Mario: Buddy now tell me how she finally confessed her feelings.
Dustin: Honestly that still makes me cry that how I proposed her.
FLASHBACK
"So here this meeting terminated. I'm really gratified to you, Elaine. If you're not here this three years long dispute would never end up into this deal. So perhaps we'll anticipate a short speech from you," Dustin remarked and everyone encouraged her with great applause. They made her flushtered. When her eyes collided with Dustin who was staring at her being fascinated by her red face. Noticing that she immediately shifted
gaze elsewhere. She thought, " No no no, not this gaze, please. It's burning me. Why, why it's me??"
She got up and stood at the front of the room, cleared her throat then started, " Thank you so much to you all but it's not just me, it's the result of everyone's hard work. I always considered you as my another family and so we did it amicably. It's impossible for me to do it alone."
While she was delivering the courteous speech Dustin stood beside her too. Within a nick of time the entire room astonished by him as he sat on the floor turning towards Elaine in posture of proposing with a blue box of ring in his hand. She was that much shocked, not a single word came out form her mouth. Discontinued her speech she covered her mouth by her palms. Before respond anything she realised that the ring was already on her ring finger. Her blood pressure increased and she felt a rush in her body. Everyone started to congrats them but she was black out. Neither she abled to leave the room in the cheering crowd.
Dustin wispered in her ear, "Don't need to hide, I know your reason of glum."
"Then better you shouldn't, this temopral joy will give you nothing."
"But the same you told me to live like there's no tomorrow, " Dustin whispered again. Everyone started to take pictures and Elaine stood there like a doll.
After that she dragged him into his cabin and locked from inside. She yelled," Tell me why this idea crossed your mind. We can't have such relation between us."
"Idea!!! So you think it's kind of a plan then let me tell it's not. You returned music in my life. Before that my life was a drawing without any colour, a piano without it's tune. You filled my hollow. Once I was a lunatic pianist then think how I suffered without it."
"Please I'm not the person who can fill someone's vacant life. Why!!! Why you can't understand my life's over, may be less than a year or even shorter is left. Let me fade away, make that piano a reason to live, not me because you'll get hurted at the end," she started weeping.
"Elaine, at least let me be a part of your depression and suffering. Tell me what should I play to make you happy. Let my music cherish your smile...."
Her eyes were full of tears, she then unbuttoned her shirt. When her skin exposed he observed there were sores on her chest, abdomen, hands. Though he didn't stared at her bare skin and faced elsewhere.
"This is the reason I don't wear anything except full sleeves or baggy garments. I avoid to take lunch with others for lack of my appetite. I avoid share my room and stop my medication, I take short and long leaves for blood transfusion. Dustin, I've Leukemia....my time's almost over. So let me die, don't intertwine yourself with my destination."
Without any reaction he took off his overcoat and wrapped her bare skin.
"This ring looks beautiful on your finger. Why don't we live together from now and on? I guess you'd take rest, it's my time to serve you, now I know who's you favourite pianist, it's Beethoven."
That day he knew just how fragile she was. She sobbed clutching him for sometime and wailed, " I don't wanna die... I wanna live more and work harder with McLaren....I, I wanna stay with you all till retirement.... ahuuuhuuu.... don't abandon me, let me work here, I'll give my best ..... ahuhuuu...." ............
Mario: So she's....
Dustin: disappeared and dissolved in my melody. I played for her as much as I can. But I couldn't hold her for much time, her soul slowly evaporated in front of my eyes.
Mario: Then both of you spend together rest of her life??
Dustin: Yup, she allowed to let me stay with her.
FLASHBACK
"Yeah, that's three years ago before joining McLaren corporation, I got knew about Leukemia. It shattered my pride, perished my dignity. I lost my identity as well, I had to take resignation from my last work," Elaine described her past issues. Dustin sitting next to her in their room, asked," What about your parents? "
"They don't know anything till now. I can't gather enough course to confess. Just my cousin knows."
"But you must tell. They should know, they also have to spend quality time with you," he mumbled grasping her palm.
"Still why're you ruining your life engaging with me? When I'll leave you there'll be nothing exept pain so it's worthless. "
"Honestly you want me to go away. If you've any problem with that you're free to tell me. I'm not gonna bother-"
"No I want you here.... stay, till the end. Play the piano for me, play with all of your frenzy passion for the satisfaction of our soul... When I surrounded by depression I merged myself into melody of guitar and piano. Slowly my cold heart connected with those piano compositions. I could relate my tragedy with Beethoven's compositions."
Fondled her head Dustin asked, "Why you joined your field after three years? "
"Dortor told me besides me chemotherapy and stem cell transplant I can survive more three to five years though there's no certainty. And I was kind of enough with my anxiety so I desided to live rest my life casually with a li'l change with my cold attitude. But that's harder than I expected to hold back my disabilities, my weaknesses."
She cried for hours while confessing her illness to her parents, relatives and colleagues. Her cousin visited her every once in a while. Day by day she became more weak and pale and her problems got more severe. What she disliked the most was relying on her family and Dustin more because she liked to be self depending.
She liked to spent time with Dustin drifting with melodies. She demanded him to play different nocturnes and so he did. For hours he ringed piano and she listened resting her head on his shoulder.
"Dustin, the day I'll die, please play moonlight sonata... like you always do to cure me."
"Shuu, please don't talk about that. Just enjoy Pathétique now."
"Please play something else, I wanna hear Love Story or Für Elise. No, no more Beethoven, play Love Story. I wanna hear Hammerklavier and that will be the last composition of Beethoven by you. "
"But Beethoven's your favourite, now you don't wanna hear him anymore. Why just his Hammerklavier and then nothing?"
"Cuz I can see through your melody, you're in misery, you're broken like me. There's no happiness in your compositions."
He kept silent for sometime, slowly tears drenched his eyes. He embraced her firmly and whined, "Don't leave me, please don't.... I'll be alone Elaine, I wanna stay with my love more.....I want a happy family with you ....if you take leave any more I'll decrease your salary now."
"Boss having an illegitimate relation with his worker and now decreasing salary...what a jerk!!"she also sobbed in his arm.
"Idiot! You allure me to play piano at first place, you know how much I craved for it. You show me the hope, a reason to live and now.... Elaine we want a consultant like you. Moreover I want my beloved. "
"Who told I'm leaving, I'll be alive within you and the music you'll create... music reveals what heart feels so whenever you'll play, your music will tell the tales of mine, of ours."
"What a ruthless lady..."
"You know what Dustin, I wanted our child, to have it in my womb, to raise it with you. When it'll call me 'mamma', when those small fingers will touch the keys and strings but.... I can't have any...."..............
Mario: Did you tie knot?
Dustin: Nope, I insisted but she denied.
Mario: Don't know what to say but I truly wanted to meet her.
Dustin: I tried what I can do for her. And then nothing... she's a shooting star, came far from somewhere, granted our wish then disappeared into nothingness. But she owned my heart, she's a ruler of my melody.
Mario: That's just another form of yours man, you owned her too. Your music consumed memories, feelings intertwined with her and speaks an untold story. Did you played moonlight sonata on the day she left?
Dustin: Yeah, I played it for her. On that day she denied to call the doctor, may she knew it's the end. Moonlight sonata slowly lulled her into her dormant. Her last words were....
FLASHBACK
" I'm in love with the pianist next to me, it's really so beautiful to fall in love with his melody and with him. I'll really get a peaceful sleep now.....Dustin, stay till the end with me and play...it's time to have a dream hope you'll be happy...."
"Have a sweet dream," Dustin wept then not a single word from them, the entire room echoed moonlight sonata what Dustin played. And when he stopped she was sleeping peacefully.
"I kept my promise, I stayed till the end. "