o p t i m i i s m s ;

“I’m so tired, it’s not funny…”

“You alright, Aunt Alli?”

Rebekah laughed at Kalea’s reaction then shrugged her shoulders, “Are you forgetting that I am over a 1000 years old? Besides, everyone knows musical comes more natural if you stop thinking about it and just do it.”

“No, no, of course I’m not,” Kalea shook her head and laughed on her own. Truthfully her mother’s age never really stuck with her until it was pointed out, which always made it seem all the more crazy to her. “You’d think after eleven years of being a musician I’d know that by now. But somehow I always frustrate myself into thinking too hard about it, it’s my downfall.”

“My daughter is always so clean but Apollo does not.”

Rebekah let out a sigh, “You are thinking too much about this, sweetheart. Close your eyes, and just play. You’re good, trust me.” She said with a smile.

“I know, I know. That’s always my downfall,” Kalea let out a frustrated sigh. Doing as her mother said, she shut her eyes and tried again, hearing the sound change. “I did it!” She exclaimed, opening her eyes and grinning towards her mother, “You always do that!”

“I thought when my kids got older, I wouldn’t have to pick up after them.”

“I meant your singing,” Belle replied. “That was better.”

“--- Oh! Right. Thanks.” Kalea said, setting down the guitar, “It still sounded terrible to me, but I’ll take your word for it.”

“It sounded right to me – Taylor Swift, was it?”

“It was. And thank you, Hope, really. It was fine, until that one damned note. I’ve gone through it twenty times and still can’t get it right.”

“I think it sounded alright. Taylor Swift, correct? Try again.”

“Yeah, it’s Taylor Swift. I think I’ve got the whole thing, it’s just this one damn chord. But yeah, okay, if you want me to.” Kalea hummed the words as she began the notes again, cringing as she hit the same spot as before. “Ugh. Damn it. I apologize for you subjecting your ears to that.”

“ – Well, I have no idea what song your doing so to me it sounds about right.”

“It’s just some song I remember being obsessed with when I was like sixteen. That one damn chord keeps getting me, but either way, thanks.”

“Oh come on, it was pretty. Try again.”

“It was actually so bad, but okay---how was that?”