Dressed up in Faded Costumes

Since I was in Minnesota when Liam and I were supposed to meet with Matt, we rescheduled the band practice to whenever I’d come back. Since I came back on a Saturday, I wanted to get back to playing music as soon as possible. I didn’t want to be sad anymore. I wanted to make my grandpop proud that I can go for the dream that he encouraged me to reach. I contacted Matt, and we arranged to meet the following day—Sunday. We went at 10 am so we could have more time to practice, and just jam our way into a no-problem land. I left Lea at Aunt Liz’s again.
Matt’s house was a bit far from ours, so Liam borrowed Aunt Liz’s car so we could drive there. Matt had only given us an address, so we didn’t know what the house looked like. When we reached the address, we were wondering if ever he gave us the right one.
“Is this right?” I asked Liam.
Liam stopped the car in front of a huge gate guarding an estate. The house seemed like it was featured on an episode of ‘Teen Cribs’. It was big.
I called Matt on my cellphone.
“Hello?” he answered.
“Hey, I was wondering if you gave us the right address.”
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s it. Why?”
“Do you have a huge black gate?”
“So, you’re outside?” he said. “Wait, lemme open ‘em for you guys.”
In a few seconds, the gates opened electronically and Liam drove to the front door which was roughly a hundred feet away from them. We saw Matt standing on the porch of an amazing entrance. Both Liam and I were simply in awe of everything, and we never really imagined that at least one rumor in school was true.
Liam and I got out of the car and we were both just looking everywhere! From the windows upstairs, to the little sneak we saw through the open door of their mansion.
“Whoa,” I said. “You’re completely loaded!”
“Yeah, man. Why are you hiding this from everyone?” Liam added
“Well, I don’t like people who use me to get the money, and stuff like that.”
“You can trust us on not being like that,” I said smiling at him. “So…”
“Oh, please! Come in.”
He led us inside the house and through to the pool area and to a little structure with a stone path that leads to it. It was a music studio. It was complete with top-of-the-line instruments and a mixer.
“This is amazing!” I told him.
“Thanks,” Matt said. “I gotta go tell my mom that you two are here. I’ll be right back, and you and Liam can go start messin’ with the instruments.”
“Really?” I said, being totally ecstatic about it.
“Yeah, go ahead,” he smiled.
When Matt left, I was left in a room where I could spend more that 24 hours—straight. I went straight for the Gibson SG. While I was playing it, I could see Liam smile at me from behind the glass while he was in front of the mixers.
A little while later, Matt returns and we get started on the jamming part of our visit. Matt was incredible like he was in school the last time. Liam was playing the hell out of the guitar. It felt nice to be in such an atmosphere where I could be myself and so much more.
After a few hours of playing instruments, laughing to every joke we came up with and just letting our inner-rockstar come out, Matt invited us into the main house for a late lunch.
“What do you guys wanna eat?” Matt asked.
“Anything would be fine,” I said.
Liam just nodded being a total shy-guy.
“Matthew!” a person called out from the den.
“That’s my mom,” Matt said. “I’ll be right back.”
I nodded. I mused around their kitchen as even the counter tops felt more expensive than my entire house.
“I would never in a million years think that I could even afford something like this,” I told Liam. “I totally envy him right now.”
Liam looked at me with a smile and told me, “I for one think that we’ll earn the money in a span of two years from our breakthrough album.”
I smiled at his optimism.
Matt came walking back to the kitchen with his mom walking behind him. I smiled at his mother.
“Hello!” Matt’s mother said. “I’m Heather, Matthew’s mom.”
“Hello,” I smiled at her. “I’m Michelle, and this is Liam.”
Liam smiled too as he remained his shy-type self.
“Well, are you two hungry? I can cook for you!” she said. “You three can wait in the game room, if you want.”
“Thanks, mom,” Matt said. “Come on.”
Matt then walked us to the game room which was literally the best room in the house—considering that the music studio is outside. I sat on the sofa in front of the flat screen and game consoles.
“Matt,” I called.
“Yep?” he said looking at me.
“What’s your story?” I asked.
“My story? Trust me, it’s nothing interesting.”
“Try me.”
“Well, my dad grew up in a rich family and is an architect—made his own money through building houses in the Hamptons. He’s out in New York until tomorrow. My mom, on the other hand, was part of a middle class family. She earned a scholarship in Harvard Law. We keep the money coming through certain businesses my mom established throughout the years. Mom and Dad met through an acquaintance at the young ages of 23 and 18.
“I’m the third child out of five. I have two older brothers and two younger sisters. We first lived in the Hamptons from when I was 3 to 8 years old and was home-schooled at the time. We moved to California for a much more normal life. We siblings are aged 26, 24, 15, 14 and 5. James, the eldest, is living in Upper Manhattan with his wife of two years; we see him every now and then and on holidays and special occasions. Garrett is working for Google so he practically has enough money to last him a lifetime. Allison and Hailey are upstairs in their rooms doing what all girls do.
“So, what else do you want to know?”
“It must be amazing to have a life like yours.”
“Thanks. At times, yeah. It’s great. But my dad has always wanted me to be an architect like him or a lawyer like my mom. He’s always thought of my music and my passion as a sideline.”
After playing a bit of Rockband and a lot of non-sense, Matt’s mom had called us to eat. We got to the kitchen and ate some of the lovely lasagna Mrs. Ward made. His mom was very nice, and grateful for everything they had.

At about almost 5 pm, while playing in the studio, I noticed the time and realized I had to go home.
I stopped over by their kitchen to say goodbye to Matt’s mother.
“Mrs. Ward, we have to go.”
“Thank you for the lasagna. It was very good,” Liam said.
“Please, honey. Call me Aunt Heather,” she smiled. “You two can come over anytime you want.”
“Thanks.”
“Have a safe trip back.”
Matt accompanied us to the front door.
“Thanks for coming,” Matt told us.
“Yeah, no problem, man,” Liam said.
“Thanks too, for inviting us over in the first place,” I told him.
He smiled at me as I returned his smile with my own. I got into the car, and I heard him say, “Take care.”
Liam and I zoomed away as I had to be at home before mom was because I wanted to make her a nice dinner even though I couldn’t cook well.
“Why were you so quiet?” I asked Liam while he was driving. “The second we were in there, you started to be so timid again.”
“It was nothing. Just didn’t feel like talking that much,” he replied.
I didn’t say anything else as he flashed a smile to me.
I got Lea from Liam’s house and went back home. Lea and I made a nice dinner—well, at least to us—by making mashed potatoes and broiling some pre-marinated beef we found in the freezer. Lea did what she does best and set the table for the three of us and setting up an extra plate just for props. After everything was all set up and I had hung up the banner that Lea made, both of us sat on the sofa and turned on the TV and sat back and relaxed until the homecoming.
A bit later at 7:30 or something, Lea and I heard a cab outside.
“Mom’s here!” Lea exclaimed.
We opened the front door and saw mom getting her stuff with the help of Uncle Richard. They walked in and Lea came running to mom and hugged her. I waited for my turn and got a hug and kiss myself.
I had thought that Uncle Richard would be left in Minnesota with grandma. It would’ve been so much easier to move on from everything without him.
We ate our dinner, actually using the prop-plate for my uncle. I was afraid that after the funeral and after grandpop’s death he would just return to normal or probably worse. I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to go out of my room without being mortified that he was there. I was afraid that I would hate him. It didn’t matter…
So that day, I met Matt; the real him. And found Liam shy when he was with other people. Lea and I made dinner for the first time without burning anything and I found out that I’m weak and afraid of too much change… and my uncle.