Winter Tales

Chapter 10 - Proud

++Alex' POV++

The surprisingly big crowd is going crazy. And all that because of one lone guy with an acoustic guitar on stage.

My little brother.

To say that I am impressed by his performance is the understatement of the year. Not to mention how proud I am of him at this very moment.

It is no secret that the only thing Luke really cares about in his life is to make music. I have never shown much understanding for this desire of his, and for years now, I have been trying to push him into a different direction. A safe direction, with a certain future. Or at least my definition of that.

Luke has always fought me on it and we have had many an argument about this. It usually ends with him storming out of the house in a huff, only to stay gone for a few days, without any contact. He will simply disappear, leaving me worried and questioning my parenting skills, until he shows up again, unharmed and completely relaxed. Luke isn't known to be particularly resentful and he usually refuses to talk about us having had a falling out. It is just not mentioned again – until the next fight.

Tonight, for the first time, I understand just how genuine his passion for music is. No doubt, he is a very talented guy with a great voice and an intriguingly captivating stage presence. That the girls are literally swooning over him is just one aspect of how his performance is received by the audience. The person I see on stage is completely different from the brother I have known for twenty years. But for some inexplicable reason, this version of Luke seems to be the most honest and genuine one.

In direct comparison to most of our brothers, he is not a guy who attempts to make himself heard or stand out in a big crowd. Luke is a rather private person. He prefers to observe the regular chaos that is our family life from the side-lines, only to surprise us by throwing in a spot-on, totally unexpected, witty comment at exactly the right moment. With that in mind, it is even more surprising to see just how comfortable he is on stage in front of a room full of strangers, literally putting himself out there and basking in the spotlight. Something he otherwise avoids successfully.

Luke has just finished his second song, yet another cover that everybody knows. However, he has a knack for putting his own spin and personality into all of these well-known songs and make them his own. The crowd is whooping and demanding he gives them another encore.

"He's totally smashing it!" Sam shouts next to me.

When I turn to look at him, I find him fixing our brother on stage with a proud expression on his face – probably not dissimilar to the one I am displaying.

"I thought the idea of an open mic night is that each artist sings one, maximum two songs?" I reply when the noise dies down a bit and Luke somewhat reluctantly starts strumming a new little melody.

The room is literally buzzing with anticipation when people realise that they are not familiar with this song. Neither am I. I watch as my brother smiles a bit sheepishly at his audience.

"I'll play one more – if that's okay," he speaks into the microphone, glancing in the direction of the guy who is in charge.

I cannot see the reaction, but apparently he is given the necessary approval, since his guitar playing becomes more confident.

"Are you up for a little experiment?" Luke asks the crowd.

Loud cheering answers that question.

"All right – this is an original song. I hope y'all like it."

He continues to fingerpick the song he started and soon begins to sing, too.

The room has grown quiet and the approximately one hundred people that have gathered near the stage seem to be mesmerized by the simple but hauntingly beautiful melody and lyrics. Luke's voice is gentle and slightly husky. He keeps his eyes closed while he gifts his audience with this little gem of artistry.