by C Zinnia
“I’d like to think they are,” Mel said. “Consciously, I believe everyone’s good, but I don’t know if I actually believe it, you know?”
“According to Mom, the question would then be, do you think you are good?” Daren asked.
Mel blinked. “What?” she asked. “Really?”
“Yeah. I’ve read some of those books Mom’s always reading and it talks about your world view and how it’s a reflection of your inner view. If you view people as inherently bad or incapable of change, then it’s possibly due to a poor view of yourself,” he said. “I don’t know if I believe it one hundred percent of the time, but it’s an interesting concept. So, do you think you’re good?”
“I . . .” Mel looked down and focused on playing a few random chords. “I don’t know.”
“It’s okay not to know. At least it gives you something to think about. Did you really ask Mom if there’s underground fighting here?” he asked.
“Yes, but I told her it’s because I heard about it in the city,” Mel said.
“Lucky for us, there was an article last week about a fighting ring being found outside of D.C.,” Daren said. “But, if you’re going to ask questions, I’d rather you ask me.”
“I tried, but you wouldn’t answer,” she said.
“Yeah, well, I’ll answer what I can to the best of my ability, but you can’t go asking anyone else. If anyone knew that you knew, we’d be in heaps of trouble,” he said.
“Because it’s illegal?” Mel asked.
“Yes,” he said.
“Do you all sell moonshine too?” she asked.
Daren laughed. “It’s a BYOB event. People bring homemade moonshine to share. Some people barter with each other. Alcohol for meat or canned foods or whatever. No one brings money,” he said.
Mel was confused. “You don’t bet on the fights?” she said.
“It’s technically not allowed, but I’m sure some do,” he said.
“So, the fighters fight for free?” she asked.
“No, they get paid and they made a little extra if they win,” he said. “Though it depends on the p- team.”
Mel was even more confused. “But, where does the money come from if you don’t pay to watch the fights?” she asked.
“That I can’t answer,” he said.
“Is it drug money?” she asked.
“No,” he said. “And no more questions about that part.”
“Okay,” she said. “Have you ever fought?”
“I did for four years,” Daren said.
“Why did you stop?” she asked. “Did you ever lose?”
“Nope,” he said. “I stopped because I’m a lover, not a fighter. I’m what you call a performance martial artist. I enjoy training and making the moves I perform look good. While all of these fighters are too busy training and stressing over their fights, I’m able to relax and enjoy visiting with everyone.” He laughed. “My levels of stressed decreased dramatically when I stopped fighting.”
“That makes sense,” she said.
“Why don’t you play a song?” he asked. “I answered your questions, so I should at least get a song.”
Mel laughed. “Fair enough,” she said. Her fingers danced across the strings as she played “Lie in Our Graves” by Dave Matthews. As she strummed the chords, she could feel the song bubble in her throat. At first, she tried to resist the urge to sing. I can’t in front of Daren, she thought. The need to sing overwhelmed her until it escaped her mouth. She noticed he was smiling as she sang, which encouraged her to continue. She sang as she played, feeling her soul dip into the melody. Her energy weaved through the strings and the vibrations of the notes. She wasn’t just playing the song, but felt like she was part of it.
Daren was both there and not. As she played, she could see the vibrance of his energy. She could see areas of his body that felt gunky.
What is that? Mel wondered. She was immediately distracted by feeling the life force of the trees around them. She could feel them more prominently while she played. She could see a soft gold hue wax and wane around each tree. The sky itself seemed both alive with energy, yet still maintained its bright blue color.
The world around them expanded and contracted all at once.
When she was done, Daren clapped enthusiastically. “You’re really good,” he said. “You’ll have to perform for Mom.”
“We heard,” Dana called. She and Lee emerged from the woods, beaming.
While Mel knew they enjoyed the song, she also knew they were glowing from another activity. Sex in the woods? Mel thought. That seems too risky. What if someone sneaks up on you? What about bugs and poison ivy? Then again, it’s probably hard to get alone time at the B&B.
“You are very talented,” Lee said. “Got another song for us?”
Mel played “Sound of Sunshine” by Michael Franti and Spearhead. This time, Lee joined in, harmonizing with Mel. Mel savored the sound and how it made her feel. She could see their energies all vibrate along with the music. It raised all of them up.
Mel felt blessed she had always been able to see the power of music just as much as she felt it.
When they were done, Dana and Daren clapped. “Y’all could headline at the Harvester,” Dana said. “Speaking of which, I better get started on dinner.”
“I’ll help,” Lee said.
They went inside.
“Hang on, let me get my djembe,” Daren said. He rushed inside.
Mel took the moment to look at how beautiful the sky and land looked. She enjoyed seeing and hearing the birds sing and move around her as they went about their lives. I’m glad I came here, she thought.
Daren appeared with a djembe. “All right. I’m going to play and you join in,” he said. His hands moved elegantly across the djembe. Within the rhythm, Mel felt a song bloom in her heart. Her fingers moved across the strings.
The music they created was playful and jovial.
Daren raised an eyebrow as he increased the tempo slightly. Mel followed his lead. He increased it more and she met the tempo. They laughed as they played.
A car pulled into the driveway. Mel felt Jim’s and Thomas’ presence in the car. They quickly joined Mel and Daren on the porch. They had a couple of shopping bags with them. They sat their bags down as they listened to Daren and Mel play. Daren nodded to Mel and they ended the song.
“That was really good you two,” Thomas said.
“Thanks. How was your shopping trip?” Mel asked.
“Wonderful,” Jim said. “We found some good deals on baby clothes and we got some more diapers. I’ve heard you can never have enough. How are you two doing?”
“We’re good. It’s been a fun day,” Mel said.
“It has,” Daren agreed. “Maybe tomorrow, you can hike one of those trails around here, Mel.”
“Maybe,” Mel said.
“Well, we’re going to put away our things. Oh, and thanks for inviting us to go with you all to the show tonight. We can drive since our van can fit everyone,” Thomas said.
“Sounds good,” Daren said.
Thomas and Jim went inside with their bags.
“I’m going to see if Mom and Dad need help. Thanks for the jam session,” Daren said.
“Thank you too. And anytime,” Mel said. “And I’ll give you the money for my ticket on the drive over.”
“Sounds good,” he said.
Daren went inside with his djembe.
Mel stayed on the porch and played random songs. Today has been a great day, she thought. If this doesn’t get my creativity going, nothing will.
~ * ~
Mel watched Dana, Lee, and Daren visit with various audience members as they waited for the Robey-Morrison family performance to start. Mel was sitting beside Thomas. He and Jim made small talk with Mel. Normally, Mel felt awkward with small talk, but they made the conversation effortless.
The lights flickered, showing the concert was about to begin.
Dana sat down beside Mel. �
�Are you excited?” she asked Mel.
“Yes,” Mel said.
The overhead lights were turned off as the stage lights came to life. Seven people walked out onto the stage.
A woman sat down at the grand piano. Two men had guitars. One man had a large, standing bass. A man and a woman had banjos. One man had a mandolin.
The stage burst into a vibrant, upbeat Appalachian song.
Mel was stunned by the amount of joyful energy that filled the room. The music lifted everyone’s spirits.
It was one of the many things Mel loved about music. Music was magic.
The concert was a lot of fun. The family members would take turns telling anecdotal stories between songs and they made witty remarks to each other now and then. The number of family members playing at one time rotated and some of them rotated instruments. The music genre ranged from gospel to Appalachian to bluegrass to original songs to soft rock music.
Multiple times, Mel had shivers from the way their voices and instruments blended together.
By the end of the concert, Mel felt buzzed from the high vibrations of their performance. She was almost floating as she walked with the others back to the van.
“How did you like it?” Dana asked.
“They were all so good,” Mel said.
“They are. And a kind group of folks too. What did you think?” she asked Thomas.
“I liked it,” Thomas said. “I’ll have to start looking up bluegrass bands. It looks like my musical taste will be expanding.”
They went back to the B&B, talking about their favorite parts of the performance.
Trixie was outside on the porch, looking out at the stars as she scowled. Mel felt bad for Trixie. She had wanted to go with them to the concert, but Bill refused.
Trixie saw them and tried to look less irritated. “How was the concert?” she asked.
“It was really good,” Jim said. “Where’s Bill?”
“In our room, talking to some friend,” she said. “He wanted some privacy.”
“Well, I’m going to go to bed,” Thomas said. “Thanks again for letting us join you all.”
“Our pleasure,” Dana said.
“I’ll join you,” Jim said to Thomas.
“I’m going to go to bed too,” Mel said with a half-yawn. “I’m already sore.”
“Get some water before you go to bed,” Dana said. “The hydration will help decrease the soreness.”
“Thanks for the good idea,” Mel said. “And thanks for the inspiration.” She grabbed a glass of water before she went upstairs.
Mel passed a door and overhead Bill say; “I have to wait for those disgusting humans to leave. They’re supposed to have a baby soon.” There was a pause. “I still haven’t found the location. The bitch is smarter than I gave her credit for. She hasn’t slipped up yet, but she will.”
Mel heard someone come inside the house and start to walk upstairs. She slipped into her room before Daren reached the landing. She didn’t mind talking to him, but didn’t want him to ask what she had been doing in the hallway. With her luck, Bill would have overhead them and known she was snooping. What does Bill have to wait to do? What location? Mel thought. Does it involve harming Trixie? She felt like she should tell Dana and Lee about the conversation, but she didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t sure they’d believe her either.
Mel waited for Daren to go upstairs before she grabbed her shower supplies and leave her room. Unfortunately, Bill had finished his conversation. She took a shower without incident and brushed her teeth. She was about to go back to her room, but paused. She sighed as she walked downstairs.
Trixie was still on the porch. She was surprised to see Mel. “I thought you were going to bed,” she said.
“I am, but I just-” Mel broke off. She looked at the ground as she felt her pulse race in her throat. She was afraid of Trixie. She was afraid of how Trixie would respond with what she had to say. But Mel would never have been able to forgive herself if she stayed quiet. “Please be safe, especially when dealing with . . . you know.” Mel looked away as she absently rubbed her arm. “He’s more dangerous than you think.”
Mel cringed as she closed her eyes. She waited for Trixie to yell or rage at her.
It never came.
Mel opened her eyes to see Trixie smiling at her. Mel was stunned.
“You’re worried about me?” Trixie said.
“Well . . . yes,” Mel said.
Trixie leapt up and gave Mel a huge hug. “Don’t worry your pretty head about me,” she said. “I’m more than capable of handling myself.” She smiled at Mel again. “Though I do appreciate your concern.”
Mel nodded, more confused than ever. “Okay. Well. Now I will go to bed. Good night,” she muttered.
“Good night,” she said.
Mel hurried to her room. She was disappointed that Trixie hadn’t taken her seriously, but she wasn’t sure what else to do. I can’t force her to believe me, can I? she wondered. She pushed her worries about Trixie out of her head as she crawled into her warm, comfortable bed. It was still too quiet in her room for her liking. She played her noise app and closed her eyes. To put herself in a better mood, she thought about the concert. She quickly fell asleep, lulled by the memories of the songs from the performance.
Chapter 11
Mel was center stage at the Harvester. The room was filled with cheering fans. Pride swelled in her chest as she began her song.
Her song. She had done it. She had written the greatest love song ever.
She could see the notes take shape as they flew from her guitar. They quickly fell to the ground at her feet. They never even reached the audience as they slowly faded away.
The sounds from the guitar dropped to a whisper before silencing. The guitar’s neck disappeared, then the body.
Mel stood on stage without an instrument.
She looked up.
Only one person was in the audience, but she couldn’t see their face. “How can you love someone else when you don’t love yourself? Where’s your love song to you?”
Mel awoke before she could answer the audience member. Not that I had an answer, Mel admitted. She realized it was still dark out. Crap. She didn’t want to go back to sleep after that dream.
She bundled up and went outside with a notebook. She didn’t feel like reading, so she hoped jotting down her dream would spark her creativity.
It wasn’t long before the sun began to rise, so she put her notebook down to enjoy watching the sky change colors during the sunrise. The birds chirped and sang as they greeted the day.
Daren came downstairs. He looked her way as he walked outside. “I expected you this time,” he said. “How did you sleep?”
“I slept well,” she said. “You going to train?”
“Yeah, and then V and I will probably go rock climbing. I’ll be back sometime this evening. Have a good day,” he said.
“Thanks. You too,” she said.
Mel picked up her notebook again and looked through past lyrics. She made notes here and there. Some lyrics she completely scratched out while others she added more lyrics to. Some of them, she played around with the words. Before she knew it, it was nearly time for breakfast. She grabbed her things, went upstairs, and changed. She went back to the dining room to find everyone else was already there.
During breakfast, Thomas and Jim got a text that the birth mother had gone into labor. They were out of the house in a flash.
Trixie and Bill ended up leaving too to go on some sort of adventure.
After breakfast, Dana asked Mel what she planned on doing.
“I have no plans,” Mel said.
“We can have a girls’ day,” Dana announced. “Goodness knows I could use one with the amounts of testosterone I’m normally subjected to.”
Before Mel had a chance to respond, Lee stood up. “I’m going to take that subtle hint and go run some errands,” he said. He kissed Dana on the head. “I love you.”
&n
bsp; “I love you too,” she said. She kissed him on the lips.
“You two have fun,” Lee said.
“We will,” Dana said. Once Lee was gone, Dana turned to Mel. “I have an idea. Let’s put on pjs and watch movies.”
“Sounds like a good plan,” Mel said. She went upstairs to change. By the time she came downstairs, Dana was in the kitchen with a large pot on the stove. She was wearing fuzzy pink pajamas with little yellow rabbits on it.
“Those are cute,” Mel said.
“Thanks,” Dana said. “Lee gave them to me one day just because. I love that man.”
“What are you making?” Mel asked.
“Popcorn,” she answered.
“On the stove?” Mel asked.
“It tastes better and is healthier,” she said. “I hate microwaves. I feel like food doesn’t taste as good when you use a microwave. It takes longer to cook things on the stove or in the oven, but I think it’s worth it.”
“I don’t blame you,” Mel said. “I don’t like microwaves either. Though there are days where a microwave comes in handy because I don’t feel like taking the time to cook something on the stove.”
“I’ve had those days too,” Dana said.
They laughed.
Tink! Mel peered through the glass lid to see kernels fly up as they transformed into white puffs. Tink! Tink!
The pot filled up with popcorn. Dana took the pot off the stove and poured the popcorn into a bowl. She sprinkled salt on it.
They went to the living room and Dana put on a movie that was a cheesy romantic comedy.
Mel could tell Dana was using the movie to break the ice. She had a lot of questions for Mel. Dana was thinking so much about her questions that Mel knew she wanted to learn more about why Mel was here. Dana wasn’t convinced Mel only came here to write songs.
After the movie, Dana suggested they relax on the porch for a while. She made them two large cups of hot chocolate with plenty of marshmallows.
They sat on the porch swing. There was a light breeze, but it was otherwise a warm day.
Mel watched birds swoop to the bird feeders placed on the lawn.
A vibrant red bird perched at the feeder. A brown bird with a vibrant orange beak landed on the other side. “Is the red one a cardinal?” Mel asked.