Hey everyone! I've been writing for my English class and I had this really cool assignment that I wanted to share with you all. 

The assignment was to write a story like Ernest Hemingway, who is a author who wrote short stories using the "Ice burg Theory".  

So, I decided to write the story titled "The Man and The Record Store". Can you figure out the deeper meaning? I'll tell the answer at the very end. Enjoy!

The Man and The Record Store

Walking down the busy streets of New York City, a man in a pea coat and a wide brimmed hat. He puts out his cigarette before he enters, the embers die on the sidewalk. The little record store he went into almost had everything, from the classic vinyl to even the latest CDs. The man starts browsing, his eyes wandering through the vinyl first.

"Can I help you, sir?" A woman asks the man.

"Not really. I'm just looking around."

"Vinyl has such a different sound. The crackling reminds me of a fireplace."

"It's got a unique sound."

"It does. It also holds memories." Then the man started looking at the shelf of CDs.

"My favorites are the power ballads."

"Why?" He asked the young woman.

"I'm a hopeless romantic, I guess."

"Why would anyone in their right mind like the overly sugar-coated songs about love?"

"Possibilities. Memories. Or maybe they just like the sound of it."

The man scoffed as he looked now into the section where artists like Bon Jovi and David Bowie lived on the shelf.

"Bowie was a great artist. His music was interesting to say the least." The woman said.

"Yeah, he one of those artists that changed with the times. Any favorites?"

"Absolute Beginners."

"Why is that?"

"The beautiful undertones, the music video, and mainly because of the images it puts in your mind. How about you?"

"I was more into Let's Dance and Drive-In Saturday myself." The man said.

"Why those songs?"

"Memories, I guess."

"Any other artists that you liked?"

"The Stones, The Beatles. Mainly those artists who made an impact. I don't always go with the times." The man said as he took his hat off, revealing his slicked back orange-blond hair.

"Do you want a recommendation?"

"Sure."

The woman took a CD off the shelf, a broken old house was its cover.

"This is new, but a good listen."

"What is this?"

"This House is Not for Sale. It's a chart topper. It also serves its purpose of new beginnings."

"New beginnings?"

"Yeah, this is the first studio album without their old guitarist, Richie Sambora."

"So it's a new beginning with a new line up..." He looked at the tracks and their titles. What intrigued him the most was Living with A Ghost. He pointed to the track.

"Do you know what that track is about?"

"Yeah, mostly by interpretation."

"Isn't that always with any art?"

"I guess so."

"Art is beautiful, especially music." The woman said.

"Isn't that a little bias?"

"I guess, but honestly, I couldn't live without music."

"I've enjoyed music, especially when I was happy."

"Aren't you happy now, sir?"

"It's a bit of mixed emotions right now."

"Oh." And she picked up another CD from the shelf.

"Here is another CD you might want to listen to." She handed the man a CD with woman on the front cover.

"Firehouse?"

"Yeah, they are a pretty cool 90's band with that rockin' 80's vibe. They are known for songs like Don't Treat Me Bad and All She Wrote."

"You like these bands who came out of the 80's, huh?"

"It was a time of romantic power ballads, romantic movies and chivalry wasn't dead yet." She lightly laughed, the man just sadly smiled. The woman looked at the man and smiled.

"Are you okay, sir?"

"I'll be fine. Any more recommendations?"

"Hmm... how about this one?" She ran her fingers through the CD shelf.

"Here we go. Poison, it's another 80's favorite of mine. They had great hits like Every Rose Has Its Thorn. They are a really good band."

"I see." And he looked at his watch.

"It's already getting late."

"I guess it is."

"Well, I'll take these CDs. Thank you for helping me pick out some CDs. I'll give these a listen."

"Great. If you ever come back, come see me and I may be able to give you more recommendations."

"Sure, I'd like to. I haven't had a decent conversation in long time." The woman lightly laughed.

"It was quite an interesting conversation to say the least. It's not every day I get to talk about my favorite bands and someone truly listens."

"Yeah, it's nice when someone actually pays attention. It's also nice when you have someone to listen to you."

"Yeah, it does. Have a nice day, sir."

"Thanks, you too."

Then the man put his hat back on and went out. He took out a cigarette and placed it between his lips. He took out a lighter and lit up his cigarette, the smoke giving him a warm and comforting feeling.

So, what do you think the deeper meaning of this story is? 

Put your guess here! :)

ANSWER WILL BE REVEALED NOW!

Answer: The man just went though divorce

Clues: The song titles mentioned by the woman in the record store are mainly love songs. The man mentioning his favorites being Let's Dance and Drive-In Saturday, this hints that he loved the songs about the good times with a girl. When the girl mentions songs like All She Wrote and Every Rose Has Its Thorn, this gives a clue about losing a girl. Other clues can be also seen in how the man reacts to words that talk about love and how he enjoyed the decent conversation he had with the girl.

Well, I hope you all enjoyed the story. 

That was my randomness!