Chapter seven: Simple greetings from a dozen invisible friends
Trigger warnings for those who need them
None
It’s my sixteenth birthday.
Mommy has invited over all her friends to celebrate.
The place is very busy.
Annoyingly so.
I sit on my chair drinking my juice trying my best to pick up on a conversation, any conversation but everyone is speaking all at once and I have no way of keeping up.
I pick up my name a couple of times.
Talking about me but never to me again.
A loneliness settles in my heart.
Mom is too busy fetching tea and making sure the table is filled with biscuits and sweets.
I have no one to talk to.
When the doorbell rings she doesn’t even seem to notice it.
The chatter is so loud it makes me wonder if I’m the only one who heard it.
The bell rings again and I rise from my chair, surely mother doesn’t want her guests staying outside.
I expect her to call me out, and ask where I’m going.
She usually keeps such close watch on me.
But instead, I make it all the way to the corridor and open up the door unopposed.
“Good afternoon, are you George?” the voice on the other side asks before I have the chance to properly greet him.
“Yes, uhm, who are you? Are you one of mother’s friends?” I ask confused. My mother’s friends are women, so what’s a man doing at the door?
“I’m afraid I haven’t had a chance to meet your mother, I am however a friend of your sister. The name’s Mjokwa Qi.”
My heart makes a jump at hearing this “Is she here?” I ask excitedly.
“Unfortunately not, but she would like to invite you to Magnolia theatre tonight, for a very special show.”
A show in the theatre? My heart starts to swell in joy and anticipation but then-
“George? Is there someone at the door?”
A mother-shaped bear drops down on top of the road.
“I’m sorry, I can’t. I don’t think mother would take me and I can’t leave the house alone.”
The man thinks, then decides “Don’t worry about that. If you can make it to this door by seven o’clock tonight I’ll take you there myself.”
“You will?”
“Of course. Now, will you be here tonight?”
“I’ll try.”
“Good, now take this pamphlet and tell your mother there was a salesman at the door.” He instructs while stuffing a piece of paper in my hands.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
“No really, thank you.”
A hand appears on my head “You’re welcome. Oh and happy birthday.” He then turns and walks away. Footsteps dimming in the distance.
I close the door again.
“Sweetie, what was that?”
“Just a salesman.” I hand off the piece of paper.
“Oh, they’re a scourge. Just for living on street level, you get a salesman nearly every day.”
She explains to the flock of ladies.
I sit down on my chair again.
Sneakily smiling at tonight’s surprise.
After the ladies leave, mother makes us dinner.
I don’t talk much.
I’m too busy thinking.
“Are you okay?” Mother asks.
“Yes mum, I’m okay.”
“Was it too busy today? You can tell me if it was.”
“It’s fine.”
“Right…” She opens the pan and a cloud of home-made soup smell drifts towards me.
I guess things are better now than when dad was still around, but it just feels empty in this house.
Mother doesn’t go out much except for church.
The ladies she likes the chat with are dull and uninteresting.
At least she stopped taking me to that quack with the loud voice and the audience.
“Dinner’s ready.”
The soup is tasty but I don’t eat much, my thoughts keep slipping to the clock and my promise to be at the door by seven.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m just tired.”
“You should eat more.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Did I do something wrong?” she asks that question too often.
“No”
“Are you su-?”
“I’d like to go to bed early if you don’t mind.”
“What? No.” she chuckles but it sounds strained and uncomfortable “Of course I don’t mind.”
She picks up my bowl.
I leave for my room. I pick up my hairbrush and try to untangle the curly mass on my head.
Mother usually helps me with this but I want to look nice tonight.
I think I’ll see Donna tonight.
I hope to see her.
It’s been so long.
I’m so happy to hear she has a friend.
I want to know what she has been doing all these years and I can tell her about…about…
We’ll talk about her stories first.
I sneak down the steps.
Mother is playing the piano.
Giving me some noise to disappear into.
The music is slow and solemn yet heartrendingly beautiful.
Part of me feels like this is goodbye.
I want to go back and hug her one last time.
But that would give the plan away.
Instead, I try to imprint the music in my mind.
I open the door.
Step outside.
And wait.
Then some footsteps walk into my earshot.
“Did you have to wait long?” the voice from this afternoon asks.
“I don’t think so.”
“Good, then let’s go.”
I feel nervous as we veer off the usual path.
Despite having grown up in this city, despite being born here, I haven’t been to much of it. The trail to the church. The path to the cafe. We used to go to the market sometimes, the four of us.
I’m not sure if I could find it now.
“There are steps here look out.”
“Could you hold my shoulder? Use it to guide me.”
“Oh, yes, of course.” His hand is broad yet surprisingly stubby.
“So there are steps down here and then there’s a tunnel.” I feel a giddiness in me as his voice jumps off the walls. Accentuated by a hundred footsteps.
This is amazing.
Why didn’t mother ever show me this?
“Hello!” I shout in a bout of enthusiasm and just like that we’re surrounded with sound.
Not muffled conversation.
But simple greetings from a dozen invisible friends.
It makes my heart feel light.
My friend on the other hand tenses up around me, spooked by my sudden outburst.
I laugh as I tell him “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to spook you.”
He laughs in response “You’re a funny one kid.”
“Thank you.”
No one called me that before.
The square is crowded with conversation but we pass them by and veer away from the other guests.
Walking up a staircase we end up somewhere high above the music.
“I’ll collect you after the show.” The man explains.
“Where are you going? Where’s Donna. She’s here right?”
“Alas my friend I must return to my other duties, but don’t worry, you’ll hear Donna soon enough. Enjoy the show.”
The door closes behind me.
And just like that, I’m alone. In a new place.
A place I’ve never been before.
I’m excited yet terrified.
Terrified yet this is what I’ve always wanted.
Independence.
I like the music even though everyone’s playing different pieces. It doesn’t match but does if you listen to them as their components rather than the whole.
Then they stop.
People start to clap.
I clap as well, as loudly as possible.
My hands are a little sore when the people stop.
And then the music starts for real, in harmony, a cheerful tune getting more layered and complex as instruments join into the symphony.
And then the voice come in.
Singing about love in a tone sweet as honey and flowing like water play with the instrumentation.
And amid the harmony I hear her.
My sister, bright like a beacon, singing about hope and joy.
Pride swells in my chest.
She’s a singer now.
I want to cry.
I want to hold her, talk to her, meet her all over again after years of heartbreaking solitude.
I cannot help but feel for the characters, their anguish and their bliss. They hit me deep like daggers but leave no scars or pain as the next song carries on the tale.
By the time the clapping starts again, I clap even louder than before.
My hands are throbbing loudly as the door opens again.
“What did you think?”
“Amazing.” That is the only word I manage.
“Donna will be glad to hear that, shall we?”
I jump from my chair.
He holds my shoulder like last time to guide me.
I didn’t even need to ask.
We walk through hallways, people hurrying past us.
Mister Qi knocks on the door.
It opens instantly.
“George.” Donna’s voice erupt from the door opening.
Her arms are soft around my neck.
She became so tall.
Rising above me at every opportunity.
“Come in, please. There’s a lot to talk about.”
My long lost sister and I talk for hours.
I learn Donna’s life wasn’t easy either.
But now she’s free.
Happy.
“And if you want you could stay here too, you could be a pianist.”
“But shouldn’t I audition?”
“Don’t worry about that. The actor manager and I have been to church together to hear you play. He gives his blessing if you’ll have it.”
“Then I’ll take it happily. Thank you.”
And from that moment on we’ve been together again.
The theatre is something to get used to. There are a lot of people to remember and even more pieces of music. One more complex than the next.
But I like it.
The challenge, the trust people will put in me.
Donna tells me the theatre made her feel whole like she finally became a full person. , I think I know what she means by that.
“George?”
“Yes, Donna?”
Her voice is soft and sweet as she chuckles “The others are having tea in the dressing room, do you want some?”
“I’d like that.”
“Then let’s go. Do you know the way?”
“Almost, just stop me if I mess up.”
I can hear the smile in her voice as she says “Will do.”
Oh look! A happy ending, she never does that.
Wonder for how long that will last…
Jokes aside, I wanna give a heartfelt thank you to you for reading.
I also want to thank Kalani Shimizu and Alli Rense for beta reading.
Their input made the story so much better.
I’m still editing the follow up and need a touch more time.
The first chapter of the next story will release on the 7th of October.
It’s called A dance with death.
Hope to see you then.
-Pumpkin the Gourdian