Pitch Perfect - 2. Chapter 2: Moving On

Sam left home. There wasn’t a particular reason, more an accumulation of problems over time. Recently, Sam and his mother had reached an impasse on the subject of college. After not taking his decisions seriously throughout most of his teen years, even Sam could understand why his mother questioned his decisions regarding school. Instead of endlessly fighting, Sam decided to move on, move out.

The decision not to attend school had been well thought out by Sam, but some other things had not. Like moving to Pennsylvania in the middle of January. Sam grew up in Florida, and had never before left the state. Not only was it his first time experiencing real cold, but winter. ‘Why do such cold places exist?’

Sam dashed back and forth unloading his old Honda into his Aunt and Uncle’s house. Hoping, in vain, that his speed might make up for the cold air. ‘The first thing I’ll do tomorrow is go buy a proper coat. I don’t think my sweaters are gonna cut it for long here.’

Although his Aunt Catherine and Uncle Jack had moved from Florida five years ago, the family had stayed very close. When Sam realized that the issues between him and his mother were only getting more heated as time went on, the choice to move to Pennsylvania had been fairly easy. Not only were his Aunt and Uncle two of the nicest people, but also their kids Jeremy and Kellie felt more like siblings than cousins to him.

Finally, Sam’s car was almost empty. He picked up the final plastic bin of records and box of clothing and headed inside. As he walked towards the house he could hear the crunch of snow under his sneakers and wondered whether or not his adversity to the cold would be permanent.

Throwing the boxes into his bedroom he collapsed onto the couch his family had bought him. It was very generous of them allowing him to stay rent-free in their huge garage apartment. There was a bedroom, living room, kitchen and bathroom. Everything about the space was top notch too, all hardwood floors and granite counter tops. Sam considered himself very lucky to be living alone at nineteen in a place that most people probably wouldn’t be able to afford until their mid twenties.

‘Should I unpack now? That sounds… unappealing; I think it’ll get worse though. Unpack or maybe a nap…’ Sam considered never unpacking for a few seconds. Deciding it would be now or never he stood up and stretched, then grabbed a box of clothes.

It was eerie how so many trips to and from the car resulted in so little possessions. Household bric-a-brac was limited to one box of books and photos. Then there were a few living essentials like clothing, a laptop, his guitar, and his record collection. Seeing his possessions stripped down it would have been easy to feel unsure, but Sam decided he felt uplifted. Like all the things and people he left behind in Florida had just been extra weight, and now without the strain of that old life it would be easier to grow.

Flopping down on his new mattress Sam let his mind wander for a bit. The next thing he knew his eyes were popping when his cousin Jeremy jumped onto him.

“Ugh, Germ. Can’t a guy get a little shut eye around here?” Sam said in a mock serious tone, but the smile in his voice was unmistakable.

“Yeah, yeah. You’ve been asleep since I got home, you’re lucky I didn’t wake you up hours ago.”

“Well, thanks for that.” Sam pushed Jeremy off his chest and over to his side on the bed.

Sam was really fond of Jeremy. Ever since growing up together in Florida they had been very close; Sam found himself playing the part of a protective older brother. Jeremy was only two years younger, at seventeen, but he was terribly playful and naïve which gave him a childlike sensibility. Sam and Jeremy even looked like real siblings. They both had curly brown hair and brown eyes. Sam’s hair was a little longer and he had a tan, but other than that they could definitely pass for brothers.

“Mom wants you to come to dinner. Actually, she told me to ‘fetch’ you right away.” Jeremy nudged him and rolled his eyes.

“Alright, you win.”

Sam went without complaint because, if as he suspected, there would be a welcome party waiting for him at the house. 'I love my family, but I hope they aren’t planning to embarrass the heck out of me.'

Sam groaned as he walked down the stairs from his garage apartment and saw cars lined up all the way down the street.

“Germ, I thought tonight would be a family thing. Why are there so many people here?”

“I tried to tell Mom you wouldn’t like it, she insisted though. You know her, she likes a party.”

“I’ll get you guys for this.” Sam reluctantly walked into the main house already resigned to the fact that he’d be paraded around for the evening.

Jeremy pulled Sam into the living room where most of the guests were. Everyone treated him like a shiny new object for a while. Coming up to him, making comments about how tan he was, asking him about Florida. Everyone was nice enough, but meeting so many new people at once was tiring. He was passed from adult to adult around the room before he finally saw an opportunity to go talk to his cousins.

Jeremy was standing chatting animatedly with Kellie, Uncle Jack and a guy who looked to be about eighteen. On closer inspection Sam wondered if the guy had been crying, his eyes looked red and swollen. Just as he walked up Jeremy gave him a quick nod and grabbed the guy’s arm dragging him up the stairs. ‘I wonder what that was all about?’

There wasn’t long to think on the matter because Kellie finally took notice of him; she immediately started telling him about how much she had missed him. Like the rest of the family Kellie had brown hair, but hers was long and straight. Sam noticed that Kellie had grown up quite a bit since the last time he’d seen her and where she might have been slightly awkward before, now, she was beautiful.

“Kellie, you’re so grown up. I can’t believe you’re only fifteen, you’re so pretty.”

Kellie blushed and thanked him, Uncle Jack replied with, “Yeah it’s beginning to be a problem, she takes a lot longer to get ready now.”

Kellie blushed a darker shade of red and swatted her father’s arm. “Dad! Don’t tell people that, why do you always say things like that?”

Sam just laughed. He couldn’t help thinking of his own mother and father. The relationship between his cousins and their parents seemed so different. ‘I guess I’m mostly to blame for the relationship between my folks and me. I just kept piling on troubles there.’

Though the party was still in full-swing Sam felt tired, and as he chatted with his cousin he kept eyeing the door directly behind his uncle. ‘What I wouldn’t give to be in bed right now…’

As if reading his mind, Aunt Catherine walked up behind him and hugged him tightly. “Don’t run off yet, Sam. There’s someone I want you to talk to. They might be able to find you a job.”

‘How did she do that? It must be some sort of mom thing.’

Unsure whether he should be grateful or worried about the potential job Sam followed Catherine. ‘I hope this won’t be like when my mom told me she found me something to do and brought home brochures for business school. That’s definitely not my scene.’

Together they walked up to an older gentleman with sharp green eyes and graying hair. There was no real indication, since none of them had spoken yet, but Sam suddenly felt a connection to this person. It felt like they were supposed to meet. Maybe his Aunt had better instincts then he knew.

“Sam, this is Mr. Ramone. I believe he has an opportunity for you he wants to discuss.” She looked to Mr. Ramone and he nodded his head slightly and smiled.

“It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Catherine tells me so much about her family. So I hear you are quite the gifted musician?” Mr. Ramone spoke beautiful English with a low rumbling voice, but it was obvious to Sam that he was not from the United States.

“I’m not sure exactly sure what my Aunt has told you, though I am a musician I can’t claim talent. I still have a lot to learn.”

Mr. Ramone let out a deep chuckle. “Yes, that is what I like to hear, modesty. In fact, I have already heard a CD of your music and I enjoyed it greatly. I was wondering if you might consider working at my coffee shop. While it might not be the ideal situation for you, we do have open mic twice a week. There are also a lot of other musicians that frequent the shop that you could get to know.”

Sam had never considered working at a coffee shop before. If he hadn’t met Mr. Ramone his response would have been no. Something about the man just felt right though. He was supposed to take this opportunity; his gut was screaming it at him.

“I think… that sounds great. When can I start?”

***
Two hours later Sam was exhausted when he got back to his apartment. Despite his initial shock at having such a large party Sam had actually had fun.

Relief flooded him when he finally made it back to his room. Even though the party had been fun, it was stressful to be the center of attention. Sam was used to performing because of his band, but he wasn’t great at answering questions on the spot. He also preferred to talk with people one on one, not in large groups.

The only thing he was unsure of was whether the names would stick. It was difficult meeting so many people at once. Even directly after the party Sam was having a tough time recalling names. ‘Amy lives next door with John, no maybe Jim, crap. Hopefully, they remember me and reintroduce themselves… Well, I do remember Mr. Ramone. I suppose my new boss is the most important anyways.’ Technically Mr. Ramone would be his new boss, but Sam had already decided that he was a man that could be trusted like a friend. There was something so positive about him. Starting work tomorrow afternoon felt like a good thing.

Briefly a tear stained face that had no corresponding name flashed in his mind. The image left when he started his nightly routine to get ready for bed. Toothpaste, brush, rinse and then sleep. ‘Oh bed, it has been too long since I last felt your touch.’

Sam lay in bed for a while just staring at the ceiling. ‘C’mon I’m tired. Why can’t I just sleep?’

Twenty minutes later, Sam was about to give up trying to sleep to read instead. Pulling out of bed, he shoved off the blankets then shivered as the air hit him. He wandered to the kitchen and made some tea to drink then went over to the bookshelf to look at the selection. That was when he heard footsteps on stairs outside. ‘I wonder who that could be?’ He quietly moved through his living room and looked out his front door. What he saw was not what he expected.

Standing in shadow at the bottom of the stairwell he saw Jeremy. The street lamps reflected off of the icy snow and Sam could make out Jeremy’s curly hair pressed against the side of the garage. He could also make out a taller male form slowly tipping Jeremy’s head back. They kissed.

Sam turned around and grabbed his tea. He decided maybe sleeping was the right choice. He was very tired.