Chapter 2: Better Fit

On the way home from dinner, after the father complimented his new daughter on her perfume, he found a rotten apple core under the seat. The former son had left it in the car. The sweet apple smell made him glad that he had traded in the slob, because the gross apple core, covered in dirt and ants, made him cry and feel sick to his stomach.

Overall, they liked her, and she fit their lifestyle better, but after only a month, both parents started to have poor sleep and woke up each morning in tears. They missed the music in the house.

The father realized how much he missed the boy when he saw a flyer for a classical concert and rushed home to tell the boy that he had bought a ticket as a present, but couldn’t find him. The new daughter didn’t want the ticket, nor did the wife, nor the husband. He ended up giving the ticket to one of their former son’s friends, who very much enjoyed the performance and said the boy played well when the father asked the following weekend.

On his way home from shopping, he passed and stopped in Crazy Bob’s store. A huge warehouse-like place, with glass-walled rooms filled with teenagers of every description. Most played video games, while a few read. None played music like the boy used to.