An Autumn to Remember: A Novel (Elmtown Series Book 1) (7 page)

   The quartet serenaded the audience with a mixture of blues, contemporary jazz, Afro-Cuban music and some bossa nova. Even the older people enjoyed Jamie’s freestyle rap and he had mastered the perfect moments to throw it in without compromising the essence of jazz music.

   “Where’s John?” Amy asked.

   “He should have been here ages ago.” Chelsea looked around the room, checked her phone and that was when she saw his missed calls and texts. She forgot to text him the address or the name of the nightclub.

-Baby, I’m so sorry. The address is 234 Anderson Av. Can you still make it?

-I don’t know...I’ll try.

   “I forgot to give John the address, I think he’s mad at me,” she said to Amy.

   “Is he coming though? I need to know if I’ll have to drop you back at home. We’ll have to leave soon if I have to.”

“Oh no no no, don’t worry about me. I’ll go home with Jamie if John’s not able to make it down here, I think his friend has a car, and if not we’ll just take the bus. He’s getting home somehow that’s for sure.”

   Amy waited for about half an hour and then left. Still there was no sign of John. After the show ended, Jamie walked up to Chelsea and gave her a hug. The rest of the band began to put away their instruments in big black cases.

   “I’ve never seen you in a red dress,” Jamie said.

   “You like it? It was a gift from my dad,” Chelsea said turning around just for amusement.

   “You look lovely,” Jamie said. “I guess Amy couldn’t wait till the end. I hope we weren’t too boring for her.”

   “No way. She loved it. We both did. What are you talking about? Jamie you were awesome. Right now, to be honest with you, I don’t even see you doing anything else. This is completely and totally you. You were born to do this,” she said and saw him beam with smiles. She didn’t realize that was the first time anyone acknowledged the fact that this was what he was born to do. Her words, as simple as they were, struck a chord within him.

   “Where’s John? I was hoping he’d be here to see the performance. Just to give him an idea of what we can do.”

   “Snap, that reminds me, I have to call him. He couldn’t make it. I mean, I forgot to text him the address on time, by the time I did, it was too late.” She retrieved her phone from her purse.

   “Oh, OK. Sorry about that. Next time, I guess,” he said, trying hard to hide the fact that he was pleased.

   Chelsea spoke to John on the phone for about five minutes, apologising for her mistake. He sounded sleepy so she said bye then Jamie took her over to meet Jerome.

   “I have heard so much about you. I can see why this man here is so fond of you,” Jerome said. “Who doesn’t like a beautiful woman?”

   “Umm...I’m not so sure that’s a compliment but I’ll take it,” Chelsea said accepting his offered handshake. “A lot of modern women won’t be happy with your conviction that all they have to offer is their looks.”

   “Oh no, please, I meant no such thing. Forgive me,” Jerome said looking distraught.

Jamie put his hand over his mouth, stopping himself from laughing–he knew Chelsea was just being a tease.

   “Relax Jerome I was only kidding.” They all laughed. “Great show by the way.”

   “Thank you. We try to make it fun. Most of the ideas are Jamie’s anyway,” Jerome said as if trying to sell Jamie.

   “That’s not true, everybody chips in,” Jamie said.

   Jerome cast a squinted look at Jamie. “Yeah right. By chip in, he means we contribute like five percent. He does almost all the song arrangements. Anyways, it was nice meeting you Chelsea, I gotta get outta here soon.”

   “It was nice meeting you too Jerome.”

   “Alright buddy, see you later. And remember, lay off the drugs.”

   “I stopped that lifestyle since you stopped selling coke.”

   “You guys are impossible,” Chelsea said.

   Most of the seats in the nightclub were empty except for at the bar where the barman waited on three customers. People didn’t stay past midnight except on Fridays and Saturdays. As Jamie and Chelsea stepped out into the night, Chelsea quickly produced a scarf from her bag and wrapped it around herself to protect her shoulders from the chill.

   “It’s getting a little colder than that, you know.”

   “I know. I didn’t bring a sweater because I thought I’d be going home in John’s car.”

   “Do you want us to take a taxi?” Jamie asked.

   “No it’s OK I’m fine. I miss riding on the bus anyway. Which one goes to Carter Street?”

   “Bus 215. Do you wanna take a walk around first?”

   “Oh yes, definitely, I haven’t been downtown in years.”

  They talked as they strolled along Anderson Avenue where all the theaters were now closing after an evening of concerts, musicals and plays. Most tourists from Allen City and New York City frequented this part of town in droves because of the cheap tickets. Then they walked through Garden Square enjoying the aroma of the flowers and the Rosa Parks fountain in the middle.

   After a while they knew there was not much more to see so they began walking towards the bus station. Three drunken ladies walked past them, laughing and holding each other and a man in a dark suit stood by the edge of the walkway, waiting to cross the road. Most of the restaurants and bars were now closing for the night. They crossed to the side of the jazz nightclub and then Chelsea remembered what she wanted to ask him.

   “So jazz...this is what you really, really wanna do, eh?”

   “Yes, it feels like the right thing for me,” he said placing his hand near his heart. Then he removed his jacket noticing she was getting cold. “And I don’t think it’s a rash decision. I did a lot of soul searching and I’m still on it. You know what, umm...here, take my jacket. I wanna show you something before we get on the bus. Come, we still have thirty minutes.” He helped her into his jacket, took her hand and led her quickly past a couple of buildings, and turned into a very small, almost invisible pathway. Then they got to a quiet, eerie looking dead end.

   “Can you still climb?” he asked, suddenly climbing over a chain link fence that went around an abandoned warehouse. She hesitated. “Come on. You haven’t lost your sense of adventure have you?” he asked smiling from the other side.

   “I haven’t done something like this in a long time. Where exactly are you taking me?” she asked.

   “Trust me. Give me your shoes.”

   She removed her shoes and threw it over the fence. She put her fingers through the fence’s holes, held tightly and looked left and right, making sure no one could see them, it was as dark as a coal mine. She climbed over and landed loudly on her feet.

   There were two buildings in the compound, each looking like no one had been there for ages.

   Jamie walked to the taller building, opened a door that creaked loudly and then used his phone to light up the stairs which they took all the way to the second floor.

   “Look,” he whispered as he opened a window that peered down onto one of the weirdest things Chelsea had ever seen in her life. Middle age men performing hiphop dance battles, wearing bandanas, baggy jeans, hoods, screaming like teenagers. Her mouth remained wide open.

   “What in the world are these men doing?” she whispered.

   Some of the men in the crowd were in suits and some in work uniforms, all of them cheering behind the dance groups. In a corner of the room, a man sat behind a counter receiving cash and handing out what looked like betting tickets. It looked like something one only saw in movies.

   “OK that’s enough, let’s go before someone notices us,” Jamie said as he gently closed the window. A gobsmacked Chelsea followed him down the stairs, out of the building and over the fence.

   “OK I know what you’re thinking and I’ll explain.”

   Jamie then told her how he accidentally found out about Elmtown’s underground dogfighting. He found the building one day when he was taking one of his aimless walks (he always did that to clear his mind, a sort of quiet time.) He liked the quietness and sense of danger so he kept going back there, walking around the abandoned warehouse until one day when he heard the barking of dogs. He immediately called the police, tipped them off and left before they arrived. Weeks later he came back to the building and found out it had been turned into another underground society. What surprised him the most was that a lot of them were policemen. As he kept coming back, he saw how the group grew, attracting men in their forties and from all works of life.

   “Wait so dogfighting places really exist?”

   “Well, you’ve just seen where one existed before, but here is the point–some of those men dancing down there look like corporate executives. Men with lots of money. Some of them are policemen. Some of them maybe plumbers, mechanics and carpenters. That day when I saw them, it told me something. A lot of men are looking for something that takes them outside their normal boring routine, something fun and adventurous. That’s why they do this. It’s not for the money they can make from the betting. They are simply bored with with life. It just made me think, what’s the point of living if I don’t do the very thing that I love the most? You know what I mean?”

   “Yes I do,” Chelsea said. She was still surprised by what she had just witnessed. Although there was nothing violent about it, it looked like a sort of Fight-Club-type secret society.

   “You’re not gonna tell anyone are you?” he asked as they walked back to the bus station. “I don’t want any trouble. What if they are some kind of mafia? I’m just kidding. I think I’d just hate to ruin anybody’s life by taking possibly the only exciting thing in their lives away from them.”

   “No I won’t tell anyone. I actually feel sorry for them. I wonder if…” she said thinking about her father. Maybe he was like those men, bored with his life and his marriage.

   They hopped on the bus and she could not stop thinking how different Jamie was from everyone else she knew. She not only always had fun with him but she liked who she was anytime she was with him. He didn’t seem like someone she could ever ever get tired of spending time with. He didn’t talk much but he was adventurous at heart, quietly fiery. She couldn’t say the same about anyone else she knew. Jamie was different in the way he viewed life and she admired that.

9

   Teresa stood by the window in her bedroom, watching the quiet street. The two houses opposite had gone through significant changes in the years she had been away in England. She was invited by the Roswells and the Hathaways and taken around both homes. She would do the same if she ever had that much work done on her house. What was the point of doing a renovation without showing off a little bit? There was always a gentle home improvement rivalry going on there and with those new patio covers, stucco walls, swimming pools, gazebos and redone driveways, she could see how both houses were easily the best on the street.

   Her thoughts swayed back to why she couldn’t sleep in the first place. Tyler started doing badly in school again. He wasn’t turning in assignments, missed a few classes and had gotten into a fight with an older kid. How do you get suspended in your first month at school? she thought and felt a headache throbbing away at the side of her head.

   There was no other explanation except that his father was not with them anymore. The last time this happened Cameron had been away in the Netherlands for three months so she didn’t think it was a coincidence. Why should my fourteen-year-old son be so attached to his father? Aren’t teenagers supposed to crave independence? Aren’t they supposed to not need anyone? So what would happen if eventually we never got back together? What would he do then?

   She remembered how she was fine when her mother left her father for a rich lawyer. She missed her father but she wasn’t devastated and she was only twelve. Tyler is fourteen. When she moved away from home at eighteen, she didn’t need anyone anymore. She went to NYU through a swimming scholarship and met her husband there.

   “Kids now don’t have any heart,” she said to herself.

   She saw two familiar images moving closer to her house but couldn’t make out who they were because of the tall trees. As they got closer, she recognised Chelsea but still couldn’t figure out who was walking beside her. It sure wasn’t John; John wasn’t that tall and wouldn’t bring her daughter home this late without a car.

   When Jamie and Chelsea stepped under the outside light, Teresa clenched her teeth. Her eyes narrowed and twitched. What is he doing with my daughter at this time of the night? she wondered. Didn’t Chelsea say she was going out with John and Amy tonight? She considered having a word with either Helen, Jamie himself, or possibly even both of them. She thought this couldn’t be healthy for her daughter’s relationship with John and it had to stop immediately. To her, he seemed like a boy from the other side of life trying to prey on her daughter. This is how he wants to repay my kindness to them?

   She went downstairs and quickly sat in the living room, picked up a newspaper and stretched her leg over the ottoman. She heard Chelsea open the door a minute later.

   “Hey hun, how was your night out?” she asked with her widest of smiles.

   “Hi Mom, it was beautiful, we had so much fun. I thought you’d be in bed already.”

   “I was a little busy this evening. Just relaxing here before going to bed. Did John enjoy it too?”

   “Oh...he couldn’t make it down. I completely forgot to give him the address.”

   “So how did you get back home?”

   “We just took the bus.”

   “We?” Teresa asked as if she hadn’t seen them.

   “Me and Jamie.”

   Teresa sighed. “Listen Chelsea I don’t want you taking the bus around this time of the night. The bus stop is too far from here. It’s just too dangerous walking around at this time of the night, please.” What she really meant was, “I don’t want you hanging out with that boy Jamie.”

   “It wasn’t that bad to be honest but yeah I know what you mean. I’ll take a taxi next time.”

   “So the music was good?”

   “It was awesome. Jamie performs there every Thursday night. Mom, he is really good on stage. It was good to see him for the first time doing his thing.”

   “I see,” Teresa said and turned the page of the newspaper.

   “You have to go see him sometime Mom. Like, you’d be surprised how good he is and this is what he wants to do for a living.”

   Teresa closed the newspaper, placed it on her lap and said, “Music career? Last time I spoke with his mom, she said he was going to work in finance with his math degree.”

   “I know but like this is really what’s in his heart. Don’t you get it? This is what will make him happy. I think the finance thing should just be his fallback plan,” Chelsea said as she lifted Teresa’s legs, sat beside her and placed both legs on her lap.

   Teresa’s laughter shook the room. “Stop this foolishness. Music career?” She let out another burst of laughter.

   “Are you saying you wouldn’t be happy if that was what I wanted to do for a living? You wouldn’t support me?”

   “My daughter is not that foolish so I don’t have to worry about that.” She leaned over and patted Chelsea on the cheek.

   “Don’t be too surprised if one day I wake up and I want to be a reggae artist. With dreadlocks and everything,” Chelsea said twisting her hair playfully as if trying to turn it into locks.

   “Anyways I’m off to bed. You’ll be surprised when Jamie becomes a hit in America.”

   “Whatever floats your boat. Goodnight darling.” Music career?
she thought.
What a foolish dreamer.

***

   Jamie entered the apartment at 11:55 p.m. He thought maybe it was just in his head but he could still smell a trace of Chelsea’s perfume lingering around him. He stood in front of the door as he closed it, looked up and prayed for help. He didn’t want to be a prisoner of love bound by feelings, yet unable to express them to the object of his affection. Every minute he spent with Chelsea was precious and he felt a heightened sense of happiness and peace on the inside. No one had ever done that to him.

   He decided that the quicker he faced the truth, the better for him. The best thing he could think of was to try as much as he could to avoid her. Just stay away, he thought to himself as he walked to his bedroom.

   “Hey you,” Helen said as he walked past her. They turned the supposed living room into a bedroom/living room. They put a mattress on the floor and pushed the sofa against the wall so they could still watch the installed TV comfortably.

   “Hi Mom, did I wake you up?” Jamie asked looking back.

   “Not really. I was only half asleep. Did you have a good night?” She sat up and cleared her throat.

   “Awesome night...really great show. Good day?”

   “Not too bad. I was transferred to an easier department today. Ummm...oh I went by the house today. Saw two girls playing on the porch while their mother talked to one of the neighbors. They looked happy. It was kind of surreal.”

   “I know. I’m sorry. Are you OK?”

   “Yes honey, I’m fine. We have to move on. Remember what your father always said about regrets?”

   “No regrets. There’s always more ahead of you than there is behind you.”

   “Exactly, I’m gonna live by that from now on.”

   “That sounds good. I’m hungry. Any leftovers for a decent guy?”

   “I made some egg and sardine sandwiches.”

   “You know I don’t like sardines. I’ll make a quick snack. We still have some bread right?

   “I lie. There’s some chilli in the fridge.” She yawned and went back to sleep.

   Jamie served some chilli into a white bowl, warmed it in the microwave, cut a slice of the cornbread he found in the kitchen cabinet and placed everything on a tray. He went into his room, placed his food on the table and turned on the PC. He took a few bites of food then started to type a text on his phone as he waited for the computer to boot.

-I had a great time tonight. We should spend more time together.

  
Then he changed the last sentence.

-I had a great time tonight. We should hang out more.

   He was about to hit send but then hesitated. Didn’t he just decide a few minutes ago he was going to try to avoid her? He erased the whole thing and turned his phone off. He opened the JazzChat website and sent an email to JazzyTee.

JazzChat Inbox

Date: 09/23/2010

From: BoyFromElm

To: JazzyTee

   Hello JazzyTee,

   Finally, I got to read chapter ten early this morning. I must say this is the longest I’ve ever taken to read a book all my life. At first, I thought it was because I usually don’t enjoy non-fiction (I finish 100,000 word thrillers in some hours lol). But then I realized it’s how Robert E. Benson says things that have so much meaning, you can’t keep reading until you’ve reflected and thought it all out sentence by sentence.

   So this is the statement that jumped at me:

“It is neither this way nor that for the essence of jazz and life is freedom. Freedom to express ourselves. You do you and I’ll do me.”

   I’ve been feeling a sense of freedom to be who I want to be, to follow my own path and to make my own mistakes. I think I am at a place where I won’t allow the pressures of family expectations or the society at large dictate who I am or what I decide to do for a living. In the end happiness is what really matters right?

   I do want to be successful in life. I think anyone who doesn’t want to be successful has simply not tasted poverty. But I want to be successful my way. You would think that everyone thinks like that but believe it or not, Chelsea is the first person who didn’t just agree but fully understood the process going on in my mind. I feel like she’s going through the same thing. It’s almost like both our mothers have created these grand plans that we have to follow. It just becomes really boring at some point.

   Have you ever felt like that and how did you deal with it?

   By the way, I have a confession. I am really really into Chelsea and would give anything to be with her. The more time we spend together, the more I realize I can’t control how I feel about her. So here is what I’ve decided to do: STAY AWAY. I think I’m going to avoid spending time alone with her so I don’t say something stupid one day when we are together. The worst thing that could happen is telling her how I feel and then getting rejected. That is clearly a possibility because she does have a boyfriend which I tend to ignore sometimes :).

   Not that I am that afraid of rejection but I think it will definitely affect our friendship. But then again, do you stay away from someone you consider your best friend? Arrrgggh...I wish things were different. You know what’s even weirder? Her boyfriend is interested in signing me up next year to his father’s record label (nothing concrete yet). I mean that could be my big break after I’m done with college.

   OK, I have to go finish up a calculus paper, deadline is tomorrow morning.

Thanks,

Jamie

   JazzyTee’s reply came in twenty minutes later.

JazzChat Inbox

Date: 09-10-2010

From: JazzyTee75

To: BoyFromElm

Hi Jamie,

   I spent the day painting my daughter’s room. I’m not sure if it looks good but it looks very pink and she loves pink. My sister is coming over tomorrow to help me with the other things I need to install to make it “six-year-old princess” worthy.

   I have to say, you remain one of the most introspective young men I’ve ever met, which is quite rare for people your age these days. I didn’t even notice that line in the book. I’ll go read it now and come back to finish this email.

   OK so I’ve just read it and I agree with your interpretation of it. The only thing I’d add to that is this: the struggle to be yourself and live your life based on your own chosen path in life is a continuous one. It follows you into adulthood. We all still struggle with it, adults just know how to fake it, acting like we know everything, like we always know the right decisions to make when we are sometimes as clueless as young people.

   Anyway, so you got bit by the love bug, eh? It happens to the best of us :). I don’t know what to say to you about this situation of yours though, since she has a boyfriend who is likely to become your boss but I think there’s nothing wrong with sticking around *wink.* You never know what luck might bring your way. Life does have a sense of humor. I’m pretty sure if life was a human being, he would be a comedian.

   Have a good one.

   Jamie smiled when he read those words, “nothing wrong with sticking around.” He so wanted to, he wanted Chelsea to know he was available in case anything ever happened between her and John. Gosh that girl is so worth waiting for, he thought. He would stick around. Just in case.

   He finished his soon-to-be-due math paper and slept peacefully two hours later with thoughts of her filling every fiber of his mind.