Petty Little Beatles

Act II: Scene i

Ever since that day when a feeling of doubt had sprouted in Tom's mind, he was finding it harder to brush away. He would sit down at the table for breakfast with Kay and the boys, who had recently enrolled into school. The dishwasher would be loaded, and he would drive the kids up to their school to return home to relax with his wife. Even in the quiet times of peace he spent alone with her, he could not help but feel that something was off. He was not sure when this feeling started; he thought, like the doubt, it did not have an exact pinpoint, nor a precise reason. Nevertheless, the doubt unnerved him, and Tom would try to bury that feeling as he locked himself into the guest bedroom with his guitar and the terrible acoustics. After a few minutes of hearing the sound of unsuccessful songwriting, he would lean back against the wall to take a breather. His hair, wet with sweat, stuck to his forehead, but he made no move to brush it away. His breathing was deep and quick, but he did not feel satisfied with the practice. He needed to go to the studio to work things out; if anything, it had much better acoustics than the small guest bedroom. Tom walked out of the guest bedroom and kissed his wife before he set off for the studio. At this point, Kay was not the least bit surprised to see he was working again. 

~ 

Tom shook his head and tried to play the chords again. He knew how to play them, but something was distracting him. He watched again as Mike played the same chords and waited patiently for Tom to mimic him. Tom would try, his fingers moving in a fast manner that resembled Mike's a fair deal. Then, somewhere around the ending, his fingers slipped and pulled the wrong string. 

He could see that even someone as patient as Mike Campbell was losing his patience. He had known Mike for a longer time than they had been in the Heartbreakers, but Tom still thought it was an unusual thing for him to not get the chords down. 

Mike finally snapped, "I thought you knew how to play." Immediately, a heavy line of blush crept across his face.

Tom sighed and ran a hand through his blonde locks. He knew his typically shy friend was not one to be quick to anger, but Tom knew he had said a few words of the same in frustrated recording sessions himself. In spite of this, he lashed out at Mike, "And I thought you knew how to shut up." Tom regretted the words the second they left. He looked at Mike, who glanced down at the floor, his eyes boring into the dullness of the tile. 

Tom set the guitar down, across his lap, and shook his head. "I'm sorry, I didn't -"

Mike nodded. "I know you didn't." He lifted his eyes from the floor and mused, "Perhaps, it is because you are sitting down."

Tom rolled his eyes but chuckled. He stood up and readjusted the strap around his shoulders. His fingertips skimmed over the strings as he muttered, "I've just had a lot on my mind." He puffed out his cheeks and sighed. He watched as Mike played back the demo on a small recorder Tom had brought from home. It was a nice introduction to a melody, Mike had told him. They just had to put some words down. 

Mike let Tom play the intro again and again. He was getting the right chords now, but Mike had known it would not have taken long for him to do so. His friend, Tom, was quick to learn things, though Mike could still tell he was distracted. 

Tom shook his head, his hair dramatically swooping across his face and back again. He sighed and pressed a finger to his forehead before rubbing the spot. He had awoken with a headache, which had not lessened during his practice. It was technically his day off from recording a new album, even if Tom would have insisted they work as much as they could, but that did not stop him from stopping in to finish up a demo with Mike. He knew that the two of them spent more time in the studio than the rest of the band, but he could not discredit them, either. They were a fine band, not the best in the eyes of the press, but they were a hardworking band, to simply put it. Even with a name like the Heartbreakers.