I Quit

“I quit!” two simple words that got me scolded when I’d scream them as a child. Growing up my parents told me quitting means failure. They would then go on to list some famous person like Albert Einstein and say, “if he quit you wouldn’t have this light to do your homework!” to which I would have to say through sobs “it was Edison who invented the lightbulb.” But I guess their logic worked well enough because, I made it through high school and I’m going to college in the fall. Right now, though? I’m working at Patties Diner. I’ve worked here so long that I know all the regulars. Craig comes in every morning at 8:00 am sharp for a cup of coffee and a bran muffin. “Hey Marie, how’s the music coming?” “Still working on it Craig. Here you go enjoy.” I hand him his order and continue serving people until my lunch break rolls around at 1:30. I hang up my apron, grab my guitar case from the back room and walk across the street to Harriet Park. I’ve been coming to this park ever since I was little. I used to hang out here every day after school and avoid doing my homework for as long as possible. Now this park serves as my hideaway from work. I walk over to my favorite oak tree and pull my notebook, pen and guitar out of the case. The park is filled with parents and their kids and people having picnics, I sit and watch people in hopes to draw inspiration for my music. Writing music is my way of processing the world. It’s my escape from the reality that is quite literally a burning planet. I’ve been writing song lyrics ever since I can remember, when I was sixteen, I decided to buy a guitar with my first paycheck from Patties. My parents tell me that I need to have an actual career path that isn’t just music, which Is why I’m attending college in the fall. My mom told me that if I majored in education and music, I could become a music teacher and have reliable career while still doing what I love. There’s not a chance that I’m doing that, but I am taking music classes along with my generals next fall. “HEADS UP!” I look up from my notebook and see a soccer ball flying my direction. It lands with a loud thud just inches from my guitar. The kids just shout at me to throw the ball back, unbothered that they nearly took me out. I go back to staring at my notebook and start to scribble out some chords for lyrics I started yesterday. An hour later I’m walking back to work to finish up my shift for the day. Before I clock out at 5:15, I pour a hot cup of coffee and put an oatmeal cookie on a plate, at exactly 5:10 the door chimes. “Hello Marie dear how’s the music coming?”. Sheryl at 70 years young always tells me I’m going to sell out stadiums someday. “you’ll be on every radio station I just know it”. I always thank her and say, “that’s the plan”, but deep down I feel like my parents are right and choosing a steady career path might be the best option. 5:15 the clock ticks, I say goodnight to my coworkers, hang up my apron in the back, grab my guitar, and head to the park. I’ve got about an hour before I get a phone call from my mom telling me I better not be late for dinner or else my guitar is confiscated for the next week. I know she’d never do that, but I’m never late because I don’t want to risk it. I finish up the song I’d been working on and pack up my things to walk home. I only live about mile from the park, so I use the walking time to take in the summer days, I listen to music and ramble through potential song lyrics in my head. When I got home, I went to my room, and I started plucking out a melody and humming lyrics from the park. I pulled out my journal and jotted down a few more notes…” “MARIE!” I hit save on my paper and swung open my dorm door. My best friend Leah was standing there grinning ear to ear. “Can I help you?” I laughed and she walked into my room and plopped down on my bed. “I need to finish my paper for our English 191 class tomorrow. Why do I need to write a paper on what inspires me anyways? And why is it that when fall semester is winding down, all my classes decided that this would be a good time to have fifteen assignments due..” “shush just wait” she cuts me off mid-sentence.  “I promise you’ll want to hear this.” She opens the 93.7 pop radio app on her phone. Why she still uses a radio app is beyond me, but she claims its “vintage” and “I like to keep up with local music” or something dumb. Just then I hear the radio DJ say something that makes me freeze in my tracks. “This next song is from a local upcoming artist called “Marie” the song is called “I quit” and its sure to become Americas number one pop hit” I stood there in shock as my voice carried through her phone speakers on our local pop radio station. “So I might have done something” Leah says with the biggest smile on her face. I could fee tears starting to stream down my face and as we both screamed with excitement. “How?” I asked her still crying. “I might have called into the station and told them the best song to ever exist was just put on Spotify and they should really be the ones to say they were the first to play it…or something like that. I always call in to request music, they love me so of course they were going to play my best friend’s song” She was beaming with excitement. I couldn’t believe it, I Marie, was on the radio. Just then I had a flashback to little me crying at the table saying, “I quit”. Well, I guess my parents were right, for telling me quitting, was never an option.