Chapter 3 – The music room   

 

Lynette was in the music room again. She had exactly 9 months to prepare for her concert which would determine whether she would be able to make it into second year. She was still a bit upset over the performance requirement in her course.. because she was studying for music composition, for goodness sakes and not a piano performer wannabe.

 

The unhappy memories of her childhood came into her mind.

“Lynette, why can’t you get bar 6 right? Ever? How many times do I have to make you re-play the same bar until you get it right? Huh? What is your problem?”

“You will never make it as a piano player. Look at your sight reading. Its appalling. You need to work really hard just to get a pass for your exam little girl.”

“Where’s your sense of rhythm huh? Why do I feel like as if you are some frustrated freak banging the life out of the keyboard? Dynamics please! Read the score. I bet you if Beethoven or Dvorak was alive both of them would beat the living daylights out of you.”

 

And she sighed. She didn’t realize how badly hurt she was by Mdm Genervie’s comments until now. She had barely passed her Grade 8 piano exam because of this horrifying lady. Why would anyone want to be so nasty to a student? Just because she was a daughter of a musician doesn’t mean that she has to be good in music. Not the performance part anyway.

 

“ I hate her…She’s such a biatch.”

 

Alone in the music room now, she stared at the walls around her. Reluctantly she looked at her repertoire.

T Badarzweska’s A Maiden Prayer

William Sinding’s Rustle of Spring

 

Her tutor Jenne had chosen these two songs for her. It was, after all a mini-concert which would only be attended by the faculty staff. But the pressure was intense. She needed someone to tell her that she could do it… just like what her mother used to do. But her mother was not going to be there for her. She was never going to be there for her again.

And she felt lost…

 

“Hiya you need help?”

She turned around and found a cute looking guy staring at her. A pair of deep set eyes looked straight at her.

 

“I’m Keith. What’s your name?”

“Lynette.”

 

“Its nice to meet you Lynette. Are you new?”

“Yeah.”

“BA Music Theology?”

“No, BA Music Composition.”

 

“You’ve picked the best piano we have in the school. This is a 1860 Steinway. Can’t go wrong with this one…”

 

“Ermm.. do you want to play on it? I hope I am not disturbing you. I was just, well… fooling around” she smiled sheepishly.

 

“No, you go ahead. I’d love to see a fresher in action,” Keith chuckled.

 

Fresher. So that’s what they call us newbies.

 

So she played Debussy’s Arabesque II.

 

Keith looked on as she played, her fingers gracefully gliding across the keyboard.

 

And he clapped his hands when she had finished.

 

“That was absolutely beautiful!”

“Thanks. You flatter me.”

 

He looked at his watch.

“Well, I’d better get going now.” He scribbled his number on a piece of scrap paper. “Give me a call, when you come down here again.”

 

“Hey wait!”

“Yeah?”

“Which year are you in?”

“Oh. Right. I’m doing my MA in Music Therapy. Kind of a different league altogether I think.”

 

“That’s interesting, I could do with some music therapy once in a while.”

“Trust me Lynette, its not as interesting as it sounds. I really have to go. Call me!”

 

What a guy, she thought. So friendly.

 

And she continued practising. She looked at the number.

Well, another friend won’t hurt. Not that she fancied him anyway, but still, he was kind of cute.

 

When Keith was out of sight, Lynette started to play the piano. She tried to focus as hard as she could on the keyboard. Somehow she felt as if there was someone watching over her as she played.. the feeling was very eerie. She could not explain it. Perhaps her many years spent at Madam Genervie’s house had seriously traumatized her. She recalled Sidney, another student who about 2 years her senior telling her this:

“Lynn, I am sure that you can play really well. Its just that Madam Genervie is such a perfectionist. She can’t recognize a good piano player even if she saw one. So don’t worry ok? Don’t be so hard on yourself. Things are going to be all right.”

 

Little did she know that Sidney was also suffering silently under Madam Genervie’s coaching. The tyrant who never offered any words of praise, made sure that all her students were tortured to the core. Sidney appeared to be very cheerful and outspoken, but she was always caned by Madam Genervie.. to the extent where she retaliated.

 

Lynn would never forget that incident.

 

Her father held her hand as she went to Madam Genervie’s house for yet another grueling session of scales, arpeggios, aural tests, sight reading, theory exercises etc. It would not be as grueling had Madam Genervie took a more mellowed approach in her teaching methods. Her cane, thick and long, with splintered bits here and there, was very intimidating.

 

When she reached Mdm Genervie’s house, she could hear shrilling cries and sharp screams.

 

Lincoln, Lynn’s father, oblivious to the sounds, left her at the doorstep and went back without a word.

 

Lynn was too afraid to go inside the house, so she chose to stay outside and peeped through the window.

 

Madam Genervie was caning Sidney with all her might. Sidney wailed and cried, but no one came to her assistance. The other students were made to sit and witness the whole horrifying incident.

 

“Now, I shall teach you a lesson that you will remember for the rest of your life!” screamed Madam Genervie as she continuously caned Sidney on her back, her arms, her buttocks. She was like a mad woman unleashing all her energy on a helpless child.

 

“I say the truth! You can beat me all you want. I did not do anything wrong!”

“Silence! You shall pay dearly for your disobedience! Nobody speaks when I speak. You worthless vermin, I shall make you pay for what you have just done!”

 

“Let me go!” Sidney screamed. Madam Genervie’s porky left leg stubbornly stepped on her back as she continued.

 

Lynn was shocked. And she looked in disbelief at the other students who seemed to enjoy the scene.

Sidney’s voice turned hoarse as she tried to wriggle free from Madam Genervie’s canes. But she was too thin, and Madam Genervie was too heavy. There was no way she could break free.

 

So Lynn did something which she never imagined she would be able to do.

 

She screamed “FIRE!” “FIRE!” “Everybody get out of there!”

 

Her cries alarmed everybody in the house. All the students started running in several different directions…all of them ran, including Madam Genervie, who, liked a flustered hen, ran in several different directions before she came to the door. They all fled in different directions. All of them ran, all but Sidney.

 

She could not get up.

 

Lynn ran towards her and tried to help her up to her feet. But Sidney screamed as she tried to move her limbs, which were covered in blood. She winced as Lynn tried to help her into a chair.

 

“Oh my God, what has she done to you?” cried Lynn.

 

“I told her that Bar 6 of Chopin’s Nocturne in E flat should not be played according to her way… and she just went crazy.”

“My goodness… I thought you were the one who told me never to answer her back whenever she was teaching. You know how she is right? How could she do this to you? Let me call your father.”

“No..its no use. Let it be. All parents think that she’s the best. Well I don’t know about her pianoforte skills, but she sure knows how to beat people up. Where have the others gone to?”

 

“I shouted FIRE! And they all ran. I don’t know where Madam Genervie is though.”

 

“You gotta get out of here ok? You are so going to be in trouble when she comes back. GO! Leave me here.”

But Lynn refused to leave.

 

She locked all the doors from inside the house and called her father.

 

“Daddy, I want you to come and pick me up now!” “Help us!” “Help me!”

 

“Whats the matter darling?”

 

“Madam Genervie is mad! She beat up Sidney. Sidney is bleeding real bad Daddy. I’ve locked the both of us inside Madam Genervie’s house. Please come and get us. I can’t let Madam Genervie hit Sidney anymore. She’s going to die!”

 

Of course, Lincoln, being himself, took his own sweet time to arrive at the scene.

 

Madam Genervie was madly pounding on the windows, demanding to be let in.

 

And Lynn prayed hard that she would not break the windows and come in.

 

Thankfully, after what seemed like a century, the police came and Sidney was rushed to the hospital for first aid treatment.

 

Lynn looked at her own clothes stained with blood and fainted.

 

She awoke in her own home, where her father had bad news for her.

 

“Darling, I am so sorry to tell you this… but Sidney did not make it. She lost a lot of blood. She’s gone.”

 

“Nooooo!”

 

Lynn tried to forget what had happened. But evidently she could not. Sidney was such a strong girl… and her demise was indeed tragic.

 

A maiden’s prayer…

 

She tried to concentrate on her playing.. but she could not.

 

Keith was looking at her from a distance. He could sense the sadness in her playing. Never had he felt so attracted to a girl since he broke up with Janice, his high school sweet heart. And in his heart, he felt as if he was ready to love again.

 

But was she the one?

 

He would soon find out.