Chapter 5. The beginning of it all

 

“It was back in December 1995, when I would leave home for the first time. I was offered a scholarship to continue my studies in another high school. My mother thought that I needed a change of environment… a new school, new friends. Of course my then headmaster wasn’t too happy about it… he was far from happy. After all, he was losing one of his good students to another school. And he knew the reason why I wanted to leave. I was angry with the system, unsatisfied, etc. I wanted to leave.

 

It was with that frame of mind that I packed my bags, said goodbye to my family, my piano and everything else. Left on a jetplane with hopes, aspirations and dreams.

 

The school was absolutely beautiful. Lush greenery, quaint old style British buildings, students dressed in white uniforms… I was absolutely thrilled to be part of this new big family. I was excited, thrilled… I wanted to explore.

 

It was in this beautiful school, that I would meet him for the first time.”

 

“Who?” Lynnette asked eagerly.

 

“Jason. The smartest, cutest guy in the school. I never met anyone quite like him. He totally blew me away. I met him for the first time in the school music room. He was playing William Sinding’s “Rustle of Spring.”

 

“Do you play the piano?”

 

“Yes I do actually. But since I got engaged to Toby I haven’t played much. Even the Wagner sitting out there didn’t seem to relive my interest in the piano. Perhaps because music used to be such an integral part of my life, when I lost my one true love, that part of me vanished as well. Toby never is much of  a music fan anyway. It’s a pity though.. perhaps he would have been a much happier person had he actually slowed down to listen to real music… and not all that crappy heavy metal stuff..”

 

“Forget about him. Lets continue with Jason. So what did you do to him?”

 

Freda looked gobsmacked. “I never did anything to him, honestly.” (with an evil glint in her eyes)

“Yeah right. I don’t freaking believe you.”

 

“Anyway, here’s what happened.” And she took a sip of her coffee. “I had to find out when he would be at the practice room. So I observed him for a week.”

“Stalker!” chuckled Lynette.

“I managed to observe that he usually practices piano every Wednesday. So after “stalking” him for three weeks I decided to make a move.”

 

“Man Fred you sure have some guts in you. Quick, out with the juicy bits. What did you do?”

 

“I played William Sinding’s Rustle of Spring. Hehe… I managed to beat him to it. He usually starts practicing at 2.30pm, so I was sitting in the room like nobody’s business at 2pm. Needless to say, he was pretty confused when he came to the music room and there I was, playing the song that he always played. I bet he felt as if he had been dethroned.”

 

“So what happened next?”

 

“He came to me and said: ‘ Lady, I think you’re in the wrong place here’. So I stopped playing and looked at him. Man was he cute. He looked annoyed, but he was cute. And I could not resist looking at him. I think he was a bit taken aback by me staring at him, he got a bit panicky.”

 

“Bullshit. I don’t believe you actually looked at him that way. I mean, if you were a guy and she was the annoyed gal,  that probably might have been the case. It doesn’t sound right at all.”

 

“You can choose to believe it if you want to. Do you want me to continue or not?”

 

“Yeah sure.”

 

“I apologized to him and took the opportunity to introduce myself. Of course he took it rather coldly.. I would probably have done the same if my hot seat was taken over by some freaky stranger. I tried to strike up a conversation with him. But it didn’t work until a few weeks later.”

 

“Boy did he give you the cold shoulder.”

 

Freda smiled. Clicking on the laptop, a picture of a young handsome man appeared.

 

“Oh my God. Is that him?” asked Lynette, clearly smitten by the picture.

 

“Yeah. That’s him. He’s really good looking isn’t he?”

 

“Drop dead gorgeous man! Wow! Ok ok.. continue your story. So what happened? For goodness sake I wish you’d go faster with your story you know. No offence Fred but at this speed we’re moving, I’d be making a date with Dreamland very soon.”

 

“Right. So it happened on a rainy night…”

“Ah. That’s better.”

 

“I was supposed to go out with a few friends that night. You have absolutely no idea how its like to stay in the school hostel girl. It is literally a prison in there. Forms have to be filled a week in advance before you can get it approved for you to leave the school compound. So yeah, it was my night out in weeks.”

 

“So, did you go out with him?”

 

“Nope. Let me finish my story first yeah?”

 

“So I went out with a few friends for some food and we were having a good time.. when I saw him. He was with a group of friends as well. At this stage of our friendship, it was considered pretty civil… nothing happening yet, but at least he was not as hostile in comparison to the first time we met.”

 

“Well I was with my group of friends and so was he. So the most we did was to exchange a few glances. I was having my favourite duck noodles but honestly, I wasn’t really paying attention to my food. Guess my friends kinda knew how I felt then. They were elbowing each other like mad and suddenly decided to leave me one by one.”

 

“Hahahahahahahha. So they left you in the lurch now did they?”

 

“Well that was not the worst part. It was as if Jason’s friends could read my mind as well. They attacked their food as if there was no tomorrow and quickly left the table. Then it was just him on one table and me on the other. How strange.”

 

“Oh cut the crap Fred. What did he do?”

 

“Coming to it already. Will you be patient?” Freda smiled. “So he came over to my table with his half eaten noodles and sat next to me. I didn’t think much about it, guess he just wasn’t the type who liked eating alone.”

 

“My arse. I bet he was already smitten with you. I mean, surely all guys do things for a purpose?”

 

“Perhaps.”

 

“We started chatting. Evidently, the noodles wasn’t the main thing that was on my mind… I was more interested in what he was going to talk to me about.”

 

I can still remember that conversation.

“You know, I am still a bit surprised at how well you played William Sinding’s Rustle of Spring. I have been practising for ages and I can’t seem to grasp the song right. It is really frustrating at times. Maybe that’s why I was a bit hostile to you when I saw you in that music room. I mean, you were a new kid on the block and there you are, playing my favourite song. I know I shouldn’t have snapped at you, but that song really means a lot to me.

 

So I kept quiet, nodding my head and nibbling at my noodles. Clearly, he really had something to say. And it wasn’t just a few grunts of displeasure.

 

He sighed.

“My mom taught me how to play this song. It was kind of like a family thing.. her mother taught her to play the song, and because I was an only child and I was a boy, she didn’t have a choice but to teach me how to play it. I still remembered her words… play this song, boy, and master it. In time, when you find your one true love and have children of your own, teach them again this beautiful song. It brings us hope, it teaches us how wonderful life is. With the first signs of spring, comes eternal hope. Every new bud that comes to life… is a miracle.”

 

“Wow… you must be really close to her Jason.”

 

Then as if he had a lump in his throat, his voice started to change.

 

“She’s been gone for almost 6 months now. I miss her so much.”

 

I felt a bit taken aback. No wonder he was so upset and cold when I first played that song. It was his mother’s song and probably.. that song kept him going.

 

“How… how did she…”

 

“Die, you mean? She was killed in a freak accident.”

 

“I’m so sorry Jason. I never knew.”

 

“Well, nobody knows except a few guys in class. I just couldn’t repeat the same story over and over and over again. Its absolutely crazy. I well, I really can’t take it.

 

For some weird reason, I actually gave him a pat on his back, telling him that it was ok and I understood how it was like to lost someone close.

 

“I remembered when she was lying on the bed, barely surviving, with tubes and all… I played Rustle of Spring and recorded it down. Then I went to the hospital and played it on a walkman for her to listen.”

 

Freda paused for a moment..

 

“And I whispered softly into her ear: “Mommy, can you hear this song? Its our song. You must be strong.. you must try to overcome the pain and suffering. I need you. Daddy needs you. We all need you. I know I can’t play this song as well as you do, mommy… please give me a chance to practice and play it better for you.”

 

“But she could not pull through.”

 

‘And then the sky started to drizzle. It was as if the heavens above were mourning for him, albeit a few months later. So we both took cover inside the interior of a shop. What started off as a drizzle turned out to be a torrential downpour.. and there we were standing in front of the shop, at a lost as to what to do. We both had curfews and it was exactly half an hour before our time was up. The moment time’s up, school gates would close. The hostel warden, Mrs. “Adam’s family” as we call her (she had an uncanny resemblance with Angelica Houston), would be standing out there in her black and white spotted shower cap, thick glasses and hideous pyjamas.’

 

At this point Lynette burst into peals of laughter.

 

Freda laughed and continued.

 

‘Anyway, the shopowner was kind enough to borrow us an umbrella. Guess he must have read my mind as well! Getting an earful from Mrs “Adam’s family” is really bad on a clear day, let alone when its raining cats and dogs.’

 

‘So we shared the umbrella and walked home. Honestly, it was one of the best walks I ever had in my life. There he was, next to me, holding the umbrella as we walked back slowly to the school. I did not know what to say at that moment in time, as I did not want to agitate him further on the recent demise of his mother. Hundreds of thoughts raced in my mind as we walked back. It made sense at that point, why he was so sensitive and hostile when I played his song. This was the one and only way he could be constantly reminded of his mother. And I had taken it away from him that day.’

 

‘So I apologized.’

 

“I am sorry that I played your song. I really did not know how much this song means to you.

“No… please don’t apologize. The only reason I felt so strongly about it, was because, well…”

“Yeah?”

“You played it just like my mother did. And I was shocked when I first heard it. Perhaps you were not aware… I was standing at the door while you were playing.. and I had mixed emotions at that point. You don’t know how long it has been since I heard my mom playing the piano… and I suddenly thought it was her sitting there, playing our family song. The song which is so familiar to me.., at the same time, I was jealous… jealous that someone could play so well, someone who could play better than I did.

 

I saw another side of Jason which I never knew I would that night. As much as his good looks intrigued me, this was one side of him which I never knew existed. The sadness in his eyes was indeed, heartbreaking so to say the least. Evidently he was still very much in grief over the passing of his mother and he could only seek solace in the song which she always played to him.

 

Before we knew it we had reached the entrance to the girl’s hostel.

 

“Oooh… this is the juicy part!” screamed Lynette.

 

So I thanked him for sending me back and reminded him to return the umbrella to the kind shopkeeper.

I was about to turn away and walk into the hostel when I felt a grip on my arm. So I turned back to look at him and he gave me a quick peck on my cheek.

That really took me off guard because never would I have ever expected that he would do something as drastic as that.

 

“So, so..what happened after that then?”

 

“I dashed back into the hostel, dropped my keys in the process, picked them up again and rushed back into the hostel before I could do or say anything stupid. Man. What a night.”

 

“My goodness. You are telling me that the guy of your dreams pecked you on the cheek and all you could do was to run back into the hostel like a headless chicken? What’s wrong with you Fred?”

 

“Nah… I guess at that age, no matter how calm and cool you usually are, you would still be at a lost for words when something like that happens to you. Seriously.

 

“Oh well. So much for a rainy night experience man. You must have freaked the poor boy out. I bet he never talked to you again.”

 

“Well, we did not talk a lot after that. Maybe it was because both of us were confused as to what actually happened that night. I didn’t want to bring the topic up lest he thought I was interested in him (which I was) and he didn’t want to bring up the topic either for fear of causing even more embarrassment to himself. But we did see each other once a week in the practice room. I needed to practice for my piano exams as well, so I had a good reason to be there. But I never did play the Rustle of Spring again. I was worried that it would trigger yet another series of eerie events.

“So did anything happen or not?”

 

“I would have hoped for something to happen I guess, but unfortunately, you have to believe in the power of fate. Whatever is destined for you, will be for you. Whatever is not, will never be yours. Guess the both of us were too headstrong and proud to admit that we actually did have some kind of feeling for each other, and since neither one of us took the initiative to say it out aloud, the thoughts remained only in our hearts and heads.

 

Soon thereafter, the pilot program which I and my other classmates were involved in proved to be a failure. The school board decided to withdraw funds and that meant that if we wanted to continue studying at the school, we had to pay our own way. In fact, we were even required to repay the allowances we had used up during our first 6 months of classes, but the headmaster, who was the head of the program managed to convince the school board not to recover the amount from us.

 

We were in a state of distress as you could imagine, all 7 of us not knowing what to do next. We had tried our best to adjust to the stringent requirements of the program, working hard to achieve the targeted results… but it is a bilateral problem. There were insufficient teachers, and those who taught, were either very new, or part timers or those who could not be bothered. Therefore I had to train myself to self study at an age when students were expected to be spoon fed with information.

 

Jason was not one of the students involved in the pilot program so he was unaffected. By the end of the 9^th month I knew that our class was going to be dissolved and we would have to either join the normal stream classes or return to our respective schools. The pilot program was declared unsuccessful.

 

Sad as I was, and after much discussion, I knew that I could not go back to my old school. I was a very headstrong girl then and I could not swallow my pride to go back to the place which I had so eagerly left. I had two more years of high school to finish and I was not about to spend it at a place where I would be used as a promotional tool for the school, participating in debates and stuff. I already had enough of that.

 

I was lucky to be recommended to another school which was about 2 hours’ drive from the school which I was studying in, and proceeded to arrange for a transfer. It was very very sad. The 7 of us were deeply distraught over what had happened… and some of us felt as if we had been cheated into this program. I did not think of it that way simply because I knew that I had made a choice. And where you make a choice, there are consequences to bear, both good and bad. Now the time has come and we have to leave.

 

Things happened so fast that I did not even have the opportunity to say goodbye to Jason. I knew he must be pretty confused about it, although I did ask one of the guys in his class to tell him that I had to leave the school because the pilot program was closed and I had no other choice. I was not ready to switch to other streams at that time because I naively and honestly believed that I had the ability to be one of the best. It is rather ironic because I ended up doing something else unrelated anyway.

 

“So basically nothing happened between you and Jason?”

 

“There just wasn’t time for anything to happen at all.”

 

“Where is he now?”

 

“Last I heard, he got a PHD and got married. Good for him then.”

 

“Awww, that sucks. Never mind…” Lynette looked at her watch. “Oh holy smokes! I gotta get some sleep man. See you around Fred. Maybe we can continue your story sometime this week?”

 

“That is, if I feel like sharing when the time comes,” smiled Fred with an evil glint in her eye.

Chapter 4: A look into the past and some girly talk

 

It was way past 3am. In the kitchen, Freda waited patiently for Toby to come back. It was during times like these, she had the opportunity to reflect on what had happened over the years. She knew it was not love that kept the both of them together, but rather a compromise. Her engagement to Toby was anything but a union of love. Her engagement only served one purpose and that purpose was to strengthen ties between their families. It had been 5 years. She was not getting any younger. Yet Toby postponed their wedding year after year.

 

It would not have been so difficult, had he just married her and sealed her fate. She would have gladly accepted it. But no. He had to leave their relationship, or their partnership in such an awkward stage. She knew she could not leave. But she also yearned for love and support, a genuine one at that. She was locked in a fortress, a place where she could never identify herself with.

 

She hated herself for being born into such a family where monetary consideration took precedence over everything else. It was just too unfair on her. After all, she was well educated. She had dreams. Goals to achieve. Lots of love to give.

 

And then her submissive side gave in. She was unable to fight it. Weighing the odds of her bailing out on the relationship and the downfall of two empires, she knew she could not do it. The repercussions would be unimaginable.

 

The images of her happier days started to appear in her mind. For many years now she tried to erase the happy images from her mind. It was too painful to bear. Time and again she would wake up in the middle of the night, crying, thinking of the house that she and her first love, Hayden would never have. She thought of the children which they had both dreamed that they wanted to raise and tears started rolling down her eyes.

 

Lynette came in the kitchen and saw her sitting there like a statute.

 

“Hey you,” she whispered. “How come you’re still up? Waiting for Toby again?”

“Yeah. I have been doing this for several years now. Doesn’t make a difference, if I stay up late tonight anyway.”

 

Lynette bit her lip, not knowing whether she should speak her mind.

“Do you love Toby, Freda?”

An awkward silence ensued. Freda wasn’t sure whether she wanted to disclose that many details of her private life. Especially when she was the landlady of the house. Too much information could kill, she thought to herself.

 

“You are still young. There are things which you would not understand.”

“Tell me about it Freda. My dad controlled me like a freak because my mom ran away with another music lecturer. He basically spent his nights talking to shrinks. I had to put up with his crazy antics and his eccentric schedule. I mean, I know it was difficult for him. He loved my mom a lot. But he forgot that when she left him, she left me too. I don’t think he actually realized that.

 

“Do you look like your mom?”

“Yes I do actually, well according to my dad anyway. Maybe that’s why he’s so upset. I probably remind him of her. But I don’t have a picture of her… so I can only take my dad’s words for it…

 

“Do you hate her Lynn?”

“Nope. I think she must had a reason. My dad wasn’t the most loving of all guys. I remember he used to beat her up when he couldn’t get his notes right. He was a perfectionist… she was a romantic. I don’t know how the two of them got together in the first place. One of the things I remember as a child, was how difficult it was for me to endure a piano lesson without crying my lungs out. My teacher… she was just like my dad. A totally wrecked freak if you asked me my opinion.”

 

“But you are doing music composition now.”

“Yeah. I came across some handwritten manuscripts in the attic at home when I was about 16. They belonged to my mom. I never knew that she could compose songs. I tried to play the songs on piano and they were absolutely beautiful. I used to think of her in bad light, well because of what my dad used to tell me anyway. There was not one day when he wouldn’t bang my head against the wall and call me a slut. Then, as if he had just been possessed and exorcised at the same time, he would let me go in shock as if you’d been scalded by a hot potato. And he would hug me and cry. I know, this sounds very freaky and all… I am like so totally wrecked up.”

 

“No you’re not Lynn. You’re a very bright girl. Look at you. You are so young, lively, energetic and enthusiastic. I wished I could be like you.”

 

“I have to be, Fred. I mean, I’ve been through the darkest days of my life. There was a time when all I could think of when I woke up was to look at my checklist of ways to commit suicide. But everytime I tried one new way, I would think of how horrible I’d look as a corpse and I’d stop.”

 

Freda chuckled.

 

“ So yeah, I was too chicken to die. So I figured that if I am too chicken to die, maybe I’m not afraid to live.”

 

“Fred are you sure you want to listen to my story? I mean, I am like in a super talkative mood right now so if you don’t back off we’d still be sitting here tomorrow morning you know?”

 

Freda looked at her and smiled. Funny she never noticed how cute this girl was, talking about her screwed up life as it she were reading it off some tabloid magazine, displaying no signs of sadness whatsoever. The conversation was beginning to get really interesting.

 

“Go on, I am listening.”

 

“Yeah, where was I? Oh yeah. So I started throwing out all the crazy stuffs that I kept in my room, those razor blades, those pills, whatever… I decided I had enough… my dad could be as psycho as he wanted to be, but I didn’t have to be another sad case. I don’t know… I guess I needed to try to be happy, and not just think about ways to die. It just couldn’t work that way.”

 

“So I got my mom’s manuscripts and hid them away from my dad. God knows what he would have done had he discovered them. I don’t recall seeing anything which could remind me of her when I was a kid…”

 

“I don’t get it Lynn… if I were you, being fed with all that mother-hatred propoganda, I wouldn’t even want to have anything to do with her again, honestly. I don’t know how you did it.”

 

“Guess it was the manuscripts that saved me from being indoctrinated. You see, she wrote those songs for me. My names were written over the manuscript… It was at that moment, I realized that she loved me. Not what my dad had been telling me all these years…”

“ I should play the songs for you one day. Then you will understand what I mean.”

 

Freda looked at her watch. It was almost 5am.

 

“Shall I make us some coffee Lynn? Toby’s not coming back. And frankly speaking, I don’t really care.”

“Well I don’t have any lectures tomorrow. How about you Fred?”

“Hah! I am taking the afternoon tutorials so yeah, I can afford to lie in. Can’t sleep now anyway.”

 

“So what are you waiting for? Go grab the coffee girl!” I mean Fred…”

 

Moments, later, sipping coffee…

Lynette looked at Freda. This lady must have a lot of stories to tell, she thought to herself. Somehow she didn’t look quite scary now as she did on the first day she moved into the flat.

Guess you need time to peel a person’s cover she thought to herself.

 

Freda on the other hand was beginning to like this new girl. Of course they did not get along very well on the first day they met. After all, she had 28 boxes of stuff which was really really intimidating. And the fact that she had waited until a week later before she actually bothered paying up the deposit in full had literally driven Freda up the wall. And Lynette calling her “Fred” did not help either.

 

She chuckled to herself.

What better way to tell my story, she wondered, than to show it in pictures?

Lynette watched earnestly as Freda took out her laptop and gently wiped the surface clean.

“This is my life story,” said Freda. I don’t think I have ever shared it with anyone in particular, not in the least Toby. Sighs.”

 

Lynette looks at her watch.

“Well looks like your Toby aint coming home that soon honey. Go on, shoot your story.”

 

And this is Freda’s story, told in her own words.

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.

Chapter Two: The new landlady

 

“All day breakfast for you honey?” Freda asked in her sweet voice.

“Yes please. And I’ll have my tea with cream and without sugar please.” Toby answered in his booming voice. He was combing his hair with full gusto, applying layers and layers of hair cream on his already greasy hair. A round face with hair parted in the middle, he was not much of a looker. The buttons on his carefully ironed white shirt looked like as if they were about to burst. Being the overtly confident person he is, he couldn’t help admiring himself in the mirror.

 

“ You are such a sexy thing, you are” he said.

 

“Honey! Breakfast is ready!” called Freda

“Ok I am coming.”

Totally oblivious to the rotund built of her fiancé, Freda whipped up a hearty breakfast which was enough to feed three grown men. 10 Cumberland sausages grilled to perfection, 6 pieces of smoked bacon pieces, a hearty helping of fried mushrooms, baked beans, scrambled eggs and 5 pieces of heavily buttered toast. One could literally squeeze enough melted butter to fry three eggs.

 

“Oh honey you are spoiling me,” chuckled Toby. “Doctor says I should really cut down on my calories.”

“No worries honey, you can always munch on the carrot sticks I have prepared for you here.”

 

Oh you are such a darling.. come here and give me a kiss, you sexy thing.” Freda obligingly gives him a peck on his rounder-than-a-melon- cheek.

 

“And that’s a wrap!” Shouted Kenden, a burly fellow in his forties, a freelance photographer and director. As soon as they made the director’s cut, Freda and Toby disengaged themselves from each other as if they both had contagious diseases.

 

As descendents of the Kelp and Gee empire, it was compulsory for them to do this ritual every year since they were engaged- Kenden would come to their house, do a short interview with Freda and Toby on life after engagement, take a few videos of their daily lives (albeit grotesquely boring) and have the videos on air every year in January. Kenden did it for the money, of course, the Kelps and Gees were generous providers and did not require him to produce something of Oscar award quality. Of course there were times when he wished he was the one who was pampered in the videos instead ( oh but who wouldn’t? Given Freda’s assets and ethereal looks, one could not help but drool over her), he always persevered from the beginning of the shoots to the end. Money was the only motivation in his life.

 

“Right then Kenden, when do we expect to see the finished product?” Toby, in a businesslike tone, casually asked.

“It won’t be too long, trust me. This year we didn’t have to do outdoor photography, so it should be fine. But I need the both of you to pick out some photographs for the covers though.”

“Oh you mean for Kelp Digest? Anyone with us grinning like monkeys will do. That’s what Dad wants anyway. A public display of affection.”

Freda gave him the death stare. How many times does he have to be reminded that some things are not meant to be said out loud?

 

Kenden shrugged. “Well, I’ll come by sometime on the 15^th, and hopefully we can sort something out. Olive says we need to finalise everything by the end of this month before they send it for printing.

 

“Whatever.”

 

Toby swallows the food instantly and wipes his mouth. He took a glance at his watch and exclaims: “Oh! I am going to be late. See you later tonight hon. I have to go now.”

And he grabs his briefcase.

“Kenden, I’ll leave you here then. Freda’s going to be around today so you can like.. work out the details with her. I got to go.

 

On his way out he threw a stack of papers into Freda’s face.

 

“By the way, have a look at the pre-nup I drafted ok?” he shouted as his banged the door close.

“Pre-Nup?”

Freda stood rooted on the spot as she flipped through the pages and pages of words, none of which made much sense.

 

Kenden sighed as he cleared up his equipment.

 

“Honestly Freda, I don’t know how you can stand him. Its been five years.. each year the both of you do the same thing. Last year it was dinner at Ivy’s/ The year before that you were both at Legoland Windsor. Does it not bother you that you are engaged to a man who doesn’t love you at all?”

 

Freda smiled. “Ken, I don’t have a choice. You know that. You’ve worked with us for so many years. You ask the same question every year. And you know that every year, the answer will be the same. As long as our families are strategic alliances, there is no way I am going to run away from all this. It may be crap to you but at least, this mere façade is keeping the legend of the two empires alive. It gives people hope. And it keeps the stock market alive. That’s all I need to know.”

She had trained herself to answer without a hint of doubt, whenever she was questioned by close friends on her engagement to Toby. Putting on an act was the least she could do now. Her father had left behind a legacy of bad debts hidden behind a good name. And Toby’s father was responsible for keeping that good name alive. She was the price that her father had to pay.

 

She called her friend, Hillary.

 

“Hiya. I need a favour.”

 

“Sure, shoot away!”

 

“I’ve been thinking… perhaps I should rent out the spare room in my house. Toby’s hardly around, and I could do with some company.”

 

“Well… I do have somebody whose looking for a room. A music student. Young girl, in her early twenties. What do you say?”

 

“Cool. I’ll be around today. Why don’t you ask her to come over then. We could grab a drink later.”

 

“Sure. Call me after the viewing then.”

 

Lynette was overjoyed that she could view a room. Never did she expect to get a reply that soon…

She looked in awe at the apartment before her. It was beautiful.

Gingerly she went up to the door and pressed the doorbell. She was greeted by a lady so beautiful, she thought she had knocked on the doors of heaven.

“Errr… Miss Fred,.. I mean Freda Gee?”

 

“Yes, Its Freda Gee, not Fred. You must be Lynette. Come on in.”

 

Lynette looked around the apartment with great interest. It was very tastefully decorated, with cream coloured drapes for the windows, white leather sofas, a Victorian style armchair and most importantly, a Wagner piano.

 

“You play the piano Fred? I mean Miss Gee?”

 

Freda looked at her sharply.

 

“Yes I do actually. This was an engagement gift. You may only touch it with my permission.”

 

Lynette gulped. Had she entered the Ice Queen’s chambers?

 

Following Freda, they entered a smaller room, with a single bed, a wardrobe and a working desk.

 

“This will be your room. You are not allowed to refurnish this room as I will not tolerate banging on the walls. Duvets and pillows will be provided. There will be a separate meter in your room so that I can monitor electricity usage, which of course will be borne by you. Any questions?”

 

“Errmm..”

 

“No? Good. Let’s go to the kitchen.”

 

“Now this is the kitchen. You can use everything here, provided that you wash up and dry everything. I won’t be cooking for you though, I assume you are capable of cooking yourself.”

 

“Yes Ma’am.”

 

Oh my God, this is the torture chambers. Should I even stay here?

 

And Freda turned around and smiled at her.

 

“I don’t like it when you call me Fred, but I think we’ll get along great. You don’t seem to be much of a talker. That’s good. You shall pay 1 month’s rental in advance.”

 

“But…”

 

“And,” Freda looked at her with a glint in her eye, “ If I like you enough, I might just let you play on my piano.

 

“Who else stays here?” Lynette finally managed to blurt out a sentence amidst Freda’s non-stop chatter.

 

“Oh. My fiancé. Toby. You may get to meet him, you may not. But that’s not important.”

 

“Oh, alright then.”

 

“You may move in tomorrow if you wish. Here is my phone. Go back and think about it. I shall be here tomorrow after 11am, when my classes are over. Remember to bring along the one month deposit with you.”

 

And before she could say anything else, Lynette was ushered to the front door where Freda slammed it shut right in front of her.

 

“What was that all about?” Lynette wondered to herself. Although…the wagner piano was very very tempting….

 

She started thinking…

Hmmm I won’t have to take the bus anymore, and I get a nice room. Plus, this lady is interesting. It’d be good to see what she’s really made of.”

 

As she walked on the streets, thinking of how she was going to dig the dark secrets of her landlady to be, she bumped head on into a man.

 

“Watch where you are going freak!” Lynette screamed.

 

And it was no other than Andrew, the freaky guy who touched her hair a few weeks back.

 

“You! Why do I keep on bumping into you? You’re a plague!”

 

“I am sorry . I really did not mean to bump..”

 

“JUST SHUT UP!”

 

And again she left in a huff, not realizing that she had dropped her umbrella in her haste.

 

Before Andrew could call her to give her her umbrella back, she had disappeared into the sea of people…

 

Andrew shrugged, took the umbrella with him and walked off.

 

Merry Christmas everyone!

Having kept my culinary skills under wraps for the past three years (ahaks) this year I decided to cook a simple meal for my family during Christmas Eve. Well... I say let the pictures do the talking... here they are!

An overview of the food. Like I said, this was a strict family affair... hence the lack of presentation... hehe

The star of the day --Roast chicken with mixed herbs. Thanks to Cooknengr's tip, marinating the chicken in beer and brine actually brought out the flavour of the chicken! And yeah, chicken should taste like chicken (quote the Cooknengr) so I did not put any honey at all. Stuffing consisted of carrots, onions and portobello mushrooms. The entire bird was liberally massaged with Golden churn butter... evil!

This is my version of caramelised potatoes. I know it looks nothing like the real thing... but I was so worried that I would burn a hole in the frying pan while cooking the caramel, I didn't wait for the sugar to brown completely!

Basically this is how I made the caramel:

a) Heat up two tablespoons of sugar in a dry frying pan. Do not add anything.

b) Keep the fire very very low. Watch the sugar melt and stir constantly.

c) When the sugar melts and turns golden, turn the fire off. Stir in a tablespoon of butter.

d) Mix well and pour in the pre-boiled potatoes (note: Potatoes must be cold. Run them in ice cold water)

Blanched brocolli and gravy-made with the juices from the roast chicken. Heavenly!

Dessert-Superior Soya Agar-agar topped with English Raspberry Yogurt, USA cherries (thats what it reads on the packet) and Batu Tiga bananas, drizzled with Australian honey. Now thats what I call globalism.

Mushroom soup. Nothing to shout about except that I added in 4 whole button mushrooms (sliced). My mom loved the soup. :)

Carlo Rossi- I asked Kenny about this... and according to his expertise, this is normal table wine. Folks I am no wine connoseiur so this tastes pretty ok to me. Dont take my word for it though....

On overall lunch was pretty good. Everybody was stuffed... and it felt good to enjoy a home-cooked meal prepared by me (after so long). Christmas celebrations do not run in the family so this is a first. Lets see if I can keep it going next year...

Merry Xmas everybody!