Colorado

Chapter 2

After passing out in the serene environment of my room last night, I finally woke to a new day and a fresh start. Exactly how long the start will feel fresh has yet to be determined. It's only a matter of time before I'm looking for a new, far from lifelong, career. I clean myself up, heat a breakfast sandwich, cram it in my mouth, and plunge through the front door into the busy street. Busy for our standards anyway. You've got lines of local farmers selling freshly harvested produce, construction crews remodeling our only supermarket, and traffic ready to pick up their kids from school. That's right, I slept in until schools started letting out. I needed all the rest I could get, so I was in tip-top shape, both physically and mentally, to attract the interest of anyone who might end up hiring me today. It's nice living downtown right on our small but colorful town square. Anytime I'm not working, I'm spending most of the day catching up with the sights and sounds I've grown accustomed to. I'll walk down Rush Street and make my required stops at some of my favorite places in town. While I'm at it, I always stop to appreciate the talents of Jimmy James, a long-time Desperation citizen and proud representative of our humble domain. He's proof that if there's anything Hollywood about living here, it's the pride you get from growing up in such an eclectic, unique universe. He's always standing at the corner, a short distance from my favorite sandwich shop: Grand Rapid Bites. He rocks the whole block, his show spectacular, with the witty, sincere strums of his guitar and his clear, resounding voice that burrows right through and touches your heart and soul in the best way possible. "You never fail to amaze me, Jimmy." That's what I tell him before I head down to get a bite to eat. Today was no different. I quickly opened the doors to my go-to fuel station. Grand Rapid Bites never failed to disappoint with their always-expanding menu of culinary creations. From hibachi-style sandwich wraps to Greek gyro hoagies, what to order was never an easy decision. The owners didn't hold anything back creatively. Something that made them a huge success since they started in Sunset, California. When I told them how much I loved their food and asked them why they relocated here, of all places, they responded with a simple answer. "We just wanted a change of pace." "Something on a smaller scale and a dedicated community for us to get behind." I step inside the establishment and immediately pick up the smell of bahn mis and brisket sandwiches. I guess there's no question what today's special is. I walk over and sit down at the same booth I always do. I look over to see Mike and Kathy Anderson, the acclaimed owners of this joint that I brought up earlier. "Yo Mikey, Kath!" How's the afternoon rush treating you?" I shout out to get their attention. They jolt over to greet me and check up on me like always. "We're hanging in there." "The sandwiches are flying off the grill today!" "I don't doubt it." "I've never seen a day y'all weren't slammed." I reaffirm as I look outside to see a huge line forming, wrapping around the whole block. When you are the only good place to chow down in town, people will ransack your business daily. But If that means turning a profit, you probably aren't complaining much. Mikey and Kath loved that so many people couldn't get enough of their food. You also have to credit their personalities for their success. There were so many times I thought things couldn't get any worse, but one conversation and buffalo chicken wrap made all the difference. "You'll find your groove one day." "Keep sticking to yourself, your values, and your beliefs, and everything will work out how you want it." That's one conversation I've never forgotten. They even got to hear some of my songs. Well, I didn't sing. I never did due to my overwhelming nerves, but they enjoyed me sharing it with them anyway. They're forever prodding me to open up more in front of them and everyone else. My dad does as well. Maybe one day, they'll finally get me to unleash. "How's the waiting gig over at Flavorful Frontiers going?" Mikey asked. "Just finished my two weeks." "I'm officially back on the market." Mikey cracked a smile and shook his head. "Doesn't surprise me." "If there's anything I know about Jayce it's he's hard to get to stick around." We all let out a more than well-sized laugh at the pure honesty of that statement. " You know, I still think you'd make the perfect employee here." "Free up a booth for everyone else." "I don't know how much work would get done with the three of us on the same shift." I wittily responded. "You got a point, Jayce." "Any big plans for today?" "No, mainly just wandering around, hoping another job falls in my lap." "Well, if you're looking for something to do, there's this band taking the town by storm: they're performing tonight at the pavilion." "Homegrown talent." "I believe they call themselves the Desperation Desperados." "Everyone's been raving about them." "It's cool to see that kind of representation going around." I remember overhearing people talking about the same thing: an Indy rock group surely on the path to superstardom. I don't see Desperation producing any fame anytime soon. Although it would be cool to walk among celebrities like the stories Mikey would tell about California. "Now that you mention it, Mikey." "I've also heard people talking about them and how electric their shows are."  "I bet it would be fun, but I'll just have to listen to it from the hood of my car per the norm." "I can't be spending money on tickets right now anyway." "My dad needs the help." Mikey let out a sigh of empathy. "I know you'd love to see a show." "You're talking about it all the time." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. "Here, take-" "No, you don't have to do that." I quickly cut him off. "That's your hard-earned money." "I appreciate your offering, but you have already given me enough since we've known each other. Mikey tucked his wallet back in his pocket and gave me a look of mild frustration. "I just hate your situation for you, Jayce." "You make things harder than they need to be." "I think you have a gift that, if you just took the plunge and shared with as many people as possible, you'd start to open some eyes." "It could do great things for you and your dad." Might even make some more friends along the way." "Well, I've got to go make some calls in the back." "You having your usual?" "The buffalo chicken wrap?" "Yeah, make it double while you're at it." "Maybe he's right." I think to myself. "If I could just get over myself." I pull out my phone and start scrolling through old photos of me, my mom, and my dad. I cherished these the most. I miss when we'd gather around the fire and enjoy each other's company. We'd talk about how much we loved our simple but beautiful lives together as a family. Some people end up needing more out of life, I guess. To this day, I still don't know what was missing for my mom to want to leave.