The melody in our hearts (4 page)

Noah opened the door and introduced Ryan to the teachers, who shook hands with him, smiling politely. They talked with him for a few minutes, asking questions about his life in Ireland and his passion for music, then they invited him to play something and he stood up, moving toward the grand piano next to the window.

He sat on the stool, adjusted the height, and opened the sheet music on the stand. His hands were sweaty, and he had to rub them a couple of times on his jeans before he could put his fingers on the keys. He took a long deep breath, closed his eyes for a second, and when he opened them again, his fingers started to flow swiftly on the keyboard, as naturally as breathing.

Valerie looked at him ecstatically and closed her eyes, enjoying the sound of the familiar song she had heard him play so many times at the Club in Dublin. She loved listening to him play, and it wasn’t just because he was her best friend; he was really talented, and the teachers would be fools if they didn’t accept him. They would miss the opportunity to witness the birth of a music star, because she knew that was what he would be one day – she had no doubts about it.

When she opened her eyes for a moment, she noticed that the teachers looked quite pleased about the way he was playing and were looking at him with great interest, giving her the confirmation she had been waiting for and also dreading: He would definitely be a student at Berklee College. It was a fact now.

Ryan went on playing, trying to forget where he was and why he was playing. He was sure that, if he concentrated too much on trying to be perfect, he would make some stupid mistake and mess it all up. So he pretended he was back at the Club in Dublin with all of his old friends dancing or playing cards and Valerie sitting next to him, sipping her soda and stamping her feet to the rhythm.

When he finished, he took a deep breath before standing up, and he slowly turned back. He reckoned he had played well, but he didn’t know what kind of standards they were used to there, and he was scared that he had sounded merely acceptable to them.

He looked at Valerie, who gave him the thumbs up. He smiled sheepishly at her, knowing her opinion didn’t really count at this stage.

He went back to the chair in front of the teachers, and they commended him on his performance, saying they would talk it through before making a final decision, but that he had a good chance of making it.

They all shook hands with him again, saying they would be in touch shortly, and he thanked them and walked as nonchalantly as possible toward the exit, following his grandfather and Valerie. Noah said he would catch up with them later and stayed in the room to speak to the teachers.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Valerie flung her arms around Ryan’s neck, and they both started to jump up and down, knowing that the part they were both dreading the most was over now and that the best was yet to come.

~
Four
~

Ryan received a letter from the dean of Berklee College a little less than a month after his audition, but he waited until Valerie was with him before he opened it. His hands were shaking, and when he read it, he was feeling happy and sad at the same time. Moving to Boston would help him fulfill his dream, but leaving Valerie would be tough.

Valerie had remained silent and, although she was smiling and pretending to be happy for him, she was falling apart inside. Ryan was her only friend; he had become her North star, the person she could always count on. Ever since her grandfather had died, only a couple of weeks before, Ryan had remained the only person she could be herself with, the only person who really cared about her. Once he went to Boston, she’d lose him and would be alone, living in a place where she didn’t seem to be able to fit in.

“You know I wish I could take you with me,” he said after a while, keeping his eyes on the letter and avoiding eye contact. “It will be hard to be all alone, so far away from home.”

“Then don’t go,” she pleaded, her voice cracking. She sniffed, trying to fight back the tears, but failed miserably.

“They don’t give you second chances at Berklee: It’s take it or leave it. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; much as I hate leaving you, I can’t waste it.” He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to his chest. “We’ll be in touch, I promise. And I’ll come home for Christmas and during summer break. Nothing will change. You have my word.”

“I’ll miss you. I’ll be so lonely and miserable without you.”

He patted her back soothingly, as if she were a little child.

“Aww, c’mon. It won’t be so bad! It’ll be a good chance to hang out more with your schoolmates and do all the things girls do: Go shopping and clubbing and checking out boys!” he teased, and she chuckled in spite of the tears welling up in her eyes.

“I don’t want to hang out with my schoolmates – you know I don’t get along with them! And I don’t care about shopping or clubbing or checking out guys,” she said, sulking.

“Well, yes, I know I’m one-of-a-kind and you’ll never find a friend like me, but don’t be so picky now. You need to have girlfriends too, you know, to talk about boys with them.”

She punched him in the chest, making him laugh.

“Will you stop acting like a clown now? I’m being serious.”

He stroked her head and tucked a lock of her golden hair behind her ear.

“I’m just trying to cheer you up, to cheer both of us up. It might sound easier for me, ‘cause I’m the one who’s going away to a great school and starting a new life in a big city, but it’s not easier at all. I feel horrible for putting you through this, and I know I’ll really miss you, Val. You’re my best friend, and nobody will ever understand me the way you do.” He squeezed her just a little tighter and rested his chin on her shoulder. “I’ll never let anyone or anything come between us, Val, no matter the distance.”

She nodded, feeling the same way. Then a thought suddenly hit the back of her mind, and she flinched.

“Of course,” she said, talking to herself.

Ryan looked at her, scrutinizing her face for a clue.

“Of course, of course! Why didn’t I think of that sooner?”

She jumped, clapping her hands, and he narrowed his eyes.

“Would you mind enlightening me, please?”

She looked up, and her face cracked into a smile.

“I’ll come to Boston!” she said, as if it was the most obvious thing she could say.

“What? Val, you can’t leave school now to come to Boston. You know your family would never let you. I probably wouldn’t let you either and….”

“No, no, you silly!” she broke in. “Not now, of course. I mean, to study medicine! There must be some great universities in Boston; you could have a look now and send me some information, and in a couple of years I could come over and be with you.”

He nodded, stroking his chin, lost in thought.

“You know, it could actually be a good idea,” he said after a moment. “I’m sure there are some good universities in Boston. I’ll have a look while I’m there.”

She clapped her hands and started to jump excitedly.

“I’ll move to Boston! I’ll move to Boston!”

He laughed and nodded, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

“That’s the greatest idea you’ve ever had, Val. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that myself!”

“Because I’m smarter than you, that’s why!”

“You are, that’s true. I’m just a weird artist, while you’re a scientist.” She laughed and he squeezed her just a bit tighter. “Now, why don’t we go to the Club and spend some time with our friends?”

She nodded and freed herself from his embrace to put her coat on, a broad smile on her face and all the sadness gone just at the thought of being together with him again soon.

Three weeks later on the day before Ryan’s departure, they spent the afternoon at the Club, playing old records and chatting with the members of the Club, who wished him good luck, saying they would miss him.

Afterwards they went to the Multiplex downtown and, when the film was over, they walked to the bus stop, chatting as if neither of them knew that he would be leaving the following day.

It was a nice evening: The sky was a black blanket filled with stars, and the moon shone brighter than usual. There was a slight breeze that didn’t bother them at all while they were strolling down the streets, on an ideal night for two sweethearts.

Valerie was walking with her hands tucked deep in the pockets of her jeans, kicking pebbles on the pavement, and for just one moment Ryan felt the urge to put an arm around her shoulders and pull her close to his chest, to tell her how the thought of leaving her broke his heart. But he shook his head, knowing it would only make things worse for her and maybe for both of them.

They got on the bus and rode in silence until they got to their stop. When they got off, she took a long deep breath and turned back to face him.

“So, I guess that’s it, huh? We’ll say goodbye now, and you’ll be gone tomorrow....”

He saw her eyes were damp, and he knew she was about to start crying.

“You know this is not goodbye, right? We’ll be in touch every day, I promise.”

He held out his hand and took hers, holding it with both hands. She didn’t say anything, and he wished he didn’t have that lump in his throat, which made speaking so much harder.

“Ryan,” she said, her voice cracking.

He heard her sniffing and knew tears had started falling down her cheeks, so he pulled her close and hugged her.

“Shh...it’s okay, don’t cry, Val,” he whispered, rubbing the back of her head. “I’m not worth it,” he teased and she chuckled, just like he had wished she would.

“Yeah, you’re right,” she sniffed and wiped away the tears. “You’re definitely not worth it, so I’d better go to bed now. I don’t want my parents to give me a hard time because of you, since you won’t be here to share my grounding with me....”

He grinned and let go of her, brushing her cheek with his thumb to wipe away the tears.

“I know it’ll be hard for you, Val; it’ll be hard for me, too. It feels like we’ve grown up together, even though we’ve only known each other for a few years, and we’ve spent so much time with each other that we think we’ll never make it on our own.” He took her hand again, and she intertwined her fingers with his. It had always come so naturally, and it was something they did often, even when other people made fun of them, saying they were acting like two sweethearts. “Our friendship’s gonna last forever, wherever I’ll be, wherever you’ll be. I promise. Besides, we’ll be together again in two years.”

The street light shone on his face, and she saw that he was smiling. Once again he had understood the way she was feeling without her having to say it out loud. She knew that she would never feel the same with anybody else, and the thought made her even sadder.

“I’ll tell you something,” he said, seeing her hesitation and taking her other hand. “To seal this promise I made and as a sort of eternal friendship pact, I want my first kiss to be with you.”

Valerie stared wide-eyed at him and he shrugged, smiling.

“Don’t let it go to your head, now! If I have to become a heart-breaker while I’m in Boston, I want to make sure I’m good at it!”

Valerie laughed and felt the sadness suddenly disappear.

“Right, so I’m going to be your Guinea pig....” She sighed dramatically. “Oh well, what wouldn’t a girl do for her best friend?”

They both laughed, and he let go of her hands, brushing aside the forelock from his face.

“They say you never forget the first kiss, so I want it to be with you. I want to remember you forever, just the way you are now. When we’re apart, we’ll grow, we’ll change, and maybe, when we meet again, we won’t recognize each other anymore. I want you to know that you’ve been my best friend ever, Valerie, and that I’ll never forget the years we’ve spent together.”

She felt tears welling up in her eyes again, but she tried to fight them back.

“I’ll never forget you either, Ryan.”

He smiled at her, then took her face in his hands and gently brushed her lips in a sweet, fraternal kiss. A kiss neither of them would ever forget.

~
Five
~

Exactly two years later, Valerie was on a direct Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Boston, where she would finally start a new life with Ryan. The past two years of solitude and sadness were slowly fading away and quickly being replaced by all the happy memories she had shared with Ryan up until the moment he had left Dublin. There would be many more happy memories from now on, and she couldn’t wait for the plane to land.

The flight was long and boring: The guy next to her fell asleep soon after take-off, and the woman in the aisle seat was totally engrossed in her chick-lit book, so Valerie stared out of the window most of the time, saying goodbye to her hometown and country and wondering what the future would hold for her now.