This is the second part of story. Read part one here.
Milo is a quiet person. The busyness of New Orleans always dug under his skin. No matter how much he rested whenever he would do any kind of social event he would need days upon days of solitude in order to practice his instrument. The one or two times he did force himself out of the house was taxing enough. He didn’t know why he decided to go to the French Quarter yesterday. The notes for Tchaikovsky’s Concerto in D Major float in Milo’s ears through his headphones and all the while he taps them out on his thigh.
He’s always like this before a concert. His nervous energy spreads through his limbs. If he had to think of an analogy for what he felt the closest thing he could think of were fireworks. Even if it’s just a small concert that he performs for church the pressure of changing someone’s life fills him. His mother always tells him to go easier on himself. He is, after all, only seventeen years old. He should not have to worry about other people’s happiness so much.
But that is his job.
Tonight he is playing at the Orpheum Theater in New Orleans. He’s been practicing for this night for months. If he can manage to keep his cool up on stage it’ll be worth it. Milo hardly ever looks at the audience during the actual performance since his anxiety is so high.
The sky is darkening quickly. Although it is only four the sun is already setting. It will be nighttime by the time his performance even gets started.
There is one other factor about tonight that is making his skin crawl. His performance will not belong to just the people in the audience. He is going to be recorded on a radio show that will reach hundreds, maybe even millions more people than he normally performs for.
The car stops and he looks up. His mom has pulled up on the side of the building to let him out. His violin is on the seat next to him waiting to be played. Milo tugs his ear buds out of his ears so that he can talk to his mom.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes.”
She presses her phone back against her ear and speaks rapidly to the other person on the line.
He steps into a puddle the minute he gets out of the car.
“Yes,” she says. “Milo is just now getting his violin out of the car. We will be inside shortly.”
Earlier in the day the weather was unseasonably warm so he did not think to bring any kind of coat with him. His bare arms grew goose bumps as he struggled with his instrument.
“You really should pay attention to your surroundings,” his mother says. “Now if you don’t hurry, up we’ll be late.” He looks down at his watch and it shows that they are hours early yet he doesn’t say anything. Milo just shrugs and hoists his violin case over his shoulder.
Finally, he thinks.
“Finally,” his mother says. “Now come along. You still have to get changed.”
The last few minutes before the show starts are always the worst. His mind races so quickly that hardly anything else around him registers. Everyone else is background noise. None of them matters. All that matters is the instrument in his hand and the hundreds–maybe millions–of people that will be listening to him tonight.
Watching him.
Judging him.
Backstage there is a flurry of movement. People in the orchestra are hurrying to their seats on stage. Milo should be there now but he needs as much time as possible before he feels their eyes on him.
Finally, it is time that he must go on stage. His mother is somewhere in the audience, as usual, in one of the higher seats of the theater. That thought, however, does not comfort him in the slightest. He steps in front of his music stand. The conductor, the symphony, and the audience are all ready for him to begin playing. Is he ready to play? He must be since he has worked his whole life for this moment whether he knows it or not.
He breathes in deeply and looks at the conductor. His arms move into position with the instrument placed in his left hand and the bow in his right. With a single nod he tells the conductor he is ready.
Okay, he asks the audience silently, what is a violin? What does the violin sound like to you?
And he plays.
