Mai Legacy
1.2 - Karaoke Cash
James had been living in Windenburg for a solid month, and had used what little money he had left after purchasing his little area of land to build a tiny, one room house. It was cheap looking, and made completely of drywall, as James couldn't justify buying materials to make it look nice yet. The interior didn’t have more than a bed, but it worked for the time being. Maybe... going for a lot on an island off the coast of downtown Windenburg hadn't been the smartest decision financially.
James definitely wasn't living the incredible "I do what I want" lifestyle he'd originally envisioned when he left home for Windenburg, but he was sure it would come eventually. Or, at least, he hoped it would. For now, James was thrilled that he finally got to live on an island, which was something he'd always wanted to do. In his opinion, it had to be the direct opposite of the desert he'd grown up in. He was surrounded by water, not sand. At the very least, he'd achieved his goal of getting away from what Oasis Springs was fundamentally. Sure, living on an island was a little inconvenient, and James always had to ride the ferry across the water to old town Windenburg so he could use the showers at the gym and buy cheap food at the cafes, but he could finally say his life was interesting. And, luckily, the ferry was free.
Outside of painting, James also built up a small garden just outside his front door consisting of various fruits and vegetables native to the island he lived on. It wasn't much, but he'd found he could make a some pocket change selling the produce at the farmers market, and sometimes, when money got too tight, he could eat something from his garden as a meal instead of spending money at a cafe in old town Windenburg.
Regardless, he was happy. So happy, in fact, that James had recently taken to singing while managing his garden. It was something he wouldn't have ever done at home, as it likely would have been yet another thing for his parents to critique, but on his small island property in Windenburg? He was free to do whatever he pleased.
One morning, while out gardening, James's neighbor, Joaquin dropped by. He'd heard James singing late at night, so he dropped by in the morning to let him know that a karaoke bar in the nearby town of San Myshuno would be holding a singing competition a few days from then for cash.
“You’re pretty good,” Joaquin said. "I hear you sometimes while I'm out jogging around the island."
“It’s that obvious I need cash, huh?” James smiled.
Joaquin nodded quickly. “The ferry to Windenburg actually does free trips to San Myshuno on the weekends. It isn’t that far from here. And even if, it only costs around 100 dollars per round trip anyway.”
James forced a smile. 100 dollars? He guessed he didn’t come off as poor as he actually was. James thanked him anyway, and prepared to go. He did desperately need the money. Even if James didn’t win, he could always find some inspiration for future paintings or visit the Casbah Gallery his dad had always told him so much about.
Three days from that day, James took the ferry to San Myshuno. He started off by visiting the Casbah Gallery, and was nothing but impressed. The stories his dad had told were true. The best of the best hung there, and unsurprisingly, there wasn't a single piece by his father. Completely unknown outside of Oasis Springs. He couldn't believe his dad had ever expected him to be able to be good enough to display a piece there.
James spent nearly the entire day at the gallery, and before he knew it, and it was time for the karaoke competition. He showed up about an hour late, and walked in to a blonde woman singing her heart out. She sounded absolutely divine. James sighed, and braced himself for the humiliation he was clearly about to face. It was obvious that he stood no chance here. Once she finished the singing, the woman walked over to him, having spotted him watching.
“You here for the competition?” she asked.
James nodded.
“I’m Susan,” she smiled. "Regular here at Planet Honeypop. Never seen you around before, you new in town, or just visiting?"
“I'm James,” James said, holding out his hand. "And I just moved here."
“Let’s see how you do,” she said, taking his hand and nodding slowly, her eyes sizing him up.
A few minutes later, the stage was open again, James anxiously walked up to the mic, and looked anxiously out to the crowd. Within that crowd, he saw Susan, who flashed him a thumbs up. He took a deep breath, and slowly started to sing, gaining confidence the further he got into the song. Honestly, he surprised himself. He'd only ever sang before while gardening, or cleaning, or mixing paint for colors. He'd always just felt like it put him in the right mood. To sing here, and for the audience clap as much as they'd clapped for Susan when he finished the song was something truly shocking.
“Not bad James!” Susan grinned, walking up to James once he stepped off the stage. “Let me treat you to a drink.”
Susan and James sat at the bar, drinking and chatting until late in the night. At a certain point, the bar owner announced the winner of the competition.
“…and the winner is... James Mai! Come on up and get your prize!”
Susan shrugged, and gave James a high-five. Walking up to the stage surrounded by loud applause, he grabbed the envelope of cash. As he grabbed it, he couldn't help but feel bad for Susan. They'd both talked about how hard it was for each of them financially at the moment. James had nothing, and Susan struggled to pay rent every week, only able to pay it if she skipped a meal or two a day. She lived in the Fashion District of San Myshuno, which wasn’t cheap, apparently.
"Hey, Susan..." James said awkwardly once he returned to the bar. "Do you want any of this? I don't mind, you need it just as much as I do..."
Susan shook her head.
"Please, I insist," James said, holding out the envelope.
“No. You go on home, karaoke boy.” Susan slurred, half drunk. “You have a ferry to catch.” She grabbed his phone, and typed something into it. “There’s my number. Call me, okay? It just better not be about giving me pity money.”
James walked out of that karaoke bar grinning proudly. Not only could James afford a shower and possibly a cheap kitchen, but James had finally made a friend in Windenburg.