To Be A Bougainvillea

Final Epilogue

"I came, I saw, I conquered. Famous words from Julius Caesar." Aurelia's manager, Darci, munched on a Dorito, "D'you reckon we can steal that and copyright it as ours?" 

Aurelia blinked as her hairdresser stifled a snigger. "Uh. No." 

"Don't say no until you tried, kid." That was pretty rich coming from the woman who, instead of attempting to come up with solutions, uses all her energy to find the easy way out of everything, even the simplest of things. Darci Mustaha was a huge believer in excuses, puns and tardiness being fashion and when Aurelia first began as a pianist, she detested the woman. She was lazy, inadequate in all situations and simply not bothered. About anything. Once when Aurelia asked her why she decided to join the classical music industry, Darci shrugged and said, "It was a bet." 

Bet or luck or fate, Aurelia grew a profound fondness for the forty year old woman and thanked the lucky stars for pairing her up with such an imitable manager who somehow always pulled it through for her. 

"You don't want to end up in jail again, Darci." 

"Not my fault that no one told me identity theft actually existed. Besides, all I did was try to sign you off as Clara Schumann. She's been dead for so long I thought people would be happy that I was reincarnating her." Darci licked her fingers, clearly not remembering the countless lawsuits that she had received. 

Before Aurelia could reply, the presenter abruptly appeared, yelled a peeved 'curtain's will be up at five' before disappearing further backstage. 

"Nervous?" Darci popped another Dorito in her mouth. 

"Not really. Well. A little, I guess. Only natural, right?" Aurelia closed her eyes when the hairdresser finished curling her hair and heavily sprayed her stiff, shiny locks. 

"That's what my ex-husband said about his erectile dysfunction." Darci snorted, "The fucker said it was like the male version of menopause." 

Aurelia smirked. "How's his - uh - girlfriend?" 

"Oh, Teeny? She just had her nineteenth birthday. She invited all of her friends and they played in the pool. It was so adorable." Her dark eyes met Aurelia's before both of them burst into peals of laughter. "Talking about men," Her eyes fell on the ring on Aurelia's finger, "is the mister coming tonight?" 

Aurelia's smile dimmed. "The mister's unfortunately overseas. But he did send me his best wishes."  

"How gentlemanly." Darci burped, "Picked a wedding date, yet?" 

Aurelia's gaze dropped to the vanity dressing table. "No, not yet. We've both been so busy lately we barely even have time to write to each other." Her eyes flicked back to her Afro-haired manager, "I've actually been meaning to ask you something." 

"Shoot it out, kid." She burped again. 

"Do you want to be my maid of honour?" 

Darci blinked in confusion and stayed silent for a whole second- Aurelia feared she was going to ask why her - before shrugging, "Sure, why not?" 

Aurelia sighed in relief. There was only person she had ever dreamed of being her maid of honour that she never had a back up. Dietfried had already chosen his best man - one of his lieutenants he knew since military school - and so she felt she had to find someone as well. Her manager was the only person she could think of who'd do it without being too much of a bothersome. All her other rich friends were irritably snoopy. 

When the stage director ushered her to the front, Darci lowered her voice and said, "Don't be nervous, okay? You just shine and do your thing and make us money." 

"Thanks for the encouragement." She muttered as she stood behind the red curtain. 

Darci grinned, "It's good to have you back, kid." 

Aurelia allowed herself a smile. "It's good to be back."

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Aurelia Lacy, who shall be performing herself and her mother's composition 'goodnight.'" The presenter waited for the applause to finish before drawing the curtain. 

Aurelia's heart hammered as she she stepped out on stage. As the spotlight dropped on her, a rush of adrenalin coursed through her veins as a million eyes fell on her. This is where she belonged, on a wide stage in front of a grand piano, her heart in her throat, playing melodies that sunk into the souls of people who were unable to express it. 

But the feeling of invincibility came to a halt when Aurelia peripherally saw her grandmother in the front row, her grey hair out in ringlets and a look of indifference displayed across her face. Grandmother never comes to my performances, Aurelia sharply thought. But when she gazed up at where her grandmother was looking at, she felt herself soften. 

Aunt Jem was at the top row, dressed in a lavish fur coat in the midst of young, handsome men. Her chin was held high as she glanced down at her niece with her trademark smirk, looking as if she belonged in an one woman army. But that smirk froze once she noticed her mother's head in the front row. 

Forgiveness, Aurelia clutched the locket on her neck, I see forgiveness in the air tonight. 

Just as her heart tumbled forlornly, a pair of emerald eyes captured her gaze. Aurelia blinked twice before she realised that Dietfried was, indeed, sitting on the top row, a small half-smug crescent smile on his face as he gave her a 'you really didn't think I wasn't going to come?' look. 

Aurelia felt her heart swell until she feared it would burst. Her anxiety had completely evaporated and with his glittering, green eyes burning though her, she felt more like herself; Bold, hearty and fearless. And when she felt a thrilling sense of accomplishment, she realised she was satisfied. For now, at least. 

So with a million eyes beating down on her, she sat down and began to play. 

The End.