Music in His Bones

Chapter 1: A Challenge for Brothers

The engine sputtered beneath him and the shiny tons of metal roared with life within seconds. The speed had long become his epitome of freedom – the definition of who he truly was – a reminder that he would always cherish what he had hidden deep inside his heart.

The darkening lights of early evening matched his mood perfectly. The wind was not gentle to him, but that was perfect – exactly what he wanted to sober his thoughts. Not that he ever allowed himself to get on his bike drunk: never. Alcohol was the last thing that could get him drunk tonight – some thoughts were heavier than liquors and more toxic than drugs.

The heated road rushed towards him: it brought him closer to his destination, where Kay Wilson would finally find a piece of freedom – a place where he could hang out, relax and feel like he belonged. But most importantly, the burning gray road meant for him the celebration of putting more and more miles between himself and the house of his parents – a place which still keeps a piece of him. That piece that should always remain locked in darkness.

Weekend dinner gatherings at the Wilsons’ palatial home in the exclusive residential area at the edge of town, were a family tradition that none of their three sons dared to break under any circumstances. Truth be told, none of them even wanted to break it – their mother’s homemade delicious meals was something they did not ever want to miss.

For those treats, the three brothers, adults in their own right, were ready to politely listen and nod every time their parents reminded them that it was past time for them to settle down and produce little Wilsons. His two treacherous younger brothers would immediately direct their gazes towards Kay – the eldest, expecting him to set the example for his younger siblings.

Each time the argument comes up Kay has to resist the urge of reminding them that he had been made a ‘bad example’ for his brothers during this reckless, teenage years. He would not step on that minefield even now. He is now an adult of thirty-two years and had the track record of producing most of the multi-million-dollar platinum albums released by Wilson’s Records – the music recording corporation started by their father.

Kay knew his mother could still see the long-haired heavily tattooed rebel, that he had been, whose only love was his guitar. There was a time when he was determined to never part with his guitar – his curvy lady.

“You look very presentable, darling,” Maya Wilson would say every time she looked approvingly at her oldest son wearing long-sleeved shirts buttoned up to his throat. He had promised to save her from the view of his colorful ink that covered most of his chest and both arms. Luckily he had not made any tattoos on his fingers or head, otherwise, he would have to wear gloves and hat when visiting his parents.

His left hand had released the handle of the bike and moved to touch the left side of his chest where he had his first tattoo – a flaming hummingbird. It had been the very first ink he had gotten at a time when no words were enough to ease his pain and he was convinced that the wounds would never heal. They still had not and perhaps they never would. The piercing pain had eased, though, unable to stand against the unforgiving challenge of the passing time, but it would always be a part of him – raw and burning just like that day when… Kay shook his head – the road was not a place to delve into those memories.

Better to think about the family dinner which ended a couple hours before and which his father had successfully turned into a corporate meeting. The patriarch – Wilhelm Wilson had a special talent of using every single opportunity for the benefit of the family business. If not for that very quality and his endless persistence, he could not have grown the Wilsons’ Records business into one of the country’s leading music recording companies and one of the most successful corporations in the industry.

The years of hard work had not dared to dim the piercing precision of his mind and excitement still sparkles in his eyes every time CEO Wilson discusses new plans and sets challenges for himself and his sons. While Maya Wilson was busy performing her dinner magic in the kitchen, the family patriarch called his sons together for a company briefing.

“Nathan’s report on the performance of our recent releases indicates that the numbers are going down at a rate that we could not have predicted in our worst estimations. We have always – always- been able to be one step ahead of the general market and have been able to feel the vibe and the right rhythm for our audience.” His father’s hands ran along the surface of the table as if he had the last performance report spreadsheet in front of him and the mere thought to look at it made him scowl. More than anything else Wilhelm Wilson hated predictions of decline.

Though Kay secretly suspected that deep in his heart he loved them, as those numbers were an indication that it was the time to take action. “We need new talent – the next big name. Now.” His father spoke tugging at the imaginary report sheets with his index finger as if answering Kay’s thoughts.

“I was the one to discover Lana, your turn now,” said Christian proudly crossing his arms against his chest, leaning back in his chair and looking directly at Kay.

Kay could not resist rolling his eyes at his youngest brother. True – Lana was a talented singer, but he knew all too well that his baby brother was more interested in her supermodel looks and their romantic dates which were the source of rumors and curiosity of the whole company. Chris was a talented composer, however, he had yet to prove he could fight his raging hormones and compose a worthy verse without having the ulterior motive of seducing the singer into his bed.

“Sadly, the business cannot always depend on your love life,” teased Nate. He knew better than anyone that those two, love and music, combined. could be an explosive combination. Perhaps all the three Wilson brothers knew – perks of working in one of the leading companies in show-business.

“I was merely saying I can’t always be the one to carry the company burden on my talented shoulders,” Chris spread his arms theatrically so that nobody missed the glitter of his unmistakable talent. At the age of twenty-six, he still craved for praise and tap on his head from the older brothers.

“I’m in charge for numbers only,” Nate raised his both hands in defiance. His gaze, as well as their father’s, was still directed towards the invisible report sheets on the table – the two of them shared their eternal love for numbers.

“So what? That leaves me to save the company single-handedly…” Kay mused. Not that he would mind the honor, but where was the fun of competition in that? “How about a fair challenge –let’s see who can raise the next star in Wilson’s Records.”

Christian straightened his back; Nate finally tore his eyes off the invisible reports that his father was involuntarily straightening out on the table and three pairs of identical blue eyes were fixed on their father.

“And the winner gets…” Chris cocked a brow prompting their father to announce the reward all of them were so much looking forward to.

“Oh, I know those shark-like stares!” Exclaimed Maya Wilson as she entered the smaller of the two dining rooms in the house, with a platter of roast chicken and vegetables which smelled as so good. Christian rushed to help her and all thoughts about work vanished as they got seated around the already set family sized dining table. The seating was for twelve because, of course, Mama Wilson expect that her sons will soon find love and would be taking someone with them to these gatherings. She was always “hinting”.

“You will see each other at work on Monday” She chastised them. “Not a single word about business at this table,” declared Maya Wilson and with the smell of the food wafting in the room, the four men nodded in unison.

The intent gaze of their father’s narrowed eyes, though, confirmed that the challenge was still on and he was going to come up with a reward that would leave all the three of them drooling.

Deep down, Kay was just as competitive as his brothers. Secretly, he decided that he was going to move mountains or bring down the skies to make sure that the new megastar for Wilson’s Records was his discovery.

The rest of the dinner was peaceful – filled with great food and pleasant talk. They generally enjoyed each other’ company and today was no exception. The only small incident occurred when Kay changed into his t-shirt and leather jacket, which was a more appropriate outfit for the underground club he was heading to. A tiny piece of the tattoo on his forearm was revealed, which of course did not escape his mother’s gaze.

“I have not given birth to my beautiful firstborn son to see his perfect skin marred with that ink,” she shook her head in disapproval. It had been fifteen years since Kay got those tattoos – fifteen years of hiding from his own skin.

Now, rushing towards the club on his bike, Kay thought that it was more than his tattoos that he has been hiding from over all these years – something that went much further than his skin and flesh, which was buried in his bones. Kay pushed the thoughts away – some memories were better left intact under the thick cover of dust.

Seriously?