Episode 9 - Practice

Sitting on the stairs leading into The Basement and picking at the cracks in the concrete, Amari felt the cool night air against his face. It was a welcome change, after being in the crowded club. He took a few deep breaths, trying to get rid of the smell of sweat and beer, but it had already seeped into his clothes.

"What are you doing out here?" Deep, kind, calm.

Amari looked up and gave the man a little smile.

"I thought I'd walk with you to the station," he said, standing and brushing the dirt from his jeans, then sticking his hands nervously into the front pockets. "If that's okay."

"Yeah?" Amari imagined that Yangyang was smiling back, since he sounded pleased. "Alright."

Turning, he led the way up the stairs, then took a right, running his hand along the railing. The man caught up to him and the two walked in silence for a few moments.

"How did you know I was leaving right now?"

"You told your mā you'd go back after your set," said Amari, not really wanting to remind the man of earlier.

"Ah, yeah. Because you listened to my phone call." Yangyang chuckled, a genuine laugh this time. "I guess I'll have to speak in Chinese from now on."

"Uh..." The boy scratched at his head. "Actually, I know Chinese pretty well. My pronunciation's shit, but I understand it okay."

"Yeah?" Yangyang chuckled again, a bit louder this time. "Punk kid is full of surprises. Why?"

"Why do I know Chinese?" It was a rhetorical question - one he felt strange answering. "I lived in Chinatown for about a year, with an older Chinese couple. That couple I mentioned before, with the sandalwood." He paused a second and shrugged. "When you can't see anything, it's kinda important to know what people're saying."

"Ah."

Yangyang didn't say anything more. Amari could tell he wanted to ask, but didn't want to push, so they walked in silence again.

"I sent them a message earlier this week," he said, breaking the tension. "Just to let them know I was okay, since we haven't spoken in a while. Eight or nine months?"

Amari didn't think it was unusual, but the man seemed stunned. "Yeah? Why so long? If you lived with them for a year, and you've lived with Ziggy the past three years... you must have been young."

"Seventeen, eighteen." He tried to think of why he hadn't contacted his adopted aunt and uncle, but couldn't come up with a good reason. "I dunno. I'm just good at avoiding people, I guess."

"I noticed. So, why the change?"

"You." Amari heard a barely audible gasp escape Yangyang and walked a little faster to get ahead of him. He didn't want him to see the flush in his cheeks. "You said I should practice. Practice talking. So... thanks for that."

Saying it out loud was completely embarrassing, and he could feel his face grow warmer. He hung his head as Yangyang caught up and gave him a pat on the shoulder.

"It kind of feels like cheating when you can't see my facial expressions." Unexpectedly, the tone wasn't mocking. "So, I'll just tell you. That made me blush a little."

The boy felt his breath catch in his chest and cleared his throat. "What the fuck... Why would you say something so embarrassing?"

The man let out a single laugh. "I know. I should be smart enough to take advantage of the situation." He shifted his guitar case on his shoulders and let out a long, loud sigh. "But, I've never been very clever."

"That can't be true. The way you play that guitar... It's amazing. I listen to a lot of live bands. You guys're incredible."

"Ah, what is this?" Yangyang laughed, sounding a bit flustered. "You're making me blush again."

"I'm serious!" Amari was firm, feeling suddenly passionate. "It's a waste for you to be playing little places like The Basement."

There was no response for a while and he wondered if he had said something wrong. They walked almost a block in quiet before Yangyang sighed again.

"Everyone has their own path," the man said softly. He didn't sound sad or disappointed, but like he had accepted something after a long struggle. "It's a waste for you to have that voice and not sing. We all have our reasons."

There was another long pause and Yangyang took in a breath, his voice cheerful again. "Anyway, we just play for fun now." He leaned an arm on Amari's shoulder as they walked. "It's kind of nice, actually. Freeing."

The boy nodded, but he wished he could see the expression the man was making. "I can understand that. I love to sing, but doing it for myself is enough. No pressure."

"I still want to jam with you. Not in a performance, since you wouldn't like that, but your voice fits a band well. And you can play with the music, which makes it fun."

"Yeah, maybe."

Honestly, he couldn't remember when he had felt happier and wanted to sing with them again, but the idea of opening himself up to new people was frightening. Even taking this small step toward whatever was happening with Yangyang made him anxious, and it took everything not to just turn and walk away.

"Yeah?" The man was holding back, but Amari could tell he was eager. "I don't want to force you. I just want you to know that I'm here, if you're ever interested. And my sister seems crazy, but she's just excitable."

"No, she seems nice." He flashed a little smile. "Maybe a bit over the top."

Yangyang laughed and then let out a breath, as if he was relieved about something. "Anyway, just whenever you're ready. If you want."

Amari nodded and there was silence yet again. They came closer to the station and he didn't really want to stop talking, but he didn't know what else to say.

"Uh, so... I heard you're married?" He blurted out the first thing on his mind and immediately hung his head, cheeks burning, wanting nothing more than to run.

A loud, deep laugh burst from Yangyang, and he stopped walking. "What? Where did you hear that?"

"From some of your fans, earlier." Amari felt timid talking about it. "They were saying this and that, and said you got married."

The man was still laughing, taking deep breaths to compose himself. When he finally calmed, he let out a long sigh.

"I am definitely NOT married. Have you been thinking about that this whole time?"

"No," Amari said firmly, pulling his hood up to hide his face. "They were just talking about your break, and said it's because you're married."

"Ah, yeah. There are always rumors." The man sounded indifferent, clearly used to the gossip. "That's a popular one. The other is that I had some life threatening illness." He started walking again, the boy matching his pace. "Neither is true."

Amari nodded and it got quiet again, the atmosphere awkward now.

"Did you really think I was married?"

The boy shrugged, then scratched the side of his head. "It doesn't seem outta the question. You're young, but nice, and popular. It wouldn't be strange if you're with someone."

"Yeah, I guess... Not really what I'm looking for right now."

The two crossed the street and entered the station, moving to a corner to stay out of the way. "What about you? I mean, I'm positive you're single with that nasty attitude of yours, but you're still a kid. You don't want a girlfriend?"

Amari frowned, looking at the floor. "Who said I'm interested in girls?"

"Ah? Ah..." Yangyang seemed to realize something he should have already known.

"Is that not okay?" the boy asked, his voice soft but defensive. "You're friends with Ziggy, so I figured you wouldn't care about something like that."

"Ah, no... That isn't what I meant..." An arm wrapped around Amari's shoulders and the man gave him a pat. "Of course that's alright. Who cares about those things?" He let out a breath. "For someone who's shy to speak, you really are blunt when you open your mouth."

Removing his arm, he tapped the boy gently on the hand. "Here. Give me your phone. I'll put my number in there, in case you ever need to contact me. Or, if you just feel like talking."

Without thinking, Amari pulled his phone out of his pocket and unlocked it, handing it forward. Yangyang grabbed it and a moment later, it was placed gently back into his hand.

"There. I'm listed as Yang ge. I don't know your number, so don't be a stranger, yeah?"

Amari nodded.

"If I don't leave now, I'll have to wait for the next train."

Yangyang backed up a few steps.

"If you ever want to come see another show, let me know. I'll get you in."

He backed up a few more steps, almost into the flow of people.

"And make sure you contact me, yeah?"

Amari nodded again. "Yeah, okay."

The large figure turned and disappeared into the crowd. Amari leaned against the wall for a long while before he finally shuffled back toward the street and headed home.