“I can’t stand watching you waste your life like I did.”
The argument ended when I slammed my bedroom door hard enough to knock a picture off the wall.
Eventually, I recorded less often. My guitar stayed in its case most days, though I still played whenever Dad was away.
His best friend, Frank, visited now and then. Sometimes they left carrying tools or old equipment. I assumed they were working in Frank’s garage.
By twenty-three, Dad and I barely exchanged words.
We passed each other in the hallway like strangers, and I left $250 on the kitchen table every month.
Sometimes I’d notice him watching me, but he never spoke.
Five years after he began collecting rent, Dad died of cancer.
I’d often imagined the relief of having the house to myself. Yet after his funeral, I stood in the hallway staring at his work boots beside the door, unable to move them.
We’d barely spoken during his last week. Our final conversation concerned a leaking kitchen faucet.
Now we’d never speak again.
That evening, someone knocked.
It was Frank, Dad’s oldest friend, carrying a cardboard box sealed with tape.
“Your dad left this with me.”
He placed it on the kitchen table.
“He wanted you to open this only after he was gone.”
I laughed bitterly.
“What, did he save every dollar of rent I paid him?”
Frank remained serious.
“I wouldn’t make any guesses until you see what’s inside.”
I ripped away the tape and opened the box.
At first, I wondered if he’d brought the wrong one.
Inside lay an old leather vest covered with band patches, backstage passes, guitar picks, and pictures of Dad performing.
Then I found a photograph of Mom.
She stood beside Dad, smiling at him as he played. He looked happier than I’d seen him in fourteen years.
Memories of those musical evenings in our living room flooded back.
I collapsed into Dad’s chair, crying so hard that Frank had to support me.
He stayed until I’d calmed down, then quietly left.
While putting the pictures away, I noticed something metallic beneath the vest.
It was a key with a small tag bearing an unfamiliar address.
I turned it over, searching for an explanation.
Nothing.
There was no note anywhere in the box.
I grabbed my jacket and car keys.
The address led to the edge of town, beyond warehouses and an abandoned gas station.
Despite living here all my life, I couldn’t recall visiting this area.
I checked the tag again. The address matched.
“What were you doing out here, Dad?” I whispered.
I circled the building, looking for clues. There was no sign, no parked vehicles, and nothing visible through the windows.
It seemed abandoned except for a clean welcome mat near the entrance.
I inserted the key. It turned easily.
I hesitated, afraid I might uncover something about Dad I’d rather never know.
Then I opened the door, switched on the lights, and stepped inside.
I froze, struggling to understand what stood before me.
Dark acoustic panels lined the walls. A large mixing desk occupied one corner, surrounded by speakers and computer monitors. Microphones stood near guitar amplifiers, while a drum kit sat behind a glass partition.
It was a recording studio.
I walked farther in, brushing my fingers over the mixing desk. Everything was spotless, as though someone maintained it regularly.
“Dad?” I whispered, almost expecting an answer.
