“Fearless”
Apr
'08
It’d been a while since Eve had listened to music. She set up the record player just as she had in her younger days with all due care and proper respect. Her music experience since her college years had been restricted to fast-paced exercise jams and commercial jingles between news items. She didn’t feel like she was missing out, as even her untrained mind could recognize the unsatisfactory and ineffective quality of recent music. A friend would ask about a current single and what she thought of it and Eve would shrug and say she hadn’t heard it.
Her friends sometimes playfully made fun of her for not ever listening to music. Lately, though, she found herself craving her old records - Tears for Fears, The Cars, David Bowie, Pink Floyd - but unable to listen to them. She’d reluctantly sold her collected items several years previous to earn money for her apartment deposit. She could afford to repurchase her favorites now if she wanted to, but thought it would be a waste of hard-earned money. It always seemed a waste to repurchase things, even if they were broken or lost.
She’d kept her record player, though, as it was a family heirloom. She’d always keep it and hoped to give it to her future daughter some day. Every heirloom piece has a story. This one came from her grandfather, a man who appreciated music more than anyone she’d ever met. He hadn’t played any instruments, but his music library had filled his entire house. He knew right where everything was, all one had to do was ask. Where’s BB King, Grandpa? Downstairs next to the framed picture of Lucille, of course. He had such a passion for every flavor of chord, every brand of voice, that Eve grew up without any misconceptions about music. With his influence, she knew what to consider “good” and which songs to switch off the stereo.
Her grandfather had had several record players. He had a few CDs and thus it was necessary for him to own a stereo system, but he wasn’t so in tune with the times. Records were still being sold - why bother “upgrading” your music library to the new format if you could easily still get the old one? The player that Eve received from his Will was the only player that still worked. She could have taken any of the others - antiques worth more than her monthly rent - but by having the working model, she could share her love of music with his memory.
She was sometimes disappointed in herself that she didn’t listen to music so much anymore. What would Grandpa think?
Her yearning for the soothing, soulful, mellow acoustic of Pink Floyd overcame her. The album, Meddle, was purchased only a year before at a thrift store. She’d sat down and dedicated hours of her time sifting through every record the store had to offer; this was the only one that stuck out in her memory. The second song, “Fearless,” began slowly and she was lost to it.
She imagined herself climbing a mountain without inhibition and conquering those who would speak against her. Her mother shut her mouth in astonishment, no longer urging Eve to get married. Her friends were sheepishly silent, no longer bugging her about her quirky habits. Even her landlord stopped jabbering his mouth and stood quietly, almost serenly, just to watch Eve on top of the mountain.
The song lifted her heart as she felt the rising melody each time it played; she let out a big sigh and smiled.
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i know the exact feeling. i love how through Eve you can so perfectly capture the moment. every moment. i just love your sunday scribblings.
i know you need to be inspired to write of course. but i would love to read some stories about her childhood through her eyes. how i love your sunday scribbles!!
Apr
'08