The Colors In Her Voice

☆Chapter 30☆

'The curtains are gonna open. The curtains are gonna open. The curtains are gonna open. The curtains are gonna open. The curtains are gonna open!'

I turned around when I felt a hand on my shoulder and saw Mason looking at me with concern. "You're hyperventilating. Again. You remember what I said, right?"

Gulping, I nodded my head and he passed me an assuring smile. "It'll be a piece of cake!" I said, enthused but my stomach was churning. 'Remember what Mason said!' His words were bringing back normalcy in my body. 'I'm here for my mom, yes.'

"Even if they don't like your song or anything else for that matter, they're still gonna love you because you have such a cool hair color," Bethany said with a huge grin but it faded as soon as she realized her own mistake.

"Not helping, Bethany," Mason said, narrowing his eyes.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. It was just... it sounded so much better in my head..."

"It's okay, I'll be fine, guys." I quickly turned my head back toward the stage to see the curtains being slowly pulled apart. My heart was thudding in my chest but there was a smile on my face. 'Wait! I just hope that I don't look constipated,' I prayed.

Dylan played the same soft music he had played when we had our first mock performance and my heart slowed down its pace to a normal one in just about a minute. I don't know how that particular music soothed my nerves each time he strummed that piece but it did and I silently thanked him in my head.

The club was wreathed in soft hues of blue, yellow and green lights. The room was somewhat dark but these lights made it possible for me to look around for my mom. When I spotted her somewhere in the middle, a real smile took its place on my lips. Her eyes widened like she was looking at a ghost.

As if on cue, Bethany started playing the keyboard first. It was like she knew that I was ready after looking at my mom.

I stared deeply into my mom's eyes, instantly feeling safe and at ease. She was still wearing her work clothes which made me smile at her and she returned it with a wavering one. She looked puzzled but there was a twinkle in her eyes that said that she had a tad bit of idea of what would be happening.

Closing my eyes, I gulped to relieve all the tension forming in my throat and opened my eyes again. As soon as I held the microphone and began singing the first verse, I was entirely in my own character and my own world.

"You spend your days cherishing me,
Every moment to keep me happy.
You can sense my worries within seconds,
But you mask yours with an act of pretence."

I waited a few seconds for the music and saw the moistness in my mom's eyes. I licked my lips because I could feel my own watering as well. Although, I blinked back my tears and gulped again to not feel choked. As I did that, I prepared myself to sing the refrain and chorus.

I was getting a feeling that the other people in the room were feeling bored because I could hear the clatters and murmurs. 'You're doing this for your mom,' I chanted to myself.

I felt at peace as soon as I sang the refrain and chorus because the music got interesting during those parts.

Taking a deep breath, I controlled my emotions. All those times we were practicing, it wasn't the same. Maybe, because I had just imagined the face of my mom and didn't actually have her in front of me.

She was incessantly wiping her tears and that smile plastered on her face was priceless. She looked really beautiful with pride shining in her eyes.