The Dating Game

Chapter Six

Juliet

There was a lorry outside of my house, right at the end of the street in the centre.

Our street was a bit like a table. Our house would be the only house at the end of the table and that person would be the most imperative person. I abhorred that thought. I shook it away quickly when I managed to catch what was said on the lorry: Music Melodies.

My breath got caught in my throat. My dad wasn't the biggest fan of music, and that left me. I liked producing new music and sometimes, I wrote songs to go with them but mainly it was for the music. I picked up my pace and I made it back home in no time.

"Do you live here, Miss?"

I turned around, just about to open the gates to find a man behind the wheel of the lorry. He was staring down at me. He had light stubble and thin cheeks, his cheek bones protruding through. He wore glasses that had ribbon round the ends so if they fell, they'd land safely on his chest. There was music blasting from the radio but I couldn't tell who it was. I could just hear the beat, feeling it reverberate inside my head. Dun dun dun ba-dun.

"Yes," I replied. "My dad's home." The music was still playing.

The man nodded and turned back to the windscreen, tapping his palms and fingers against the steering wheel. He was bopping his head as I turned around, lips pursed and made my way into the house. I kept the gates ajar slightly in hope that I wouldn't make the man in the lorry feel weird. Opening the front door, Dad was stood there in slacks, loafers and a shirt devoid of a tie and jacket. He turned to me with a smile, dismissing the man in front of him in Music Melodies uniform.

"Juliet, I'm glad you're home. I've got you an early birthday present."

My birthday wasn't until December and it was still October. It wasn't even Halloween. I stared at my dad before glancing at the man opposite. He wore a smile as he gesticulated at me. "It's for your daughter then?"

Dad nodded, grinning broadly. "Yes, yes, all for her. I don't have the talent for it." He chuckled. "Nor the patience."

The man chuckled. "Well, that's it then. You've got the deposit down and next month you'll receive a letter telling you to come into Music Melodies to pay the rest of the fee, if that's okay?"

"Perfectly fine." Dad was bouncing on his heels.

The man held out his hand. "Pleasure doing business with you, sir."

Dad shook his hand. "You too."

The man walked past me saying, "Good afternoon," before exiting our house and closing the door after him. Dad was giddy with elation when he stood in front of me, his hand on my shoulder. He began to steer us upstairs to the room next to mine at the end of the corridor which was actually empty.

"Like I said, sport," he began, keeping us on the other side of the closed door, "this is an early birthday present... a really early birthday present but I saw it on offer and had to get it now. And you can decorate the room however you like it, okay?"

"What's going on?" I asked.

Dad, about to implode, opened the door with a grin. He turned on the light and inside, right in the middle of the square room was a shiny, black piano with a matching stool. Gawping at it, I turned to him; my lips were parted and I stepped up to it, running my finger across the surface. I lifted up the lid and pressed a few keys. It was perfectly in tune, too. I turned back to Dad who was standing in the threshold.

"I love it, Dad," I whispered.

I closed the gap between us and hugged him tightly. With my arms around his waist, his were around my shoulders. He leaned down and kissed my head and this was what I liked. I liked feeling close to my dad considering he was the only one left. Sometimes I didn't feel connected to my dad like I should and these were the only times that I did.

I occasionally found myself wishing we didn't have an extravagant house. We could live in one of those small apartments in Gathering Springs Apartments and maybe we'd feel closer to one another. Being in such a confined space, it would be obligatory to spend more time with one another and we could feel like father and daughter. We could bond more, too.

Then again, I just desired that life was different and Mom was still alive and-

"Thank you so much," I murmured.

"And I know you don't really know how to play the piano, but you've always wanted to so I thought..." He paused. "I just want to make sure you'll continue to do your homework and everything else first rather than dismissing your education for the piano. I want you to make music, sport, because I know you love it and you're talented at it; I want to support you all the way. But for this last year, your education comes first, okay?"

"Definitely," I concurred. "I promise."

Dad squeezed my shoulders before letting go of me. He leaned down and kissed my forehead. He turned back to the room. "And like I said, you can decorate the room however you want, okay?"

I nodded vigorously.

"Alright, I'm going to make a start with dinner. I'm doing meatloaf, okay? I want you to start your homework. I'll be downstairs if you need me."

Dad walked away subsequent to smiling at me.

I was left in this room now alone. Gazing at the piano, I sat down on the stool and tried a few more keys. I was smiling with joy when I closed the lid and bounced back into my room. I left the door open ajar and began searching up how to learn the piano online, printing off some tutorials. I even printed off some sheet music before finally commencing my homework.

By dinner time, Dad and I were sat on the sofa with our plates of meatloaf on our laps. We began tucking in whilst watching a bit of the news but I couldn't wait to get upstairs to start my tutorials I located online and printed. I was so thankful for my dad who was supporting me through this. One day I would like to be a music producer, but whether I'll actually make it or not is another dilemma.

Some teenagers know what they want to be when they're older and they conceal it, hide it beneath their skin. Sometimes they ignore it and tell themselves that that isn't who they want to be. Other times, they strive to be who they want to be and pursue their dreams, but something happens and that's that. Wham. They can no longer chase their dreams and they're forced to cease.

I hoped I had the audacity to hound and seize my dream of being a music producer.

Dinner terminated and I loaded the dishwater. Dad started it and then stalked off into his study to read the newspaper presumably. I went straight upstairs to the piano and began practicing some tunes. True to myself, I have actually been producing music with a software Dad bought me for my laptop, but I had been longing to use actual instruments for so long.

I pressed down the keys, humming the tune lightly as I began to get the hang of the piano. They were only simple tunes for now, but there's always time to progress. I need the basics in my memory first and from there, I can research more things and learn them and produce music. I stopped playing, keeping my back straight as I sat on the stool and admired the beauty of the piano.

This was the first step. This was the first step for everything.

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Author's Note:

This was kind of a filler chapter but also not because it sets up a large part of the plot but it was quite a short chapter. Regardless, I hope you enjoy!

Thank you :) x