Home Is Where The Heart Is

Part 13

Cache Littman

I sat on the edge of my bed. I had nothing to do tonight. I didn't really ever have much to do.

I sighed and fell back. Looking around my room, I spotted my guitar. I sat back up and walked I've to pick it up. I carefully examined it. It had been 2 months yet I was still amazed by the way it looked and felt.

The guitar had always been an instrument that I wanted to learn, but guitars were expensive. Lucky for me, I happened to win one at a music festival. I was estatic.

I sat back down on the edge of my bed and situated the guitar on my leg. I started to tune it.

I had no idea what I was going to do, probably just let my fingers do as they please.

I closed my eyes and my hands took over. My fingers quickly began to move from chord to cord, and my other hand creating a strumming pattern.

My head and my hands were disconnected. I had no idea what I was playing. As my hands went I focused in on the sound. Can't Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley. I had known the song for a long time so playing it made sense.

I wasn't in the mood to sing so I continued to just play the chords. I probably played the song four times over before I put the guitar down.

I took a breath and leaned back on my bed. I looked at the ceiling and then around the room. Off to the side in the corner of my eye, I could see my ukeleles.

I sighed. I had made the deal with Natalie that I could teach her music. It almost taunting. How perfect was it to have two ukeleles, one of them being a beginners.

I was also worried about Natalie's end of the bet. It didn't matter how much she claimed I could be, I was not an athlete. And I was going to make a fool of myself when I tried to be one. And Natalie was definitely not someone I wanted to embarrass myself in front of.

I sighed, and decided that I might as well do something about the taunting instruments. I picked up my older ukelele. Sure, I needed to get around to breaking in the other one, but right then I wanted something familiar.

Once again, my hands took their places. This time though, I already knew what I was playing. Riptide, by Vance Joy. It was the song that every person with a ukelele knew, because it was probably the easiest. But I knew it so well, I could probably play it in my sleep.

As my fingers flew my voice eased right into it. The world shut out and all I good sense was the music. I knew I was playing and singing, but I felt like I was on the outside, watching myself play. I continued on playing for who knows how long until I heard a faint knocking.

I snapped out if my trance and the knocking was louder. I sighed. "Come in."

My mom quickly opened the door. She looked at me puzzled. "Why aren't you ready for Mya's birthday party?"

Shoot, I thought. My cousin Mya was turning 10 and it's all my mom had been talking about for the past week because she had planned the whole thing. However, I still managed to forget all about it.

"Oh. Slipped my mind. I will be ready in 3 minutes," I told her jumping up.

"Go as fast as you can. We'll be waiting in the car," she said as she shut the door.

I groaned quietly. I most definitely didn't want to go to this party. Most of my extended family was going to be there. And I did not like most of them.

I sped to get a different pair of clothes on. My mother would have a fit if I wore  my normal school clothes. Apparently I needed to wear a nice shirt and pretty jeans. Band shirts and faded jeans just didn't cut it.