Surprised for a few seconds at the strange inquiry, Taylor responded.
"What do you have in mind?" She said somewhat guarded.
Looking at his moms for a second, he approaches Taylor, trying to not get distracted by the fact that she smells amazing. He puts a hand on her shoulder and starts to murmur on her ear.
"Since my accident and then my coma, Mary stopped playing music and could not pick up her guitar anymore. She always was amazing but because of me, she can't play anymore. I think if we could play together we could help her heal that part of her. Would you help?" Ask Nathaniel with an emotional voice.
"Of course I would." Answer Taylor, touched by the thought.
"Thanks, follow me then. Moms you too please." He said.
Leading them away from the lounge where they were, he started walking toward a door not far away. For the party, his grandparents spared no expenses, going as far as hiring an instrumental band who were playing outside. The guests were essentially situated in the yard and in the lounge which was huge. The topic of the banquet was clearly to make conversation with people and enjoy themself with amazing food.
The door in question leads to the music room of the mansion. That was a place where he refused to go the last four month for fear of being distracted away from his physical work out. He opened the room yesterday to see what instrument it contained and was surprised to find almost all of them. He could clearly see the ego of his grandfather at work here, never coming here anymore beside the maids but because he was the president of a label, he still insisted to have a well furnished music room. The room in itself was huge, bigger than their old apartment in NY.
Entering the room, he went directly behind the digitale piano. He didn't play for so long, he was a little scared to go behind the grand piano in the room. He opted for the digital piano because it was less demanding and he could play with it well enough. The goal of it was to help his mother in the first place, the rest was not important.
Taylor did not lose much time too, she took an acoustic guitar and started it without asking anything.
"Mom take a guitar please." Said Nathaniel.
"Baby, you know I don't play anymore…" Answer Mary with vulnerability present in her voice, eyeing the guitar on the shelf with a wary expression.
"I know mom and I know it's because of me. You always were talented and you can't play anymore, I feel bad. I finally healed myself, it's time to heal you." Said Nathaniel with sadness, he's eyes watering.
Seeing the tears threatening to flow from the eyes of her son, she started feeling heartache. Since the accident and seeing him bleeding in an emergency room, her heart broke at that moment. She couldn't laugh anymore and she could not play either. Her music was her life for as long as she could remember, but in that moment she knew that her son and her wife meant everything and music would come after that. After the accident her only source of reconfort was her wife and her parents who came back to her life after 15 years. She forced herself to forget music to forge a new life, to help her son come back. So she went to her father's company, winning enough money to pay the medical bill. Her father insists on help but they always rebuke him. They were enough to help their son.
But seeing her teary-eyed son in that moment, she started thinking of the time where they were playing piano together, laughing and singing. Well, she was singing, he never sang. He always said that he's voice was not good enough for that and he was perfectly fine to let her sing. He was her sweet and kind son, he was supposed to recover and get back his life and yet he was still thinking of their well being.
She could go through flame for him, so taking a guitar even if she was anxious about it was nothing in comparison. After four years, they would play together again. She stifled her tears at the thought.
"Of course sweetie, I'm coming." Said Mary feeling Karine patting her back, she turned her head to see her wife smiling encouragingly at her. She needed nothing else.
Mary chose to pick an acoustic guitar like Taylor did and was currently according it. The guitar she chose was almost the same as the one she had for ten years which reassures her a little. The difference was that her guitar cost 200 dollars when she bought it and this one was worth 10 times that amount. Her father clearly didn't care about money. He only wanted the best there was.
"What do you want to play Nathaniel?" Ask Taylor once Mary had finished.
"I thought 'Pumped up kick' by Foster the People sounds good. It's easy enough. Mom and I haven't played in a long time." He said.
In the past week, he started to look on Youtube and catch up to the music that he missed when he was in a coma. He heard great music and horrible one in equal measure. He was horrified to see a horrible autotune music bestseller. He discovered this music like that and he immediately thought it would be nice to play it for practice as it had an easy rhythm.
Then they started playing, the hands of Nathaniel were clumsy at first but he adapted quickly. He noticed that the clumsiness came from the fact that his fingers were longer and more powerful that they were four years ago. Once he adapted, he could perform well enough. His mom was even better than him, except a few wrong notes in the beginning, she could follow Taylor with no problem. She had practiced guitar since she was ten so that was not surprising.
Taylor started chanting immediately, her beautiful voice clearly in display. Mary joins her on the second verse.
"All the other kids with the pumped up kicks...
...You'd better run, better run, out run my gun...
...All the other kids with the pumped up kicks...
You'd better run, better run, faster than my bullet.. "
Mary's voice was nice to hear even if it was totally outmatched by Taylor's. She always prided herself to be a musician and not a singer and she proved that by concentrating only on her guitar, her voice was only tagging along Taylor's.
Once the music was over, Mary wanted to play 'No doubt' so they did. At that point everyone started naming a popular song to play, even Karine was singing along although she was not very gifted in it. A comfortable atmosphere reigns in the room and people attracted by the song of the music start gathering in the room to watch. Everyone was having fun but Nathaniel was not satisfied. At every music they were playing, something was moving inside of him, showing signs of agitation.
At the end of the music they were playing Nathaniel was done with the clavier. He moves to the piano and starts pressing a diverse note on it, gathering the curious attention of everyone in the room. He was seemingly remembering the sound of each note carefully until the twirling inside of him seemed to settle and a picture finally appeared.
Noticing the stare of his mom and Taylor, he flashes a quick smile at them before speaking.
"I want to try something, let's create something new. Just listen at the beginning and follow me after that." Said succinctly Nathaniel, focusing on the piano and the feelings who were inside of him.
Gathering everything that he was, everything that he lived, he started playing.
A sad melody starts to gather around him as he plays, permeating every person present.
And then something unbelievable happened, he started to sing. A pure and unrestrained voice emanated from him as he start singing.
"
It's so short, a life…
...So fragile, as well...
...What to run, after time..
...Leave nothing, to live… "
While he was focusing on himself, more people started to come into the room which became quite crowded. Among them was Robert and Diane who was looking at their grandson like they were seeing him for the first time. Exchanging a look, they could clearly see the disbelief and awe mix in the eyes of the other.
At that moment the melody starts to become more powerful, more energizing as he starts the chorus.
"Too stubborn to die…
...Too loved to say goodbye…
...Naive enough to fly…
...Strong enough to cry… "
After that the song of a guitar starts to mix with the melody of the piano, following it in his path, complimenting him. Like two long lost friends finding themself again after decades of separation. The voice of Taylor accompanying him in the chorus until the song finally finished.
"... Strong enough… to cry…." they end with their voice, looking each other in the eyes.
As the last sound finally die down, Nathaniel and Taylor were welcomed by utter silence. Coming out of it, they finally look at the large audience cramp in the room. The stillness lasts for a few seconds before thunderous applause explodes in there. Looking sheepishly at each other, they perform a small bow for their audience who applaud even louder than before.
A scene attracted his attention soon enough. His moms were kneeling on the ground, hugging each other and crying their heart out. He noticed at that moment that many people had red eyes or were actively crying. He even spied his grandfather with a tear in the corner of his eyes where his grandma was actively trying.
Going where his moms where prostrated, he got fiercely hugged by two crying womens, joining them in their round of crying. His soul at peace.