The Piano Recital (continued)
A continuation from this. The Piano Room.
(contniued...)
"Don't cry. It'll be over in just a few days." He said. "You can do it. I know you can. Hey, you're not you for nothing you know." Then he hugged me tightly.
(contniued...)
"Don't cry. It'll be over in just a few days." He said. "You can do it. I know you can. Hey, you're not you for nothing you know." Then he hugged me tightly.
I lifted my head up to look at him. His left thumb reached up to my face and wiped away the tears that ran down my cheeks. First the left side then the right side. If I looked like a dork after crying, he either did not notice it or just pretended not to. I looked deeply into his eyes and smiled gratefully.
Standing up, he patted my right shoulder as I resumed the proper sitting position of a pianist. "I'll let you practise somemore. I'll be in the lounge if you should ever need me." He said and smiled that affectionate smile of his which I always loved. He then turned and walked out of the piano room.
Feeling renewed, focused and determined again, I poured out all my heart and soul into practice for that day.
Days passed by quickly. Practice became more intense as the day of the performance approached. I became more focused as I concentrated on performing a flawless piece on that day. All I wanted was to give my best for that occasion. Never mind that Beethoven was a great German composer and pianist, or he was deaf, Fur Elise was constantly on my mind.
Saturday could not have arrived fast enough. Throughout the whole week, the whole uni was in a frenzy getting ready for this important day. The Dewan Hang Tuah was decorated extensively, the hall seats were spruced up, the stage and hall lights were tested, the stage floor was polished and returned to its former glory after months of neglect.
Dressed in a simple yet elegant black piano recital dress, I stood by the left wing of stage, hiding behind the red and heavy tapered curtains. Suzanne was up on stage now, doing her rendition of the famous Teresa Teng's "The Moon Represents My Heart" song. I would be up next when the curtain falls to give us time to rearrange the stage as the grand piano is brought in.
Feeling nervous with butterflies in my stomach, I gripped the edge of the stage curtain with my long slender fingers. Manicured on purpose for today's event, my nails were mauve in colour and evenly shaped unlike the many other times when they were just as they were, bare. Still gripping the curtain, I kept myself hidden as I surveyed that large crowd that had come to witness our uni's musical performance. Comprising of the university's academicians and highly ranked academic officials, it was enough to send me running from the hall at the sight of them.
I was turning to head back to the dressing room for a last final touch up when I saw him. His familiar face with the familiar way his hair dropped over his forehead. I started and looked again. There he was. Sitting among other students of our university, looking slightly bemused and bored. I laughed inside of me. He was after all, a popular piano player in the university. But here he was looking slightly lost. It was one of the rare times that he was not up on stage performing.
Suzanne stopped singing and took an elegant curtsey in the middle of the stage. The crowd applauded and the curtain began to drop. I tore my eyes away from his face, my hands now clammy with my cold sweat. Ms Kim, my mentor, came up to me and gave me a hug. She gave me words of assurance as I quickly headed to the dressing room to touch up. I could hear murmurs among the crowd as they took a break. Two men were pushing the grand piano to the middle of the stage behind the fallen curtains.
Five minutes later, I was seated on the piano chair. My fingers poised above the first few starting keys of the piano piece. My sheet music was neatly placed on the stand. The curtain began to rise and bright lights began to seep through underneath them onto the stage. The audience was like a black hole in the outer space as all lights were focusing on me and the stage now. Even if I wanted to look for him, I would not be able to.
The audience was silent in anticipation. The MC announced the upcoming item on today's musical performance and I took that as my cue and prepared myself to play. Whatsoever nervousness I felt at the beginning of the event began to dissipate as I immersed myself into the music. I was tempted to close my eyes and envision myself elsewhere other than on the stage. But I had to keep my eyes on the music notes in front of me as I expertly and diligently played them out.
All the long hours of practice and hard work I put in for this performance ended in just three minutes as Beethoven's Fur Elise piano piece came to an end. A three minute piece that gave me sleepless nights now and then. A three minute piece.
I finished playing and gently rested my fingers on the keys. After a few seconds, I slowly pushed the piano chair behind and stood up. Ms. Kim who was standing in the left wing, smiled at me, visibly pleased with my performance. The audience which was as silent as the night, burst out with a thundering applause as I walked calmly to the front of the stage. I had finally done it. I could feel myself beaming with pride as I did my curtsey to the audience.
I looked up into the audience and this time, I could see him clearly. He had his eyes on me too. Our eyes connected and both of us smiled secretly at each other through that distance. I on the stage and he among the audience. He flashed me his thumbs up sign and his broad grin as the curtains began to make their way down again. This time I laughed outwardly and headed to the back of stage. Everything was just as it is. Perfect.
The End.
(It took me a year to finish this SHORT story. Lol. I hope you people like it. It's raw because it's a beginner's attempt. I appreciate comments be it bad, good, no plot, not deep enough. a bit lost, whatever. Just dish in the comments. Anonymity is accepted. Thanks!)
Feeling nervous with butterflies in my stomach, I gripped the edge of the stage curtain with my long slender fingers. Manicured on purpose for today's event, my nails were mauve in colour and evenly shaped unlike the many other times when they were just as they were, bare. Still gripping the curtain, I kept myself hidden as I surveyed that large crowd that had come to witness our uni's musical performance. Comprising of the university's academicians and highly ranked academic officials, it was enough to send me running from the hall at the sight of them.
I was turning to head back to the dressing room for a last final touch up when I saw him. His familiar face with the familiar way his hair dropped over his forehead. I started and looked again. There he was. Sitting among other students of our university, looking slightly bemused and bored. I laughed inside of me. He was after all, a popular piano player in the university. But here he was looking slightly lost. It was one of the rare times that he was not up on stage performing.
Suzanne stopped singing and took an elegant curtsey in the middle of the stage. The crowd applauded and the curtain began to drop. I tore my eyes away from his face, my hands now clammy with my cold sweat. Ms Kim, my mentor, came up to me and gave me a hug. She gave me words of assurance as I quickly headed to the dressing room to touch up. I could hear murmurs among the crowd as they took a break. Two men were pushing the grand piano to the middle of the stage behind the fallen curtains.
Five minutes later, I was seated on the piano chair. My fingers poised above the first few starting keys of the piano piece. My sheet music was neatly placed on the stand. The curtain began to rise and bright lights began to seep through underneath them onto the stage. The audience was like a black hole in the outer space as all lights were focusing on me and the stage now. Even if I wanted to look for him, I would not be able to.
The audience was silent in anticipation. The MC announced the upcoming item on today's musical performance and I took that as my cue and prepared myself to play. Whatsoever nervousness I felt at the beginning of the event began to dissipate as I immersed myself into the music. I was tempted to close my eyes and envision myself elsewhere other than on the stage. But I had to keep my eyes on the music notes in front of me as I expertly and diligently played them out.
All the long hours of practice and hard work I put in for this performance ended in just three minutes as Beethoven's Fur Elise piano piece came to an end. A three minute piece that gave me sleepless nights now and then. A three minute piece.
I finished playing and gently rested my fingers on the keys. After a few seconds, I slowly pushed the piano chair behind and stood up. Ms. Kim who was standing in the left wing, smiled at me, visibly pleased with my performance. The audience which was as silent as the night, burst out with a thundering applause as I walked calmly to the front of the stage. I had finally done it. I could feel myself beaming with pride as I did my curtsey to the audience.
I looked up into the audience and this time, I could see him clearly. He had his eyes on me too. Our eyes connected and both of us smiled secretly at each other through that distance. I on the stage and he among the audience. He flashed me his thumbs up sign and his broad grin as the curtains began to make their way down again. This time I laughed outwardly and headed to the back of stage. Everything was just as it is. Perfect.
The End.
(It took me a year to finish this SHORT story. Lol. I hope you people like it. It's raw because it's a beginner's attempt. I appreciate comments be it bad, good, no plot, not deep enough. a bit lost, whatever. Just dish in the comments. Anonymity is accepted. Thanks!)
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