I remember the first time I saw him perform. It was the middle of summer and at the local concert hall in Richmond, Virginia. It was the very first time I had ever fallen in love with anyone. As I watched his fingers move across the keys and his expression so content and focused, my heart beat faster than ever, it felt like it'd burst at any second. His face showed a deep emotion of love and passion... for music. I was twelve when I first saw him... and he was twenty perhaps? Twenty-one? But he was my first love, I envied him and looked up to him. My mentor... ~~~~~~~<><><>~~~~~~~<><><>~~~~~~~~ 4 years ago... "Who is that father?" I asked after the performance. "James Ryerson," he answered. "He's a very good pianist I must say. Especially for his age." "Hm? How old is he?" "He is twenty I believe. Apparently he is attending The Royal Academy of Music in London. He has only come to America to perform during the summer." I bit my lip. "Wow... he sure is amazing." "He is. But you are a good pianist for your age too, Raine." "I'm in a totally different league than him," I said quietly. "Well of course you are," said my father. "But your violin playing is superb as well." I had been a bit more confident in my violin skills. Grade seven in conservatory music, though I'd only been playing for four years. I loved both the piano and violin... but the violin was my life. "Oops!" I said loudly as my father and I started walking to the car. "What is it?" "I left my jacket in the auditorium," I said quietly. "I'll go and get it." My father looked around. "The crowd does seem to be dispersing rather quickly. Hurry up and I'll get the car and pick you up in the front." "Yes Father!" I said and I quickly headed into the building. I opened the door to the auditorium. "Oh my..." I began as my heart fluttered in my chest. James Ryerson was sitting at the piano... He was playing Chopin's Nocturne in C# Minor Posthe. A song I loved. It had a somewhat haunting melody and you could tell by the music that the composer must've been very depressed and sad. "Nocturne in C# Minor... by Chopin, right?" I asked as I approached him. He seemed startled and immediately stopped playing. "Ah! Sorry!" He laughed. "Oh, no big deal. I thought you were my sister haha! But you aren't..." he said quietly. I smiled. "My name is Raine Jacobson." "Ahh," he said and he smiled again. "So, are you an aspiring musician? You recognized the song and could even name the composer." "I'm a violinist and pianist," I said gently. "Oh really? What grade in each?" "I am in grade six RCM for piano an in grade seven RCM for violin. I've played the piano longer though." "Wow, how long have you been playing." "Eight years for piano and four years for the violin..." "Wow! You must be some sort of prodigy! You have really only been playing the violin for four years?!" I nodded. He grinned and quickly went for the stage exit. "Wait here," he said and he disappeared behind the curtain. I stood there, confused. But I waited. Minutes later he came back with a violin in his hand. I blushed madly. He wasn't going to make me play was he?! "Here, do you know the Nocturne on the violin?" "Yes but..." He handed me the violin. "Here, play. I'll accompany you," he said and he sat down at the piano. "No... I..." "What's the matter?" "It's embarrassing... You are such an amazing musician... I'll sound terrible compared to you!" He laughed. "Don't be so hard on yourself. Just go ahead and play," he said and he smiled gently at me, as if to reassure me. I took a deep breath and placed the violin on my shoulder and put the bow in the proper angle above the violin strings. He started the intro and I closed my eyes and as my entrance came I played. My vibrato was a bit "off" because of my nerves. But after the first few measures I felt myself lose myself into the song. Everything around me seemed to dissipate until it was just me. I could no longer hear the piano and then... I was alone. This is what Chopin must have felt... alone. My playing continued the feeling I had felt during that moment. Before I knew it, the song came to an end. "That was..." began James. I opened my eyes to look at him. "I can't even begin to describe your performance... You are amazing... Four years... you..." he mumbled. "I-I can't..." Tears formed in my eyes. "Hm? What's wrong?" he asked. "I don't know... My feelings towards that song... I-I don't know," I said quietly. "It was like... I was alone." He titled his head. "I know what that's like. I can tell you are serious about music. I'm sure you'll do great in your future..." "I love you," I said finally. "What?" "I love you..." I said again. "Raine..." "Raine! What are you doing? Let's go home!" shouted my father from the top of the aisle. "I'm coming Father!" I shouted back. "I'm sure we'll meet again Mr.Ryerson. Perhaps we might even be competitors. But until then..." I leaned over and kissed his cheek. "I hope to see you once more..." I said and I quickly ran to where my father was. My heart raced in my chest. I loved him. I loved James Ryerson, the famous Pianist... Someone who could relate to me and my feelings for music. I would truly love him forever... ~~~~~~~<><><>~~~~~~~<><><>~~~~~~~ Author's notes: Frederic Chopin: Nocturne in C# Minor Posthumous is my all time favorite song by the composer. It recently surpassed Fantaisie-Impromptu, a song by the same composer, as my favorite song. Some of you may not understand the feelings of what I somewhat described when performing a song. But they are real... When I play the piano, most of the time I focus on the emotion that is expressed in the piece, whether it's a joyful Mozart or Liszt... Or a sad Chopin and Brahms song. A true musician experiences this... and I swear the feeling is the most... it's almost impossible to describe... Lol forgive my rambling. I hope you enjoy my story. Thank you, ~TheOriginalWriter