A/N: Some emotional revelations in the last chapter and they just keep on coming!
Now that we scratched the surface of Tori and Mia's situation, I think it's time we got into some history.
THIS WHOLE CHAPTER IS A FLASHBACK, FYI
Also, this is part 1 of 2.
The next one will be up next week sometime.
And I can't believe I haven't brought this up yet, but please support the writer's strike! We do this for fun but let's stand by those that do this to make a living. Without their hard work, we wouldn't be inspired to try our own hand at this.
SUMMER 2011
Right out of the gate, Tori was making a name for herself. Her filmed performances at Hollywood Arts made their rounds on social media.
Now that she was a graduate, she dedicated this summer to be the Year of Tori Vega (Look Out, World!).
Her debut album, Punch Drunk, was a labor of love that took months to complete. It got picked up by Universal Music Group and the 18-year-old was touted as the new pop sensation.
UMG was hesitant to pull the trigger on someone this new going on a concert tour, even as an opening act. They tried a different strategy: a promotional tour. Tori would hit the road and travel to music stores and shopping malls around the bay area. She would sign copies of the albums being sold, interact with fans and strengthen her social media presence.
By the tenth venue, the record label was getting cold feet.
The projected sales didn't pan out and even digital downloads stagnated. Radio stations were burying her titular single from the album. It just continued to be overshadowed by a slew of up-and-comers. Things were really different in the music industry than they were 10-15 years ago. So much competition relied on word of mouth online. But Tori just wasn't generating the desired numbers.
With only two-thirds of the locations crossed-off, they pulled the plug on the whole thing.
Tori laid down in the back of the car while her dad drove them home shortly after getting the dreaded call.
She thought about how this turn of events mirrored something she remembered from a musical.
Tori, totally despondent, sung softly to herself:
"Let's hear it for the Rainbow Tour.
It's been an incredible success.
We weren't quite sure; we had a few doubts."
"Will Tori win through?
The answer is...no..."
No calls came. No emails. Nothing even in the snail mail: until one day.
Monday, December 12, 2011: UMG sent an official letter to Tori that they were formally dropping her as a client.
The letter dropped onto the floor as she cried her eyes out.
(Talk about an early Christmas present.)
SPRING 2012
Tori was very down in the wake of that disastrous summer and then being cast aside at the end of fall.
The past winter was the longest she could remember.
Now that dream seemed dead in the water, Tori had to look for work and begin supporting herself.
She worked as a barista. It was extremely rare for anyone to recognize her, especially with her hair in a ponytail buried under a cap.
The sound of the dinging every time a new patron came into the coffee shop was just part of the ambience of her life right now.
It's not that the people weren't nice. Though the customer could be a bit much with their "special orders."
Hardly a day went by when Tori wasn't haunted by what happened. She felt like such a failure.
One day, a customer slammed his hand down on the counter which knocked Tori out of her haze.
"Sir?" she blurted out on reflex.
"Excuse me, but I said three shots of espresso, not two!"
Tori honestly didn't even remember walking up to the machine, she was in her own little world of self-loathing at the time.
"Oh, I'm...I'm sorry..."
"Seriously, how hard is your job?"
She looked like she was going to cry when someone came up from behind him.
"Why don't you chill, man."
The tall guy stepped from behind the rude customer, not that he could have completely hidden him. The man was an absolute unit, wearing a tan shirt that didn't hide his muscles.
"Who are you..."
The man backed down when he saw who he was speaking with.
"Now I'm sure this girl works very hard. But she's human and humans make mistakes. Why don't you give her a break, bro?"
Others in the line were low key cheering him while saying their own remarks toward the man with no manners.
"Sorry I yelled at you," he said shakily to Tori.
"It's okay," she nodded, briefly eyeing the stranger who came to her defense. "I'll fix it right away."
Tori then handed the hot beverage to the man; he quietly thanked her and got the hell out of dodge.
"Sorry about that guy," the tall man smiled. "Some people, I swear."
He then looked behind himself and apologetically turned back to Tori.
"Now I'm the rude dude that's holding everyone up," he chuckled.
Tori shook her head, eyes locked on the handsome stranger.
"It's fine," she said.
"Okay, um, may I have a cinnamon latte. Big as you got."
"Vente?" Tori asked.
"Is that what that is? Uh, sure, if that's the big one I'll take it."
A few giggled from behind him made the man blush.
Tori found it endearing that a man of his stature could be so easily embarrassed.
She smiled and retreated to the back to whip up the man's order and came back with a steaming cup.
"Thank you," he said gratefully while he paid with the swipe of his card. "Hope the rest of your day is good."
"Enjoy your coffee," Tori said.
"You, too!"
(Wait, what? Did that make any sense? Why can I never know the right time to say "you too"?)
Feeling foolish, the man politely waved and left.
The next day, after her shift, Tori's co-worker Nikki asked her for a hand. She was moving down to the floor below her current apartment.
And she was going to need help with the bigger stuff.
Not one to leave even an acquaintance hanging, Tori sighed and said she would be happy to help.
It was a few blocks from the coffee shop until they came to Nikki's building. Tori caught glimpse of the glow from a store across the street. She shrugged and went inside right behind Nikki.
The bed was light, but very awkward because she failed to have the tools available to disassemble the frame. It folded but just barely. It was still a massive undertaking getting it down the steps. The mattress was no bargain either, smelling like cigarettes; Tori thought she was going to throw up.
The heaviest task was by far the couch. Tori didn't know what this thing was made of but it felt like it weighed as much as a car.
"OH. MY. GOD!" she groaned from below as Nikki was at the top.
Tori felt she was getting the brunt of the couch's wrath.
And yes, that too reeked of cigarette smoke.
She wasn't judgmental; Tori was fine with people that smoked but being in an enclosed area with a smoker or very close to their furniture was definitely unbearable.
Nikki suggested they take a break now that the biggest items, including the TV and 40 gallon fish tank (empty of course). She went to talk to her boyfriend on the phone when Tori rushed outside to get some much needed air.
Tori never thought she would be so grateful for good old L.A. smog.
That was when her eyes caught the shop again.
Curious, the Latina crossed the street and got a better view of the place.
(For The Record? huh.)
She opened the door and was immediately struck by the ambience. There was a big colorful painting of Jimi Hendrix and normally when that's hanging in a store, there's a lot of black lights and the odor of incense. But this wasn't a head store. It was just an oasis of music.
Tori wandered through the aisles, she hadn't seen this many vinyl records since her grandfather's collection.
There were CD's and even some cassettes.
(No way! Is that an 8-track?)
Seems this wee little corner of the store was a museum of sorts to the media formats of old. All that's missing is one of those wax cylinders from the ancient phonographs. Tori held up the obtuse square disk. The label said: Diana Ross and The Supremes Greatest Hits.
"That's got some of my favorites."
Tori was startled by the out-of-nowhere male voice.
She turned and saw that nice man from the coffee shop the other day.
"See something you like?" he asked.
"Oh, h-hey."
He made a face and then smiled.
"Right, the barista!"
"Small world, huh?" chuckled Tori.
(Why do I feel queasy right now?)
"Glad I caught you outside of work. Hopefully you didn't have any more rude customers."
Tori smiled and shook her head.
"Never a shortage of them. But you were a highlight."
(What the hell, Tori?! That was smooth. Are you flirting?)
He coughed nervously.
"Hope you like the store; let me know if you need anything."
Her eyes widened.
"Wait, this is your store?"
He nodded and gestured toward the cash register which was being manned by a shorter but just as handsome version of Tori's mystery guy.
"That's Miles," he told her. "He's my brother."
"And you are...?"
"Sam."
Tori grinned.
"Hi, Sam. I'm Tori."
Sam nodded.
"Tori," he said.
"Tori? TORI!?"
She whipped around and saw Nikki running up to her.
"Oh, good found you! Thought you ditched me."
"Why would I..."
"Never mind," Nikki said, taking Tori by the arm. "We gotta finish. I only have two hours until Barry gets off of work!"
Tori looked back at Sam apologetically while she was being dragged away by her co-worker.
(NIKKI! You are the worst wingman EVER!)
"Come back, we're open until 10!" Sam said before losing sight of Tori.
The remainder of Nikki's move too longer than anticipated. Her boyfriend came home late, and he still had to help finish up.
Tori was frustrated when she finally was able to break free and headed to the ground floor.
It was well past ten, but she wanted to try anyway.
Sure enough the record shop was closed for the day.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" she cursed herself. "No good deed, I guess..."
She turned to start walking back when she bumped into Sam.
"Hey, you came back!" he smiled. "Sorry it ran late with your friend."
"What are you doing here?" Tori asked, hiding her elation.
"Forgot my phone in the store."
He pointed to the space above.
"Not like I had to walk far."
A growling sound was heard.
"Was that you?" he asked.
Tori blushed.
"Yeah, haven't eaten since breakfast."
"You know, I'm pretty hungry, too. There's a diner I like to go once or twice a week. I'd like the company."
"Are you...asking me out to dinner?" Tori asked.
He rubbed the back of his head.
"A very late dinner but...yes, yes I am. But if you need to-"
"YES!"
Pretty soon, Tori was a regular fixture at For The Record. She would stop there every night after work. Her usual routine was going home and vegging out in front of the TV, so this change was very welcome.
Miles introduced himself and he very slyly would tell Sam that he needed to do inventory and that him and his lady friend could skedaddle.
One night, he recognized her from her little promotional tour. Sadly, they weren't a part of the itinerary. But that didn't stop Miles from asking for an autograph. He placed the signed CD on the shelf for everyone to see.
Tori looked visibly embarrassed.
"Who needs to be reminded," she groaned to Sam.
"Why?" he asked. "I mean it's not my kind of music, but I thought your songs were really good."
"Thanks," Tori blushed. "Nice if others thought so, too."
He walked around her when she tried hiding her face.
"Have you been working on anything since then?"
Tori shook her head.
"No. Not at all. I think...I think I'm done with music."
Sam smiled.
"I gotta admit, you couldn't have picked a more awkward place to make such a confession."
Tori shrugged, "It's true. I mean I've been pushing myself to be a better singer and learning alongside songwriters and engineers to hone my skills. That album was mostly made myself, with a little help from my friends."
Sam snapped his fingers.
"The Beatles, Sgt. Pepper, side A."
She smacked his chest.
"I'm being serious," Tori grinned.
Sam folded his arms and looked at Tori. The girl felt he could see right through her.
"I don't think you're done with music, as you put it. I think it's a big part of you..." he picked up the CD "How else could you have made this from scratch?"
Tori didn't have an answer.
He was making sense, but she couldn't shake this feeling of being a complete failure.
"Maybe one door closed but that doesn't mean another won't open! Look at me, for instance. My dad was a brilliant musician. He was a part of this jazz band; they were legendary 'round here."
He produced a vinyl of four smartly dressed men with their instruments. Sam pointed to the one with the goatee holding a trumpet.
"That's him."
Tori glanced over at Sam, the pride and adulation just pouring from his face.
"Whoa," she said.
"Of course, I wanted to be just like him. And he tried," Sam chuckled. "Oh, he tried. Taught me everything he knew; I had the same blood in my veins...but...I couldn't play a lick. Wind, strings, piano, it was all a disaster."
He covered his face out of embarrassment.
"I was devastated. No, actually I was furious. How could it come to be that the son of this great, great man couldn't inherit just a little taste of his talent?"
Sam got a little misty-eyed as he carefully put the record up on a display that showed off the album artwork.
"We had a lot of good times. I treasured every day I had with him..." he looked over to a picture of him and his father standing outside For The Record at the grand opening. "...until there were no more."
Tori hugged herself. She could feel her heart breaking.
"I just wanted to have...for once to be up there on stage with him and play...together. I didn't want to be a musician because I wanted to be rich and famous."
Sam looked away from Tori, staring out the window. The sun was setting.
"I wanted to share the thing he loved as much as Miles and me."
Tori joined his side, and he looked over to her grateful that she stuck around.
"The point is..." he continued. "I did find a way to connect with him through music. Here I can talk about all the men and women who inspired him, all the greats. Sometimes I play one of dad's favorite records and you can see the older folks perk up and wander into the shop. And they'll say: Man, I hadn't heard them in years. We'd then talk for a long time as more people came in. It was like I never ran out of lovers of music, like him."
She did have to appreciate there was a sense of community with this simple record store. Throughout cultural backgrounds, economic statuses, languages; music had a way of bringing people together. Tori saw all kinds of people coming in and out of the shop, making new discoveries or just rediscovering something that was once forgotten.
Sam turned to Tori making her breath hitch.
(Such kind eyes.)
"That's what love is. Unconditional. Don't think music has to be out of your life because one path didn't work out."
He took her hands into his. A very warm and protective touch.
"Promise me you won't give up, Tori."
"...to have and to hold from this day forward..."
"Keep music in your life no matter what!"
"...for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health..."
"It doesn't have to be perfect; it never does. And whatever you decide, I can't wait to see it."
"...to support you in your goals, to honor and respect you..."
"It's getting late. Wanna go get some coffee?"
"I do."
MAY 2013
Tori and Sam married in a small ceremony with close friends and family and held the reception on the roof of his building.
Beck, Andre and Robbie had a nice talk with the groom. They were a little protective of Tori, like having three brothers. But they saw what a cool guy he was, and they hugged Tori, congratulating her and wishing the both of them luck.
Miles joked that he had to move out now. Tori told him that wasn't necessarily true; he could stay if he wanted. Miles shrugged and said thanks, but it was high time he stopped flailing around and get his own place. They were joined at the hip, even before their father passing away. He wasn't going to watch his little brother make a life for himself and not do something, too.
Being the older sibling, even if it was only 3 years difference; seeing them get married and not you is a sobering moment.
Miles made Tori cry when he said at the toast that his present doesn't compare to what Tori gave him: a sister.
"You'll be sorry!" said a tipsy Trina.
"Andre, can't you control your woman?"
He looked around as everyone laughed.
"She's NOT my woman!" protested Andre.
Tori shared a look with Sam.
Later that August...
Tori entered the bedroom holding her laptop.
Sam stretched as he rolled over and opened his eyes.
"You're up early," he said. "Everything okay?"
"I think I made up my mind," Tori replied.
She turned the screen toward Sam and the webpage was about college admissions of new students.
"Is it far?" he asked, concerned.
"No," Tori shook her head. "It's all online."
"Have you thought about what you might go for?"
Tori bit her lip and smiled.
"I... want to be a teacher."
He nodded.
"M-Music teacher," she added.
Sam sat up; arms crossed.
"There it is," he grinned.
And with that, Tori found her new path. Her love of music wouldn't have to die.
Now she was going to dedicate herself to educate and inspire future generations of singers, songwriters and musicians.
Tori feels closer to music more than ever before.
And it was all thanks to him.
When September rolled around, Tori went to the doctor and found out why she couldn't remember her last period.
Next Spring came Mia, and the happy couple were over the moon with the addition. Now they were whole. A family.
Tori continued to hit the books, taking a couple of weeks off during the labor and bonding period.
She couldn't bear to part with Mia for a second, but Sam was more than happy to take turns so Tori was able to maintain her grades.
Miles was terrific, still helping out with the store while the new parents figured everything out day by day.
He was also in love with his baby niece. Miles promised he would be the best uncle.
As Mia got older, and she was walking around on her little legs, the girl was eager to help daddy with the store.
Sam gave her little tasks that made her feel like she was pulling her weight. Her presence was welcome by the patrons, who were greeted by the cute girl. Mia was very polite and had so much energy. She delighted in helping people find something they were looking for (with daddy giving her hints, of course).
Then when the store closed for the day, Sam took some much-needed rest while Tori took over and cooked them dinner. Full-time parents, one of them a full-time student and the other a full-time proprietor, it was a lot of work, but they made it happen.
Mia loved her mother very much. But Tori often needed quiet for lectures, studying and taking tests.
She was usually near Sam, so their days were mostly spent together. That made their bond was very special.
Sometimes, when mommy was particularly exhausted from exams and long classes, Mia and Sam would put on little shows for her.
They would lead Tori to the couch with a cup of coffee while they got everything ready. Sam would announce the Magnificent Mia and pull back the "curtain" to reveal the incredible dance routine of the enthusiastic five-year-old. Mia would copy what she saw on TV and even peppered in some moves of her own creation. Sam would assist with parts that required two people and he raised Mia up for the big finish.
Tori would smile so broadly and clap with everything she got. Mia jumped into her lap and asked if she really liked it.
"You are the best dancer ever!" she said and kissed her daughter.
A/N: And that's the end of part 1 of our massive flashback.
See you next week for the second part and have a great weekend!