Alt-Wiener Tanzweisen

Chapter 4

Once again, David appeared earlier that the usual opening time at Steve's store. He sat there at the stepa while humming a music piece he heard yesterday at the library. He only knew that it was one of the pieces of someone named Sibelius, but he cannot remember seeing or reading the music piece itself.

It was a bit colder that morning and he can see his own breathe as he hums. But he feels refreshed and happy just thinking about the music and imagining himself holding the violin and playing it.

"What a surprise. You're too early today, David. Do you need something from the old man?" Asks one of the passerby who owns the grocery next to Steve's.

"Nothing much, just an earworm. I want to play this music I heard yesterday at the Library." He grinned as he tucks his hands inside his thin clothing that doesn't do much work on warming him up.

"Then you better let us hear that music. Here have some warm milk while you wait for Old Steve to come down. You know how hard it is for elders to move during cold days." Says the wife of the store owner as she handed him a glass of warm milk.

David shyly accepted the drink and thanking the nice lady as he warms his hands first before drinking it.

A minute pass by when he heard the clicking of the door. And he saw the windo blinds opening up and showing the ever smilling Steve that signals him to come in.

"Early bird, I see?" Steve greeted him as he handed him a warm towel.

"I just can't get this music out of my brain and I know I have to play it as soon as possible."

"And what is the title?" His brow arched mischievously when he asked the David.

"You know what's funny? I don't know the title of it. I heard it for the first time yesterday. But I think it's by Sibelius." He grinned at Steve while sheepishly eyeing his reaction.

"Hm."

"It goes like this.." David started humming the piece and as he does so, the old man searches his archive and pulled out a sheet music with Sibelius' name printed in big letters on the cover.

"I think you're talking about this one." David grabbed the thin book and read the piece.

"Concerto in D minor" He read.

"And you're humming the Op. 47." Replied the old man as he slowly sits on his sofa and covers himself with a scarf.

"What a piece for a cold morning as this." Steve added as he point's out David's soon-to-be violin.

David smiled brightly and opened the music sheet as he mumbles to himself while reading it and moving his left fingers over and over again. The old man just watched him, amused, as he already know the reason he mumbles. He's memorizing the whole sheet music on the spot. Sometimes, he, himself, is frightened of what this kid is capable of.

After a few minutes, David looked at Steve and the old man just nodded before leaning in and closing his eyes. This just means that the kid is ready to play now.

Just how? Just how can a person play a music so well for the first time and yet make it sounds like he's been practicing it for a very long time? Especially when he's a young man that haven't had any opportunity to properly learn.

"You can play it more softer at that part and a bit intense on the next part." Steve commented. David just nodded and started again. He smiled as the music sounded much better as he follows Steve's advice.

Even though the doors of the store are closed to protect the instruments from the weather outside, the sound of music coming from it can still be heard by the nearby people and passerbys. Together with a few snow falling that morning, the piece sends a meloncholic yet intense feeling of how cold the coming winter will be. Even thought it is not that cold yet, few of the listeners huddled or pulled their coats tighter. But then they would feel the sweat coming down from their faces as they realize that it's not winter yet and the sun is now rising to give off the heat they would need for the day.

Some curious people stopped in front of the store to listen to the music and few of them sneaks a peek to see if someone is playing or is it just a recording. No one has dared to enter the shop as the store is not opened yet and as they're also afraid to disrupt the musician, if there really is one.

Until the music ended, the listeners stayed there. Not until a man entered the shop that the others followed through. They saw a young man wiping the violin clean and the old man in front of a speaker.

David looked at the old man and back to the people again.

"T-The st-store is not yet o-open, de-dear customers." David stuttered at the sight of curious onlookers. H just cannot correct his stutters in fromt of strangers.

The disappointment were visible of the faces of the man who first entered the shop. He cannot possibly imagine that either the old man or the young boy could play a very good rendition of Sibelius. He coughed a few times and pretended to look around and bid his goodbye, saying he'll return when the store is open and if he ever comes around again.

The others followed him out, too. Only those neighbours who knew that David was the one always playing the violin every morning, while everyone else is disappointed to know that the music they heard was from a recording. The sound is too crisp and clear to be a recording. Or is it that that old man's shop just have very good quality speakers? They were all left curious.