Present.
New York, NY.
Evan woke up and found himself in van that suddenly stopped. He opened the door of the van and it was daylight. Probably at eight o'clock in the morning. The van driver picked him up when he was walking down the street. He asked him about where he was heading and he picked him up into his van when he said that he was following the music.
"Picked him up on the Thruway outside of Montrose," the van driver said to someone in his phone. "He was just wandering down the road. Said he was…um…following the music. The moon told him to. Yeah, kids are space cadet!" Then he saw Evan and said, "Look kid, I have a busy day ahead of me. All right, big guy out you go." As soon as Evan stepped out from the van he continued, "This Jeffries guy wasn't in his office yet, so I left him a message to pick you up right here when he does."
"Okay." Then he gave him a piece of calling card that was familiar.
"Here, hold on. Now, don't lose it. If he doesn't show in an hour, so give him another call. You can handle that right?
"Yeah."
"Got any money?" Evan shook his head. "Here's twelve bucks. Damn, kid, put it in your pocket." After he did, the van driver said, "See you."
He studied every building that he saw, every line, and every detail trying to see in it the environment he was in. He was guessing that maybe he was in a city. A busy one. The city was filled with the sound from the vehicles, the factories, people's footsteps, dogs barking and the neon lights that beamed suddenly started a symphony surrounding him. He was so happy to hear such music and he stood on the top of the fountain and started conducting the music he heard.
Then he felt so afraid when Mr. Jeffries' calling card slipped away from his hand when he was busy 'conducting'. He panicked and tried to remember where he was supposed to meet Mr. Jeffries. He wanted to find his parents, but he got scared. After all, he's only an eleven year old boy. He'd no idea where he's at right now. He was supposed to be in a city but instead, he was at a beautiful park that with street musicians playing their instruments.
He was amazed by the boy who was singing and playing guitar with the sound he'd never heard before. In the boy's guitar case there's a note:
The Musical Jenius of Arthur X.
Donations appreciated.
Obviously, this Arthur X didn't know how to spell genius. But he sure knows how to play a guitar. Arthur was an African-American boy. When Evan saw 'donations appreciated', he quickly gave Arthur two bucks. "Okay, citizen, you paid. Any request?" asked Arthur.
"No."
"All rightey then." After that he began to sing.
Father, hear me when I call your name,
I need you to answer me now,
Father, here I am weak in your sight,
Can you rescue me now?
I'm crying out,
Can't figure it out on my own…
He admitted that Arthur had an incredible voice, but what caught his attention was the guitar Arthur was playing. He had never touched a guitar nor played it before. He fell in love with guitars and the sound that produced from it. And he was so closed to touch it with his own hand…
"Whoa! Back off! Away, away! Yo, son, you messin' with my equilibrium. Nobody touches this instrument, but me! Roxy's my girl!" Arthur shouted. "Son, we're done here, so why don't you go and find your mommy alright?"
Mommy? He wished he could."I don't know where she is."
"Good, that just great! Urm…cops show up around six. Tell them you're AWOL, they'll send you back where you come from."
The orphanage? He's never gonna go back there. Not anymore. "I don't want to go back there."
"Whatever. Good. This day has been a bust anyway. I'm out." Arthur walked away from the park but felt really suffocate when Evan kept following him around. "What?"
"I don't have a place to stay."
"Do I look like a real estate tycoon to you? How many dead presidents you got? Nuggets? Shorts? Show me the money!" Evan took out all of the ten bucks he had. Then Arthur grinned. "Are you thinking, what I'm thinking?"
I don't think so. "No, I'm thinking something else."
"I'm 'a let you by me a pizza."
San Francisco, CA
"I've been doing this for ten years, Bob." Louis said to Bob in the phone. "I said ten percent."
Louis was now a successful man. He worked in an office with an amazing amount of salary. He had to ditch his leather jacket and jeans with holes and changed them into a nice, clean and expensive suit he wore everyday. Since he left New York and the band eleven years ago, he went back to San Francisco and worked as a waiter in a coffee shop. But then, he figured, did he want to be a waiter for the rest of his life? No? So, he continued his studies and took business lessons until he got hired by his boss Mr. Tom Macey.
At first, he didn't get the suitable job he wanted, so he worked really hard and kept on working until he got promoted again and again. Mr. Macey loved him. His big boss told him that he was the key to the company's success and that he would gave him ten thousand dollars as a bonus to his salary if he can get a deal with another great company.
But he knew better. Louis had lived in him for thirty years and he knew all of the joy and pain in his heart. The only reason why he kept himself busy all these years was because he was trying to get rid of Lyla from his mind. He worked and worked and worked just to make sure that he didn't have a time to think about her.
"We need to close the deal. Hold on a second," he said as he opened the door of the limousine and entered it. "No, we said ten percent. Yeah, well it does makes the world go round, doesn't it Bob?" How typical. Money always makes the world go round for these kinds of people."Just get me the ten percent, will you? Thanks." He closed his eyes and started to curse.
"You need anything, sir?" the driver said to him.
"Do you know any hit man?"
"Well, I know a bass player who might be able to help you out. He likes to get in fights with leads singers."
Bass player? I know a bass player too. Nick. God, I miss him. I wonder what he's doing right now? He too, likes to get in fights with me and Marshall. Wait, why does the driver sounded like Nick? Louis opened his eyes. "Nick?"
"Hey, man!"
"What are you doing, man?" he said as he touched his old mate's shoulder.
"I'm still driving. Paying off those wedding bills from last year."
"Oh, fair play to you. She's a nice girl."
"So, are you playing at all?" The band knew that Louis had given up on music. He had never played any musical instrument for the last ten years. Especially guitar.
"Nope."
"Why the hell not? Your fingers fall off?"
"Well, you move on." Louis shot back.
Nick just shook his head. Louis, you still hasn't change. Move on? If you move on, you would be playing by now.
"What about the lads? Have you seen any of them lately?" Louis asked, trying to change the subject.
"We still mess around…but the Connelly Brothers never really bounced back minus one brother."
Marshall… Louis guessed that maybe he's still mad at him about him leaving the band. "You seen Marshall lately?"
"Have you?" Nick asked.
Louis just shook his head.
"It's my birthday on Saturday." Nick said trying to change the sensitive subject. "Sessions at my place. Come, bring your girlfriend. It's great seeing you man. Reminds me of New York. Good old days, eh?"
Good old days? Not for me, Nick. Not for me. New York had brought nothing but painful memory, sadness and sorrow. Louis didn't say anything. He just stared out of the window and found himself going back to the past.
Chicago, IL.
Lyla sang the rhythm of Für Elise by Ludwig Van Beethoven to Megan, her nine year old student. They were in a park waiting for Megan's mom to pick her up. Since she had a car accident eleven years earlier, she pleaded Lizzie to leave New York and live with her in Chicago. She wanted to stay away from her dad as long as she can.
She couldn't look at her father because if she did, all of the past memory would slip right in her mind. She needed money, so she became a music teacher. The only thing that she did was to teach kids the basic things about music.
She taught them about chords, music notes, and about the legendary musicians before. But the craziest thing was that she never played music anymore. She's a music teacher who did not play musical instruments. Any musical instruments. Not even cello.
Lizzie just got married last month to a country musician, David. Thinking of David, always made Louis appeared in her mind. Hearing his voice that wonderful night and looking at the clothes he wore had made the impression that he was a musician.
"I know, I know…okay, I don't know." Megan said as she failed to guess what the name of the song was.
"Oh, Für Elise by Beethoven. And you should know that one."
"Oh yeah…" she said when she remembered. "Will you be our teacher forever, Miss Novacek?" Megan loved Lyla. She said that Lyla was the best music teacher she ever had.
"Well, at least until your old teacher comes back. But only if you call me…?"
"Lyla!"
"That's right!" They both laughed when they remembered the day when Lyla's first day as a music teacher when she asked her to call her Lyla instead of Miss Novacek.
"You're crazy, Miss Novacek."
Lyla chuckled. "Got everything?" she asked when she spotted Megan's mother besides the playground.
"Megan?" Megan smiled at Lyla as she said goodbye then came running to her mother and hugged her. "Hi, sweetie! How was your day?"
"Perfect!"
"Really?" Megan's mom looked at Lyla and said, "Thanks!"
"There you are!" Lizzie suddenly showed up in front of her and asked her to sit down on the bench nearby. "Now, before you say no…okay, picture this. You, onstage. Me, accompanying. Thousands of people!"
"Liz…" Lizzie always trying to get her on the stage again and again. She turned down the offer for the millionth times. But Lizzie never really gave up.
"The New York Philharmonic. I just got the invite. They want you back. It's just for one night, but they want you back."
"I… I don't want to be up there."
"Lyla, when are you gonna let yourself be happy again?"
What is she talking about? "I am, happy!"
"I'm talking about, when everyone else goes home."
"Look…" Lyla took a deep breath and said, "I know, okay? I know."
"Just think about it. I mean, you're a music teacher who doesn't play music anymore."
Lyla gave Lizzie a laugh. "Call me crazy."
"Okay, Crazy, I see you at home okay." Lizzie may be married, but she always stopped by her old home with Lyla at least twice a week.
Lyla stared at the New York Philharmonic's invitation for a minute, thinking whether she wanted to perform or not. Why would she? Playing music would make her think about Louis and their dead son. It was just too much for her. No. I can't do this. I can't. I just can't.