New -kind of- Gold

Episode 15 : Maybe, in time.

Following Murdoc's spontaneous arrest, things quickly changed within the band. After some reflection, and without their leader, 2-D, Russel and Noodle had all decided that the best possible course of action would be to momentarily disband, all choosing to go their own way until Murdoc would be released.

It didn't take long for 2D to call me back after the events of Murdoc's arrest, him sounding a bit troubled (and with reason) explaining the bassist had most likely been arrested for multiple reasons ; theft, fraud, unpaid fines, speeding, driving under the influence- and probably more I couldn't remember due to how late it was when he had called me.

The next day, even though I awoke past 12, way in the afternoon- considering the time I had gone to bed, I already felt drained. What direction would my life take, now that the group was gonna disband ? Normality was the answer, much to my dismay. Back to the job at the diner and back to being alone, once again. It was hitting me a bit harder than I had thought.

It was as if, despite the confusion left in the air with Murdoc, the night before, my hopes for a better future- away from my lone adult life and my responsibilities- were starting to shatter. My cat companion swiftly climbed on my bed, taking me away from my train of thoughts and cuddling me, as if wanting to silently reassure me that everything would be okay.

It was a dreadful, temporary farewell, when a couple days later, I met up with what remained of Gorillaz for the last time in a while. We all sat down together in the messy living room - their house now feeling somewhat empty without Murdoc- to discuss what the plan would be.

After a heavy silence, filled with lots of mixed emotions, Russel was the first one to speak. He announced, in a solemn voice, that he had made the decision to head to Los Angeles in order to meet old friends and stay with them for the time being, until things went back to normal. We all silently nodded, acknowledging his idea.

After Russ, the next band member to speak up was Noodle, the little Japanese girl who had shipped herself in a FedEx box to the UK in order to join Gorillaz - Noodle, who was the incredibly talented guitarist of the band, despite her young age, showed us all a high level of maturity making her own announcement.

In her limited knowledge of the English language, she tried her very best to tell us she needed to head back to Japan to find out about her past before joining the group -explaining that she had major amnesia issues prior to moving to the UK. It was a noble goal, we all thought, as we once again listened silently and nodded our heads as she concluded her speech.

Finally, all eyes now turned to 2D, who had seemed the most anxious one out of all of us. His dark eyes darted between me and his bandmates, nervously trying to find the right words. After a short moment, he finally took a deep, calculated breath, his eyes fixated on the floor, before clearing his throat. Finally, he announced that, just like Russel, he had plans to move to L.A, wanting to experience something new and challenging on his own, away from Murdoc and everyone else.

As he concluded his announcement, I could tell he was staring at me from the corner of my eye, him.Sitting next to me, he was nervously fidgeting with his fingers, perhaps awaiting a reaction on my part. As hard as I tried not to let it show, I was shocked to find out 2D was planning to move so far away. We shared a brief, sad eye contact, both understanding of the situation.

I looked up at my three friends, a worried expression on their faces. Russel and Noodle were both looking down at the ground, while 2D couldn't sit still due to nervousness. All three seemingly unsure of what to say or add to the conversation.

''We'll ... we'll keep in touch, right? '' I asked, uncertain. My voice was quieter than I intended it to be, as if I'd been somehow afraid of their response.

All three of them turned their heads to face me, nodding in silence, a sad smile drawing on their lips. The unknown future of Gorillaz made us all feel tense, nervous. I wasn't exactly a part of the band as of yet, but I felt for these people -my friends- who all turned their life around to work together for their love of music.

We shared one last goodbye, before parting ways for what would be nearly a whole year.