Double Trouble

Amaya looked to her left and tried to peer over Henry’s shoulder. She couldn’t hear the conversation entirely, but it was something to do with the show that night. Something about Justin having to cancel because he had the flu. Rubbish! She thought. She knew exactly why he had bailed. She withdrew back and got up, stretching her arms out. The people around her stared, including Henry, but she couldn’t be bothered. She was happy, beyond happy. Ecstatic. The real reason Justin didn’t want to perform that night was because something very important of his was missing. And she knew exactly where it was.

Amaya had lived by the coast since she was twelve. From a young age, she had had a great passion for the musical arts. She joined the small local church choir and with her talent, quickly rose to the rank of lead singer. She became the envy of many of the young girls around and certainly caught the attention of a few of the young boys. When she turned eighteen, a new boy moved into town and became the church’s newest member. He auditioned to join the church band and immediately got in. Zanzibar’s newest sensation, an upstanding charming young lad who was crazy good with the saxophone. Justin Yaro. He played a mean tune and just as fast as he had arrived, he became everything Amaya once was. The popular kid. And Amaya, was not happy.

It started out as friendly competition. Just mild remarks about who did their craft best and who really deserved to be crowned most talented. But it turned sour in the shortest time with petty feuds and invasive teases that ultimately led Amaya and Justin down a path to intense animosity. They eventually both left the church and branched out into working small time gigs at bars and nightclubs for the tourists mostly. Amaya sang in the evenings while Justin played his instrument through shifts during day. He got more money like that and also, more fame.

But then something happened. Justin one day, suddenly up and disappeared! He stopped showing up at the places he used to perform and gradually his following began to wane. The vibrant scenes of jazz faded and all that was left was Amaya and a few other talents that had emerged through the years. Like Henry, another singer she had met and become good friends with.

It was a relief at first that he was gone. Then it became a mystery that eventually people wanted answers to. And it seemed like it was all anyone ever talked about. The missing case of Justin Yaro. Months went by, and a few locals who’d seen Justin and Amaya through their rise to stardom began to cast their suspicions on Amaya. Maybe she’d had something to do with it… Even in his absence she couldn’t get away and soon, it began to look hopeless to continue on. So, she began to contemplate moving to another town and starting over. But Henry begged her to reconsider. Just as she did, the most unexplainable thing happened: the vibrant jazz scene that was lost suddenly picked up. Almost overnight. Was this the sign she needed to finally make her choice to leave, she thought, or was there something more sinister going on?

There was a new saxophonist up and about the bustling area. Just as suddenly as he had appeared, so did the masses that had seemingly diminished. But this new player had an aura of mystery to him. Particularly emanating from the fact that he never showed his face. He wore a black grotesque mask over his face and dressed in black clothes that were bound to blend him in with the dimly lit stages he played on. It was a noticeable effort he made to stay out of the limelight and yet, his sound preceded him. Whether the people knew him or not, his music was all but enchanting.

But Amaya felt differently. Where was Justin, and who was this now who played just as good? Why had he chosen to conceal himself? If it was Justin trying to pull one over her with some silly prank, she wasn’t going to have it. She was going to get to the bottom of it. Amaya needed to prove it was Justin despite this nicer, calmer and less competitive façade he was trying to portray. And one evening as luck would have it, as she walked back home from a performance with Henry, she spotted something.

The sky was black and the only thing lighting their way was a dimly lit torch that Henry swung in his hand. There was but one working streetlight at the corner so, squinting their way through, Henry followed Amaya to the narrow alleyway across the street. Once there, Amaya realized she’d just come upon the dwellings of a homeless person, or what appeared to be. Someone had been sleeping in that ghastly place with no warmth and almost no belongings except for a small rucksack that sat in the back at the very end. Despite Henry’s pressing pleas to get out of there, Amaya proceeded to look through. It was strange. In all the years she’d been taking that route home, she’d never seen any of this.

As she finally turned to leave, she stumbled on a book. She bent over and picked it up. It was an old weathered book that possibly would have gone unnoticed. There was nothing striking about it whatsoever and it looked filthy. But as Amaya had been taught growing up, that any old book was a book full of secrets and should never be ignored. So, she didn’t. She gestured for Henry to quickly pass her the dying torch and she began to go through the pages. Sure enough, there was a story, or rather, thoughts that had been jotted down neatly and as she read so attentively, she soon uncovered whose thoughts they were.

I thought I’d never be able to pull it off. Being back here

has brought back so much and yet, I can’t help but feel guilty.

How would I be able to face everyone and tell them who

I really am? The same old Justin, the same old sly tricks… I

want to, but I can’t. And I hope one day they can forgive me.

‘Aha! I’ve got him. I’ve got him!’ she rejoiced, throwing the book up into the air. She showed Henry what she had found and he too couldn’t believe it. So, a few days later as Henry sat around and gossiped about why the beloved saxophonist was a no-show, Amaya felt the most confident she’d ever been.

Justin may have seemed sick, but he was far from it. Unbeknownst to everyone, even to Henry who was with her that night, Amaya had snuck out with the diary. She had appeared to have put it back but somehow had snatched it up again. Hidden it behind her back all the way home. And Justin must’ve been terrified on coming back and not finding his most valuable belonging. His secrets would now cost him dearly and there was no telling how people would react. Hence, out of fear, he had called in sick.

Amaya went back home that night and pondered over it. Whether she was to blackmail Justin or simply scare him by keeping the diary a little while longer. But no… She wasn’t that cruel. Thus, she decided she would return it the next day, just as soon as she finished reading all the contents. And thankfully so. She had only read a small part of it but as she went further, her countenance began to change. There was much, much more to just the secret of Justin’s identity. There was not only Justin, but there was a James.

I have lived with him for years but he has never been

as bad as he is now. James is becoming unhinged and his

stunts are getting way out of control. I only wish people knew

how he breaks my heart. I can’t get him to change, so maybe

going away for good is what’s best.

Justin had an identical twin brother! A brother who was most malignant—all the times she’d thought Justin had been foul or unpleasant, it had actually been James all along. In fact, there had been a few times when she thought about it, that he wasn’t so bad. And that could’ve been the real Justin. Amaya was dumbstruck. She continued reading and found the reason he then left so suddenly. James had been imprisoned for a terrible offence. This had left Justin alone to sort out his affairs and pick up the pieces from his brother’s actions. When he returned, he felt the whole ordeal would be too unbelievable for anyone to comprehend and so came the idea to mask his identity.

Amaya felt awful. Poor Justin, she thought. She closed up the book immediately and rushed out the door, running as fast as she could back to the alley. She found him crouched on the pavement, sorrowful, and she knelt down. His mask was face down right beside him.

‘Here you go,’ she said softly, handing him the book.

Justin looked up at her confused.

‘It was you?! How did you—’

‘I’m so sorry, for everything. I read it, and I’m truly sorry. But you have nothing to worry about.’

‘I knew I couldn’t fool everyone,’ he said.

Amaya smiled. ‘Can we put this all behind us?’

‘I will if you will,’ he said and she nodded.

‘Now, let’s see about getting you somewhere more decent to stay. And also, a better mask. That one scares the life out of me!'

And with that, they both laughed and shook on it. They were friends at last or at least, it was a start.