“I believe you have a music tutor here, Ace? I’m Ace’s partner, Titus Haverland.” Titus put one of his business cards on the desk. “I’ve got some presents for the music room. Ace explained that a lot of the instruments here were in rather poor condition, and my son and I wanted to help out with some new instruments. Ace is very passionate about helping the youths here.”
“Oh, Mr. Haverland, that is very generous of you, thank you.”
“I have them in my truck, but I wondered if you had a pallet jack or something similar?” He grinned. “I might have bought a few too many, but I’m sure they can be used.”
“We do have one, actually,” the woman said. “If you just come with me.” She got up from her seat and came around the desk. “I’m sure Ace will be so pleased. Did he ask you to do this?”
“No,” Cassius said quickly. “It’s a surprise. We have to shush.”
The woman beamed at him. “Then we’ll be as quiet and as quick as possible. You can hear him playing, I’m sure. I admit, I always ask him to leave the door open when I know Ace is going to play. His music always makes me smile.”
“We’ll go and listen shortly,” Titus promised. “Cassius and I need to get these instruments into the hall.”
It was a lot easier than Titus anticipated. A couple of boys playing with a ball in the field next to the parking lot saw his struggle with the pallet jack and packages and came over to help. Cassius took care of the smaller packages, with one of the boys being super helpful when he tried to carry too many. The other boy helped keep all the odd-shaped packages on the pallet jack as Titus wheeled it across the parking lot, and into the building.
As they got closer to the open door the receptionist mentioned, Titus could hear Apollo playing. Peeking around the door frame,he saw there were four other youngsters there – teenagers who were watching Apollo as they played.
“Hey, Ace,” one of the helpful young men yelled out. “You never said you had a partner and a kid. They bought presents for the music room.”
Ace looked up and grinned, and even with his glamour Titus could see Apollo clearly. “Titus, Cassius, have you come to play?”
“We bought nearly all the instruments in the store.” Cassius went running over, and Titus was so thrilled to see Ace put his arm out instantly and give Cassius a big hug. “You have to see. There’s so much. We even bought a harp.”
After that, things got a bit chaotic. Clearly news of free instruments spread quickly through the center. Packaging went flying as the youngsters unwrapped all the new instruments, oohing and aahing with each new reveal.
Titus’s favorite reveal was when Cassius gave Apollo the harp. His mate’s face seemed so bright, for a moment there, Titus felt he was seeing Apollo as Cassius did. “This is just beautiful,” Apollo said as his fingers trailed over the strings. “Thank you.”
“Play something,” Cassius said. “You have to play something.”
“Yeah,” a couple of the other kids said. “Play something, Ace.”
“Only if you play with me. Come on, everyone. Grab an instrument. There’re plenty here.” Apollo indicated for Cassius to come closer. “Did you want to have a go?”
“I don’t know how to play an instrument.” Titus could tell Cassius really wanted to be included.
“You play what you feel.” Apollo picked up a tambourine. “Just listen to the beat and add your sound when you’re ready. You can do this.”
Strumming over the harp strings was like a signal to the other young men and women who had organized instruments they were comfortable with. One by one, as Apollo played, the others joined in, and within a few moments, Titus could hear the semblance of a tune.
Some of the teens clearly knew how to play. Some made Titus’s ears want to shrink inside his skull. But as Apollo kept playing, Titus felt his mate’s power slowly waft around the room – as it increased, the kids seemed to gain more confidence, and they sounded better than ever. A young man was hovering by the stage. He didn’t have an instrument, but he was watching Apollo intently. As the power surged a second time, Apollo said gently, “This is your cue, Timothy. Sing, my friend.”
This is the young man Apollo told me about.Timothy sang, his voice getting louder as he gained in confidence, too. Apollo and the others, all matched Timothy in tone, rhythm, and beat.He’s freaking incredible.The voice was raw, but the words rang with a passion that couldn’t be ignored. Titus grinned as he saw that Cassius was keeping up, shaking and tapping his tambourine, keeping in time with the boy on the drum, with the biggest grin on his face.
Damn.In that moment, it was as if Titus was seeing Apollo as his true self – a genuine, caring muse. Someone who, for just one hour a week, could make the teens around him feel worthy. Titus quickly blinked away the sudden blurriness in his eyes. It was truly one of the most beautiful moments of his life.
When the songs finally died down and everybody around started clapping for themselves and each other, Titus knew that Wednesdays were Youth Center Day. It wouldn’t matter what they were doing or where they were, Titus knew he’d be back at the center every Wednesday, not only for Apollo, but for the teens who needed his mate.
Leaving Apollo and Cassius to talk to some of the kids, Titus made his way back over to the reception desk. “Who do I see about making a regular donation here?” he asked. “I want it to be completely anonymous, but my company, Titus Industries, is definitely prepared to get behind a center like this. Ace tells me you do amazing work.”
“You have no idea how much that would mean to us,” the receptionist said. “Our manager isn’t here at the moment, but if you’d like to make a time to see him, I’m sure he would welcome a chance to explain the different services we do here.”
“I don’t need to be wooed,” Titus said. “I just need your bank details. Ace talks very highly of what you all do here, and I want to help.”
The receptionist was looking at him intently, and while Titus had no idea what she saw, eventually she nodded and smiled. “Thank you,” she said, as she scribbled some details on a piece of paper. “Genuinely, thank you.”
“Thank Ace,” Titus said with a grin as he took the piece of paper. “He just wants to make a positive difference to the young people who come here, and now I’ve seen it for myself, I can understand why.”
Epilogue
