Threads and Strings

24. Repeat - October 2020

"Wait, I've seen you play before, did that not count?"

"It was very minimal playing, more basic chords and such. This is different. I don't really know how to explain it." Emi scratched her head at the thought of her playing in front of this crowd of strangers, realizing that this was her first performance since the incident.

Emi was beyond nervous when she started to practice in front of the band. She introduced herself as if it was the first day of school. 'What the hell did I just agree to?' she thought as she strummed the guitar. She was looking at the song list. Just like Mina had said, it was a throwback to the early 2000s and she was familiar enough to play some of these songs or sing them.

"Do you mind if we post this? I don't know if we can ever get this opportunity again," the drummer, Parker, shyly asked. Without even a thought, Emi agreed and took a picture with Parker. After a few minutes, Parker had posted on the cafe's social media. Emi checked her phone and saw a huge announcement for the small cafe's stage performance.

There was a small group of people seated to see the performance and awaited their drinks. Mina and Parker started to greet the crowd. The bassist of the group, Turner, helped get Emi set up with the guitar they had in their gear. "Turner, I know we just met, but I just wanted to let you know that I have not performed in awhile, almost a year."

"Emi, don't worry. We got you. We are just doing something that helps us escape from our everyday lives or the weight of the world. Let me tell you this. Mina does this to escape the tough world of writing and thinking she failed when she walked away from the Ancestors. She felt like she was not ready to be back in the writer's chair, but look at her. She's been enjoying doing smaller scale things." Emi took a look at Mina preparing to perform. She held herself up differently this time around. At the livestream, she seemed on edge and always stressed, similar to most of the writers.

"Ready?" Mina said, guiding Emi to a stool on stage. "I just wanted to be sure you would be comfortable on stage. I did not know what would be best." Emi had not even thought about her leg. She was more focused on her hands and performing, that the idea of her feeling pain in her leg during the performance was so foreign.

The final check was done and Emi took her spot on stage. The lights were bright, the chatter was silenced by their presence on stage. Emi adjusted her knee brace and stood up tall. The electric guitar in her hands felt heavy, but that thought immediately left her head when Parker and Turner gave Emi recognition for all her hard work in her past endeavors. The crowd was kind and applauded her. She gave a small bow and positioned her hands on the strings of the guitar.

The set list was filled with more of the emo, punk band songs of the 2000s, which defined a generation, as they say.

Fall Out Boy, Paramore, and more were played and Emi felt this release of stress and frustration with each passing song.

It was a couple of hours of playing when more people were showing up and cheering them on. The sun had set and the lights grew brighter on the stage. The more people were attempting to sit near the stage to get the full experience.

Emi was so focused on her playing that she did not even notice a group of familiar faces coming through the door. Mina welcomed the new audience members but looked specifically at the group. Charles, Lia, Kai, Stewart, Carly, and Evan were given seats a couple of tables back.

Charles saw Emi on that stage. She was standing and playing her heart out on that stage, even if it was small. Charles could tell she had been performing for awhile, but Emi, being up there, did not seem so lost as before.

When Charles went back to filming, she showed excitement for Charles, but he could tell she was hesitant as he packed up his things to go back to Vancouver. Their hug as he left for Vancouver just stayed with him every moment he got a chance to think. To think about how she was doing before he called her. Their calls to one another, he could still see that she was anxious about leaving her home, but he had to coach her through it. It was painful, but he knew he had to push her or else she would become someone she herself would not recognize. One of her greatest fears.

Mina sang her last note of 'Take Me Away' from Freaky Friday, per the request of an audience member. "Thank you so much for coming out and seeing our friend, Emi, perform on stage for the first time. With our final song for the night, our group has been wanting to perform this one song, but has been super hesitant. However, Emi did amazing with the guitar solo for Take Me Away, so she said she was up for this. So for our final song, Ultimate from Freaky Friday."

Emi stood up at the front and played the first riff. The rest of the band joined in and Emi began to sing. She alternated between singing and playing.

Charles, Lia, Kai, Stewart, Evan, and Carly went to the front to see Emi with her full energy. She was sweaty and her cheeks were pink, but she kept playing on. Her guitar solo came up and Emi kicked the stool to the floor and poured all her energy into the bridge of the song. Parker beat the drums to the point where he broke his drumstick just in time for the song to end.

Emi and Mina announced into the mic, "Thanks for coming out tonight, everyone!" The entire cafe audience gave a standing ovation. Emi and Mina were called over by some fans who wanted to take pictures with them. Parker and Turner grabbed them drinks as a celebration for one of their more successful nights.

Charles waved at Emi as she turned her head. "C, I am so sorry. I didn't realize what time it was."

"No, Em. It's totally fine. I actually –" Charles started to get teary eyed as he saw Emi looking up at him with a smile he had not seen in quite some time. The last time he saw this smile was early in their college days before her mother's diagnosis. "Em, I am just happy to be here with you. I missed you a lot." He grabbed her in her arms and took her in for a hug.

The celebration was moved to Emi's home. Parker and Turner were amazed at Pabu who was well behaved and well trained.

"Emi, we got the news. I spoke with them on the phone. Actually several of them," Lia and Kai brought up as they were in the kitchen.

Emi looked at them in disbelief. "All of them? Wait, really? And this quickly?"

Emi stood there shocked and smiled to herself. "That stack of papers is in your room. You just have to choose which project you want to go for."

The laughter filled the living room and the three of them brought the drinks over to the visitors. The three of them stood in front of the group.

Emi began, "So a lot has happened this year. As you all saw tonight, this is something I have been working on since I found out I couldn't dance. I was not in a good headspace for awhile. Charles knows this to the very extreme." Emi gave a shy smile to him and he smiled back. "I have been working on something else as well. Actually several things." Emi looked at Lia.

"Emi has been working on a few auditions and we got some call backs. What she has auditioned for is less physical roles, compared to the Ancestors, and she got them, which did not surprise me or Kai." The group gave some applause and Emi looked at Charles as he was eager to hear what roles she got.

"What's great is that all these roles will be filmed in the same place. So the three of us will be moving to Korea."

Charles knew that it was coming. Emi seemed refocused and excited about being out there in the world. Charles reached in for a hug and Emi embraced him. They tightened their embrace with one another. There was a lot of uncertainty as the next thing was coming and it was unknown. Just like prom all over again.