Our Song & Dance

Chapter 2

She was late, Jesus, she was so late, Elise groaned.

It was Saturday, the day she was supposed to go to the music recital with Noah, but she had forgotten to mind the time and she was so late, oh, my god, Noah is going to kill me. One thing to always keep in mind about her best friend, he hated being late to anything. The recital was set to begin in less than an hour and she still had no idea what to do with her hair, her makeup had not turned out the way she had wanted it to, her outfit did not look as good as she thought, and Noah would be arriving any minute now to pick her up and get on their merry way –except that she was not ready, at all.

She heard the melodious sound of the doorbell and cursed at herself. She was sure her grandmother would be opening the door, greeting Noah with a kiss on his cheek, and telling him Elise was just upstairs finishing up. Noah would walk up the stairs and–

Two knocks. Elise groaned once more.

"Come in."

"It looks like a tornado passed through here, what the hell?" Noah sputtered from the doorway, looking around Elise's room.

She grimaced at that, looking at the absolute mess she had made trying to get ready.

"I'm so sorry, I think we'll be a little late."

"Oh, God, stop pouting, c'mon. What happened?" Noah asked, his eyes strangely kind despite their probable tardiness.

Elise took a deep breath and explained how nothing had turned out the way she wanted despite her efforts. As she talked, Noah took a seat beside her at the vanity, pulling her wavy hair to one side. He eyed the various items on the vanity, picking a hair clip that matched her dress and arranged it to frame her face, allowing her bangs to fall on her forehead.

"Oh," Elise breathed. "That looks nice. Thank you."

"You love making everything complicated. Just throw some shoes on, let's get going."

Elise smiled at Noah's efforts to help her despite her disarray. She quickly slipped on her shoes, grabbed her purse, and they headed out the door together.

As they made their way to the music recital, Elise couldn't help but feel grateful for having a friend like Noah. He had a way of calming her down and making her realize that things didn't always have to go perfectly. She knew she could always count on him, even when she was running late and feeling flustered. Somehow, they managed to arrive just in time, rushing a little to take their seats. They were given brochures with the names of the performers and the acts. The lights dimmed above them, and the chords of a violin could be heard. Elise felt the soft melody course through her veins, they way it had since she was a little girl.

The curtains lifted and the stage lights came on. A young man, dark skinned and tall, was playing the violin as though it was just a mere extension of his body. Elise was entranced by the performance. The piece reached its climax and Elise felt the hair on her arms stand on end. As the piece finished, the guy took a deep breath, looking out and the audience and smiling wide. He bowed as people clapped at his incredible performance. The lights dimmed once more. A woman in a floor length gown stood where the man once was, a microphone in her hands.

"Sean bienvenidos todos al recital anual del Conservatorio Nacional de Música. (Welcome, everyone, to the annual recital of the National Conservatory of Music.)." Her red lips stretched wide. "Este año ha estado lleno de mucho aprendizaje para nuestros estudiantes, y es nuestro grato honor presentar ante ustedes a los más prometedores de nuestra institución (This year has been filled with much learning for our scholars, and it is our great honor to present to you the most promising students of our institution)."