Chapter Six

        I open my eyes but still on my bed. Today is my first day of Richard’s training, I cannot wait. Erik’s face suddenly flashes into my mind. Will he be there? I ask myself, but decide not to think about him because it is going to worry me . . . My day just starts, I don’t want to ruin it by having frustrate thoughts. I take out a light green tank top from my closet, and I find a pair of jeans on my chair. I make my hair into two braids and ready to go.

        Vivian sleepovers at my house and she is still sleeping right now. It is only six o’clock in the morning, so my mother is also asleep right now. I open the front door carefully, trying not to wake my friend and mother, and then I walk out and take a deep breath.

 

        Since this is the first day of the training, I feel extremely nervous and weird. Awkwardness full in the air, I am kind of afraid to see Richard.

        “Umm . . . good morning, Richard.” As I arrive, Richard was already there waiting for me.

        “Hey, Rae.” He smiles, leading me to the studio, and opens the door for me.

        “Oh, thank you,” I say, he keeps the door open for a few seconds, and then he closes it gently.

        “Look at you! You look at me as if I am going to eat you!”

        I giggle, “No, I’m not!”

        “Well, if you are not . . . let’s get started!”

        I nod, thinking about what to sing for awhile, and then close my eyes. I start with a small humming, with the melody of a song I just came up with randomly on my way.

        Richard sits there, focus on me. I eye him, looking at his face ever so seriously that I can see the wrinkles and lines. His looks like how exactly my imaginary father looks like. Richard, different from anytime I see him on stage, is now wearing a pair of glasses, looking all savant-like. I sing the second line in my mind, and try to concentrate on the song, but I cannot stop myself from looking at Richard. His eyes never leaves me, from the first second I stepped into the room, I can feel his gaze moving as I move, spotting me as I stop, it follows me, bringing me an unspeakable perceive.

        It is not love, Rachael Landelle . . . I warn myself, turning away from Richard’s perfect face. He is still looking at me; the corners of his mouth raise playfully, something in his eyes show a sense of highly interest.

        Suddenly, he laughs, and claps his hands. “Take a rest, Rae. Drink some water and relax. I’ve got some chocolate bars if you want.”

        I nod. He throws me a chocolate bar and smiles at me, taking a sip of his espresso.

        The nerves and worries are gone after seeing Richard’s smiles. I am eager to know how I sang.

        “I think my voice doesn’t sound so good today.” I sigh, taking a bite of the Hershey's Chocolate Bar.

        Richard shrugs, “I think you did well, Rae. You just need to add more confidence into your voice.”

        “I’ll try.” I say, finishing the last bite of the Milo Chocolate Bar, throwing it accurately into the trashcan. “Am I going to sing another song or something?”

        “No,” Richard stands up from his chair, smiling ever so brightly, “what do you think? You want to take a walk? I think you need to relax yourself.”

        I nod, giggling as Richard, again, keeps the door open for me (he is such a gentleman), “Sure thing. Where are we going?”

        Richard shrugs, “I don’t know, let’s just walk around.”

 

        Pulling out a book from his pocket, Richard puts on his glasses again and starts reading it. The title read “Le Petit Prince”. It is a classical work and I read it in English when I was thirteen. But Richard is reading it in full French. I look at him silently for a second, from his light brown hair to his profound eyes, and then to his lips that are perfectly shaped. I wonder if he has French descent.

        As if reading my mind, Richard stops reading, his head crooked to the right so that he can see me, then he smiles, “I read French and write French songs because my father is a French pianist, but he died a few years ago because of cancer.”

        I nod in understanding, smiling back at him. For seconds, we just stand there, looking at each other . . . What is he thinking right now, I wonder, maybe about his father? It must be really painful to die in cancer . . . A moment later we both burst into laughter. Then he comes closer, encircling my waist.

        I blush, not knowing how to react. Since Richard is an adult, I do not think I should just push him away or something because of the Chinese politeness . . . Plus, he is my favorite singer, the person I have wanted to meet for my whole life. But . . .

       “Rae.” He calls my name; the word comes out from his tongue, leading in gracefully a brand-new start, bringing up an unforgettable conversation. With his arm gently slides down and places back to where it is supposed to be, I feel better and can finally breathe.

        “Yes?” I respond, inhaling some fresh air, my face is still as red as an apple.

        “I am planning a big show for you.” Richard tells me, waiting for my reaction.

        “I will be really nervous” is all I can say.

        Richard nods, smiling bitterly, “You need to be strong, just like what you did after the interview at the bar. There will be many defeats and hurting in your life, but you will need to get rid of them and start over anyhow. Be staunch. Be confidence, and then you are untouchable on the stage.”

        I do not talk for a second, and then I nod again . . . it is confusing, but I kind of understand what Richard means.

        Suddenly, Richard starts laughing, “Do you know that I failed the first interview at The Lost Bar, too?”

        Shocked, I shake my head, “Really? You did?”

        He nods. “It was a good memory though. That night I was so depressed that I ended up drunk and tired. But when I got home, my love was there waiting for me. As I stepped into the room she gave me a big hug even though I smelled full of yucky beer, and looked awful . . .”

        Richard seems to sink into his own memory, with the woman that left him . . . So I decide not to bother him and close my eyes, relaxing for awhile.

        “Maybe we should go back to the studio?” I ask when I find him staring at me again.

        He doesn’t say anything else but starts walking back to where we came from. I follow him.

 

        “Sleep with your song, inside your heart, you can find me, just as I do. Love you love you, till the end of the world, nothing can part us, die in your arms . . . Love you . . .” I sing, trying to come out with some new lyrics and melody.

        Richard claps, “That sounds nice. You should keep working on it and complete it.”

        I nod. The door is opened, and comes in Erik. He nods to both Richard and I, and then he hands Richard a note.

        “There is no name on it. So I guess I can just give it to you.” Erik says, walking out of the room. He doesn’t say “bye” to me.

Richard looks at it for a pretty long time, scowling, he slowly puts down the sheet.

        “This is for you, Rae, Richard says, still feeling uneasy.

        “Did anything just happen?” I ask, feeling the tense emotion still in the air.

        “No,” Richard shakes his head, “everything is fine.”

        He obviously is avoiding the question. I nod and sit down by him as Erik walks out of the room.

        “See you, Erik,” I say, more like testing. I wonder if he is angry with me or something.

        I sigh, and then call him again through the half-closed door.

        “Erik?”

        He turns around, giving me a smile. It is a smile that combines melancholy, friendship, sadness, and something I don’t know; it is a smile that is different from his usual one . . . This one . . . makes me feel so bitter . . .

        I pull my thoughts back into the note in my right hand.

 

        Rae, how is everything going? Remember to buy me some chocolate on your way home. Remember the teddy bear that walks into the forests? Love you, Mom.

 

        I smile, “the teddy bear that walks into the forests” is what my mother always says when I was a little baby, but she still says it sometimes, and this is like a signature of my mother.

        Suddenly, Richard sighs, I turn around to look at him.

        “Richard, what’s going on? You look . . . sad.”

        He, again, shakes his head, saying nothing. In order not to annoy or bother him, I stop asking.

        “Nothing, really, nothing. Don’t worry.” As he says those words, he comes next to me, and again, makes me closer into his strong, warm arms. My head touches his chest . . . my head touches his chest . . . Then something I didn’t even think about happens . . . His lips, his perfect lips, are now on my forehead, so soft, so soft . . .

        Erik appears on the hallway, I notice him through the half-opened door. He looks at my direction, our eyes meet. A sad smile appears on his face, and then he nods, slowly walking away, away from me, away from Richard . . . Away from me, away from me . . .

        For a second, I just stand there. Then Richard suddenly says, “You are a good girl, Rae.” As I turn around to face him, I see the playful smile on his face.

        “Ri, ri, ri, ri . . .” I cannot form Richard’s name. He looks at me and laughs.

        “From now on, call me Ri instead, you little thing.”

        “You little thing?” I laugh, and pull myself back from Erik’s reaction. “So I am a ‘little thing’ in your eyes then?”

        He nods, and then he starts laughing again. Still laughing, he then let go of me.

        “I’d love to have a daughter like you. Well, I guess this is the time for us to get back to the training,” he says, and then he adds. “you little thing.”

        I get back to where I was standing. The microphone is right in front of me. In front of me.

        I sing another three songs, including two of my originals and one Et Je Danse from my favorite French singer Cecilia Cara. The lyrics fits so well for the awkward situation between Erik and me. Is he the right man for me?

        Richard is staring at me again. His eyes do not hide his age like the other parts of his body do. His eyes show the kind of expression that only older people have, and the eyes also show the relationship between us, the connection that always makes me feel happy but dubious. There are something more . . . friendship, love, and warmth . . . like a father. Maybe it is how it feels to have a father. A combination of friendship, love, and warmth . . . these are the things I always see between a father and a daughter when they are managing their relation well. A father . . .

        “Rae,” Richard’s voice pulls me back to reality.

        “Yes?” I turn around to look at him.

        “Want some chocolate cake?” He chuckles.

        “Umm . . . why does it seem like you are making me eat food that will make me fat?”

        He laughs. He is always laughing.

        “Because you are too skinny,” he replies, placing a hand on my shoulder, all father-like.

        “No, I’m not.” I say, but still finish the cake. If anyone asks me what my favorite food is, I will say it is chocolate. It calms me down. I am really addicted to chocolate, I should say.

        “Well, you are. Anyways, I think that’s all for today,” Richard says, hand still on my shoulder, pushing me slowly toward the half-opened door.

        “Thank you, Ri,” I say, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

        Just as I am leaving, Richard calls from my back. I stop walking.

        “Rae,” he shouts from the end of the hallway, “do you wanna consider quitting the job at The Lost Bar so we can have more time for training?”

        “Well,” I yell him back, “I’ll think about it. See you!”

        He waves me goodbye.

        Before I get onto the bus home, I see Erik. Our eyes meet. But neither for us say goodbye.

 

        Erik does not call me after I get home. No emails, no letters. Nothing.

Author's Note

Please tell me if I made any grammar mistakes. Please list them out if possible. Thank you so much!

Reviews

[R J Askew]

Well, there are some moving parts in this, esp the mother (again). I esp like 'the teddy bear that walks in the forest'. I can imagine mother using that in stories.

The bit towards the end is moving also when Rae is speculating on what it is to have a father. Tis sad that any kid should have to think such a thought, but many must do.

This graph is stands out for me:

Pulling out a book from his pocket, Richard puts on his glasses again and starts reading it. The title read “Le Petit Prince”. It is a classical work and I read it in English when I was thirteen. But Richard is reading it in full French. I look at him silently for a second, from his light brown hair to his profound eyes, and then to his lips that are perfectly shaped. I wonder if he has French descent.

Of course no rock star wld be up to give singing lessons so early in the morning! But this is a fairy-tale. I also like the dab about returing to reality, the reality being the fairy-tale.

This chapter endes on a not of tension regarding Erik who must now be getting jealous perhaps.

The dab where Richard puts his arm around Rae the child is unsettling to read. Rae is unsuspecting in this adult world. But nothing bad has happened to her and her dream of learning to sing is being fulfilled. In the real world I fear things wld be different, sadly.

[Singer-Songwriter - Miya]

Thank you. True it will have been different in the real world. :-)

[The Fallen]

Is erik mad at her!!??!!??!!!? OMG cannot wait for the next chaper, send me a Rr on here when it is up! U got me hookedd

[Singer-Songwriter - Miya]

Aww . . . thank you ^_^
It spent me a lot of time discussing the outline of each chapter with my father, haha.

[The Fallen]

Your welcome, And discussing it with someone is a majorly good idea I sometime discuss my chapters with one of my friends

[Singer-Songwriter - Miya]

That is nice ^_^

[Singer-Songwriter - Miya]

I have a friend who writes, too, except she writes in Chinese. ^_^

[The Fallen]

OMG chinese writing is cool even though I could never understand what they were saying it'd still b sick

[Singer-Songwriter - Miya]

ha ha :-)
It is true, but the words are hard to write :-P
Ha ha I have to run for class. Hope I can see more of your reviews soon.
Thank you so so much~~

[The Fallen]

Alright byeeee