Page 99 of Stolen Hearts
I hang up and make my way back to the studio. Freddy turns round in his chair when I enter and ties his hair up with an elastic band he picks up from the sound desk.
“Everything okay?”
My gaze drifts across the walls, over to the plaques I’ve received for my records. The late afternoon sun shines through the tinted floor-to-ceiling windows behind the desk and onto the couch, where I’d left the guitar and the leather-bound diary containing all my lyric ideas.
“Someone I know’s housemate is in a coma.”
“Damn man, that sucks.”
“Yeah, it does.”
I collapse onto the couch and grab the lighter, relighting the incense sticks that have gone out.
“Wanna talk about it?” Freddy spins back to the desk to pour the last of his San Pelligrino into his glass before facing me again.
“I think I’m okay. I’m gonna pick them up from the hospital in a couple of hours and talk it through with them then.”
I sink back into the couch and pick up my guitar.
At least Christopher’s physically okay. At least he’s not the one in a coma.
“Did you want to wrap this up? Pick it up again another day?”
Freddy turns back to the screen and brings up all the parts laid down forI’m A Broken Man,the track I wrote back at the Meadows. The lead and backing vocals are already laid down alongside the main guitar riff and programmed drums.
“Maybe we could park that for now and work on something new before I have to leave?”
A melody forms in my head as I start playing with various chords.
“Sure,” Freddy says, saving the track and opening up a new file.
“Can you loop the following chords for me, on keys please?” I ask, showing Freddy what I want him to replicate on the piano.
Freddy locks down the chords, putting them on loop, and I put down the guitar as the track plays, to reach for my diary. I flip to an empty page and start humming a melody over the top, writing down the lyrics as they come out.
I know you’re tired of everything you’re going through,
Life’s been knocking you down when you’re already bruised,
Unanswered questions leaving you so damn confused,
But I am here with you.
It breaks my heart to know there’s nothing I can do,
I’d take away the troubles haunting you,
Everything that causes you pain, I would remove,
Still I am here with you.
By the time I’ve worked through the rest of the lyrics, another hour has passed.
“Do you think we should make it more hopeful?” Freddy asks as I sing the two verses aloud. “A bit more inspiring?”
Freddy transposes the chords to a different key, forcing me to sing it a semi-octave higher and giving the song an uplifting sound. A shiver rushes down my spine when I sing the last line and I know he’s on to something.
“Can I leave you to play around with the production? I need to get showered and changed before I head to the hospital.”
