Shattered Hearts

by Coral McCallum

  So lost was he in the music that he never heard the basement door open nor Lori coming carefully down the steep steps. When he paused in his playing, Jake looked up and saw his wife sitting on the bottom step watching him.

  “Hey,” he said with a smile.

  “Sounding good, rock star,” observed Lori softly. “I like that one.”

  “Still a work in progress.”

  “Does it have any lyrics yet?”

  “A few. Still working those out,” confessed Jake as he played the song’s melody line over softly.

  “And how are you getting on working out Maria’s request?”

  “That’s another work in progress,” admitted Jake, setting the guitar back on its stand.

  “And where’s your heart at on it?” pressed Lori gently.

  “It’s been shattered, li’l lady,” he sighed sadly. Running his hand through his tousled hair, Jake said, “It’s hard enough playing down here on my own. How do I teach a group of students without losing it? Where do I start?”

  “You could start by talking to Dr Jones?” she suggested, reaching out to take his hand. “Be honest with him about how you feel. Ask if he knows what Rich had planned for the course. Get as much information as you can then see how your head and your heart feel about it. Get the rest of the band to help. You’ve done it before. Maybe Garrett’ll even help if he’s still here.”

  “I don’t know……”

  “Sleep on it, rock star.”

  A sense of déjà vu swept over Jake as he drew up in the same parking spot he used to stop in daily outside the high school. Four years had passed since he had last visited the school to deliver a seminar, along with Rich, to some seniors, who were hoping to study music at college. The difference between then and now was that he was arriving alone and that the school was virtually deserted. Voices were echoing up from the nearby sports fields but there were no summer school students to be seen.

  Stuffing his truck keys into his pocket and hooking his shades into the neck of his t-shirt, Jake entered the building. The first thing to hit him was the familiar “school” smell and, as he sat outside the principal’s office a few moments later, he thought back to the first day Rich had brought him in to meet Dr Jones. It had been Rich who had vouched for him; it had been Rich who had encouraged him; it had been Rich who had inspired him to return to teaching. Taking Lori’s advice, he was listening to his heart. He had to teach this summer class. He owed it to his friend.

  “Jake! Great to see you!”

  The principal’s loud greeting jolted Jake back to the present.

  “Dr Jones,” replied Jake as he got to his feet. “Thanks for seeing me.”

  “Come on through,” suggested the older man. “Cynthia, will you bring us some coffee. Glad you came in to talk about this.”

  Once they were alone in the principal’s office and out of earshot of the office staff, Dr Jones said, “I was so sorry to hear about Rich. Such a shock. Beyond tragic.”

  “Thanks,” sighed Jake. “It’s hit us all hard. Really hard.”

  “What happened, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  Jake paused, unsure whether to trust his former boss with the truth. Silver Lake’s management had gone to great lengths to keep the cause of Rich’s sudden death under wraps. Bowing his head, Jake said, “This goes no further for obvious reasons. It was suicide.”

  “Oh Lord!” gasped the principal, his tanned face paling.

  “Our management have kept that piece of information out of the press and the public domain for now. I’d appreciate if it stayed that way.”

  “Of course,” nodded Dr Jones. “I didn’t expect you to say that, son. That’s shocked me. Truly shocked me.”

  “Shocked us all,” admitted Jake. “Makes the here and now harder to deal with.”

  “I can imagine. My condolences to you all,” Dr Jones paused then indicated that Jake should take a seat.

  Before they could continue, Cynthia, the principal’s secretary, came in with the coffee and some donuts. She too passed on her sympathies before withdrawing from the room, closing the door behind her.

  “If I’m to take this course,” began Jake, cutting straight to the chase. “I need a bit of context. I had no idea Rich was planning this. He never mentioned it.”

  “That’s strange,” observed Dr Jones. “He seemed so passionate when we spoke just after Spring Break. Originally, the plan had been to run it over the last two weeks of the semester but your tour schedule prevented that. We rescheduled for the last two weeks of the summer recess.”

  “So, starting August 4th?”

  The principal nodded. “We have ten seniors this semester who want to study either music production or music performance. Between them, they play in several bands plus the school band and orchestra. Two of the boys and three of the girls sing in our choral society.”

  “Any idea what Rich had planned for them?”

  “A vague outline. He mentioned performance, song writing, recording and production. Studio production, not a concert production. Sadly, he never submitted a lesson plan or any plan for that matter. I trusted his judgement both as a teacher and as a musician,” replied Dr Jones candidly.

  “That’s at least something to work to,” Jake acknowledged, a plan beginning to form in his own mind. “Would I be allowed to take them on a field trip to JJL?”

  “JJL?”

  “The recording studio out on the Coastal Highway. Lori co-owns it and the band use it as our recording base. It has full state of the art recording facilities plus a rehearsal studio out back. It’s an impressive setup.”

  “If the visit forms part of the course then I’m sure we can sort something out,” promised Dr Jones. “You’re not thinking of taking them to any rock shows, are you?”

  “No,” assured Jake with a smile. “Not unless I can find one in the local area. Closest is likely to be Baltimore or Wilmington. Philly maybe. I wouldn’t want to run the risk of taking them so far out of town. Depending on what is going on out at JJL, I might be able to introduce them to a couple of musicians.”

  “Ok, sounds like a start.”

  Draining the last of the coffee, Jake said, “Give me a few days to pull a timetable together and to make a few calls. And it’s ten full teaching days?”

  The principal nodded.

  Running his hand through his hair, Jake sighed, “Guess, I owe it to Rich to pull this off. I’m not going to lie, Dr Jones, this is going to be a tough gig.”

  “I understand that and appreciate you stepping in at short notice to help out here. We have a new department head who started at the end of last semester. Perhaps I could ask her to join you for some of the classes. A bit of moral support.”

  “Sure,” agreed Jake. “I could use all the help I can get. It’s been four years since I last took a class.”

  “You’ll be fine. If you can control a crowd of tens of thousands of screaming rock fans, you can control ten high school seniors.”

  “I hope so!”

  While Jake was at the school, Lori had stayed home to focus on making last-minute preparations for Jesse’s third birthday. With all that had been going on, she had almost forgotten her son’s birthday and was actually thankful for Melody’s reminder. She was also grateful for her daughter’s discretion as she had whispered it to her at bedtime the night before. At least she had one day to get organised. No one felt much like throwing a party but Jake had suggested that they have a family trip to the National Aquarium in Baltimore. It was an inspired suggestion as their little boy loved sharks and dolphins.

  With both children happily playing in the sunroom, Lori had poured herself a fresh mug of coffee then taken it to her desk to drink while she arranged the visit. It was a three-hour drive to Baltimore so, as she viewed the aquarium’s schedule, Lori factored this in as she booked time slots for the various shows and education sessions. Judging that they would be finished looking at the various sea creatures by six-thirty, Lori booked a
table for dinner at the nearby Hard Rock Café. Smiling as she submitted the booking, she knew Jake would cringe at the thought of being the rock star in the Hard Rock Café but she also knew their kids would love it.

  Satisfied that she had planned the family outing as best she could, Lori checked that the kids were alright then turned her attention to her business emails. Since she had had her children, Lori was more selective about which commissions she accepted. There were a few “regular” clients who she always accepted but then, now and again, Jason would send something a bit different her direction. One such email from the Englishman caught her attention and within moments Lori was immersed in the artist’s bio and had opened the accompanying music files.

  Thoughts of lesson plans and potential structures occupied Jake’s thoughts as he drove back into town. Talking to Dr Jones had helped to clarify the expectation but hadn’t really given him a huge amount to work with. He had harboured a hope that his late friend had submitted a synopsis of the course or a lesson plan. Hearing that the principal had trusted Rich and also trusted him had been reassuring. As he reached the start of the main avenue into town, Jake wondered if he should keep it really simple- get the group to write five songs then take them out to JJL in the hope of recording them. If the idea worked, the songs could be compiled into a CD that could be sold to raise funds for the school’s music department.

  Feeling a little more confident about running the two-week workshop, he allowed himself to relax and think about his imminent appointment with Danny, his tattoo artist. Conscious that he was ten minutes late, Jake parked the truck at the back of the small tattoo parlour then loped round to the front of the shop. The gentle tinkling of the shell wind chime announced his arrival and, before he could offer up his apology, Danny looked up and said, “You’re late, Jake.”

  “Sorry, Dan,” he said contritely. “I was at a meeting out at the high school. Things over ran and the traffic didn’t help.”

  “Well, you’re in luck. My next appointment rescheduled so you have my undivided attention for two hours if you need that long.”

  “This won’t take that long,” promised Jake with a sad smile. “I just want to add something small but personal.”

  “Oh, in a “personal” place?” quizzed the diminutive ink artist, recalling being asked to tattoo a horse shoe on Jake’s butt cheek a few years before.

  “Don’t get your hopes up!” laughed Jake, removing his t-shirt. “I need to find a space to add a symbol.”

  “Explain this “symbol” to me,” said Danny, admiring Jake’s well-muscled torso. “It’s not more feet, is it?”

  “No,” replied Jake, glancing down at the two sets of baby footprints on his forearm. “No babies. I’m looking to add two crossed arrows.”

  “Arrows?”

  “It’s the Native American symbol for friendship,” explained Jake quietly. “I wanted to add something for Rich.”

  “Ah,” sighed Danny, immediately understanding. “I was sorry to hear about that. Poor guy. Liked him a lot. Regular client. Funny you should mention symbols. He’d emailed me a few weeks ago with ideas for new ink. That was all symbols too.”

  “It was?”

  “Here,” said Danny. “Let me show you. Might help you decide what you want to add.”

  “No, you’re good,” answered Jake, not ready to see the designs his friend had chosen. Fishing his phone out of his jeans’ pocket, he found the screenshot he’d saved of the basic arrow design. “No frills, Dan. This is personal.”

  Nodding, the tattoo artist asked simply, “Where?”

  “On my chest? Could balance out the Celtic knot,” proposed Jake. “Unless you have a better idea. And don’t say my other butt cheek!”

  “What size did you have in mind?”

  “Small. Couple of inches across.”

  “Chest would work. Will make the diameter match the knot. Keeps the symmetry,” agreed Danny. “Let me take some measurements and draw up a template. Choose your throne?”

  As usual, Jake elected to sit in the middle chair. The tattoo artist was a quick worker and within fifteen minutes had the dimensions agreed and had produced three basic designs for Jake to choose from. He had varied the detail on the arrows slightly but had retained the traditional Native American feel to them. Sensing he was up to something, Jake said calmly, “Which of these is from the designs Rich sent you?”

  “Who says any of them are?”

  “Dan! Cut the crap,” stated Jake firmly.

  “The second one.”

  Staring down at the three designs, Jake had to admit to himself that the one he was instinctively drawn to was the second one. Discarding the other two, he handed the template back to Danny.

  “Go for it.”

  Half an hour later, with the fresh tattoo safely covered over, Jake slipped his t-shirt back over his head.

  “Am I going to see Paul and Grey in here for one of those?” enquired Danny, recalling that all the members of Silver Lake had the same Celtic knot tattoo.

  “I wouldn’t rule it out,” acknowledged Jake with a grin. “I’d hang onto that template if I was you, just in case.”

  It was mid-afternoon by the time Jake parked the truck under the tree in the driveway. The temperature had soared into the nineties and, as he stepped down from the air-conditioned cab, the heat hit him like a fiery blast. He could hear the kids squealing and giggling round the back of the house and smiled. He loved that noise.

  “Daddy!” shrieked Melody, running straight towards him as he stepped up onto the deck.

  “Hey, Miss M,” he said, swinging her up into his arms. “That’s quite a welcome.”

  “I’ve missed you. You’ve been gone all day!”

  “Sorry. My appointments took longer than expected.”

  “Daddy,” interrupted Jesse, tugging at his leg. “We play on the beach? Please?”

  “Let me get changed then we can play for a while,” agreed Jake. “Have you both got plenty of sunscreen on?”

  “Mommy!” bellowed Jesse. “Need smelly sunscreen!”

  “Come here then,” said Lori from her reclined position on the sun lounger. “Jake, how’d it go at the school?”

  “Fine. I’ll tell you about it later,” replied Jake as he set their daughter down on the deck. “Melody, you let your mom put some sunscreen on you too. I don’t want either of you getting burned.”

  A few minutes later, Jake came back out to join them wearing his cut off shorts and a vest t-shirt. Immediately, Lori noticed the taped dressing on his chest.

  “Someone been to see Danny?”

  “I’ll show you later,” promised Jake, lifting his sunglasses from the table. “Ok, who wants to walk into Rehoboth for ice cream?”

  “Me! Me!”

  “Me!”

  “Lori, you coming too?”

  “I’ll pass if you don’t mind,” said Lori, seeing the opportunity for an hour or so in the sun to herself. “I’m waiting for a call from Jason.”

  “Ok, I hear you,” he called back, getting the hint that she needed some alone time. “If we’re not back by five, do you want to light the BBQ? I picked up some shrimp and chicken on my way home. Oh, and some salad stuff.”

  “Sounds good,” replied Lori. “Kids, behave for your daddy. Jesse, no running away!”

  “We’ll be fine,” stated Jake, taking the kids by the hand. “I promise not to lose either of them.”

  The beach was crowded with tourists, many of whom were hiding in the shade offered by the sea of blue beach umbrellas. As the three of them walked along, they paddled in the shallow waves that swept in over their bare feet. Much to Jake’s surprise, his young son seemed content to hold his hand and chatter about his birthday and his birthday cake. Silently, Jake prayed that Lori had picked up a chocolate birthday cake at the store. Beside him, Melody skipped and danced round them, occasionally running a little way into the ocean to jump over a wave or two.

  In the six weeks since he’d returned h
ome, his relationship with the kids had blossomed. It warmed his heart to walk slowly down the beach with his son in particular. Whenever he had returned from previous tours, Jesse had always seemed wary of him. It was a relief to see that look was long gone.

  “Daddy,” began the little boy seriously. “How many sleeps till my birthday?”

  “One,” revealed Jake, smiling down at the bright smiling face that was gazing up at him. “And we’re going on an adventure tomorrow.”

  “What’s an adven….” asked Jesse, his tongue sticking on the last word.

  “An adventure,” repeated Jake slowly. “Well, we’ll go someplace really special in the car. You’ll love it when we get there.”

  “Where are we going?” asked Melody as she skipped back towards them.

  “It’s a surprise,” replied Jake with a wink. “You’ll find out tomorrow. Now, who wants an ice cream?”

  There was a queue at the ice cream parlour when Jake and the two little ones arrived. Using bribes of waffle cones and extra sprinkles, he managed to keep them both under control until he reached the counter. As they left the shop with their ice creams, the kids’ waffle cones safely in waxed paper cups, Jake scoured the boardwalk for an empty bench. Their luck was in. Just as they approached, a bench to their right became free. Seizing their chance, Melody ran on ahead and snagged it for them just as a teenage couple had been about to sit down.

  “Damn,” muttered the boy as the couple drew level with Jake.

  “Becky?” said Jake, recognising Grey’s daughter as the boy’s date.

  “Jake!” she squealed, eyes wide with surprise. “Eh…. hi…. never saw you.”

  “Evidently,” replied Jake, trying not to smile as Becky squirmed uncomfortably under his gaze. “I take it, if I’m asked, I never saw you today?”

  “No,” giggled Becky with a shy smile. “You didn’t.”

  “You going to introduce me to your friend?” prompted Jake, conscious that if Grey knew his thirteen-year-old baby girl was walking the boardwalk with a boy who looked old enough to be a high school senior, he’d pitch a fit.