Vol 2 ~ What if I ain't no Violinist?

7. Twoset Tutoring III (Brett's voice? 2)

Brett and Eddy became deskies at the orchestra. They were the youngest members that had joined the orchestra this year and must have been put together for that reason.

The director then introduced their conductor and together they started handing out the musical scores for their first piece. The conductor smirked;

"...I thought it would be a good opportunity to check your sight-reading."

Many groaned. Eddy noticed Brett hadn't and wondered whether Eddy just had not heard him groan or whether he was fine by it. Eddy turned his head to look at his deskie.

Brett noticed Eddy had turned towards him and looked up from his score and smiled. Eddy smiled back.

No, he obviously doesn't mind at all.

Eddy's guess was confirmed when they started to play. Eddy thought his own sight-reading skills were pretty good but Brett's was something else. His crisp sound and rhythm were on point, Eddy wondered whether the guy ever needed to practice more than 5 minutes. He told that to Brett and his lips parted again.

"Thanks. But I want to make it sound much better. I try to practice 40 hours a day."

Eddy burst out laughing.

The two did become very good friends very quickly. With a similar age, background and interests, it wasn't difficult. Eddy was always looking forward to catching up with Brett at maths tutoring and at orchestral practice.  He would be sitting next to Brett at both venues and he never got tired of chatting to him, learning more and more about his friend.

3 weeks later

"Eddy Chen, may I speak to you during the break?"

"Um.. yes sir."

Eddy was called into the staff room of the tutoring school.

Eddy stood in front of his teacher and fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Um.. am I in any trouble, sir?"

His teacher furrowed his brows but his facial expression remained kind.

"No Eddy, I just heard a few things and I checked myself and I just wanted to make sure everything was okay."

"..I.. I don't understand sir."

"Well, is everything okay? At home? At school? ..At tutoring?"

"Yes..?"

"Do you do any extra-curricular activities? Apart from maths tutoring?"

Eddy bit his lower lip, trying hard not to grimace.

Bleh, are you meant to regard maths tutoring as an extra-curricular activity?

"..Well sir, I play the violin.. I take lessons and am in the youth orchestra."

"Great! And is that going well?"

"Yes."

"Okay.. look, it's just that I've heard a few people tell me that.. they've seen and heard you.. talking to yourself a lot."

Eddy furrowed his brow.

"...talking to myself?"

"Yes."

Eddy's teacher lowered his voice.

"Now Eddy, ever since you enrolled in our maths tutoring class 3 weeks ago, you've been at the top of the class, which is extremely competitive. I just wanted to make sure you're not under too much pressure."

Eddy tilted his head in question;

"I...I don't think so, sir. But it worries me a bit because I wasn't aware that I have been talking to myself."

"So no one else has ever mentioned this to you? That you talk to yourself? People at school? Not even your family members?"

"Um.. no, sir..?"

"I've actually seen it with my own eyes, Eddy. So perhaps you are only doing it at tutoring?"

"You have, sir!?"

Eddy bit his lower lip again, this time with concern.

"Yes, you seem to always turn to your left and you appear to be engaged in a deep and interesting conversation"

Eddy's jaw dropped.

Brett sat to Eddy's left in tutoring class.