Tales of a would be perfect

Chapter One

Larsen

I sit in the empty, quiet practice room awaiting my mother's return. Everything about this place is artificial - from the temperature to the lighting to the humidity. All masterfully controlled for the sake of the precious goods.

My mother has been quite a while out of the private room, wondering about the musical wonderland that is a shop for stringed instruments, if you can even call it a shop. I would call it a department store. I wonder what she could possibly be looking at, since she owns just about everything here. We are in here at least once a week to get one of her precious "children" cleaned, rehaired, serviced or picking up spare parts. She has two other precious "children" than me, and that doesn't include father's two of his own or mine. I hear my mother's musically inclined voice sing out to me.

'Larsen darling? Would you come here a moment?' She sings out, lyrically.

I get up off of the black leather lounge that they have in here that sits next to the long rack of highly expensive violins. As I leave the practice room, the familiar smell of lacquered wood instantly dissipates from under my nose. You might be wondering, Who on earth calls their daughter Larsen? Two words. Professional violinists.

'Larsen Clara Hoskin, I'm waiting.' She sings out again, with agitation.

I run along the way a good daughter is supposed to, like my mother constantly desires me to be.

As I come to my mother, I see she is holding a pack of my favourite violin strings, actually the only violin strings we ever use. They are my parent's favourite. They named me after their favourite kind of violin strings.

'Larsen, burgundy or purple for your new carbon case?' she asks as she daintily flips through the magazine of paint swatches for the new custom case we came here to get. For me.

'Burgundy please.' I reply in the most polite tone I can muster. I have been waiting for over two hours to get this far.

'Great. It's settled then. Larsen, please take my card and pay Mr Klein for your case and accessories at the register while I look at some sheet music.' She instructs me.

I drift off to the register, and luckily for me Mr Klein knows my mother so well that he has neatly packed everything up for me. He is rather tidy for a 16 year old boy.

'Larsen, the total is one thousand five hundred for today.' he says to me in his smooth tone of voice. His wolf like, blue grey eyes never cease to amaze me.

'Thanks, Casper.' I reply with a grateful smile.

'She didn't spend that much today compared to what she has done.' He says with a grin

'More time than money can replace if you ask me.' I reply as I begin to take the goods from the smooth, cedar counter.

'I'll bring it to the car for you, Lar.'

'Thanks, Cas.'

We manage to get down to the carpark without my mother commenting on Casper's presence. As we load the goods into the car, he slips a note into my bag and smiles, then leaves silently.

I get into the car, and my mother is anxious to leave. Her tendencies wear my nerves out faster than she can wear out a string set.

'Hurry along Larsen. We must get home to prepare for the dinner party.'

'Yes Mother.' I reply, looking at the floor.