Carolyn went in stages. First, she’d punch her way through her homework, studying as hard and fast as possible. Unfortunately, she was ridiculously fast as it was, and she’d be done too soon. Then she’d hit the gym and work out, practicing kicks and punches up on the high beam to test her balance. When she was finally exhausted, Melanie would find her sprawled on the floor of the den with all the blinds closed and all the lights off, listening to music.
Carolyn had a habit of listening to raw music, demos and one-takes of songs by random people Melanie had never heard of.
“Why do you do it?” Melanie asked. “The music, I mean.”
The crazy studying and working out was obvious - it was Carolyn’s way of coping with stress. Melanie sort of envied Carolyn’s ability to turn her stress into productivity.
“If I cut off all my other senses, I can fully absorb the song. Taste it on the tip of my tongue, feel it in my bones.” Carolyn smiled and tugged off her headphones. “For three-odd minutes, it’s like being in another world.”
“Where do you find this music, anyway? I’ve never heard of any of these bands.” Melanie squinted at the names scrawled on the surface of the burned CD.
Carolyn held out her headphones. “Close your eyes and listen to their voices and see if you recognize any of them, hm?”
Melanie accepted the headphones and laid back on the hardwood floor, closed her eyes. Then she let the song wash over her. She didn’t recognize the lyrics or the voice, but the song was soothing. It came with its own brand of melancholy and optimism, and at the end of a day like today, Melanie could see why Carolyn liked it.
“I only heard one voice.” Melanie tugged off the headphones.
“What? Oh. Wrong version of the right song.” Carolyn shuffled through her CDs. “Here - try this one. Raw studio track, but decent nonetheless.”
Melanie closed her eyes and tugged on the headphones, lay back and wait for the music to wash over her. It was like being in another world. She could feel the beat in her bones - and the song had a surprisingly heavy back beat - and the guitar notes dancing across her skin.
And the voices - she almost missed the switch from verse to chorus, from one singer to another. If she focused on each note, each syllable, she felt like she was floating. Floating back to a place in her youth when there was no stress, no finals, no student loans, just happy pop music.
The song ended, and she opened her eyes. “That was...I can see why you do it.”
Carolyn grinned. “Did you recognize their voices?”
“Should I have?”
Carolyn shrugged. “If you didn’t, it’s no big deal.”
Some internet searching later, Melanie learned that same same was not the name of a band, but Thai slang for twins.
(495 words - I love the cover version of this song, but I like the original, too)
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