Cas is a teacher with an apartment downtown. There are perks to living smack in the heart of the city. One is the music, another is the myriad of fests. Sometimes though, on a hot summer night, live music isn't the only thing a lonely school teacher...
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Some would argue that one of the worst things about living downtown was the music that played into the wee hours of the morning in the summer, especially on Saturday nights. Others would argue that it was great to have that much creativity and diversity available. Whether it was one of the myriad bars hosting live bands or one of the almost weekly summer festivals, there was always music of some kind playing.
When Cas moved to the area it was in the middle of winter, well past the time of the festivals and outside performances. He barely registered that there was a pub across the street with an outdoor stage and seating area. Everything was covered in snow and hauntingly quiet. The area was beautiful, and he had a wonderful view of the downtown area from his apartment window. He could see the courthouse across the street to his right, a bank, pub, and other shops across from that, and if he stepped out onto the tiny balcony and looked left, he had a view clear down Main street, which was filled with even more shops. If he looked right down Main, his view went as far as Riehle Plaza. He knew beyond the plaza was the bridge that went over the Wabash River and led into West Lafayette. The area was beautiful, and that was a big reason why he had been drawn to it.
Cas had gone to Purdue, so he was aware of the festivals, and when he'd been in college he had attended a lot of them. It was part of the charm that had led him to stay in the area after graduation and seek employment rather than head back to Illinois where his parents lived. He looked forward to the live music, to the view from his balcony of the people as they walked the streets, and he felt the pulse of the city as it slowly started coming back to life. As winter melted away and spring settled in, Cas found himself drawn to the sounds outside. Music could be heard on the weekends if he opened his windows, which he did often. He had put his desk nearby so he could enjoy it in the evenings as he graded papers. On the weekends when he painted, he let the music flow through him and guide his hand. Some of the best work he had ever painted was done while listening to music. He settled into his new life living downtown and quickly fell in love with it.
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The pub across the street had not done very well, and several years after he'd moved in, it went under. For two years it sat vacant before the building was bought and revamped. At first he didn't know what was going to go in the space, so he was somewhat surprised to see another pub there. This one, though, was different, classier, and it drew in bigger crowds than the last place ever had. For starters, they put in outdoor seating and a stage for live performances, something the last place hadn't done, and they started with the outside performances as soon as the weather had warmed up. Moving in during the winter he hadn't noticed the outdoor seating, but was glad to see it once the snow had all melted. To Cas' pleasant surprise, his brother had performed there several times, and he had the pleasure of getting to attend for free and watch his brother rock out with his friends. It was really the highlight of his week to get to see the band performing live like that. Gabe was good on the guitar and while he wasn't often on vocals, he was fantastic when he was. More than once his brother tried to drag him up on stage and he finally conceded, singing the lead on a couple covers they did one night to the crowd's delight. It was a bit more than Cas could handle though, so to avoid being pressured further, he took to sitting on his balcony and listening, even when his brother was performing. Gabe understood and didn't push him too much, though he did still occasionally ask for him to sing with them. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy singing, because he did. It was the people afterwards coming up to them and the flirting; that's what bothered him. On nights when the band was playing at this pub, Gabe would look up and if he saw Cas sitting there on his balcony, he would wave. He would wave again when he left, if he didn't stop by for a visit.
