He pulled out his phone to check the time and decided he was allowed to be rude today.
“Mom," Reno said as soon as the phone stopped ringing.
“Hikaru, what is wrong?” How did she always know? Reno turned into a small park, and found it mostly empty. “You usually don’t call so late.”
“I know. I’m sorry.” Reno wanted to be with her so badly it felt like he’d tear in half. He slumped down on a swing and admitted, “I’ve had a really bad day.”
“It isn’t that boy, is it?”
“No, thankfully.” Reno leaned his head against the swing’s chain. “It’s work.”
His mom hummed thoughtfully before asking, “Do you want my honest opinion?”
“You don’t even know what work did to upset me.”
“Sure, but every job comes with hard days. Sometimes those days feel like the end of the world.”
Reno did feel a bit like the world was ending. “They want me to keep my relationship secret, move flats, and stay quiet about who I am.”
“Do you remember when you got your first guitar?”
“Yeah, why?”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so excited. It was hard for me to see you love it more than the violin, but don’t think I did not understand why.”
“You never said.”
“I know the violin makes you think of your father. It is why I tell you to keep playing—to keep him alive.”
“Oh…" Reno didn’t think he could handlethisconversation today of all days. “Why bring up my guitar?”
“Some people are born lovers; you’re one of them. I saw you love that thing harder than most men love their wives.”
Reno let out a shaky laugh. “That is true.”
“You and Sato-kun, we could always see you coming home because of your travel cases sticking up over everything. You took it everywhere with you. Such a talented boy. I still talk to him, you know?”
“Me too.”
“You both work in music, still. Do you know why?”
“Because we’re irresponsible?”
She laughed. “It is because you love so deeply. There is a force that drives you. I’ve watched it consume you since you were so little. It makes you keep going when everyone tells you that you shouldn’t. And, you were dedicated and blessed enough that you figured out how to drive that force into music to share with people around you.”
Reno didn’t know what to say to that.
“I hear your music on the radio sometimes. Do you know how special that is?”
Reno felt his eyes burning. “I didn’t know that.”
“I will be with friends at a restaurant, and I’ll realize that the song playing is an instrumental of one of yours. Your songs are beautiful when they are redone in soft ways.”
“I didn’t even know they made those of my songs.”
“You are ridiculous.” She sounded proud when she said, “All the best artists have their songs remade that way for stores.”
“You think I’m one of the best?”
