Chapter 7:
Music and Miss Romance
My fingers drummed furiously on the side of the chair in which I sat. Nerves beyond any that I’d dealt with before were causing my heartbeat to speed to that of a hummingbird. It didn’t help that no one but the person auditioning was allowed inside the tiny and dark waiting room. Its occupants had slowly filed through a small door in the back of the room, which led to where the auditions were being held.
The only person (other than myself) left was a girl with electric-blue eyes and a sharp face. Her eyes stood out to me because of the pace at which they were flying around the room, either out of nerves of boredom. Eventually, they settled on me.
“So,” I jumped in my seat and turned to look at her. “Whaddaya play?” Adrenaline already coursing through my veins, the sudden noise of her cool-yet-carrying voice cutting through the silence had nearly given me a heart attack.
“Sorry?”
“What-do-you-play? As in, instruments.” Her eyes were trained on my fingers, still unconsciously running through my piece, which was a perfected version of Mom’s song.
“Oh…I play piano.” My reply was awkward and halfhearted, and she smirked knowingly.
“Figured. From the looks of it, your piece is pretty complex as well.” I gaped at her awkwardly once more before replying.
“Well…yeah, it is. Er…What do you play?” I fumbled and tripped over my wors, trying desperately to sound calm as her eyes continued to inspect me, her unnerving smirk plastered on.
“Bass. Ever since I’ve been big enough to hold one, I’ve played it.” She looked as though she was remembering something funny. “Nervous?”
“Yeah. My hands keep shaking.” They were shaking, badly at that. I was barely able to keep up the drumming they were shaking so violently. I obviously wasn’t going to be able to keep her from seeing them, so I went ahead and told her.
“Mine, too.” She held out her hands, which was shaking just as badly as mine. “Name’s Calypso, by the way. What’s yours?” Calypso looked at me expectantly.
“Oasis.” My entire body was shaking. This girl seemed to be able to see straight through any act of calmness of secrecy I could put up.
“Well, hi there, Oasis! Nice ta meetcha!” She then held her hand up in the air and waited, smiling. We sat there for a full thirty seconds, her waiting and me staring dumfounded at the airborne hand. I had no idea what she was doing, or why she was still speaking to me. “Uh…Are you going to give me a hi-five?”
“Hi-what?”
“You’re not serious.” She glared at me. “Don’t tell me you don’t know what a hi-five is. Everyone knows that.” I didn’t know. Had I grown up normally, in school with fiends, probably would have. But, as it stood, I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about.
“I really don-”
“Hush. I’ll teach you. Hold up your hand.” I obeyed. “Now hit my hand with yours.”
I reached over and gave her hand a measly, shaky pat.
“You’re hopeless. Now. Hi-five me.” She said this with such force that I was freighted into obeying. I hi-fived her. “Yes! Good job!” She was back to smirking again.
Despite my nerves and hesitation to think about anything but the coming task, I found myself starting to like Calypso, finding her slightly prude and loud ways sort of amusing. Who does THAT remind me of?
After the hi-five incident, I opened up to her a more. We talked for a few minutes until I discovered that she had attended high school in Briocheport.
“Did you really?”
“Yeah, I sorta miss it. But, all my friends have moved on, and I figured I needed to as well. Which is why I’m here. Lion always told me I needed to do something with my music.” One word stood out to me. Lion?
“Wait, Lion? As in, Lion Mirage?”
“Yeah. Know him?”
“We sorta… met on my first and only trip to Briocheport.” not wanting to delve into the reason I’d been there, I kept the details vague. “How is he?”
“I dunno… last I saw of him, he was going away to medical school. Dude was smart, and he really had it all figured out. He wants to work in the hospital, but he’s also getting a degree in psychology so he can help… how did he word it?…oh, yeah. ‘Unstable’ patients.” I smiled hearing this. I was so glad that Lion had actually done something with his smarts, which I had drawn out of him what felt like ages ago. “What I’ve always wanted to know is,” She continued, “who made him want to do that? He shows up to English one day, just jabbering on about how he wants to help crazies. Tells me he met someone who needed help that should’ve been provided, yada, yada, yada…”
“Huh. He really did love helping people.” I reminisced for a moment. “I kinda want to know his inspiration as well…it must’ve been someone he met while at his mother’s work.”
I was about to continue, when the doors at the back of the room opend, revealing the grumpy looking woman holding the auditions.
“Calypso Romance. You’re up.” She grunted.
“Well,” she hopped up. “I’ll see ya later. Here’s hoping we both make it!” She help up her hand and formed her fingers into a gesture I would later find out was called a ‘peace sign’.
She disappeared from the room, leaving me in absolute silence. I could hear the low notes of a bass being played and, from what I could tell, she was excellent. I hoped she would make the cut, she had reminded me a lot of Lion.
Minutes inched, crawled, and grinded by. Most of them were filled up with thoughts of my song, but my mind kept drifting to Lion. How was he doing? Did he miss me?
Finally, after what seemed like hours, the unpleasant woman returned for me.
The audition room had various instruments strewn about, and I slid behind the electric keyboard the company had provided.
As always, the moment my fingers touched the keys, time seemed to freeze. But, somehow, it was different. I was filled with some sort of giddy happiness that I had no explanation for.
It was like when I’d ridden my first lap on a bicycle, or walked again with Lion. I felt proud.
Notes flowed, and with the added complexity that I’d spent the last couple of years secretly perfecting, my mother’s song seemed to come to life. My fingers a blur, I no longer felt presence of the plump judge in the room, It was only my mother’s song and I.
I felt my eyes tear up, as they so often did, as the chorus reached a crescendo. It cascaded around me, creating a bubble that included only my music and I. I felt as though everything that had ever happened to me was far, far away, and I felt truly accomplished.
Memories, notes, and a beautiful song. It seemed at though my entire life had been leading up to that point…I could only hope Mom was proud.
I stoked the keys a final time and without bothering to look at the judge, I stood up and smiled as I walked out.
~
“What if they don’t pick me? What if they didn’t like it?”
“Oasis, love, calm down. You’re the best pianist in miles, how couldn’t they?” I had a suspicion that dad was exaggerating, but I was too anxious to be modest.
Dad sat across from me, watching me pace the kitchen while he sipped in a mug of coffee. His face looked calm, but I’d known him too long to fall for the peaceful façade. He was every bit as nervous as I was, and the way he was gripping the handle of the mug so tightly proved it.
We were waiting for a phone call that would let us know whether on not I’d made the band. My entire future seemed to hang precariously from what news we’d receive when I picked up the phone.
Back and forth, back and forth, I paced as my bare feet padded on the cold tile. A gentle autumn chill had set in and frost thinly coated the windows.
After what felt like centuries, the phone rang.
I padded over to the receiver and picked it up with a shaking hand, desperately hoping I would be accepted. My heart pounded and my voice shook as I spoke.
“Hello?”
“Yes, is this the Dawn residence?” A female voice filled with musical tones spoke.
“Yes, y-yes this is.”
“I’ve called to inform you of the results of Oasis’ audition. After a bit of deliberation, it was decided that,” Keep calm, Oasis. Despite my efforts to remain calm, I could feel the adrenaline rushing through me, like galloping steer in a storm. My blood was stampeding through my veins, pushed forward by my racing heart.
“Oasis Dawn is perfect for the look and sound of the band. We look forward to seeing her in the first rehearsal on Monday, which will be held at Sugarspring Tracks at four-o-clock sharp. Thank you.”
The woman with the musical voice hung up, and for a moment I was silent. Dad looked at me, eyebrow raised, waiting for me to relay the new which I had not yet processed.
Suddenly, it seemed my mind clicked into place.
The noise that I made can only be described with one word: screech. It cut right through the frosty air, and dad stood up in a flash, unable to decipher my erratic behavior and looking extremely worried. It took him a full ten seconds to figure out what I was screeching, by which point, he’d already picked up the phone and had his fingers indecisively hovering over the numbers..
“I made it! I made it! I made it, Dad, I made it!” his features softened and he put down the phone.
“That’s great! I knew you would, O!” Dad smiled at me and walked over to pull me into a hug.
It wasn’t until much, much later I realized how truly worried he looked under his smile and laughter.
~~
AN: Huzzah! On time, just as promised! I hope you enjoyed the latest installment of the rainbowcy. I am indeed, back form the little hiatus, and here's proof! :)
