Love Piano

{Chapter 1}

"Love is like playing the piano. First you must learn to play by the rules, then you must forget the rules and play from your heart." ~ Unknown Author 

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Chapter 1

Just breathe in and out Alex, I kept telling myself. I exhaled and opened my eyes, seeing my reflection in the mirror. My hair dangled over my shoulders ending at my middle back area. The lights around the mirror made my brown hair almost look like the color chestnut. The lights also made my skin look whiter than what it already was.

My nerves started crawling back into my skin. "Relax, you've played here a million times before," I said out loud this time. My mind started wandering off, remembering my last performance here. Now I had more butterflies in my stomach.

I reached my arm out to grab my purse which was on the seat next to me. I searched through it, trying to get to the very bottom, found a piece of gum, and plopped it into my mouth, but that wasn't exactly what I had intended to look for. I found it; it was a picture of Mom. I grabbed the picture and held it close to my face. I carry this picture with me, always, stolen from Mom's 'High School Years' album. It's my favorite picture of her because she looks so happy, sitting in front of a campfire watching the sunset, melting marshmallows, and making s'mores with her best friends sitting around her. That was when she was so happy and full of light. She was so beautiful, I mean... she still is of, course, but it's not the same beauty it was before.

That picture had been taken before she got cancer, brain cancer to be more specific.

There was a knock at my door, so I snapped out of my dark reverie. "Yeah?" I exclaimed. "Alex, you're on in two minutes," some guy said, most likely one of the staff members. He didn't enter the room to tell me though, which was unusual.

I kept Mom's picture in my hand and held on to it tightly and brought it with me. I headed out of my dressing room door and walked to the backstage area. "Ready, Al?" Debra asked me. She's the one who is in charge of all the staff members and performances of the theater. I've known her for some time now, ever since I started performing here, I think.

I shake my head in response. She laughs, probably noticing my nervousness. "Stand there sweetie." she demands pointing to a small x marked on the floor with masking tape. I stand where she told me to as she speaks into her ear piece. A few seconds later the big, red, heavy curtains start moving aside, revealing a huge crowd of people in front of me. All of them had their cellphones in their hands and were filming me or taking pictures. The myriad of people in the theater cheered when I walked out on stage. I saw my piano sitting in the middle of the stage, shining up the whole place because of the stage lights streaming towards it. I absolutely love that piano.

Once I sat on the stool I searched for Ellis and Sara first. I always make sure I find them in the crowd before I perform because they help me feel secure since I know they are there watching. I found them both sitting in the third row smiling at me. I still had the picture of mom in my hand so I placed it on top of my white piano. Before I start to play I tend to crack my fingers, then I let my fingers play gracefully away.

The first song I played was from Arcade Fire called 'Photograph'. Next was my personal favorite Mozart - Piano Concerto No.23 in a Major, K 488 Adagio. After playing a couple of songs I started to play my songs. I've written a bunch of pieces. And I always leave the best for last, my best piece so far, called "Unlit Torch". My fans love that one. My eyes were closed the whole time. I like to listen to just the sound and ignore everything else around me. When I finished Unlit Torch the crowd started clapping and cheering. Some people even stood up and cheered "Graceful Alex!" I smiled, bowed down and got off the stage. I massaged my fingers from all the playing I did. An hour full. And I walked back to my dressing room. I sat down on the small couch in there and waited for Ellis and Sara as usual.