Sing It for the World
Chapter Seven
Ray was getting frustrated with the weather today, and he was seriously considering saying ‘fuck it’ and going back to the apartment. It was cold and rainy, and he didn’t like it at all. Hardly anyone was walking on the wet Nashville streets today, and he didn’t think it was worth it to stay out in the rain. But he still sat there with his acoustic guitar on the street corner, under the cover of a canopy that kept him dry while he played.
He’d been doing this every day for the last two weeks, and he was now getting somewhat decent tips. He was able to help the others pay rent as well as buy food for them, and that was all he really needed to use his money on, anyway. There wasn’t much that Ray was interested in other than his friends and his guitar. He decided he would finish the song he was playing, and old ‘80s tune he’d learned from his older brother, and that he would head back to the apartment after that.
He was so caught up in the music that he didn’t notice a man across the street watching him; not in a creepy sort of way that would make him feel uncomfortable, but just watching. The stranger watched as Ray’s fingers moved deftly over the guitar. He could barely hear the music coming from the instrument over the rain and the cars that were driving, but what he heard made him want to hear more.
The boy could play. Perhaps better than some of the other guitarists that played the Nashville street corners. He didn’t know who this kid was or where he’d come from, but the way that boy played that guitar, he could tell that he was completely in love with the music. There was no faking passion like that. Even here, in the cold rain and the lack of people walking by, that kid played the guitar like he was on a stage in front of thousands of people. And that was what interested the man.
He pushed the button on the street sign, wanting to go talk to the boy about his guitar, but before the signal changed to allow him to cross the street, he saw the boy put his guitar into its beat-up black case and start walking back down the sidewalk. He smiled in spite of himself, watching as the kid left. He knew he’d be seeing him again, and he would ask his questions then.
-x-
Once Ray got back to the apartment, he was surprised to see a white dog sitting on the couch, resting its head on Mikey’s lap. The slighter boy looked up with a small smile before patting the dog’s head as he shrugged. “I don’t know where Frank found him, but Aurelia cleaned him up and I guess he’s ours now,” he told Ray. That was enough for the afro-haired guitarist, and he nodded before walking into the kitchen to get something warm to drink.
“Where’d they go, speaking of?” Ray asked, putting some water on to boil before gathering the ingredients for some hot cocoa. Once again, Mikey just shrugged as he looked up.
“He said they were going shopping or something like that. They’re bringing a book back. He probably wanted to get food for the dog,” he told Ray before sniffing the air, a small smile on his face as he looked over at the stove. “Make me some, please?”
Ray nodded and grabbed a second mug out of the cupboard before leaning against the counter to wait for the water to come to a boil. He and Mikey made small talk for a few minutes until the water was ready to use, and then Ray walked into the living room to sit down on the chair opposite of where Mikey was sitting.
“So how did playing go today? It’s shitty weather outside, yeah?” Mikey asked conversationally. Ray nodded, sighing as he looked over at his wet guitar case in the corner of the room. He sometimes wondered why he spent his every day and a good portion of his nights out on the corners playing his music, but then he remembered that it was because he loved the music. It spoke to him, and it was going to take him somewhere someday. He just needed to do what felt right, and playing on the street corners was what felt right to him right now.
“It was okay. I didn’t make any tips, but that doesn’t really matter, y’know?” He asked Mikey, who just nodded as he finished the last few pages of his book. The slighter man yawned loudly as he finished the book, setting it on the coffee table before he looked over at Ray.
“It’ll happen, dude. Just give it time,” he said encouragingly. Ray nodded, an appreciative smile on his face before he looked at the dog, tilting his head to the side.
“What did they name him?” He asked as he studied the dog. Its hind leg was wrapped with gauze and medical tape, which meant that Frank had probably seen the animal wounded somewhere. The dog was currently asleep, pink tongue hanging out of his mouth and drool wetting the knee of Mikey’s jeans.
“They didn’t yet,” Mikey shrugged, absently scratching the dog’s ears. Ray nodded before he continued watching the dog before a smile formed on his face.
“It looks like a Biscuit to me,” he said, making Mikey give him a strange look before he shrugged. He didn’t understand where his friend got half of his ideas from, but when Mikey thought about it, that was why Ray was one of his best friends. There was no telling what would come out of his mouth, and he definitely made things interesting. And anyway, when Mikey took another glance at the sleeping dog’s face, he could definitely see the dog’s name being Biscuit.
“Let ‘Rel know. She’ll probably like it,” Mikey nodded. The door then opened, and both Frank and Aurelia walked back into the apartment, soaking wet and grinning. Frank had her hand in his, and it warmed Mikey’s heart to see how in love the two of them were. It didn’t matter that there was an age difference separating the two of them, or that their relationship was technically illegal. Love was love in Mikey’s book, and those two definitely had it.
“Hey, Ray,” Aurelia smiled as she walked over to sit down on the couch next to Mikey, looking over at him. Ray gave her a friendly smile before looking at the dog, a smile on his face as he started to talk.
“If you don’t already have a name picked out, I think I have one,” he suggested quietly. The dog’s head perked up when Ray spoke, and Aurelia nodded, watching Ray for a few moments while he spoke.
“Biscuit,” he said simply. Aurelia thought about it, and then looked at the dog before a smile formed on her face. The white animal definitely looked like a Biscuit to her, and though she was curious as to where Ray had come up with the name, she decided she’d just roll with it. Like Mikey, she knew that Ray sometimes had a strange way of coming up with things, but that was why he was so fun to be around.
“I like it,” she agreed with him before kneeling in front of the dog, watching as it wagged its stump of a tail back and forth happily. She scratched behind Biscuit’s ears for a few moments before she stood up to walk into the kitchen. “I’m going to make food, anything you guys want in particular?”
Everyone told her that she could make what she wanted, and then settled into a quiet conversation between the three of them. Frank had already handed Mikey the book they’d gotten for him while they’d been out, and he was somewhat tuned out of the conversation, already starting to read the first few pages of the book. Aurelia felt her heart flutter when she looked over at Frank, seeing his dark hair stick to his forehead because of the rain, and she then felt her stomach do a somersault when he turned to give her a grin.
“Do you know if Gerard is going to be back in time to eat, or should I put his in the fridge?” She asked Mikey, who looked up before looking at the watch on his wrist. He returned his eyes over to Aurelia, and frowned.
“He was supposed to be here twenty minutes ago, so I’m assuming he’s working late,” he told her with a shrug. Aurelia nodded and dished some food for her dark-haired friend onto one of the plates before covering it with saran wrap. She called the other three to dinner, and they each grabbed their plates before walking back into the living room to eat. Aurelia could feel the excitement in the room, and she knew that something was about to change. All of them could feel it. Something big was going to happen. And all of them knew that it was the something they’d all been waiting for.
He’d been doing this every day for the last two weeks, and he was now getting somewhat decent tips. He was able to help the others pay rent as well as buy food for them, and that was all he really needed to use his money on, anyway. There wasn’t much that Ray was interested in other than his friends and his guitar. He decided he would finish the song he was playing, and old ‘80s tune he’d learned from his older brother, and that he would head back to the apartment after that.
He was so caught up in the music that he didn’t notice a man across the street watching him; not in a creepy sort of way that would make him feel uncomfortable, but just watching. The stranger watched as Ray’s fingers moved deftly over the guitar. He could barely hear the music coming from the instrument over the rain and the cars that were driving, but what he heard made him want to hear more.
The boy could play. Perhaps better than some of the other guitarists that played the Nashville street corners. He didn’t know who this kid was or where he’d come from, but the way that boy played that guitar, he could tell that he was completely in love with the music. There was no faking passion like that. Even here, in the cold rain and the lack of people walking by, that kid played the guitar like he was on a stage in front of thousands of people. And that was what interested the man.
He pushed the button on the street sign, wanting to go talk to the boy about his guitar, but before the signal changed to allow him to cross the street, he saw the boy put his guitar into its beat-up black case and start walking back down the sidewalk. He smiled in spite of himself, watching as the kid left. He knew he’d be seeing him again, and he would ask his questions then.
-x-
Once Ray got back to the apartment, he was surprised to see a white dog sitting on the couch, resting its head on Mikey’s lap. The slighter boy looked up with a small smile before patting the dog’s head as he shrugged. “I don’t know where Frank found him, but Aurelia cleaned him up and I guess he’s ours now,” he told Ray. That was enough for the afro-haired guitarist, and he nodded before walking into the kitchen to get something warm to drink.
“Where’d they go, speaking of?” Ray asked, putting some water on to boil before gathering the ingredients for some hot cocoa. Once again, Mikey just shrugged as he looked up.
“He said they were going shopping or something like that. They’re bringing a book back. He probably wanted to get food for the dog,” he told Ray before sniffing the air, a small smile on his face as he looked over at the stove. “Make me some, please?”
Ray nodded and grabbed a second mug out of the cupboard before leaning against the counter to wait for the water to come to a boil. He and Mikey made small talk for a few minutes until the water was ready to use, and then Ray walked into the living room to sit down on the chair opposite of where Mikey was sitting.
“So how did playing go today? It’s shitty weather outside, yeah?” Mikey asked conversationally. Ray nodded, sighing as he looked over at his wet guitar case in the corner of the room. He sometimes wondered why he spent his every day and a good portion of his nights out on the corners playing his music, but then he remembered that it was because he loved the music. It spoke to him, and it was going to take him somewhere someday. He just needed to do what felt right, and playing on the street corners was what felt right to him right now.
“It was okay. I didn’t make any tips, but that doesn’t really matter, y’know?” He asked Mikey, who just nodded as he finished the last few pages of his book. The slighter man yawned loudly as he finished the book, setting it on the coffee table before he looked over at Ray.
“It’ll happen, dude. Just give it time,” he said encouragingly. Ray nodded, an appreciative smile on his face before he looked at the dog, tilting his head to the side.
“What did they name him?” He asked as he studied the dog. Its hind leg was wrapped with gauze and medical tape, which meant that Frank had probably seen the animal wounded somewhere. The dog was currently asleep, pink tongue hanging out of his mouth and drool wetting the knee of Mikey’s jeans.
“They didn’t yet,” Mikey shrugged, absently scratching the dog’s ears. Ray nodded before he continued watching the dog before a smile formed on his face.
“It looks like a Biscuit to me,” he said, making Mikey give him a strange look before he shrugged. He didn’t understand where his friend got half of his ideas from, but when Mikey thought about it, that was why Ray was one of his best friends. There was no telling what would come out of his mouth, and he definitely made things interesting. And anyway, when Mikey took another glance at the sleeping dog’s face, he could definitely see the dog’s name being Biscuit.
“Let ‘Rel know. She’ll probably like it,” Mikey nodded. The door then opened, and both Frank and Aurelia walked back into the apartment, soaking wet and grinning. Frank had her hand in his, and it warmed Mikey’s heart to see how in love the two of them were. It didn’t matter that there was an age difference separating the two of them, or that their relationship was technically illegal. Love was love in Mikey’s book, and those two definitely had it.
“Hey, Ray,” Aurelia smiled as she walked over to sit down on the couch next to Mikey, looking over at him. Ray gave her a friendly smile before looking at the dog, a smile on his face as he started to talk.
“If you don’t already have a name picked out, I think I have one,” he suggested quietly. The dog’s head perked up when Ray spoke, and Aurelia nodded, watching Ray for a few moments while he spoke.
“Biscuit,” he said simply. Aurelia thought about it, and then looked at the dog before a smile formed on her face. The white animal definitely looked like a Biscuit to her, and though she was curious as to where Ray had come up with the name, she decided she’d just roll with it. Like Mikey, she knew that Ray sometimes had a strange way of coming up with things, but that was why he was so fun to be around.
“I like it,” she agreed with him before kneeling in front of the dog, watching as it wagged its stump of a tail back and forth happily. She scratched behind Biscuit’s ears for a few moments before she stood up to walk into the kitchen. “I’m going to make food, anything you guys want in particular?”
Everyone told her that she could make what she wanted, and then settled into a quiet conversation between the three of them. Frank had already handed Mikey the book they’d gotten for him while they’d been out, and he was somewhat tuned out of the conversation, already starting to read the first few pages of the book. Aurelia felt her heart flutter when she looked over at Frank, seeing his dark hair stick to his forehead because of the rain, and she then felt her stomach do a somersault when he turned to give her a grin.
“Do you know if Gerard is going to be back in time to eat, or should I put his in the fridge?” She asked Mikey, who looked up before looking at the watch on his wrist. He returned his eyes over to Aurelia, and frowned.
“He was supposed to be here twenty minutes ago, so I’m assuming he’s working late,” he told her with a shrug. Aurelia nodded and dished some food for her dark-haired friend onto one of the plates before covering it with saran wrap. She called the other three to dinner, and they each grabbed their plates before walking back into the living room to eat. Aurelia could feel the excitement in the room, and she knew that something was about to change. All of them could feel it. Something big was going to happen. And all of them knew that it was the something they’d all been waiting for.