10 – The Final Chapter

BWEEP! BWEEP! BWEEP!

Groaning, I slammed a hand down on my alarm clock to silence it. What the hell? It was a Saturday! Why was my alarm screeching at this ungodly hour? Bleary eyed, I poked an eye out from underneath my duvet and tried to focus on the digital display of my alarm clock.

Half ten. What?!

My mind whirred into action, trying to remember why on earth I’d set an alarm. Usually I spend my mornings at the weekend sleeping till noon like any sensible teenager! Still staring at the display, the date caught my eye.

Of course. How could I have been so stupid? It’s my birthday!

Excitedly I sat up, not realising how tired I still was. There was a reason for the alarm; with no school to wake up for the following day I spend Friday nights playing my guitar. Last night I’d been up till four, when Dad had finally come into my room and asked me to stop as I was keeping him and Mum up. Whoops! Still, I’m sure they’d rather be kept up by the sounds of an acoustic guitar than worrying about where I was. I had got a bit carried away last night, actually…

Remembering, I brought my hand up in front of my face, rubbing my sore fingers together. Those guitar strings can be killers; last night I’d managed to slice my little finger open. Still, the show must go on!

Jumping out of bed and ignoring my weary muscles, I scrambled into my clothes and wrapped up my cut finger. Glancing at my reflection and taming my short hair with a quick rub of the head, I turned to face her. My pride and joy.

I’d been so close to mastering ‘Dream Escape’ before my finger had gone! It was so frustrating, I didn’t like to leave compositions only partially learned. If Dad hadn’t come in I’d probably have tried to keep going, but it was probably for the best; if my finger had got all infected I’d have had to stop playing for ages! Tenderly picking up my guitar from her stand, I flipped open my songbook and started strumming, getting lost in the music.

It’s such a strange feeling, playing the guitar. Well, exhilarating too. I can’t really describe it… With every strum of the strings, everything else falls a little out of focus, my surroundings gently fading into nothingness. It’s just me and her, me and the guitar, me and the music and nothing else matters. God, I sound so pretentious, don’t I! Still, I can’t help it. Music is my life, or at least… it will be, until I inherit this estate any day now. Then I won’t have the time. I don’t resent Dad for it or anything, it’s the family tradition and I don’t want him to know that it was his son who let everything go to pieces, I just… wish it could be different…

Playing through the piece, I came to the difficult end bit that I’d screwed up on last night. Concentrating, I tried my best to get through it without breaking the melody. Cursing myself for playing a chord out, a sudden burst of applause broke my focus.

‘That was great, Tom!’

Sophia, my little sister. Her smile instantly cheered me; she’s always been the one to listen to me play and critique my technique, so I take her word no matter what it is! She might not be able to play very well herself (I tried to give her lessons but they took up her valuable reading time) but she’s so darn clever that she understands what music’s about. That’s the important bit.

‘You missed that last chord though. Still, the rest was great! But you’re needed downstairs, Mum wants you to give the function room a last once over to make sure everything’s alright for later. Everyone’s arriving at three!’

I’d have been happy just having a quiet, family birthday, just a meal at Hunter’s and a slice of cake, but when Mum suggested that I have a party I could hardly turn that down! The one we’d thrown Uncle Alfie before he left for Bridgeport (lucky git!) had been legendary, so I was planning for mine to be bigger and better!

And it was! Everyone who’d been invited had made it, apart from Uncle Alf who’d rung yesterday to say he was very sorry but he couldn’t make it after all. He’d been really evasive when I’d tried to ask why, but I decided not to make a big deal of it. He is my Uncle after all, I can trust that it was a good reason! The soundsystem pumping (Uncle Adam had picked the tunes, a mixture of his own beats and bits and pieces everyone likes) everyone was dancing away, even Mum and Dad! I love seeing my parents party, you can totally tell they’re pretending to be eighteen again. They look so carefree!

A sudden quiet in the music got everyone’s attention. Our butler was standing by the system, a smile on her face. ‘Thomas Emmett, it is time for your cake!’

Everyone cheering (they’re just after the free cake!) I found myself being hustled towards the tiny table surrounded by balloons at the far end of the room. Mum leant over and lit the candles one by one; I could hear cries of ‘make a wish!’ and ‘happy birthday Tom!’ before a round of Happy Birthday rung out around the room, Uncle Adam’s skilled voice thankfully drowning out some of the more out of tune ones!

And that was that! I’d officially left school, I was officially grown up, and… My heart sank a little. I was officially one day closer to giving up music. Keeping my face stretched into a smile, I looked for Dad. He looked so happy, so joyful… Sighing inwardly, I knew I’d done the right thing. The estate was important to him, it was a vital part of our family history. I didn’t want to be the one to throw it all away!

*     *     *

‘Now then, son, I hope you’ve had a good birthday!’

Dad had gathered the family on the sofa shortly after everyone left the party. It had been brilliant, but I couldn’t shake the odd feeling that had settled after I’d blown out my candles. Still. Time to ignore all that.

‘Now, you may have noticed that you have not yet received a proper birthday present from your mother and I, Thomas. The thing is, our present isn’t really something that can be wrapped. Well technically, I suppose it could, but it would be a bit of a big job!’

My curiosity was piqued. ‘Dad… What is it?’

Dad paused, a smile on his face. ‘An apartment, Dan. We’ve got you an apartment.’

I was speechless. Utterly speechless.

‘I can see you’re a bit speechless! Let me explain, Thomas. I’ve… I’ve been thinking a lot, these last few weeks. About you, about your future. Come on lad, you would never be happy taking over this place. You’d be miserable, I’d be miserable knowing you were miserable, your Mother would be miserable because we were and we’d all bring Sophia down and she wouldn’t be able to concentrate on her reading and we don’t want that!’

I laughed, still a little confounded. ‘Dad… What…’

‘I know boy. Now, listen here. Your Uncle Alfie’s moving soon, he’s bought a house in the suburbs of Bridgeport. He’s agreed to sell me his apartment in the centre there; well actually he tried to give me it but that was never going to happen! Anyway. Thomas, you are officially excused from managing the estate. I think it’s time for the Emmetts to follow a new tradition. Let’s just all follow our hearts, hey?’

Without really realising what I was doing, I was suddenly on my feet, pulling my Dad to his and enveloping him in a huge hug. I thought my heart was going to leap right out of my chest with happiness!

‘Dad… I… You don’t know how much this means to me!’

‘Oh I think I have an idea, Thomas. I’m so proud of you already, but I cannot wait to see you playing your guitar on the big stages of Bridgeport!’

I burst out laughing, a mixture of relief and joy coursing through me. I knew I’d mind, having to give up my dreams of a music career. I just hadn’t realised until now just how much!

‘But Dad… What is going to happen to the estate?’

‘Ah! That’s where I come in!’

I turned to see Sophia standing, looking a little pleased with herself.

‘I’m taking it over, Tom! Dad asked me this morning. As I’ve been researching everything he thought it would make sense, and you’ve got to admit, it does really. Riverview’s got one of the best Science facilities in the country, so it’s not like I have to go swanning off to the big city to follow my dreams!’

Pushing her a little in pay back for her jesting, I pulled my sister into a hug too. ‘God Soph, you’re going to be a million times the heir I could ever have hoped to be!’

‘I know, Thomas. I know. Looks like Mum and Dad had us in the wrong order, hey!’

‘Ahem!’

We all turned to see Mum stood in the archway to the gallery. ‘Thomas, we’ve also got you another, smaller present. Come through, son.’

*     *     *

I’d never seen buildings as tall as this. I was starting to see why they called them skyscrapers, it was hard to believe they weren’t touching the clouds.

‘So where’ve you come from then, kid?’ The taxi driver spoke with a strange accent, the Bridgeport drawl clear in his voice.

‘Um… Riverview. North from here.’ I was still peering out the window, drinking in the sights. I hadn’t seen a single field for miles now!’

‘Riverview, hey! I brought another kid here from Riverview a while back now. Alfie something, his name was. Hope he’s doing alright for himself.’

That got my attention! Wow, of all the chances!

Pulling up outside the building, I tipped the driver generously before lugging my suitcases into the lobby. I had a lot to get sorted, Alfie had said the apartment was only sparsely furnished so I’d need to get cracking in making it liveable! Making it mine. My own place.

I took the lift up to the twentieth floor, trying not to think about how high up I was going. Entering the apartment, I left my baggage in the entrance and made my way out onto the balcony.

It was just like the photograph Alfie had sent. No, scratch that – it was better.

Building after building stretched out before me, out to the ocean which glinted in the distance. People, tiny as insects, scurried about on the pavement so far below. Lights everywhere, even in the middle of the day, pigeons cooing as they nested in alcoves on the sides of the skyscrapers. Faint music was playing, I couldn’t locate the source but… Everything was just so busy, such a contrast to quiet Riverview. Everything was fast, loud, I had so much to explore, so much to do… I was in utter awe.

For a while I just stood and stared, taking everything in. Starting, I ran back inside and pulled my guitar from her case. Walking back out onto the balcony, I took a deep breath and began to play.

My music mingled with the noise that surrounded me, joining with Bridgeport itself. This was it. I was home. It was time to start a legacy of my own!

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