the music room

a short story

The night was young, and so were they, yet when his friend invited him to the house party he was inclined to say no. But there will be girls, his friend insisted, to which he replied tersely, All the more reason not to go. Now that things with Julia were over for good, and since she was still all he could think about, the idea of other girls made him more nauseous than excited. Look, I know you’re not over her, that’s normal, you were together on and off for almost three years, but it’s also true you need to move on, it’s been what, a month, and besides, not every girl will be like her, There are no other girls like her, Maybe what you really need is, Don’t say it, I hate that, plus, it’s not true, what I need is to stay away from women altogether for a while.

Ok, then what about this, you’ve never been to this guy’s house, and it’s amazing, right on the beach, with no one around, his parents are loaded, there is not one but two pool tables, hell, there are two pools, one of them indoors, there is a room with a giant screen and projector and fancy seats, there are refrigerators full of stuff everywhere, there’s a music room full of instruments…. His friend kept going for a while listing all the pros of attending the rich kid’s house party, really trying to secure a ride, but the bit about the music room was what convinced him. Maybe it would reawaken his passion for music, one more thing that had died with Julia, but surely the most ironic death of all, since that’s how they first fell in love, he played piano, and she sang.

How do you know this guy, He’s in my class, and he sells me hash, What, really, aha, Yeah, Isn’t he rich, Yeah, but he wants to be cool, and there’s no risk for him, Why not, Because his father is a famous judge. The house looked like something out of an architecture magazine, hideous, especially against the majestic backdrop of the ocean. Inside, it was more appealing, like a modern art museum, but one where smoking is allowed, and a band is playing jazz versions of famous movie themes, and people are dancing, and drinking, a lot.

Should we find your classmate, There he is. The host welcomed them with a guitar in hand and a harmonica around his neck, got them drinks and finished with, Mi casa es su casa. He’s in his Bob Dylan phase, it’s been going on for a while now, Do you know anyone else here, No, well, I don’t think so, you never know who you’re going to find. The way his friend said this made him suspicious, and soon he knew why, all of this had been a ploy, there she was, the girl his friend was obsessed with. Oh I get it now, Do you mind, No, it’s fine, I’ll entertain myself.

He did not begrudge his friend, remembering still what it was like to be in love, though he would have wanted to forget, because the memory now refused to appear alone, it always brought a friend, heartbreak. He strolled through the hallways looking at the strange abstract pictures on the walls and the inscrutable sculptures on the floor, instinctively walking away from the raucous crowd. A couple of girls coming the other way smiled at him, and he tried his best to smile back, but failed. When they offered him a joint, he accepted. When they invited him to have a swim in the indoor pool, he refused, and kept going, letting the joint go out.

Up ahead there were likely bedrooms and bathrooms only, the common areas continue downstairs, halfway down he can see through a giant glass wall the two pool tables, and a guy alone playing eight ball against himself. Are you a friend of my brother, or did you come with someone else, With someone else, Good, his friends are imbeciles, Well, technically your brother is my friend’s classmate, And probably drug dealer, That’s right. They both laughed. So, you wanna play, Sure, why not.

It must be amazing to live in this house, It has its downsides, Like what, Like my brother inviting strangers over all the time to party, Don’t you invite people over yourself, Not anymore, Why not, your turn by the way, Because there’s no one interesting to invite, But there used to be, Yes, and now there isn’t, Was it a woman, Yes, but it doesn’t matter now, shit, I missed it, Your loss is my gain, look at this. He was well on his way to win the game, all his remaining shots were simple. If you came with a friend, where’s your friend, Chasing some girl, Ah, yes, here it is again, women, can never get away from them, Except maybe here, That’s what I’m hiding from to be quite honest, and since you’re here with me, I assume you’re doing the same, In a way, I suppose, I didn’t really want to come, but my friend roped me in, he needed a ride. Somehow his opponent had recovered, and had only one more ball to go before gunning for the eight. Yet, he could end it before it came to that. It wasn’t especially easy, but also far from impossible. He took a deep breath, and then his shot, decisive but smooth. The eight ball fell into the middle pocket, and then the cue ball fell into the corner one.

I hate to win like this, do you want to play another, best of three, To be honest, I’d like to see the music room, Oh, go right ahead, it’s that door over there, Do you want to come, Not really, I think I’m going for a swim in the ocean, At night, It’s the best time, Do you want to smoke this first, No, I don’t smoke, thanks, pleasure to meet you, have a great evening. He was left with the joint, which he now lit and smoked as he made his way to the music room. It was majestic. If he ever became rich, he would love to have one just like it, with beautiful carpets and ornate furniture and old wooden walls, and every instrument one can imagine. Yet his hands were always drawn to the piano first, and this time it was no different.

With the joint hanging from his mouth, his fingers could not help themselves from playing the first chords of their song, but it hurt too much, and he stopped. A couple more drags until he would try to play again, and yet again, it was their song his fingers insisted on playing, and this time, though it kept on hurting, he did not stop. And then he heard a creak, and looked back, and it was Julia.

They say that falling in love is wonderful, those are the first words in the song. And it must be true, because even though they both knew how it would always end, she began to sing, and he kept playing.