De Nelson's Senior High

Chapter 16- Compulsory Siesta

" Why did you stop playing?" She asks out of concern, taking a seat on the stool behind it.

" Several reasons but one is this." He takes his hands out and they were still quivering.

She looked up into his eyes and he quickly diverts his gaze before she looked back at his hands. It was obviously a reaction from his brain that was causing this to happen.

" Did something tragic happen the last time you played?"

" I don't understand myself too, if you haven't noticed, I have a problem with... communicating with people... sometimes I might seem a bit rude too... I have ummm" He looks at his fingers and she finishes his sentence,

" Autism." She says with a knowing look.

" I had autism at a point in time too. It felt overwhelming to have people view you differently because of how you behave or what other people can do that you can't do." She relates, " I learnt to stop blaming myself for everything and to do things my way."

" How'd that turn out?"

" Horrible. But I still had fun. You see, the point is not to quit doing things you are good at, it's about doing them with the reason that you're doing it because you love it. If you have that view you'll never do anything with regrets."

She takes both his hands in hers and runs circles behind his palms.

" This is very weird." He states.

" It's a therapy session I went through and obviously I was just wasting my parents money because this was the only thing I actually learnt from going there three times a week. It's supposed to reduce my nervousness." She says and he laughs. She stops and surprisingly his hands had stopped shaking.

" You do remember the notes , staff and ledger lines don't you?"

" I do remember notes and staff but not ledger lines." He replies as she hands him a sheet music.

" This is the treble staff, each line represents a letter on the keys of the piano; EGBDF and in the spaces between the lines we have FACE."

" Oh yeah I remember, CDEFGAB. The keys on the keyboard." He recalls.

" Exactly, so listen and watch as I play a simple piece." She says and took the sheet music from him before placing it on the piano to follow. Beethoven's 8th symphony rang through the room but at a lower time signature since he was now relearning a lost talent. He read the sheet music and watched her fingers on the keys, he was getting it. Then she stops and turns to him.

" I think you should try something easier like twinkle twinkle little star." She says and rummages through her bag till she pulls out a smaller sheet from her binder, " Here."

" Oh come on..." He drawls and she gives him a ridiculous stare.

" Every pianist knows how to do that so don't give me that flimsy excuse." She urges, " You can read from the sheet so what's to fear."

She left the seat for him.

" I don't think I need this." He politely turns her down.

" That's the spirit."

He sat behind the keys and after taking in a deep breath he presses on the first key.

Everything seemed to rush back to him. He finished playing that piece in a minute.

" You got it right!" Ashanti says in excitement and slaps hands with him, " Try this piece then."

She hands him another piece, a general tune that went with most songs in the school's hymnal.