All the young punks were stuffed with their bellies two kilos heavier, savoring the dessert of milk, except for a Marshall who claimed he was so full he couldn't taste a bite until dinner.
-Well kids, I'll come next weekend, I'll bring meat empanadas and hot dogs for you to eat, although I might be able to come on Saturday if my boss lets me leave early on Friday to buy the ingredients, - said Agustina, surprising the children as she was inviting them for a meal. From now on, they were all eagerly anticipating next week's food. Agustina bid them all farewell with a hug, a trace of jealousy crossing Billy's mind at the way his mother was handling things.
-Well, you and I are leaving. We have to go to court for your conduct trial. The judge will determine if you are a fit person for society due to the incidents that have occurred in Twin Towers, - said Agustina, surprising Billy as the guards were already aware and let him through to the prison office. Unlike the previous Charles, this one was younger and more serious, and there was an air of anger in his demeanor, unlike the calm appearance that always characterized Charles's personality.
-All the papers are in order, you can take him. I expect the boy back the morning after tomorrow," said the director. However, Billy noticed something strange in his posture - the defined chin, the cold behavior - it was evident that he wasn't particularly happy.
-Thank you, director, - Agustina exclaimed with some complicity. A day earlier, Jerry Wrelex sent a lawyer, perfumed with a tie of the same color as his suit, with a New York accent and elegant speech. He made a delivery that the prison director couldn't refuse; firstly, the arguments were very convincing. Agustina was just an ignorant mother who didn't know much about the intricacies she was more into musings and ideologies. They both got into the car, gearing up for a trip to a sentencing court.
-Well, your friends... are curious, albeit a bit more troublemakers than your previous friends. What happened to that boy with tattoos on his neck? That's illegal,"- said Agustina.
-It is, his foster home had a big guy from the front who set up a small illegal tattoo studio, so Joseph became friends with him, and among them, they taught him to tattoo. He practiced on his own body and vice versa, many tattoos, are made and remade, but the little devil is Sam. He has a long list of offenses - theft, aggravated robbery, assault, conspiracy, and others I still don't remember perfectly, - said Billy.
-Oh my goodness, - said Agustina, starting the car with a worried look.
-He's got my back. We have a deal. Besides, if I don't have a backup, people go crazy with easy pickings. It's like walking into a minefield without knowing what the consequences will be. You gotta have soldiers telling you what to do and commanders who know the route you should take. Sometimes the most complicated way is doing it alone, Mom, - said Billy.
Agustina was silent for twenty minutes until she stopped at Bahía Grande, somewhat puzzled. She stared at Billy. - We have to make a vow. You can't drug yourself, drink, or do anything more dangerous than a simple theft. I'll even allow you small thefts, a soda, a candy, but nothing exceeding 20 dollars, and you must tell me everything you do, and nothing that involves hitting policemen, and also... -
-Mom, it's too much. I promise not to do anything stupid and not to drink until I'm 18, I'll keep the drugs until I'm 21. Every time I see my future, all I have is music, and I barely think about doing bad things, - said Billy.
-Liar, you're a liar. What are those bruises on your face? - said Agustina.
-I got ambushed, and many people beat me up. Without Sam, I would be injured,- said Billy.
Agustina released the handbrake and started the car, checking the directions. Every time they got lost, they had to reach an unfamiliar area. After thirty minutes, they realized they were completely lost. They ordered hamburgers from a fast delivery. All to go. They continued and asked for many directions, arriving after forty minutes at a small reddish building with neon blue signage.
-Here it is, - said Agustina. - Although I can't find anywhere to park. -
They didn't delay. Jerry was fine-tuning the sound system, Spencer was practicing with a guitar, while a big drummer, a bald man with a lot of vibes of being a metalhead, pumped the drums with an incredible rhythm, and Spencer was always a great guitarist, bassist, and pianist. A genius with many skills.
-What's going on here? - Agustina almost shouted, a bit amazed by their behavior.
-Billy needs to record some singles. We have three days to do our job as musicians, and according to Spencer, he created a track for the song 'Lose Yourself', - Jerry replied.
Doubt. That was reflected in Billy.
-But the court... -
-I have everything sorted out. You signed a power of representation, and well, we're just killing time now. I know that in the coming days, in the next few weeks, you'll have to submit all the documents for your son's case. Without evidence, there's no case, and we have thirty days to submit documents. It might be delayed, - said Jerry Wrelex.
The songs they were expecting to record without wasting time were the first three shown by Billy: "Enemy," "Lose Yourself," and "Like a Stone." The studio's vapors were consumed by the air conditioning, the drummer smoked calmly, took two puffs, and played for ten minutes with all his strength. Billy's mother felt lost in the bohemian atmosphere. The only one who seemed out of the ordinary was little Spencer, who played with some embarrassment but didn't miss a note. The drummer did, according to Jerry's ear. The only problem was Spencer's facial expressions while playing the guitar; he was a child in an adult's body.
Billy smiled. - What are we waiting for? I want to sing with all my heart. I've been training hard, -said Billy, who now, seeing Spencer, wanted to ask about some music lessons. He needed to improve his singing as much as he could. It had been a week, and he hadn't improved, which was a long time for him, given the great effort he put into his singing every day.
-You look excited, kid, - said Spencer.
-Mama, listen to my song, - said Billy, who needed to immerse himself in his music, to show his mother the power he exerted over his music.
Memories begin with a song. The force of his music had to start to regain its full splendor. He thought of the three main images: the patient waiting for death, a change of life, and the fear of death, a death that approaches day by day.
...
🎵🎶🎶🎵
On a cobweb afternoon
In a room full of emptiness
By a freeway, I confess
I was lost in the pages
Of a book full of death
Reading how we'll die alone
And if we're good, we'll lay to rest
Anywhere we want to go
In your house, I long to be
Room by room, patiently
I'll wait for you there
Like a stone
I'll wait for you there
Alone
And on my deathbed, I will pray
To the gods and the angels
Like a pagan to anyone
Who will take me to heaven
To a place I recall
I was there so long ago
The sky was bruised
The wine was bled
And there you led me on
In your house, I long to be
Room by room, patiently
I'll wait for you there
Like a stone
I'll wait for you there
Alone
Alone
And I read
Until the day was gone
And I sat in regret
Of all the things I've done
For all that I've blessed
And all that I've wronged
In dreams until my death
I will wander on
In your house, I long to be
Room by room, patiently
I'll wait for you there
Like a stone
I'll wait for you there
Alone
Alone
🎵🎶🎶🎵
…
The revolutionary singing, he sweated with force.