DEEP

4. Easy Street

It's been three weeks now since I got here. Every day spent in Seattle has made me breathe a little more, in this city that has been able to welcome me warmly and without any prejudice despite its reputation of a rainy and gray place. For the first time in my life I'm experiencing the wonderful feeling of freedom, taking a new path and, finally, my own.

Last night I finished unpacking the boxes that seemed to have no bottom and day after day I felt more and more at home. Stone was the first person who could admire the finished work, also helping me a bit when I had to put something on a high shelf or change a broken pipe under the kitchen sink, improvising a clumsy plumber. Not without complaining, tho. Also, I had a chance to meet some other friend of his, staying up all night in his apartment chatting and listening to some records. Expanding my musical horizons is one of the things that gives me joy the most, and having it surrounded by positive people makes me feel even better.

I was lucky. Thanks to him I didn't feel alone one day. It's a good feeling to say that, for the first time in my life...I don't feel a burden for anyone. Not even for myself.

Today is my day off and this beautiful sun has spurred me to leave my den and have breakfast in a delicious cafe where I haven't had a chance to go yet. For some reasons I really like to discover these small places, the ones where you can feel kind of at home even when you are out, where you're always welcomed with a smile and you can leave with a delicious hot dark coffee in your hands, to sip while walking. Little joys of life.

But when I find myself in front of a big record store, I take my headphones out gently around my neck and turn off my walkman. How did I miss this? Taking the last sip I approach the trash can, throwing in the paper cup with a small roll before entering. After all the effort we've put into connecting the turntable to the new speakers, I'd say it deserves a couple of new records, doesn't it? Opening the door I'm immediately greeted by the music of The Smiths coming out of some big speakers hanging in the corners of the high ceiling, and the warm rays of the sun that pierce the large windows make this place even more magical.

"Hello, welcome to Easy Street!"

I smile at the boy behind the counter, walking through the lanes full of records and scores. I've never seen a record store so big and stocked.

Heading to the alternative rock corner my gaze becomes more attentive, I'd like to find some news and maybe some bands that I've heard Stone mention in recent days. What was the name of that one we listened to the other night?

While I'm digging, moving record after record with my fingertips, I finally find something interesting.

"Now we're getting somewhere..." I whisper to myself picking up a Fugazi record. It's called Repeater, and the large lettering on the cover immediately caught my attention. As I turn it around starting to read the tracklist on the back, a voice interrupts my focus all of a sudden.

"I see you enjoy good music."

When I turn around and meet his gaze, a smile opens spontaneously on my face.

"Oh, hi!" I say, amazed.

Eddie's standing next to me, with low eyes and a shy smile on his lips. The last thing I expected was to meet him right here, three weeks after the last time.

"May I...?" and so saying, with his voice low almost to a whisper, he picks up another record handing it shily to me.
"This. It's one of my favorite albums ever."

I take it in my hands, looking at the scarlet red cover. It's called 13 Songs.

"This one?"

"Yeah. I saw them live before I heard this record, went to that show because L7 were opening and I was friends with them." His eyes light up in a flash of excitement as he talks. "Fugazi were fucking transcendent. The next day I got this record and it really blew my mind."