Sola Musica by Mina V. Esguerra

Author:Mina V. Esguerra
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: beach, family, asian, philippines, new adult, music festival
Publisher: Mina V. Esguerra

***

Later that afternoon, while lying on the bed she had called dibs on earlier, Gem took out a notebook and stared at one of its blank sheets. She pulled out a pencil that was in need of sharpening and began doodling. She hoped that if she literally put a pencil to paper, something would happen. As the hot, orange rays of the afternoon sun shone through the open window next to her bed, she began writing random words: love, life, sand, surf, chia seeds.

“Are you finally writing?” Dan plopped down next to her on the bed.

Gem scooted away without looking up. “Go away, Dan.”

“Disjointed words do not a song make, Gemmy,” he said peering at her paper.

Gem immediately whacked his arm with her notebook. “You think I don’t know that?!”

Grinning, Dan jumped up and yanked her by her forearm. “If it’s not happening, it’s not happening. Let’s head to the beach and check out Eula’s stall. The other kids are coming too.”

“Other kids?”

“You didn’t hear them arrive? Your cousins! Or maybe Eula’s cousins on her other side. Anyway, there are like ten of them! I think a few might have to share our room.”

Gem walked into the living room and was greeted by boisterous laughter and bags of all shapes and sizes covering the floor. But her annoyed expression vanished instantly when she recognized her cousins—seven of them, born within a few months of each other. If she could gather enough courage to actually perform, she was glad they were there to scream her name.

“Guys, Gem’s here!” one of them yelled. She was quickly engulfed in hugs and kisses.

Not surprisingly, Dan was already high-fiveing a few of the guys. He was that friendly. She didn’t recall ever introducing him to any of them.

“So are we hitting the beach?” sixteen-year-old Tara asked. With her hair tied in a bouncy ponytail and in her neon orange bikini top and white denim shorts, she was clearly ready. “I’m helping Eula sell. Can’t believe Mom allowed all of us to come! This is going to be so great.”

Gem smiled at her cousins. They came from three different families: her uncles had two children each while her aunt had three. Then there was Gem and fifteen-year-old Parker. Poor Parker probably didn’t know about the family outing—as usual. With his nose always buried in a video game or a fantasy novel, he hardly talked to the rest of the family and usually begged off when they hung out together. “Okay, let’s go!” she said.

There were regular shuttles ferrying people back and forth to the cove so they didn’t have to trek all the way. It was on the shuttle, looking at her cousins carrying several canvases in different sizes that Gem realized Eula probably agreed to have everyone stay over so they could help carry the paintings to the beach. Because there were so many of them, it didn’t look like Eula would have to make too many trips back and forth.

The moment her feet touched the sand, Gem suddenly had a disorienting flashback to her childhood.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.