In Tune with You

Chapter 2

"Happiness is a thing to be practiced, like the violin." -John Lubbock

The rest of the school day was decent despite the recollection of the drama with Liv. I called my dad after school.

"Hey Daddy," I answer.

"Hey, what's up," he asks.

"Can I go see a violinist play? It's here and it's free," I quickly respond.

"Hmm. . . what time," he asks.

"5:00 to 5:45," I reply.

There is silence. Ok?

"You can go," he finally says.

"Yaaaaaay! I've done most of my homework!"

"Good. Call me when you're done," he says then hangs up.

I sit at a bench at the front of the school and talk to Galona. Her dad eventually came to pick her up. By then it is 4:15. I am so bored. So I go inside to stroll around the busy hallways. But that isn't wise. George was around. I can't stand to see him. I don't know why. He just reminds me of . . . the past. I'll go into detail about him later too.

I sit down in my corner near the front office. No Ameriana there, thank God. I sigh. I pull out my phone to watch my show but realize I only had 28 percent left so I study some flash cards on Quizlet instead. After 30 minutes I decide to head down to the main music hall.

When I arrive there is barely anybody there. It's a small music hall. Not large like the main theatre. About 40 people can fit in here. The small stage was lit. I sit down in a seat. It was 4: 45 already. I'm too early. At 4:50 people started walking in. A few kids I've seen around came in. No one I knew. An Asian woman and her 2 kids came in. I guess that's his family.

At 5:00, a man, I presume is the conductor, walks up onto the stage.

"Welcome, welcome. I'm so glad you could be here for the solo concert for one of my prized students, Joel Kyung. He is absolutely amazing but I'll let him prove that to you." There is round of applause. Only about 15 people are here by the sound of the clapping.

The conductor exits the stage and after a few seconds, the Asian kid from the practice room, the kid I now know as Joel, enters onto the stage. There is an applause. My heart beats a second faster because I'm so excited to see his performance.

The room is silent. Joel put's his bow to his violin. My heart beats 2 seconds faster. I exhale.

He exhales and starts playing. It's as if a sudden burst of wind hits me. My eyes widen when he plays the crescendo. I didn't see it coming. My hands grip my jeans. I never thought music could be so powerful. After 1 minute I'm already captivated. He plays a sweet melody and a tear falls out of my eye. I almost feel embarrassed. What is wrong with me? He replays the melody from the beginning and ends with 4 pizzicato notes. He puts his bow down. The room is silent for a few seconds. I stand up and start clapping. Others quickly join me. I wipe the tear from my eye. He takes a bow.

Joel makes eye contact with me. For some reason I look away. Very awkward of you, Renee. We all sit down. Joel drink a little bit of water. The process happens all over again but with a different piece. I thankfully don't cry during this one but I do smile. It's a cheery little piece. Reminds me of the Shire from the Lord of the Rings series. After he's done it's another round of applause. He's . . . amazing.

He plays 2 more pieces. I didn't like them as much as the first two but he played them very well. He took a bow. His family runs to him and his mother takes a picture of him. A girl hands him some flowers. He gives a big smile. I ponder if I should go congratulate him or just leave. I try to make eye contact with him. I do. I give him a smile and I put a thumbs up. He gives a half smile and goes back to talking with the flower girl.