Heart's Tempo (Wattys2014) [EDITING]

Chapter 4

He listened to Raina while she played Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No.2 on their newly purchased, very old upright piano. Pure concentration, that’s what she saw on her face. It was a piece that brought out so much emotion and a piece she has mastered when she was just eight years old.

Raina had been learning the piano since she was four years old. Since then, she had been winning awards every time she joins piano recitals. The only problem was, ever since she came to live with her grandfather, he has stopped her from playing the piano. She told Fourth that she and her grandfather had fought numerous times over that and he couldn’t see that Raina wasn’t her mother. It was just one of the reasons why she wanted to leave…

Fourth watched her playing the piece intently, he walked beside the piano and right there and then he wanted to make love to her, to take her into his arms and make her melt with his touch.

“You want to try?”

Raina asked and it sent Fourth back to reality. He hasn’t played piano before, touch the keys even. Was she going to teach him? He tried to self-study reading music notes before, but he found out it was too complicated and he lacked patience for it. How was she going to teach him now?

“No, I have an idea you’ll run out of patience then leave me.”

“What made you say that?”

“You’re the talented one here. You have all the right to play the piano and my only right is to listen to you play.”

With that he finally took Raina into his arms and kissed her passionately.

That night, while Raina went out to buy groceries, he sat in front of the piano for the first time. Fourth simply couldn’t get Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No.2’s melody out of his head. Gently he pressed the keys which he thought would make the right sound for the note. It did sound right to his ears. then he pressed the next, and the next...then he lifted his left hand and hit a couple of keys, again, it sounded right to him…just exactly the way Raina played it.

Five minutes later he was playing half of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No.2, to his amazement. Just half because he didn’t hear Raina play the other half a while ago. He just realized he was playing everything by ear. He had that talent all along?

Again he played the piece from the beginning…he got so into it that he didn’t notice Raina open the door. She was shocked to see Fourth playing like a pro…

He stopped half way again and simply stared at his hands. Was he really doing this? He still couldn’t believe it. Fourth was shot back into reality when Raina clapped her hands and embraced him. She urged him to continue playing but he shook his head.

“I can’t…I don’t know what comes next…” he said.

“What do you mean? Fourth, why didn’t you tell me you knew how to play piano?”

“I don’t know how to play, Raina. I swear! It’s just that I couldn’t get the melody out of my head and the next thing I know, I was playing it like…”

“Like how I played it…” Raina whispered. “Alright. I’ll play the other half and you try to play it afterwards.”

To Raina, Fourth played it like a recorder. It didn’t take long before he completed the whole concerto even without studying the music piece.

“A while ago you said I had the talent, maybe you’re right. But I’m sure of one thing; you’re the one with the gift.” Raina said as she embraced Fourth. Who knew he had that kind of gift?

Fourth smiled at the memory of Raina that time. For him, she was the one responsible for discovering his hidden gift. If she wasn’t persistent in buying the old upright piano, if she didn’t play Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No.2 all the time then he would have never discovered he can play any music piece by ear.