Strings Attached

Sentimental Senses

Wyatt Ryan steps out of a rental car and breathes in the fresh California air. Suddenly, the nostalgia of coming home abruptly hits him. Then he stares across the street looking directly at Old Man Berry, the affable fruit vendor. Right as he started moving towards the boardwalk where he etched his initials in 8th grade, Wyatt caught a glimpse of his watch. Now worried, Wyatt hurriedly walks back to his car but takes a long wistful look back. Turning on the engine, he blasts music and whistles while looking out at the sparkling Santa Barbara ocean. Forgetting about the rush and now taking his time, Wyatt placidly drives through his hometown, stopping every now and then to observe the changes. Finally, he pulls to a stop in front of a small but lively deli, packed with people. Wyatt smiles as he looks up at the peeling sign that reads Matty’s Gastronomia! And, for the second time today, he is hit with the cathartic feeling of familiarity.

What a perfect day, Wyatt thinks to himself while sitting across the table, avidly chatting with his mother. Taking a bite out of a huge pastrami sandwich in front of him, Wyatt diligently listens to Ms. Ryan's stories.

Fret of the Heart

However, soon Wyatt starts to zone out, looking past his mother to the old record player leaning against the back wall. Noticing his day dreaming, Ms. Ryan turns around to look at wall. The words Ms. Ryan says next ring in Wyatt’s ears for several seconds. Are you still messing around with your silly hobby of guitar? Because Ms. Ryan has always been dismissive of his love for music, her crude comment got under Wyatt’s skin. He tries to explain his love for a guitar every time he comes home, yet it always goes over Ms. Ryan’s head.
“I’m tired of you never understanding my true passion Mom,” says Wyatt.
“I don’t understand why you are so obstinate and refuse to accept that I will eventually pursue music full time.”
He sighs. After all, this is far from the first time Wyatt tried to explain his passion. With his perfect day ruined, he quietly excuses himself from the table and leaves Matty’s Gastronomia! without saying another word to his mother.

As Wyatt steps into his childhood house he immediately starts feeling better. Surrounded by his favorite objects, especially old records, he finally starts to feel at home.

A Comforting Façade

Just as he begins getting comfortable on the couch, the door lock jiggles and then bursts open. When he looks up, Wyatt stares into the confused and remorseful dark brown eyes of Ms. Ryan. Knowing what's going to happen next, Wyatt slowly places his book on the coffee table. Bracing himself, Wyatt starts explaining why he suddenly erupted with anger and the major changes he envisions making in the future. As he timidly looks up into Ms. Ryan’s cold face, Wyatt, unsure of himself, continues talking. Because Ms. Ryan’s childhood was filled with neglect, she became accustomed to keeping to herself and now she can never fully express her feelings. In this moment, Ms. Ryan got a flashback to her childhood when her parents crushed her dream of becoming a racecar driver, making her believe it helps her in the long run. She still keeps model cars in the background of her office just as a reminder of her childhood. So now, when Wyatt faces her with a dream, apprehensive Ms. Ryan feels she should make Wyatt understand what her parents knew about dreams— they’re called dreams for a reason.

Smashing Hope

I will not cry, Wyatt thinks as he wanders around his hometown with no destination in mind.

I will not cry. Now at 4 o'clock, Wyatt had walked through the boardwalk twice before finally breaking down at his favorite park bench. As his fingers brushed against the familiar redwood, Wyatt contemplates how his mother can seem loving and caring but then in an instant turn on him and his dream. Why did she say no and that she needs more time? More time to squash my aspiration? Finally feeling defeated, Wyatt starts reluctantly walking towards home. As he reaches the front door, ready to make amends with Ms. Ryan, he hears a loud snap coming from inside the house. Now with a burst of energy, he quickly unlocks the door, expecting to find his mother in danger. To Wyatt’s horror, he finds his mother trying to break off the strings of his childhood guitar. Rushing to her side, Wyatt tries to pull his mother away from the guitar, prying her grip off the guitar. As soon as Wyatt gets his guitar back, he tries reasoning with Ms. Ryan. Because of the heat of the moment, both Wyatt and Ms. Ryan get defensive, and the argument ends with Wyatt storming off to his room.

Over the Edge

Just as he starts to take a nap, the doorbell rings. Rubbing his eyes, Wyatt remembers the dinner party Ms. Ryan scheduled with the neighbors many weeks ago for tonight.

After quickly pulling on a presentable outfit, he rushes downstairs to greet the guests. Even when surrounded by a dozen friends and neighbors, both Ms. Ryan and Wyatt could sense the palpable growing tension between them. They acted pleasant until Mr. Baker asked Wyatt about his guitar and pursuit of music as a career. Still angry from the afternoon, Wyatt carefully thought of a response that would break his mother. Perhaps he took this response too far because thirty minutes later the guests excused themselves as Ms. Ryan and Wyatt's screams could be heard echoing down the whole block. After hours and hours of back and forth arguing and crying, both exhausted, Ms. Ryan and Wyatt go to sleep.

A Sentence with Impact

As Wyatt wakes up, he still feels the sting of his dry eyes. After he braces himself to stand up, suddenly Ms. Ryan towers above him, waving a legal pad around his face. He slowly stands up and takes the legal pad. On it lies a timeline scribbled in his mother’s familiar messy handwriting. Ms. Ryan stands in front of Wyatt as he reads the pad. After watching him for thirty-five minutes, she excuses herself and goes downstairs.

Shocked, Wyatt couldn’t believe that she listened to his dream when making the timeline. Finally, before going downstairs to worried Ms. Ryan, he notices a note at the bottom of the first page. In small but striking letters, Ms. Ryan wrote, “I hope your dream works out better than mine. With true love, Mom.”

Open Ears

“I love you!” Wyatt shouts as he races downstairs. Right when he sees Ms. Ryan, Wyatt runs in for a hug. Relieved, she sits and patiently listens to Wyatt rejoice over her understanding. After hours of hugging and heart to heart talking, she agrees to fly out for Wyatt’s first concert in February. Elighted and on top of the world, Wyatt walks to the post office holding paperwork to drop out of college. As he strolls through the neighborhood, Wyatt is once again filled with the nostalgia of all the music he played and listened to in the streets throughout his childhood. Feeling unstoppable, Wyatt went home, ready to work harder than he ever has to become a successful musician.