"Amelia.. you are here.." a girl, pretty blonde said in an over-excited tone.
"I had to..tell me what is the news?" Amelia hugged her best friend, Mia and asked about the current situation.
Standing in a small cafe... more like a bar.. far away from Amelia's home.. the girls were chatting.
"Henry was asking for you... your turn is today." Mia, the blonde girl replied to her, taking her handbag from her.
"Okay.." Amelia adjusted herself and went to the manager's room and after a few minutes, she came out with a nervous face.
"What? You can do it, Elia. I can say with confidence that you will do great. Just breathe and show your magic." the best friend boosted up her faith and assured her.
For a second, Amelia just closed her eyes and recalled all the bad days..of how much of her mother and she suffered because of her father.
Her mother became tongue less because of that man. Now she has to do something for herself and her mother. Even she has to do something like this...
There she was, sitting at the huge, shining black instrument that looked like the sky on a cool summer night, coaxing impossibly smoothly and amazing melodies from it. She seemed lost as her fingers flew over the keys swallows darting in a pond for fish.
It was a grand structure moulded to the centre-left of the stage, all shiny pitch black until the pianist lifts the fall. And then the row of pure ivory keys march into view. They shimmer in the sparkling stage light as if they are the moon on a starry night; bright, beautiful and breathtaking.
One of a kind.
She was so good at it, the best pianist in the bar. All the people seem to amaze by her talent.
It was like she was playing her feelings out with the sweet sounds, the melody so rich and satisfying.
Soon, she grabbed the attention of the people around, her eyes closed, feeling all of her pain.
The manager and Mia were standing together and saw the drop of tear released from the corner of Amelia's eye.
"Henry.. she's going through a lot..." Mia whispered in despair while he shook his head saying, "I know.. she has the worst dad ever.."
The sweet sound was ended by silence, sweet yet mesmerizing. After a second, the loud claps were heard in the bar. Everyone was appreciating the magic Amelia had spread in the small local bar.
The crowd cheered and clapped and hooted for the sweet piano girl and they wanted to hear the sweet voice. Henry quickly ran and grabbed the mic, hand it over to her.
"Speak..." he whispered to her while she gave a terrified look.
"H-Hello... everyone. Thank you for listening to this. I'm not a professional but I love to play the piano." she said in a low yet melodious voice.
"You know my mother once said, 'You are like a child at practice on a piano. You balance sticks on the back of your hands just along the knuckles while you play, ensuring proper posture. Then you play something bland and unimaginative; however, the stick will never fall to the floor, bravo!' When I perform, the stick falls, then a symphony flows from me." she said recalling the past moments, there was a broad smile on her face.
"All of you today liked my piano not because I'm good at it.. but all of you felt the connection.. some memories which made you remember your good days or loved ones.. and it made you happy..even for a second...it did. So.. I'm just letting my feelings out through the keys and you all are feeling it."
with this another round of applause was heard, people whistled and liked her playing skills.
"So you are telling me that your insane father has cut the tongue of your only mother? I mean you only have a mother..mothers are practically one but he did that?" Mia, sitting at a round table, asked her friend.
"Yes, Mia." she rolled her eyes, then nodded.
"Oh my God! Why would he do that? I think I should meet him.." Mia, with rage in her voice, spoke.
Amelia and Mia were having dinner in the manager's room while Henry was gathering the money from the customers who liked the piano performance.
"He's a mad man... anyways... I have to spend more time with my mother now. I cannot trust that man. Thank God he passed out in the evening and I came here with no difficulty." Amelia sighed and put a mouthful of pasta in her mouth.
"Umm... thi..pastaww.. is..." as her mouth was full she can hardly speak and Mia can hardly hear.
"I'm sorry... I don't speak Ukrainian.." Mia sneered and replied.
"I'm saying this pasta is really good.." she spoke after she emptied her mouth.
"Oh, there's plenty of it. Enjoy." Mia replied joyfully.
"Uhm... can I take some for my mother?" in a low voice, Amelia struggled to speak, all embarrassed.
"Oh my God, honey, yes. Of course. Take how much you want for your mother." Mia put a hand on her best friend's hand and squeezed it gently to calm her.
Fifteen minutes later, Henry came with notes of money in his hand and gave a broad smile to Amelia.
"You were too good, today. A lot of people enjoyed your performance today. Just stay like this and you'll become famous soon."
"Now, I don't wish to become famous. Just want enough money to take my mother away from here." replied the heartbroken girl.
"You know I can help you reach a certain place.. just perform here every night or maybe after every two days. Together we will make the money." Henry offered a deal that seems quite perfect to Amelia.
"Alright, Henry. I will come.." she nodded in agreement.
Just then, Henry handed her an envelope of money and said, "This is for your hard work. I know it's less but that's all I could do right now. The boss wants the commission too."
"I understand. I'm accepting this for now. Hope it will get the increase by the time." she said in a hopeful tone to which Henry nodded.
After an hour of travelling on a local bus, Amelia finally reached home.All the way going back, she was thinking about her life.. her incomplete and miserable life. Every night she prays to God, that some miracle happens and she will get rid of this melancholic and sorrowful life.Amelia was completely heartbroken and a lost soul. By a miracle, she doesn't mean a man will come and take away all the pain from her life but she and her mother will live a happy life without her father.Amelia dreamt of a man, mature and handsome.. intelligent enough to handle her. But she cannot leave her mother like this.Her ideal definition of a man was; someone who won't care that she's incapable of sitting still at home or not educated, someone who realizes that half of the decisions she makes are usually the ones she regrets, and she has the right to overreact at any given moment. She wants someone who knows how completely insane she is and he wouldn't want her any oth
"He's going to sell me to someone.." she sobbed in her mother's bosom while she caressed her only daughter's hair.Her heard broke into several pieces, thinking of nothing but getting sold."I've heard it, mother. Richard is brainwashing him. They were talking about some rich men." Amelia added whining and sniffling.Hearing this, Grace was fuming with anger. She stood up and walked out of the room.Confused Amelia, followed her mother, wiping her tears off.As Grace stepped out the stairs, she saw both of the men chatting in a cheerful tone.Richard noticed the presence of his best friend's wife, he stood up and spoke in an amused tone, "Hi, Grace. It's too good to see you.."Without seeing him, she just strode towards her husband, grabbed him from the collar and slapped his face hard.As the man was drunk, he quickly fell, on his wife's foot while she kicked him in the ribs."What the hell..." Richard said in bewilderm
Looking back, she saw her father was not on the sofa chair.Now, where did this man, go? He was here a second ago when he asked her to open the door for the people."Won't you let us in, beautiful?" one of the men, in his deep yet low voice, spoke with a grin on his face."Excuse me, but who are you? Uncle Richard..." she asked the man, then turned her face at Richard and asked."Let us in. They are friends of your father.." Richard reacted smartly if he tells her right now about the man, would she let them in?It was not a smart move, let the father tell his daughter that she's gone.In a second, Amelia moved towards the side, making space for the men to come in."Why, thank you.." both of the men spoke in an impressing tone.Passing by her, she heard them whispering, "She's obedient, enough. Isn't she?"Amelia knitted her brows in confusion, unable to understand what's in their mind."Rowan?" Richard called out
Why did he give her the sedative? And what for? Did he already know that she was going with the men?She left without even goodbye.. there's no way back now. Is it?Sitting in the back seat of a luxurious Mercedes Benz, she was thinking about her mother.. her father.. about her life.She was on the back seat with Richard, far away, touched to the door and looking out of the window.Amelia lived in a small town where there were no big buildings, or luxurious cars or people wearing a tux.Just at the bar, she saw a few men wearing a proper suit, looking complete gentleman otherwise, there were only normal kinds of people.As the road passed by and they were going towards the city, she admired the view lifting her head out of the window, what she saw, took her breath away.Lights glittered everywhere just like stars dropping to the earth, huge and small buildings collided in a mixture of shadow and geometry. A breathtaking, marvellous, a
"Who is that person?" she, with a sudden spark of hope in her eyes, asked the girls."Oh, she's just messing with you. There's no one.." the girl, who looked clever from the face, said to Amelia, then showed eyes to the rest of them."Once you are here, you remain here. Always. No family or lovers then." she added in such a confident tone that it broke the heart of Amelia.The tiny drops of tears released from the corners of her eyes, as if she had been lonely in this entire world.Sudden clinging pain on the left side of her chest, her heart was unbearable.. like someone had stabbed her in the organ.Amelia clenched and unclenched her fists, walking away from the girls.. towards the bed.She heard the low whisper gossips of the girls, looking at her and talking..."There's no way in hell I'm wearing these cheap clothes," she said to herself, loud enough to hear by everybody."Oh, yeah? You won't?" she heard a deep and heavy vo
"Sir, please don't waste your precious time on this nonsense. I can handle this, trust me." Richard, in a polite tone, spoke to the tall man while he just fetched the cigarette from his pocket, lighted up and took a puff of it."Leave this girl, will you?" he pointed the finger at her, the smoke releasing from his mouth."And you... go back to your home. Run." he turned his face towards her, said with authority in his voice and she nodded happily.Richard left while the man stepped out of the bar, Amelia walking beside him.Although he was a complete stranger she was so much thankful for what he had done for her.Of course, both of them were going separately, he on his Bentley, on the backside, sit like a boss.No doubt, he was handsome.. his perfectly perfect hazel eyes and tan complexion, hair slicked back completely.. he was a gorgeous man.He had sweet pink lips and a subtle around his chin, making him look breathtaking.. and with
Amelia opened her eyes just to see she was in the bed.. in someone's bed?Quickly she sat down and saw she was fully dressed not in her clothes but a navy blue velvet night suit, heaved in sigh she looked around to notice this was new to her.. the room.The bedroom was furnished on a meagre budget but it was full of more warmth than Amelia had seen in many years. On the back wall was a mural, a tree with every colour of fall leaf imaginable and a few more besides. One the crude pine bed was a hand-embroidered orange cover. From every wall smiled black and white photographs of art and history.The colours are nothing else, strong, vibrant. But where was she? Maybe at Richard or Van Dough's home?It was not a house but seems a villa or a mansion...The door on the knock interrupted her thoughts, as she turned around and saw an old female.. more like her grandmother..stepped in with a tray of food in her hand."Hello, hope you had a good sleep.
With the help of the maids, the lady took her upstairs while she nearly fainted, her eyes closed, blood-forming from the right side of the head.As soon as she got laid on the bed, she noticed the drops of blood crawling down from her head to her face, moving further down to her neck."Call the doctor.." the lady said in a loud voice while the maid quickly ran downstairs.Amelia managed to lean back on the bed, after a small hiss, she said, "No, I'm alright. It's just the food, it makes me weak..""Foodie, eh? I get it but we need to call the doctor now. Please lay down." she pushed her gently to the bed.A few minutes later, a man, wearing a doctor's uniform and holding a medical bag, rushed in.'Where's the patient?" he asked staring at the lady who just rolled her eyes saying, "There. Can't you see, doctor?" while Amelia just let out a chuckle.The lady was nice also she was sarcastic.. but she seemed sweet. What bothered Amelia wa