Keys

Keys

She inhaled. The smell of Mahogany wood lingered in the air and stimulated her senses, sending thrills down her spine. She ran her fingers over the keys, black and white both. With her eyes tightly shut, she recalled the days where her mom would accompany her to the class that she dreaded the most. She would kick and scream and whine and punch till she was out of breath. Then reluctantly, she’d allow her mom to drag her into class. “Shhh. It’s going to be fine. It’s good for you, dear. For your future, you know?” her mom cooed softly and gently wiped away the tears flowing down her pink cheeks.  She endured years of pure agony. Never once during that period of time could she comprehend the efforts of her mom putting her through this class. Why fork out so much money just to put me through something I hate doing? Why waste my time and hers when we can do something so much more beneficial with the amount of time taken up by the class? Why? Never once did it cross her mind that it’d become a potential career path or at least a temporary source of income.

“You may start your first piece when you’re ready,” she heard the examiner say in a deep and calm yet friendly tone. She turned around towards the source of voice. She was surprised, he wasn’t old like all the other examiners she had met before. He was young -estimated in his early 20s-, tall, handsome, not dark, unfortunately. He had a mop of dark brown curls and those kind of blue eyes as clear as the finest crystal, yet misty like a fog in the atmosphere at dawn, as though a million insignificant yet profound thoughts went behind those blue eyes. His chiseled features and rugged physique complemented by his Italian custom made suit enthralled her. “Ahem, miss, would you care to start your piece now?” he said as he lifted his eyes from the paper in front of him and gave an encouraging smile, revealing a set of perfectly straight pearly whites. Scarlet trails appeared on her face in streaks, her face felt hot. She gave him a tight lipped smile and swiftly turned to her original position. ”Deep breaths, let’s show him what we’re made of,” she said in her heart and winked at the keys. With her fingers placed in position, she started her piece. Her fingers elegantly glided across the keys, hitting every note with such precision. Her body, caught in the wind of the dynamics, swayed so naturally and beautifully. Each note reminding her of her teacher’s soothing voice, each one bringing her back into the past. Legato, staccato, legato, staccato...

As the years went by, she started to love those classes. She loved how she was capable of composing a melody out of scratch. She loved how her ears could pick up chords from a song on the radio while her friends eyed her with envy. She never meant to show off, it was just her second nature and her friends understood that. “She is made for music,” they’d say as she moved her fingers on her lap -her imaginary piano- and tapped her feet to another song on the radio.  She wasn’t always like this. Once upon a time, she was a hermit. She always kept to herself and hardly met people. When she was forced to leave the house, mostly either for school or just to the nearby park, she had her head hung low; never having the guts to look anyone in the face. She had her mom’s persistency to thank. Even when she felt that she couldn’t keep up, her mom never gave up. The phrase “mothers know best” definitely proves itself to be true. Day by day, the keys became her best friends, they became the keys to her heart, unleashing the confidence in her that she was never able to muster.

Claps from behind break her thoughts and back to the present, she was. She turned to find that the examiner had got up from his seat, clearly bewildered and amused by the quality of music she had produced. The keys as it seems, have also unlocked something in his heart that brought him to life. She could have sworn that there was an infinitesimal pause as their eyes locked and her lips slid up into a smile. There was something different about his eyes. The mist, yes, the mist had cleared leaving a behind a piercing blue. He let out a hearty laugh then almost immediately dipped his head like a bashful boy. “Uhm, thank you. That was simply exquisite,” he said as he walked towards her.

“Thanks. And oh, thank YOU for having me”

“So, I’ll see you next grade?”

“Though the chances of me getting the same examiner are really thin -gossamer thin, in fact- I’ll cling on to that hope,” she said while turning the knob of the door. “After all, it IS only through hope that we are able to turn the keys that unlock one’s heart,” she expressed as she closed the door behind her. She grinned as she took a final glance at the door; the examiner’s name was imprinted in caps on a piece of paper that was stuck to it.

Who would have ever thought that many years later, she’d see that same name. Not on a door to a piano examination room, but at the door of a wedding ceremony, and right next to his name, hers. About a year later, they bore out of love, me, and here I am telling you this story in hopes that you may be inspired too. Because I do believe that the universe has a plan and that plan is always in motion. Fingers hitting the piano keys as the keys open a bounded heart. It’s a scary thought but it’s also kind of wonderful. All these little parts of the machine constantly working, making sure that you end up exactly where you’re supposed to be, exactly when you’re supposed to be there; The right place, at the right time. Mom and dad just happened to be part of it. Both key people destined to open many more locked hearts with keys. 

-Anonymous writer-

(I didn't write this, I'm just glad to help a friend. To friend, my mom would've loved reading this too) ;)