Living under someone's shadow is not easy. But in what sense? You see, this is the case of Cole, he is the son of a very famous rock guitarist. This man named Lucas was so famous that today he is remembered as a star. When we talk about someone who has excelled within the genre, that is undoubtedly Lucas. Everyone remembers him as the famous Don Lucas for his great talent. Now imagine that you have a son who also wants to be a guitarist having this fame. What will happen? Well, you will live your whole life under the shadow of your father. In the sense that either you will have to surpass him or the people and fans will demand that you be as good as him to honor his legacy.
Well, it was in this scenario that Cole was born. As expected, he studied at the best schools from a young age, and his family made sure that he received the best education. He is also an only child, so he received all the pampering that money and parental love can offer. When he grew up, he entered university and graduated. Later, he went to several music academies that his family, and Lucas in particular, urged him to attend so that he could prepare well and become a good guitarist in the future. From the beginning, he faced pressure from others to be just like Lucas in every way. His classmates and teachers always told him that he had to be just as good or better than Lucas, otherwise he would be an embarrassment to his family.
With time and preparation, Cole became very good at playing the guitar as well. So much so that people were already starting to compare him to his father. Without a doubt, he had worked hard to get to this point. He and Lucas often played together and toured various parts of the world. But despite the fame he achieved, Cole was never really happy, much less satisfied with his life. He always felt that he was under the shadow of his Lucas, that he was not the same person who was playing. He could not use a distinctive style or do something more original that would move away from the hard rock that everyone loved at the time.
Despite all that, the worst thing for him was being asked for perfection all the time. Lucas rarely made mistakes, so fans demanded the same from him. And the times that he did make mistakes, he was the object of ridicule on social media and they told him comments like he would never be that great, that his shoes were too big for him. Even though he felt bad, he decided that he should leave the family legacy aside, so he continued to strive every day to improve. But one day everything changed, some would say for the better and others for the worse. Lucas's father announced that he was retiring from music and that he was leaving his son in his place. The truth is that he was at an advanced age that no longer allowed him to keep up with the pressure of the industry. These had been years of a good and profitable career, and he was ready to retire.
Lucas was calm because he left his legacy intact in his Cole, who was playing better and better, you could say almost at the same level as him. But his father's retirement had repercussions on Cole on a level he never imagined. Up until this point he had followed his entire career very closely, following his legacy and becoming more like him every day in his playing style. But until now he had never been the same, he had not been able to play the guitar in his own way or in the genres he liked the most. He saw that his father was already satisfied with his career, he had done everything he had wanted, but when he himself imagined himself in those old years following in his father's shadow he did not see himself as a happy man because he would never be the same in reality.
There was really only one way to change this future and that was to face Lucas and make it clear to him that from now on he would take a different path, following his own steps and seeking his own future. But doing so would not be easy, and the public reaction to the change would be harsh. Still, Cole believed that the time to make the change was now, not when it was too late to be sorry later. For this reason, he called his father and told him to turn off the TV because he had to talk to him about an important matter. His father listened to him and sat down next to him to see what he wanted. Cole was very clear and straight to the point. He told him that he loved him very much and that he was very grateful for everything he had done for him in all these years, but that his career was not his career, and in the same way that his style was not his style.
Lucas took a deep breath, Cole thought he was going to scream but no, something else happened. Against all odds, he understood. He told him that if that was what he wanted, he would not oppose it. He also told him that he was sorry for not letting him be freer before, and that he should forgive him. Cole didn't understand why it was so easy, maybe his father was just afraid that his legacy would be lost. That's why Cole promised him that he would keep his legacy intact and always try to improve, but in his own way.
