could think about. I looked over at her in fear that I'd see judgment, or even worse would she start laughing at how ridiculous I'd been?
She gave an expression back that I could only think of as pure fondness. Her smile and bright expression gave no sign of revulsion or mockery. Her crimson eyes now seemed to glow.
"Wow…Violet May, I've never heard such passion in your voice. That was…beautiful to listen to. You are beautiful, my dear".
Emotional feedback on timeless wavelength,
Bearing a gift beyond price, almost free.
Heidi really knew how to bring out the waterworks in me, because the tears flowed out as I embraced her with fervor. Even though her skin was as hard as rock I always found it comforting. My throat ached slightly at having spoken so much, so I put everything I had into the hug.
Surprised by me she paused, but in an instant returned my hug equally as tightly. She laughed in that honey-smooth rasp of hers, "I hope this means that you'll be hugging me more often in the future. I rather enjoy having your arms around me".
I nodded in her arms, still too overwhelmed to speak and unwilling to let go.
For a while she ran her hand through my hair and hummed back what she'd heard from me.
"Come. Let's sit out on the porch and watch the rain."
With that she picked me up and now here we were, doing just that. I snuggled a little deeper into her side. Even though initiating this sort of contact openly was still largely uncomfortable for me, I just couldn't deny myself right now. There'd be time to feel awkward about it later.
We sat there and then I practically felt her grin, even though my eyes were closed. She leaned down to my ears and whispered, "So…I recall you mentioning that your favorite album by this band Rush was called '2112'. What about it draws you in so?"
Invisible airwaves crackle with life.
Bright antenna bristle with the energy.
Did I realize that she was deliberately trying to get me to give another verbal lecture on music? Yes.
Did I particularly care? No.
I knew that she wasn't doing it only to cruelly tear me down afterwards. Perhaps she hadn't kept up on trends in human music, and perhaps she wouldn't even be too much of a Rush fan whenever I got around to showing her a few songs. But she sincerely cared, and that was what mattered. She felt happy because I was feeling happy. Felt joy from my joy.
Eagerly taking the invitation I began to practically recite the paper I'd written two years before, but instead of being met with a dismissive, disinterested teacher I was met with the acceptance of an amazing woman who celebrated my passion.
Emotional feedback on timeless wavelength,
Bearing a gift beyond price, almost free.