The True Meaning of Life

Chapter 3: The Autumn Festival

The rest of the week flew by; there was the typical football and cheer tryouts drama. Although Chris and Brianna were captains once again on their respective teams, many rising juniors believed the spot was theirs. It was a bright and sunny Saturday morning. I woke up around 7:30 and put on a navy blue romper. Only Stanley was awake when I headed downstairs. He was playing video games; he held the remote with one hand and held a spoon with the other. I made myself an acai smoothie with coconut shavings and granola before heading out the door.

"I'll be back around noon Stan," I exclaimed. "I can bring back lunch if you want or you can come to the Autumn festival with me."

"Thanks Val! I'm meeting with some friends at the festival. If you could take me, that would be great. Mom and Dad are volunteering at the pie eating contest so they won't be home," he responded. It only took five minutes to get from my house to Jake's, which I overestimated so I was the first one to arrive. I rang the doorbell and Ms. Gasper arrived to open it for me.

"Good morning Valerie! Come on in. I made some extra breakfast if you would like to take a seat. Sorry, Jake had a late night and just got up. He should be down soon though!"

"Thank you!" His house still had the new paint smell but was filled with pictures of him and his mother, ranging from adolescence to now. There were beautiful paintings hung in the hallway of different landscapes scene. I took a seat in the living room where I made eye contact with a grand piano. It was sitting there untouched. In a matter of seconds, I decided to play the Steinway and Sons piano. I played an original composition which did include lyrics. It went something along the lines of this:

Shining bright, in the sky, comes a gleam. I look at you, by my side, oh what a dream? Your like my sunshine, baby. Oh, shine so bright up in the sky. I don't wanna leave you anymore so baby just hold me close and keep me safe and sound.

When I finished, I looked up to see Jake and Ms. Gasper starstruck and in awe. Jake ran his hand through his hair leaving his mouth wide open and Ms. Gasper began a slow applause. "Wow, you are so talented. Have you ever entered any competitions?" Ms. Gasper asked.

I quickly responded, "Oh no! I usually keep these things to myself. Most of it is written into a journal. I get a anxious on stage. I've tried competitions before but they have all ended horribly."

"Well if you ever have the courage to sign up, invite me!" exclaimed Jake. This was one thing I had tried to overcome since childhood. I knew that I had the ability to win some competitions but I never had the self-confidence. When I got on stage, I would think of everyone in the audience as a judge and it just got me rattled. By that time, Sophia and Chris entered and we began the project.

"Okay guys, so Val has an amazing voice and can play the piano so I vote that she takes the lead in the project." Jake stated confidently. The rest of the group agreed and so it was decided. Jake and I would compose, play, and sing the song while Chris and Sophia would formulate the PowerPoint and write the analysis. We worked on the project for about 3 hours before Chris decided that it was time to pick up his date. Simultaneously, Crystal arrived in this honey yellow maxi dress with dark eyeshadow. Jake greeted her and introduced her to Sophia and I. Sophia and I walked out the door but I was stopped by Ms. Gasper.

"Valerie, do you mind staying for awhile so I can go over your responsibilities? I also need a little bit of help baking the cookies for the Autumn Festival if you have a little bit of extra time."

"Sure, let's get started! My parents are actually judging the pie contest this year." I headed inside and Ms. Gasper handed me an apron. We made small talk for awhile before baking.

"So, you've lived in Boston your entire life?"

"Yeah, both of my parents have worked in Boston since graduating from Amherst and Wellesley so it's been my home for a long time."