Clash Of The Rockbands
Reminiscing
Melrose’s POV
“They were friends, parents, a daughter and son, a husband and wife, a sister and brother, an aunt and an uncle, a niece and a nephew,” the preacher said, staring solemnly at the two mahogany coffins sitting before him. I stood trembling from grief and cold, my breath swirling above my head in a foggy mist. One of my arms wound tightly across Daphne’s shoulder; the fingers of my other hand laced together with James’s. I could feel Daphne shaking beneath my arm. As the preacher’s voice continued to fill the silent graveyard, I found myself retracting out of the chilly, sorrowful funeral into my warm, gleeful memories.
“You ready?” Mom chirped happily, her hands hovering gently over my eyes. I nodded eagerly, a monstrous smile splashed across my face. The coolness of the garage nipped at my bare arms, but I didn’t care. It was Christmas morning, and I was getting a present too huge and awesome to fit under the tree. In my seven-year-old mind, I was in freaking Heaven.
“You sure you’re ready, Mel? This’ll blow your mind.” Dad asked. I nodded eagerly again. “Alright.” Mom slipped her hands away from my face and Dad tore away the green tarp covering my present.
“A DRUM-SET!” I shrieked, my hands flying up to press against my cheeks. My jaw unhinged and fell to the concrete floor with a loud clatter. I began to hop up and down excitedly, staring at my present. The sides of the drums were scarlet red, my favorite color of all time. The metal shone in the dim light thrown around the garage from the dim light bulb overhead.
“You like it?” Dad asked, holding the tarp. I nodded happily, too excited to speak much.
“Consider my mind blown,” I croaked, staring at my drum-set.
“But no drummer chick is complete without the proper tools.” Mom said, holding a long, narrow box out to me. I took it gently from her and tore the black wrapping paper off. I slowly pulled the cardboard top of the box off and gently took out what the box contained: a pair of drumsticks.
I ran my fingers across the smooth, tan wood. I felt almost a spark pass between the drumsticks and I.
“They’re beautiful.” I muttered before hugging the drumsticks against my chest. I’d wanted a drum-set ever since I’d seen music videos on television with drummers playing drums.
“And the last thing,” Dad said. He held out a small slip of paper. I took it.
“Mr. Harlan,” I read off of the slip of paper, “Monday, January 10th, 4:00 PM.” I looked up at Dad, confused.
“Your first drumming lesson,” he explained with a large grin. My eyes lit up in their sockets.
“Thank you!” I squealed, throwing myself into Dad’s arms. He laughed and straightened up, lifting me clean off my feet. Mom wrapped her arms around us as well, laughing along with Dad. “This is just too awesome.”
“You work hard now, dear.” Dad said, pulling away to stare me in the eyes. “You work hard, and you perfect playing those drums, and you’ll become a rockstar. I know you have it in here.” He tapped my heart. I nodded frantically, in all seriousness.
“I will, Daddy.” I reassured him. “I promise I will.”
“Thank you, all the awesome people who come to Yorker’s Night Club!” Rayne yelled at the crowd. They cheered and applauded politely. “You were awesome, and thanks for giving us a chance!” More cheers and applauding followed us off of the stage.
Backstage, Mom had tears sparkling in her eyes and Dad looked like he was about to explode with pride.
“They loved you, girls.” Mom informed us, wiping away a tear. “I could tell that they loved you.”
“Oh, thank you, Mrs. Carlyle.” Rayne said, giving her a hug. Mom was pretty much Rayne’s secondary mother.
“You’re going to be a rockstar.” Dad said proudly. “I can just tell that you’re going to be a rockstar.”
“We’re only nineteen, Dad.” I told him. “I doubt we’ll go any further than just a local band.”
“Give me a hug anyway, Mel. I’ll love you no matter what happens.” We wrapped our arms around each other. “Whatever happens, I’ll love you.”
My mind snapped back to the funeral. I remembered those two days as if they were yesterday. The first day had been Christmas Day, when I had received my first drum-set. Mom and Dad had overseen my drum lessons and made sure that I practiced when I was supposed to. Not that they had to nag at me too much. I loved playing the drums, and loved to practice.
The second day had been twelve years later, when the band was in its early stages. We didn’t even have our crazy hair colors then. All five of us girls were nineteen. Young and secretly scared of how the world would react to us. We just wanted to make a pathway for ourselves in the world. Forming a rock band maybe hadn’t been the best way to do it, but we didn’t see, and didn’t want to see, any other alternative.
It had been right after our first time performing at an actual club. Singing and playing our own music, our own lyrics, our own notes. I remembered being so nervous before playing that my hand was shaking so bad that I couldn’t hold onto anything.
But I hadn’t had anything to be nervous about. The crowd was welcoming and understanding, and all of us soon became comfortable in front of them. Playing at that club got our name out there. Pretty soon, we were booked at a lot of the hottest clubs in Indianapolis. We were actually being paid to do what we loved. A few months after our first gig, we got a record offer. The rest is blissful history.
I felt a warm tear slip down my cheek. It felt cold almost instantly from the cruel air. I was surprised. I didn’t know that I had any more tears left to cry.
I hadn’t even gotten to say good-bye to my parents. Or tell them that I loved them for all of eternity. Or that I would miss them. I never got finished completely thanking them for everything they had done for me. I thanked them every time I saw them, and accredited them for getting me where I was in life, but it would never be enough.
More tears began to pour down my cheeks. I sniffled, not even hearing the preacher anymore. His words meant nothing. They could never describe how awesome, how caring, how loving, how supporting my parents had been. Nothing he said would ever make me miss them less. I could only ever miss them more.
James released my hand and replaced his arm tightly around my waist, stepping closer to me. I leaned against him, fisting my hand in the cloth that made up the back of his jacket. In front of me, across the coffins, I saw the preacher’s lips stop moving. He closed his Bible and stepped back away from the coffins. Apparently, his sermon was finished.
Daphne peeled away from me and walked towards the coffins. She scraped her fingertips across the first coffin before placing the huge bouquet of multi-colored tulips on top of it. Tulips were Mom’s favorite flowers. Then, she walked to the next coffin and after pressing her hand briefly against the wood, put the bouquet of bright white roses on our father’s coffin. She walked back to me and slipped back beneath my arm as everyone else stepped forward to touch the coffin or murmur a few words or whatever.
I hadn’t planned on stepping near the coffins before they were buried, but I knew I had to. I pulled away from James and Daphne and motioned for James to stay back. He obeyed without question as I walked over to the coffins.
“You were wonderful parents.” I whispered after looking at the coffins for a few moments. “I love you both so much. Words can’t describe how much I love you two. Words can’t describe how awesome you’ve been to me for the past twenty-three years. You’ve supported me my whole life on anything I wanted to do. You’re in a better place now. Dad’s probably watching football on a humongous flat-screen television, and Mom’s probably chatting it up with the neighbors. I miss you both, and you’ll always be in my heart. I’ll remember you always. I love you, and miss you both just so much. Good-bye, my darling parents.” I reached out and grazed my fingers against the two coffins before stepping back. I walked back over to Daphne and James.
After a few minutes, everyone was finished touching the coffins or staring at them or whatever. And as all of us watched, the coffins descended into the earth, where my parents’ bodies would rest forevermore. But their souls were elsewhere. Their souls were in a better place than our planet, a more celestial place. A place where nothing could hurt them, and they could watch over me and Daphne, and where icy roads never happened.
“They were friends, parents, a daughter and son, a husband and wife, a sister and brother, an aunt and an uncle, a niece and a nephew,” the preacher said, staring solemnly at the two mahogany coffins sitting before him. I stood trembling from grief and cold, my breath swirling above my head in a foggy mist. One of my arms wound tightly across Daphne’s shoulder; the fingers of my other hand laced together with James’s. I could feel Daphne shaking beneath my arm. As the preacher’s voice continued to fill the silent graveyard, I found myself retracting out of the chilly, sorrowful funeral into my warm, gleeful memories.
“You ready?” Mom chirped happily, her hands hovering gently over my eyes. I nodded eagerly, a monstrous smile splashed across my face. The coolness of the garage nipped at my bare arms, but I didn’t care. It was Christmas morning, and I was getting a present too huge and awesome to fit under the tree. In my seven-year-old mind, I was in freaking Heaven.
“You sure you’re ready, Mel? This’ll blow your mind.” Dad asked. I nodded eagerly again. “Alright.” Mom slipped her hands away from my face and Dad tore away the green tarp covering my present.
“A DRUM-SET!” I shrieked, my hands flying up to press against my cheeks. My jaw unhinged and fell to the concrete floor with a loud clatter. I began to hop up and down excitedly, staring at my present. The sides of the drums were scarlet red, my favorite color of all time. The metal shone in the dim light thrown around the garage from the dim light bulb overhead.
“You like it?” Dad asked, holding the tarp. I nodded happily, too excited to speak much.
“Consider my mind blown,” I croaked, staring at my drum-set.
“But no drummer chick is complete without the proper tools.” Mom said, holding a long, narrow box out to me. I took it gently from her and tore the black wrapping paper off. I slowly pulled the cardboard top of the box off and gently took out what the box contained: a pair of drumsticks.
I ran my fingers across the smooth, tan wood. I felt almost a spark pass between the drumsticks and I.
“They’re beautiful.” I muttered before hugging the drumsticks against my chest. I’d wanted a drum-set ever since I’d seen music videos on television with drummers playing drums.
“And the last thing,” Dad said. He held out a small slip of paper. I took it.
“Mr. Harlan,” I read off of the slip of paper, “Monday, January 10th, 4:00 PM.” I looked up at Dad, confused.
“Your first drumming lesson,” he explained with a large grin. My eyes lit up in their sockets.
“Thank you!” I squealed, throwing myself into Dad’s arms. He laughed and straightened up, lifting me clean off my feet. Mom wrapped her arms around us as well, laughing along with Dad. “This is just too awesome.”
“You work hard now, dear.” Dad said, pulling away to stare me in the eyes. “You work hard, and you perfect playing those drums, and you’ll become a rockstar. I know you have it in here.” He tapped my heart. I nodded frantically, in all seriousness.
“I will, Daddy.” I reassured him. “I promise I will.”
“Thank you, all the awesome people who come to Yorker’s Night Club!” Rayne yelled at the crowd. They cheered and applauded politely. “You were awesome, and thanks for giving us a chance!” More cheers and applauding followed us off of the stage.
Backstage, Mom had tears sparkling in her eyes and Dad looked like he was about to explode with pride.
“They loved you, girls.” Mom informed us, wiping away a tear. “I could tell that they loved you.”
“Oh, thank you, Mrs. Carlyle.” Rayne said, giving her a hug. Mom was pretty much Rayne’s secondary mother.
“You’re going to be a rockstar.” Dad said proudly. “I can just tell that you’re going to be a rockstar.”
“We’re only nineteen, Dad.” I told him. “I doubt we’ll go any further than just a local band.”
“Give me a hug anyway, Mel. I’ll love you no matter what happens.” We wrapped our arms around each other. “Whatever happens, I’ll love you.”
My mind snapped back to the funeral. I remembered those two days as if they were yesterday. The first day had been Christmas Day, when I had received my first drum-set. Mom and Dad had overseen my drum lessons and made sure that I practiced when I was supposed to. Not that they had to nag at me too much. I loved playing the drums, and loved to practice.
The second day had been twelve years later, when the band was in its early stages. We didn’t even have our crazy hair colors then. All five of us girls were nineteen. Young and secretly scared of how the world would react to us. We just wanted to make a pathway for ourselves in the world. Forming a rock band maybe hadn’t been the best way to do it, but we didn’t see, and didn’t want to see, any other alternative.
It had been right after our first time performing at an actual club. Singing and playing our own music, our own lyrics, our own notes. I remembered being so nervous before playing that my hand was shaking so bad that I couldn’t hold onto anything.
But I hadn’t had anything to be nervous about. The crowd was welcoming and understanding, and all of us soon became comfortable in front of them. Playing at that club got our name out there. Pretty soon, we were booked at a lot of the hottest clubs in Indianapolis. We were actually being paid to do what we loved. A few months after our first gig, we got a record offer. The rest is blissful history.
I felt a warm tear slip down my cheek. It felt cold almost instantly from the cruel air. I was surprised. I didn’t know that I had any more tears left to cry.
I hadn’t even gotten to say good-bye to my parents. Or tell them that I loved them for all of eternity. Or that I would miss them. I never got finished completely thanking them for everything they had done for me. I thanked them every time I saw them, and accredited them for getting me where I was in life, but it would never be enough.
More tears began to pour down my cheeks. I sniffled, not even hearing the preacher anymore. His words meant nothing. They could never describe how awesome, how caring, how loving, how supporting my parents had been. Nothing he said would ever make me miss them less. I could only ever miss them more.
James released my hand and replaced his arm tightly around my waist, stepping closer to me. I leaned against him, fisting my hand in the cloth that made up the back of his jacket. In front of me, across the coffins, I saw the preacher’s lips stop moving. He closed his Bible and stepped back away from the coffins. Apparently, his sermon was finished.
Daphne peeled away from me and walked towards the coffins. She scraped her fingertips across the first coffin before placing the huge bouquet of multi-colored tulips on top of it. Tulips were Mom’s favorite flowers. Then, she walked to the next coffin and after pressing her hand briefly against the wood, put the bouquet of bright white roses on our father’s coffin. She walked back to me and slipped back beneath my arm as everyone else stepped forward to touch the coffin or murmur a few words or whatever.
I hadn’t planned on stepping near the coffins before they were buried, but I knew I had to. I pulled away from James and Daphne and motioned for James to stay back. He obeyed without question as I walked over to the coffins.
“You were wonderful parents.” I whispered after looking at the coffins for a few moments. “I love you both so much. Words can’t describe how much I love you two. Words can’t describe how awesome you’ve been to me for the past twenty-three years. You’ve supported me my whole life on anything I wanted to do. You’re in a better place now. Dad’s probably watching football on a humongous flat-screen television, and Mom’s probably chatting it up with the neighbors. I miss you both, and you’ll always be in my heart. I’ll remember you always. I love you, and miss you both just so much. Good-bye, my darling parents.” I reached out and grazed my fingers against the two coffins before stepping back. I walked back over to Daphne and James.
After a few minutes, everyone was finished touching the coffins or staring at them or whatever. And as all of us watched, the coffins descended into the earth, where my parents’ bodies would rest forevermore. But their souls were elsewhere. Their souls were in a better place than our planet, a more celestial place. A place where nothing could hurt them, and they could watch over me and Daphne, and where icy roads never happened.
♠ ♠ ♠
T_TOn Quizilla, my readers admitted to crying because of this chapter.
And I gotta say, it is quite sad.
Comments? Even teary ones.