Teardrops on the Piano

Three Years Ago

Three years ago...

I hadn’t seen her for several months. I hadn’t heard her music again. I was standing on the other side of the road in front of the theater. I had an umbrella but it wasn’t raining, as if the heaven was joyful not to cry that day.

The street wasn’t busy. No people walking. No rushing cars. No music. No woman playing piano in the second story of the theater. Silence blanketed the whole space. I wanted to come into the theater, but I had no courage to do so after... after what had happened to us. I stood for a few minutes hoping that she would come out.

All of a sudden, a familiar female voice called my name. As I turned around, I found the girl I’d been looking for. She was embracing a sheet music. Like our first meeting, I thought that time stopped between us though I knew that the wind was whispering on her long shiny jet black hair. She hadn’t changed – except that she was wearing eye-glasses which hid her brown eyes.

She smiled. How I long to see that sweet smile again, I told myself. I responded with the sweetest smile I could muster.

“You’re awkward,” she chuckled and then walked past me towards the theater. That was when I realized I was grinning with my whole front teeth shown up. I was fatally overwhelmed with distress, knowing that this what would happen when we met after a month I hadn’t seen her.

I got on my feet and started to walk away from her – away from the place we had first met – when suddenly she shouted “Hey! Did I tell you to leave?” I swung around and scowled at her. I really couldn’t understand her actions that day. Nevertheless, she invited me to come with her, and without a second thought I agreed.

As we moved into the stadium, she switched on the lights on the stage and the piano emerged amidst the darkness. She walked through the center aisle, while I followed her behind. As we reached the foot of the stage, she pointed at the first row of chairs and directed me to sit. I sit down in one of the cozy upholstered seats, my eyes following her movements.

She went up the stage, walked straight to the piano and immediately seated in front of it. She placed the sheet music on the music desk. I realized that she would be performing for me – only for me.

She started to strike the keys and every motion of her fingers produced lovely chords. This was the first time I heard it. Did she compose it,  I asked myself.

I came up the stage then sit beside her. I looked at her astride, unable to disturb her at all. I pressed down the sharp-note keys to compliment her keystrokes. Both of us created a magnificent sonata. A music that bound us together and I really hoped that this would last forever.

In the interim of the music, our gazes met which held for several minutes but the music remained to be pleasing. Despite her eyeglasses, I could see the tears crystallizing at the edges of her brown eyes.

“I’m sorry,” she wept.

“Don’t worry. I’m always here for you. I promised you that… I will never leave you,” I said.

That day was the eighth month after she had told me that she didn’t love me anymore and then broken up with me.