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COLIN

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AS I WALKED INTO the heavy glass door of Evangeline’s bistro that afternoon, my phone pinged up for an incoming message. I paused and quickly fished it out from my pocket to check. It was from David.

“Check this out,” it said. And as it got seen, another chat bubble came in with a photo attachment. It was a snapshot of David’s smiling face next to an equally beautiful guy staring right into the camera. Must be a model too. But I still took a mental note to remember this guy’s face as I made my way towards the bar counter where I can see the back of Evangeline’s silhouette, busily working on the drinks there.

“Had a short romantic shoot with this insanely famous beau,” David added with a winking emoji. I smirked at his clever message as I sat right down on one of the tall chairs by the counter. Then, I instantly replied back to him.

“What the hell is this?” I typed away, “Are you blatantly cheating on me now, David Breslin?”

After a second, a response came in again.

“I’m trying to work on getting a massive increase in my followers' tab now,” he said, “Is it working?”

I typed back, “What? The increase in your followers?”

“No,” he replied, “I meant, you getting jealous? Is it working?”

I snickered at his playful use of words and casually wrote another response.

“Well, damn right, it’s working. Stop flirting behind my back, Breslin.”

Then after a moment, he quickly replied.

“Wait till I get home then.” And it ended with a heart and winking emoji.

I laughed at that cryptic response and told him back that I will be waiting with a kiss emoji. I then put the phone back into my pocket, still smiling from that conversation. And as soon as I looked up to the counter, I immediately caught Evangeline watching me with an evil grin on her face.

“Well, that’s a loving smile you got there, beautiful boy,” she told me in a mocking tone.

“It’s nice to see you too, Evangeline,” I greeted her back.

“You know what? Just seeing that smile of yours really reminds me of the good ole’ days, when I used to be just as old as you are and thought that love is the only thing that matters in the world, but--” she started rambling on and before she eventually turn dark from it, I immediately interrupted her.

“Of course it was way, way back when Youtube wasn't even invented yet. And the telephone is the only way for you to communicate with someone else who’s five miles away,” I interjected with a rushed response, cutting her off. “I came here for the drummer, mother dearest.”

“Well, aren’t you just sweet?” Evangeline just smirked back to me with a facetious delighted voice then casually put a pint of beer in front of me. “Good timing, though.”

I smiled at her typical gesture. It was Evangeline alright, in all her glory form and Davidoff cigarette stick. “I missed you, Eve.”

“Me too,” she gently said back, easing into a soft smile. “And so is Davie’s gorgeous face. You really need to remind him of my existence before it gets too late. I ain’t getting younger now, Cole.” she playfully remarked and I laughed at her words.

“He’ll visit soon,” I reassured her.

“The drummer’s a catch,” Evangeline quickly diverted the topic into the one I’ve really wanted to hear and I smirked as I was reminded again by her peculiar way of making the conversations drift from here to there.

“Is he really that good?” I asked in a skeptic tone.

“Well, if you consider tapping the top of a drum with a stick and hitting the cymbals on a lightning speed good? Then, I believe he’s good,” Evangeline shrugged at me and left me even more confused with her vague description.

“So, I guess I just have to believe in that kind of judgment?”

“You needed a drummer. I’m giving you one.” She straight-away punched the line at me.

I was left speechless from that. And I think I've just finally learned how Evangeline earned the name “Mother Hustler” in Rockville. She really knows how to play well in negotiations. And because she knew I was desperate for a drummer, she gave me an ultimatum that I would never really get to turn down.

“There’s only one catch, though,” she said, earning a frown from me.

“What is?”

“The guy’s seventeen.”

I stopped for a moment to take that in. “You mean he’s still in high school?”

Evangeline shook her head no at me, then clarified, “Well, technically he’s not. He actually dropped out before senior year.”

“So, he’s out of school?” That still did not seem to lessen my uneasiness at all.

“You can’t blame him, Colin. It was more of a choice to the kid. He said he does not want to go back there anymore because of the nasty things he kept hearing from his classmates. He prefers taking petty jobs instead because he gets to earn money for food from that rather than be in school and get bullied for all the wrong reasons he should not be blamed for. And I guess it just says something more about his character as a person. This kid has faced his problems head-on. And you gotta admit, that's no normal for a kid to think that way. You know that, Cole.”

I tried to process everything that Evangeline was saying to me to considerately understand it the way she sees it. But a kid out of school? Seventeen? He’s still too far behind to be in the world that would only try to corrupt him if he’s not too brave enough to fight against it.

Seeing me hesitating to take her offer, Evangeline spoke again, “Remember the first time you asked me to take you in and give you the part-time job here at my bistro two years ago? Weren’t you what? Just seventeen at the time, too? Cole, I gave you a chance because you said you would do your very best and will never make me regret hiring you. And even when I was still unsure if you could really do it, I trusted in you. I gave you the job because I wanted to believe in you. And now I want you to look at this young boy the same way as I did with you before. Just give it a go for once, Cole. Give him one try at it.”

I knew Evangeline was just trying to get me soft with her words. But as soon as I got reminded of my past, I instantly felt the hopelessness and desperation I used to feel before when I thought I could never escape this town again. But Evangeline gave me the way to finally reach the freedom I get to have right now. And for that, I am still deeply indebted to her. And I think this is the only way for me to give back what I owe to her since then.

“Fine,” I then said in resignation. And Evangeline beamed at me, clapping her hands in delight.

“You’ll never regret this,” she told me, grinning.

“What do you even want me to say?” I smiled bitterly to myself and took a big gulp from the beer she just handed me a while ago.

“The deal's done?” She suggested back and I only shook my head at her, laughing.

“Congratulations!” she said out loud with utter rejoice—a complete hundred-eighty degree turn of expression from how she was just acting a while ago, “You've finally got yourself a drummer!”

And yeah, I did. Well, I had no choice. Yet, she was right too. So, I’ve decided to just trust Evangeline about this, in the meantime. If things happen now then let them happen. I just have to do what I got to do... For our band… For my music... For my dreams...

Well, fuck it. At least, I’ve finally found my drummer. That's what really matters, anyway.

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