When Kid meets Morris at ten years old, his life changes from a lonely existence in a house full of turmoil to a hopeful future in music. A solid friendship turns fragile as money, alliances, and betrayal cause it to finally collapse.
Despite losing...
Kid acquired one more trash can for their jungle drum set. It had a hole in it so it made a unique sound Morris really liked. They played every evening until their hands calloused and splintered from beating with their tree branch sticks. The facility nurse only came on Wednesdays and Fridays. "I'm getting sick of you boys using all my bandages," she complained. Then she promised to buy them genuine drumsticks but she never did.
On Saturday nights the boys watched television in the commons. The only show they all could agree on was Hawaii 5-O. That night the show was about a prisoner who escaped from the police jailhouse. Kid fantasized that his father escaped from prison. Francis would not even go home first. He would come straight to the facility to get Kid. Then he would yell at them for rationing out soap and toilet paper. "My son is coming home with me where he can use as much toothpaste as he wants!" Francis would announce as they walked out the front doors. Kid knew this fantasy was unlikely. Francis only had two true loves; Juanita and music.
Francis L. Smith was a part-time jazz pianist. Most of the time he worked as a security guard at the bank, but from time to time he would get gigs with a straight-ahead jazz group called the Pussywillows. He took Kid to rehearsals with him after work sometimes. Kid loved the sound of the electric guitar and longed to play it. Kid admired the whole band wishing he could play anything like them. He watched Leon's fingering on the saxophone, Tyrone's fingering on the guitar and Vernon's fingering on the upright bass. Could the fingering methods all work the same on different instruments? Maybe. The only way to find out was to try it.
Kid asked Francis if he would buy him a guitar but all he got was a sideways look that called him, "low class." "The piano is a foundational instrument. Learn to play that good first," is what Francis said in front of the band. What he really meant was, "The piano is a noble instrument played by intelligent men." Kid knew Francis never wanted him to play the guitar. The rest of the band knew it too. Francis was a piano snob but they did not hold it against him because he was so good. What's so wrong with the guitar? Kid wondered but never asked. There were a lot of closed subjects in the Smith house. He just added this one to the list.
Jennifer had a special announcement. "I'm taking you all on a field trip," she said trying to contain her excitement. All the boys were excited too. "Where we going?" Lydell asked.
"To the symphony."
"The what?!"
"It's classical music," Jennifer explained to the group of blank faces. "My friend plays cello and she's invited us to see the orchestra for their last rehearsal before they perform before a real audience. The county will pay for a bus so I'm taking you all," she said with her hands clasped at her chest expecting a better reaction.
Getting out of the facility for any reason was a real treat so none of them complained. The next day, the boys filed on the bus tuning out Jennifer rattling off her list of "be on your best behavior" instructions.
The boys marched down the auditorium's middle aisle into the front row. They were the only people there. Kid and Morris remained fixed on the different types of drums and sticks. There was a snare, a bass and a timpani. Different sized stick heads made different sounds. They glanced at each other at certain points during the performance upon hearing different combinations of sound. They did not particularly enjoy classical music but they watched intently, taking mental notes to use later.
Jennifer was able to sigh with relief at the end of the performance. The boys remained quiet the whole time, they did not fidget much and Sean was the only one who fell asleep.
Jennifer's friend, Marie came over after the performance to thank the boys for coming. "Would you like to come over and have a look at the instruments?" Marie asked. All the boys gave her smiling nods and "Yes ma'ams." They would do anything to prolong the trip.
The boys meandered around the orchestra pit being careful not to touch anything. The musicians were polite and explained their instruments briefly while they put away their music sheets and other belongings. Kid and Morris made their approach to the three percussionists. Morris whispered to Kid, "You ask them a bunch of questions while I get the sticks."
"What?!" Kid whispered back through a forced smile.
"I'm not leaving here without some genuine drum sticks," Morris said.
Sweat beaded on Kid's forehead. He asked the guys as many questions as he could think of until his questions got dumber and dumber. "Does the snare drum sound deeper than the bass? Do you use one or two hands to play the maracas? When do you get to use the tambourine? How does that triangle thing work?" He worked hard at his side shuffle to keep the drummers' backs turned to Morris. Finally Jennifer called them to the bus. Kid let out a sign that loosened all of his muscles.
"Well, did you get them?" Kid asked anxiously.
"I only got one," Morris said disappointed in himself.
"One! What the hell are you going to do with one drumstick?" Kid sucked his teeth. He could not believe he made himself look like an idiot for nothing. Even if Morris was underhanded enough to pilfer the sticks correctly, he probably would have only gotten two. That's not polite.
Jennifer checked off their names as they got on the bus. Morris boarded while Kid lingered behind. "Ms. Jennifer, I have to go to the bathroom," Kid said, straining to make a painful face.
Jennifer glared at him over her circular framed glasses. She looked like a female John Lennon. "Why didn't you go when everybody else went?" she whined.
"I didn't have to go then, but I'll wait till we get back if you want me to," he said lowering his humble head. "It's a long way though."
"Go ahead but hurry up," she conceded.
Kid ran back into the building. Morris got on the bus and saved Kid's seat. All the boys were seated and accounted for. They played with the windows, poked each other and called each other names. After a while, Jennifer started to worry. "What's taking Kid so long?!"
She told the driver, "I'm going in to get him."
"No!" Morris yelled. "He's probably doing a number two."
The boys rocked the bus with laughter while Jennifer scolded them. Finally Kid appeared. Kid stepped out of the front door of the auditorium smiling from ear to ear. Morris knew by the look on his face, Kid had gotten them genuine drum sticks.
Kid would not tell Morris exactly how he got the three sticks. He liked the idea of being just as slick and bold as Morris. All four sticks were different but they worked just fine. They played even more than before and the nurse started to miss them.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
