selene sat quietly in her car, staring out into the immense darkness, looking away from the homegoods that was lit up with led lights, gazing in the opposite direction her roommate was.
on that certain night, the atmosphere was cool and dry, typical for her area. classical music was pouring out of the speakers, soothing and calming her down while also making her angry. selene used to be a well-known pianist, known to locally play at exquisite restaurants and bars, a teacher to all who wished to learn. now selene was just a washed-up child prodigy, a "no-good kid" with a "drinking habit" and "too many black outfits." she was lucky if people asked her to just play for free anymore, and even luckier if she could play a simple c scale on the spot.
but nonetheless, selene still loved listening to classical music with a passion, a passion that would never burn out. her mother would play it nonstop throughout their home as a child, melting the "normal" part of her away, and bringing out the "prodigy" part. she played until she turned seventeen, the year that her mother's brain started to melt, just as selene's did when she first heard the classical music, except in a bad way.
selene sighed now, and looked behind her into the backseat, grabbing her purple backpack and unzipping it forcefully. the zipper would never open unless you tugged on it extremely hard, but it seemed like selene could always get it open on her first try.
out came a bottle of vodka, and out came the alcoholic selene. she twisted open the top and took a lengthy swig before her phone rang. this scared the former prodigy, making her jump, and nearly choke on her drink.
selene immediately recognized the number as the special care home that her mother was staying in, and wiped her mouth before answering it.
"hello?" her groggy voice said.
"selene? it's margot, the one taking care of your mom down here at liberty's view, and i have some great news," margot, the peppy nurse that selene despised announced.
"and what would that be?" selene questioned, putting her feet up on the steering wheel.
"your mother is crystal clear right now -- she can remember everything!" margot cheered, making selene freeze up. her breathing stopped for a moment before coming out shakily. "selene? are you okay? would you like to talk to nina, er, your mom?"
"yes please," selene whispered, choking back tears. after all these years, selene had no clue what to say. her mother was always foggy, couldn't remember her ex-husband leaving her, couldn't recall having a dog at home, couldn't imagine giving birth to an ex-piano prodigy before getting divorced.
selene heard some fumbling noises, and then her mother's clear voice rang through her ears. "selene? my baby?"
at this point, the twenty-two year old let out a loud cry, gasping into the phone, "mom, it's selene, oh my god. you can --"
"selene, i can't believe how different you sound, it's been nearly four years as i've been told since we've last spoken," her mother paused, "well, when i was clear-minded i suppose."
"oh my god, i'm so happy right now, you, you," selene was at a loss for words and turned down her classical music immediately.
"you didn't have to turn the music down. i love salieri, and i'm pretty sure that was just him."
selene beamed at her mother's comment. "i want to talk to you, you to talk to me, so go ahead. ask me whatever you wish,"
"oh, hmmm, okay," selene's mother, nina, thought for a moment before asking, "are you in a relationship right now? married, engaged, boyfriend, girlfriend, romantic interest whatsoever?"
"no ma'am, i'm single as always," selene sighed. selene was strangely attractive for someone who lived off of smirnoff vodka, but she always kept people away from her personal life.
"really? oh my god, how can that be? you're gorgeous, unless of course you don't really want a boyfriend or girlfriend and aren't attracted to anyone at all,"
"no, mom, it's just, just complicated right now. i like being single for right now," selene explained and scratched her shoulder.
"okay, well, are you employed? where are you employed? or are you still at juliard?" her mother giddily inquired.
"unemployed, living with a roommate with a rich family," selene answered blankly.
"aw selene," her mother answered, sounding pained. a silence arose between the line, heavy breathing coming from both ends of the line. "please, please tell me you still play piano."
selene didn't respond, only exhaled once more, giving her mom the answer she was expecting.
silence seeped into the air like alcohol would slip into selene's body, and it made the young adult want to puke. she felt so ashamed of herself, and she realized this would be the last thing she'd ever get to experience her mother talking to her about. selene's failure.
"selene, please promise me that you'll try and start playing again. you have so much talent, and i know i'm the only thing holding you back. i'd rather see you playing the sonatas that i loved than see you monitoring your unresponsive mother."
selene nearly started sobbing again when she heard her mother speak those words. "all of my talent is gone, mom."
"oh selene, talent doesn't just vanish. talent is always there, the ability to perform that talent is what will be gone. you just need to get over whatever obstacle is in your way, and then you can shoot for the stars," selene's mother said quietly.
"mom, i'm just a washed-up prodigy with a drinking problem now. there's no hope."
selene's mother went quiet, making selene's stomach churn. she desperately hoped that her mom wasn't going fuzzy again. it took about thirty seconds before her mother spoke once more.
"selene, i'm sure there was no hope for me whenever i was checked into this place. that must have been a sign that i was useless, and there was no chance of me being able to go back to normal. but, look at me now. i'm speaking clearly to you now, i'm thinking clearly, and i can remember everything. remember when your father left us? i thought i was hopeless, but you empowered me to keep going. and we ended up better than i could have imagined even if your father was there. when i reluctantly signed you up for piano lessons, i thought they would go nowhere. you'd probably quit in a week or so, i told myself. i had to believe it, too. we were broke. but, you excelled, and you loved every moment you spent at the keyboard. so, you gave me hope. honey, i have hope in you right now, i have hope that you'll gather yourself up and become the person you can be. if you want to be what you are, okay then. but, if you want to become something more, go for it. i have faith in you."
selene was sobbing now. tears were falling into her bottle of vodka, and her makeup was ruined. it was at this moment that selene was finally thankful for her roommate being such a picky shopper.
"mom, i'll try so hard to play again. it's all i think about on some days. i will, i promise i will become the world-class pianist we both dreamed i'd be, i promise," selene sputtered.
her mom was crying now, and that only made selene cry some more. "oh honey, i love you so much, i'm so proud of you. please, please try to get better," her mother croaked.
"i will, i promise, i vow i will be the best i can possibly be," selene said, crossing her heart with her index finger.
"okay, okay, i need to get going to bed now. selene, i love you with all of my heart, even if i can't remember it."
"i love you with all of my soul, even if you don't remember it."
"goodnight, my little moon," her mother dismissed in her gentle voice.
"goodnight, mom."
selene waited for her mother to hang up before taking the phone away from her ear, and she set it down on her car console. in a swift movement, selene picked up her bottle of smirnoff vodka and chunked it across the parking lot, screeching as she did so. this time, this time selene would change.
this would be the beginning of a new era.
