Arizonian Pride

Arizonian Pride Chapter 4

A week later, a shabby-looking Randy stepped through the entrance of a rugged building. The building bared the sign "Whitercolls" Texan Old Folk's Home" above the door. A cheerful series of "hellos", "hi theres" and "howdies", accompanied with wide smiles from the other residents, greeted the newcomer, whom did not bother to return the cordial responses.

Randy walked in with a giant backpack of all his prized possessions slumped over his shoulder. In his stronger arm, he carried all of his favourite country, bluegrass and folk instruments. He kept his head down, not wanting to make eye contact with anyone. A familiar voice rang through the air.

"Oh, Randy! Hey there, partner! It's so nice to finally have you join us. You'll grow to love it here, I'm sure of it." It was William Whitercoll. He introduced himself as the manager of the place, alongside his wife Susan.

"Nice to see you again, Randy. Thank you so much for everything you've done for my family while we were staying at your ranch," Susan greeted him cheerfully even though deep down she knew that Randy barely interacted with them at all during their holiday.

"Well, me ranch is gonna be pulverised to the ground any minute now, so don'tcha get any ideas of goin' back there!" Randy replied grumpily and walked upstairs, chose an empty room and shut himself inside.

"Yeesh, what's up with him? We give him a new home and this is the thanks we get?" William cringed at his new resident.

"Oh, he's always like that," Susan comforted her husband and shrugged. "Old people.”

Randy put his belongings down and flopped onto the single bed in the middle of the room. He picked up his banjo and began mindlessly strumming some old western tunes on it. It was late in the evening. The exhaustion from his long, sorrowful day - both physical and emotional - eventually got to him. He closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to La La Land.

The veteran brandished his sword, ready to slay the hot, fiery red dragon in front of him. The dragon had swallowed up most of his beloved musical instruments, except his harmonica and fiddle. The dragon flew towards him, ready to strike at its puny target. Randy was just about to make his first swing at the flaming beast when -

Creeeeeek!

Randy opened an eye. He was back in the Old Folk's Home. He turned his head towards the door that just creaked open.

Serafina stood at the doorway, looking curiously at the familiar stranger inhabiting her parents' workplace. Old man and young girl stared at each other for a while. Then the seven-year-old spoke up.

"Oh. Hi. You're sleeping, so I'll just leave you alone."

Randy watched as Serafina descended the stairs. Halfway down the first flight she turned and came back up.

"My parents will be throwing a party in this house this weekend. You wanna join us?”"

"...... No thanks. N-not really into parties.”"

"Ok. But they'll be playing music and dancing. Mum will be making good food and drinks, too. You don't have to dance if you don't want to. Just sit around and watch - Grandpa Melvin has the best moves, trust me!”"

Randy wasn't really in the mood to find out. “Nah. Never mind, lil' lassie. I'm good here."

"Won't you at least come down to listen to One Direction's latest single when it plays on the jukebox?" Serafina asked with utmost innocence in her eyes.

"The WHAT single?”

"Hold on, I'll get it for you."

Not long later, Serafina came back with an iPod, earphones, some posters and a One Direction album in her hands. She placed all the items on Randy's bed next to him. Randy moved and made room for them. He was too tired and depressed to object to anything.

"These are mine. I share a room with mom and dad. I keep all my things in mom and dad's room. I even do my homework there!”

"Y-you don't have room of your own?" Randy weakly asked her.

"No. This house is not big enough for me, mom and dad, my brothers, my sister and grandpa to all have our own rooms," she explained glumly. Randy felt bad for her for a moment, thinking that she can't get much privacy if she's sharing a room with two other people.

"Are your parents home often?"

"Not really. They used to work for some small digging company from Arizona before they became the managers of this Old Folk's Home. But they're still busy - sometimes they have to drive outdoors to bring home new old people or buy supplies or something."

" 'Digging company' ?"

"That means they used to dig underground for important Earth resources and stuff. Mum and dad never really tell me much about the kind of work they do.

"

" 'Dig underground for important Earth resources'……" Randy pondered on this piece of info, staring off into space. But he was brought back down to Earth quickly by Serafina's next statement.

"So, yeah. One Direction is my favourite band." She turned her attention back to the things on the bed. She pointed to the album. "This is their latest album, and their latest single is in there. It's called 'Little Things'."

"Nice," Randy muttered.

Serafina strained her ears and listened to the soft music playing on the radio downstairs. "Listen! Yup, they're playing it right now. It's good, isn't it?"

"Not bad." Randy still has decent hearing for his age.

"Do you have any good music you want to share with the other old folks, Randy?"

Randy's eyes flashed. He grinned for the first time that day. "As a matter of fact, I do." He got off his bed, opened his heavy backpack and rummaged through it. He fingered around for one of the most prized items that he had kept since his boyhood days. He found it. He pulled it out and laid it on his bed next to Serafina's things.

Randy looked at the little girl with a proud but pensive smile on his face. "Do you know who these guys are?" he pointed at the faces on the album cover.

"N-no?"

"They're the Beatles. This is their very first album. Came out in the 60s."

"WOW! That's really old!" Serafina exclaimed.

"That's what makes it so valuable. Priceless. Back then, we didn't have digital downloads like you younglings do now. So we played these things on vinyl instead."

The girl looked at the album, wide-eyed and mouth gaping. "How much are you selling it for?" Randy jumped.

"Y-you want to buy it from me?"

"Yeah. But for dad, not myself. He loves to collect antiques."

"A-ah'm sorry, lassie, but ah'm not selling it to anyone. It reminds me of mah childhood."

"Oh. Oh well."

Total quietness in Randy's new room for a while. Then Serafina broke the silence again.

"Randy, do you have any friends?"

"Ah'm sorry, lassie?"

"Do you have any friends?" Serafina repeated her question. "I mean, like, people you hang out with or gossip with."

"Ah'm an old man, lassie," Randy replied softly. "Ah don't do none o' those things no more."

"Then what sort of stuff do you do?"

"Ah dunno, old man stuff?" Randy shrugged. "The kind o' stuff one can do alone."

"You don't like to do things with friends, do you?"

"Ah don't mind friends," Randy asserted, "but friends don't really happen so much to me anymore these days."

The little girl nodded and thought about it a little bit. "Do you at least have one best friend?"

"Ah don't really have a best friend," Randy lied.

"Then can I be your best friend?"

Randy pretended to think for a moment. "Okay, young 'un, but ya've gotta fit the bill ah've set for THE kind of best friend that ah like.'

"Fit the bill?"

"That means, you've gotta be the kind of best friend that ah like! Cuz ah've got standards."

"So what must I do?"

"Ya gotta be there for me when a need you most; when ah wanna share my problems with and grumble to someone, or just be there for no reason at all. And, you must stay away from people that ah don't like."

Serafina arched an eyebrow. "You… don't really like my parents, do you?"

"Argh. Ah can't tell ya to stay away from yer own parents. I mean, they're yer parents. Even if you tried, they won't stay away from you. They won't let that happen at your age, lassie. Heh. Believe me, ah've had parents, too, once. Ah know how that feels like."

"Ok." Serafina understood.

"So stay away from EVERYONE I don't like, EXCEPT your parents."

"So I stay away from everyone including Malachi, Raymond and Chelsea?"

"Stay away from everyone except your parents AND your siblings!"

" 'Siblings' ?"

"Your brothers and your sisters."

"Oh, ok then."

"Hey, why do ya ask so many questions anyway, lassie?"

"It's just how I get to know you, I guess?"

Randy stared off into space. "I see."

Serafina glanced at her belongings on Randy's bed, and another idea popped into her head. "Hey, how about a deal? Why don't I exchange my One Direction album for YOUR album, Randy? We could both stand to listen to new, different music."

Randy hesitated. He doesn't just part ways with his childhood treasure with a seven-year-old girl who knows nothing about his favourite band. But, with nothing left to lose, he relented.

"Fair enough." And he traded albums with Serafina.

"You can have these posters, too, if you like," Serafina offered. "They should help make you room look nicer."

"Hmmm. No thanks, girl. But come to think of it," Randy briefly looked around the room, "ah wouldn't mind a Beatles poster or two 'round here."

"Then I'll draw some for you! I'm very good at drawing. I'll make 'em bright and pretty and colourful! They make this place look brand new, for sure!"

"Yeah, yeah," Randy agreed. "A lil' more colour 'round in here would be nice."

"So I'll see you at the party, Randy? I've got homework to do, but I'll make your posters, I promise."

"Yeah, yeah, ok. G'luck with yer homework."

"Unbeknownst to both of them, Melvin had been observing their interaction at Randy's door. He beamed. "You go, girl!" he cheered silently at his granddaughter. "You are the first one to get him to talk. Great job!"