A Very Good Place To Start

Once

When she was little, she would always come over to Ian's house for piano lessons from Mama Yans. As a child, she loved learning how to string together the notes on the keys. It fascinated her. But if there is something else that fascinates her, it's Mama Yans herself. She is a good pianist but she is a better singer.

Lea hasn't been allowed to tag along to her concerts yet since she's too young but she hears Mama Yans sing every now and then and it makes her want to sing like she does too.

"Mama Yans, will you teach me to sing?" She asks while watching the older woman prepare some toast for her while they take a break from the piano. "Like the one where you AH AH AAAAAHHHAAAHHH AH AH AH AH AAHHHH," she tries to mimic the way Mama Yans sang that... she doesn't know what piece that was.

Mama Yans' face lights up and says, "sure pero when you are older na," she slides the plate towards Lea, "Queen of the Night is not age appropriate for you pa."

Pleased enough to hear that, Lea nods and proceeds to consume the pastrami sandwich while Mama Yans briefly excuses herself when the telephone rings for her.

Not wanting to be by herself in the kitchen, she carefully climbs off the island stool, and goes back to the living room, straight towards the piano. She remembers Mama Yans keeping some of her pieces under the piano bench and she decides that she wants to learn them. She finishes her bread quickly so she can focus on her mission.

She takes out a folder from the bench and sets it on the round table adjacent to the piano by the stairs, careful enough around the vase with Mama Yan's favourite flowers. She lifts the cover and grimaces when she finds music sheets with titles written in a language she cannot even pronounce. She sifts through them in an attempt to find at least one that she could read but then there was none so she ends up holding on to the sheet she is holding. She closes the folder and tries to read the title. She refuses to not know this. She is a fourth grader, not a loser, she thinks to herself.

"O soh-ave?" She says loudly, tries to syllabicate just in case it works. But she must have done it wrong because Mama Yans came in, chuckling softly as she walked towards Lea's direction.

Oblivious, Lea hands her the paper and asks, "Mama Yans, how do you read that?"

"O soave fanciulla," the older woman says with both patience and grace.

"Do you sing it?" Lea continues to prod to which Mama Yans responds with an enthusiastic nod. "Can you sing it for me please?"

Nobody has been able to deny her whenever she puts on her puppy dog eyes and it seems to work even for Mama Yans because she sings a few lines.

"I want to sing as good as you can!" Lea exclaims with a clap.

Mama Yans chuckles and playfully taps the tip of her nose with her index. "When you're older. You may not like the song right now."

"Why?"

"Because it's about a man and a woman in love."

"Yuck!"

Mama Yans nods with an amused expression. "This is when Rodolfo and Mimi realize they love each other."

"Mama Yans, I don't want that song. I'm not in love. Boys are gross!"

The older woman laughs while the little girl shivers in disgust.

"Lea, anak, you'll understand it better when you are older."

And perhaps it was leading to this moment after all... when the realization that she loves her bestfriend comes crashing square to her chest.

Really, she should have realized this a while ago. She's not a dimwit. It took her her own Ate practically handing her a mirror to realize how stupid she has been.