Untold Icy Rain Stories 331:
That Small Dream
(Based on Real Life Story)
She knew she had to give it another shot. She needed this one last chance badly. She walked towards to the room with a heart that only God knows how heavy it was.
'Are you sure? Are you really sure about this?'
She nodded with a smile. The last thing she needed was pity from her two best friends.
'Alright, we will wait for you at the staircase.'
She nodded harder with a brighter smile.
She was glad her two best friends decided to wait for her by the staircase instead of following her all the way. She could feel hot tears attempting to blur her eyes but she was quick enough to blink them away.
'I got to make this work. I know I can beg for one last chance but can I really convince? Can I really prove myself that I am just as better as any other girls?'
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'Good afternoon, Ms Lee.'
'Good afternoon, what can I help you with?'
'Ms Lee, I just want to tell you I figured out what you meant by hitting the right notes, the key and pitch. Please give me a chance to show what I think would really make a difference as compared to the last audition.'
'Oh,'
'Yes, Ms Lee, please. All it takes is for you to just start playing the piano now and I am confident enough I know what it means by hitting the right notes this time round.'
'But, you are tone-deaf and at the last audition, I have given you more than ample time to keep trying. It is just barely a few days. How could it be possible that you suddenly know?'
'Okay, Ms Lee, I shall tell you but you promise me to let me try again after I tell you?'
'Well, let me hear what happened first.'
'Ms Lee, you might not know but I love to sing since I was young. I love singing and dancing much but my mum hates it so I never get the chance to sing aloud at home. The only places were outside such as in the lift when I was all alone, in the corner of a garden and stuff. After the last audition, you told me I was tone-deaf. I was upset. You told me that I could never be in tune with music especially singing and even learning instruments in the future because I was tone-deaf. Honestly, even after you explained to me what is tone-deaf in the simplest word; telling me that I am considered deaf in the world of music, I am too heartbreak to believe. No, I should say, I am too heartbreak until I refused to believe.'
She could no longer fight her tears and for the first time since the audition, she couldn't care about her tears falling anymore.
'I know you are very experienced and have all the knowledge in music and yes, I believed what you said about me. What I don't believe is that I can't do it. I don't believe I can't have anything to do with music anymore. I cried every night silently as I looked up at the stars to ask why. I couldn't sleep at all. I switched on my radio. My maternal grandma gave me a very small radio that works on batteries. I just need to hear some voices to keep me alive because I was crying so hard and my heart was feeling so pain as though I was going to die. I couldn't find any Chinese channel that is still on air. I kept the radio on until around 2.30am or 3.30am when suddenly, I heard there's music. You know the FM100.3? From 10pm, there is Tamil songs and because I can't find other channel, I kept it on. The first night, my mum knocked on my door and scolded me for switching on the radio so loud. I was glad she didn't open the door or else, I think she would have thrown the tiny radio away.'
'My dear, why don't you sit down beside me as you continue?'
She sat down beside Ms Lee and her eyes were glued to the white and black keys on the piano. She smiled a little because it was her first time being so close to a piano.
'The second night, I cried again. I know it sounds silly but seriously, Ms Lee, I could feel the terribly aching in my heart. I kept the volume really low and as usual at around 2.30 or 3.30, there is this man who teaches people how to sing songs. I listened hard. Well, I didn't find any difference and this goes on to the third night. Ms Lee, you won't believe but on the third night, he was teaching a song that was sang by both male and female singer and he demonstrate how both male and female sing differently each sentence himself. Strange enough, that was when I realised that is the key or pitch you are talking about. I switched on the volume louder but it took less than a minute for my mum to open my bedroom's door, stomp into the room and threw that radio on the floor.'
'So your radio was spoiled?'
She nodded and tears continued to fall.
'Okay, I will let you try again but can you tell me who is this teacher who teaches on radio?'
She thought for a moment, trying to recall.
'I don't know if I remember correctly but I think his name is Lee Wei something.'
'Okay, before I let you try, I want you to sing that song, the male and female version that you said this teacher demonstrate the difference himself and you manage to catch it.'
She did. She practiced hard whenever she was alone in lift or at the quiet corner in school.
She felt nervous as she looked at Ms Lee's face after she finished. However, Ms Lee's wide smile made her felt more at ease.
'Now, I want you to sing Do Re Me Fa So La Ti Do as you did before in the last audition, okay?'
She nodded and she tried hard. It was true she couldn't hear the difference as Ms Lee's fingers danced on the different white and black keys but she wasn't going to let that ruined her last chance.
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'Alright dear, before I tell you the result if you are in for the choir, can you tell me if you can hear the difference on those same tunes I played?
She bit her lip. She knew very well she couldn't hear the difference but she was afraid her answer will affect the result that Ms Lee decided.
After what seemed eternity, she found her shaky voice and even before she could decide what to speak, her voice spoke on its own.
'Ms Lee, no, I can't hear the difference but I was watching you play and as I opened my mouth to sing out what you wanted me to sing, I was telling myself I have to sound different because your fingers are playing the different keys from each previous tune.'
She could only looked at the floor with her eyes filled with tears and she could feel her voice felt choked. She wished she could kick herself hard for coming clean.
'You are a rare girl, my dear.'
She looked up with hopeful eyes.
'Yes, I am asking the obvious but I have to say I have to ask because I was surprise within such a short period of time. Your voice and the way you attempted to each note. Yes, my dear, you are in but you need to be prepared for extra lesson unlike the rest. You knew you couldn't hear the difference but the wonderful part is your memory to how your voice sounds. Since you can't practice like the rest at home, you will have to come in for extra lessons to practice on your own even when I am not around. However, I will try to squeeze out more time for you to work on the areas just with you alone because I know you definitely need someone around to tell you if you hit the right key or not. Are you ready for that?'
She nodded. She could only nodded. Her tears started to roll down her cheeks again.
'My dear, dry your tears. You made it. You sing to what your memory tells you and as long as you practice, you can do as much as what the rest can do.'
She was lost for words. All she knew was that she was sobbing hard in the arms of Ms Lee.
THE END
~ © Krislin Neo
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Just in case some of you readers are wondering, back in the days, both radio and TV channel does not have 24 hours non-stop programmes or songs.
This little girl made it into her school choir and it was another surprise for her when her school was selected to be one of the schools to take part in the National Day Parade.
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