Like Father Like Son

No School but Working Hard

It was pretty late when dad came home.   Eric sat at the armchair while I laid on the couch, both of us watching a movie on tv. Dad walked though the door, making me sit up to see him.
"Hey dad" I stretched as I stood up to greet him.
"Hey Parker. Hey Eric" Eric looked up and nodded in acknowledgment.
"Hey Brent. How'd everything go?" He asked as he stood up.
"Pretty well" dad put his keys down on the table.
"Well, it's getting late so I should probably get some rest. It was nice seeing you Eric" I started towards the stairs.
"Nice seeing you too bud, sleep well"
"Goodnight dad"
"Goodnight son" he didn't sound pleasant when he said goodnight. I couldn't wait for this tension between us to go away and for things to go back to normal. I went to my room and fell back into my bed. After such a long day, it didn't take long for me to fall asleep.

I woke up early the next morning. I suddenly remembered I was suspended from school for a week, so I debated if I should get out of bed or not.
"Parker! You up?" I guess I was going to get out of bed.
"Yeah dad, just a minute" I called out. I stood up, stretching my arms and back before walking out of my room and down the stairs.

Dad was in the kitchen, leaning against the counter using his phone.
"Are you coming to work with me today?" He asked, not looking up from what he was doing.
"Thought I wasn't allowed to leave the house" I mumbled as I walked over to the counter, grabbing an apple from the bowl of fruit. I looked over at dad who was glaring at me.
"You can go to the studio, and you'll be back to school next week. Nowhere else until I say so"
"Yes sir" I rolled my eyes and started walking back to my room.
"Enough with the attitude" he called out.

I sat on my bed, eating my apple while I thought. I don't know why I talked back to dad this morning, I guess I just assumed he was still upset with me. I took the last bite of my apple before tossing the core into my trashcan and looking at my closet for today's outfit. I settled for a white v-neck shirt and and red jeans, topped off with my red beanie. I sat on my bed as I tied my sneakers, now ready for the day.

I headed back downstairs and found dad waiting in the front yard. I used my phone to check my hair before placing it in my pocket and heading out the door. Dad looked up to see me walking towards the car, so he started towards the car as well. We both got in, buckled up, and headed out towards the studio. Besides the radio, it was a pretty quiet ride.

Once we arrived at the studio, we both quietly got out of the car and walked inside. Dad went to find the others while I went straight the the piano sitting in the recording room.
"Glad to be back" I said to myself as I took a seat on the bench. Sure, it wasn't that long since I was last here, but I didn't think I would be here today so I was glad dad let me come. I took a deep breath as I placed my hands on the keys. My eyes closed as my fingers danced across the keys. I was at peace.

"What's up Parker?" I opened my eyes and turned around to see Barry had walked into the room.
"Hey Bear, how are you?"
"I'm good. Hope you're doing well after that crazy weekend" Did dad have to tell everyone? "Hey, you haven't practiced drumming in a while, want some lessons?" He asked.
"Sure, that'd be nice" I stood up from the bench and followed Barry over to his set. Barry held his arm out, gesturing for me to take a seat.
"But this is your set" I was shocked, he usually made me use drum pads.
"I want to hear what you got" He leaned against the wall as I sat down, picking up the drumsticks. I looked up at him a moment before looking back at the kit. I started off with a basic beat, watching Barry to see his expressions. "Don't worry about me, just play" He said calmly. I paused for a moment to think, then lifted up the sticks and started playing. 

Once i finished, I looked up at Barry hoping I did well
"I don't recognize the song" He pointed out
"I just came up with it " I admitted. Barry raised an eyebrow at me, and I became worried thinking that wasn't a good idea.
"You're good kid" He said before walking out the room. I debated following him, but decided not to. He was probably getting back to work with the others. I stood up to walk around the studio for a bit, stretching my legs after sitting for a while.

After a bit of what felt like walking in circles, I walked over to the guitars. I looked over all of them on the rack before grabbing my favorite acoustic. I started tuning as I walked over to one of the stools to sit.  Once the guitar sat comfortably in my lap, I started strumming. It was just some random chords at first, but then I started playing "Second Chance". I softly sang along as I strummed, enjoying my time alone with the music. 

I stopped playing when I heard footsteps. I placed the guitar down and looked up to see dad and Zach watching me.
"Sorry Zach, I shouldn't have grabbed a guitar without asking" I had my head down, embarrassed they saw me. 
"Don't worry about it. You're good" Zach walked over and took the guitar, placing it back on the rack with the others
"How come I never hear you sing?" I looked up to see dad looking back at me, his head tilted as he waited for my answer
"I don't know, I guess I know I'm not as good as you are" 
"Parker, I've been singing professional for years, don't compare your skills to me. For someone I've never heard sing before, you're good son" I smiled at dad's words, and he smiled back at me. It shouldn't have surprised me that music brought us back together.

I asked Eric to teach me more on the bass while dad, Barry, and Zach got back to work. 
"I thought you didn't want to learn bass" Eric said as he took a seat next to me. 
"Good to know as much as I can" I admitted. Bass wasn't my favorite instrument to play, but it was easy to learn since I knew so much about guitar, and Eric made the learning more fun. I'll admit I was a little grumpy to start, even though it was my idea, but Eric had me smiling and laughing by the end of the day. 

It was getting late so dad and I said our goodbyes and headed out. Zach walked out with us talking to dad. I watched the two talk for a while as I got into the car, waiting for dad. After a few minutes, I looked up from my phone to see him walking towards the car, laughing. 
"See you later man" He said as he opened the door. I watched him sit down and close the door, starting the car before pulling out of the parking lot. It was another quiet ride, so I turned up the radio.

"Hey bud?" Dad asked, breaking the silence.
"Yeah dad?" I looked over to him, his eyes still on the road, one hand on the wheel and the other in his lap.
"Don't hide things from me. You don't have to be ashamed, or shy"
"What do you mean?" I got nervous thinking of what he meant.
I mean your singing. You never sang before, at least in front of anyone as far as I know. I want you to be proud of yourself, don't hide away"
"Okay" That's all I could say. I was happy he was being supportive, but it felt weird knowing he heard me sing. I never thought I could sing as well as him. 
"I'm serious bud. I heard the emotion in your voice, I just wish you weren't singing so softly" I smiled and looked back at dad, who was smiling at me before putting his eyes on the road. I felt the tension we'd built up over the weekend disappear. 

Maybe things were finally looking better.