Familiar Face

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As I walked into the room he looked at me with rage in his eyes. He was standing next to the piano, holding a few scores in his right hand. As I walked across the room, I noticed that he was staring at me. Without hesitation, I picked up my choir lyrics and turned to look at him.

“Do I know you? Why are you staring at me?” I asked to make sure.

“If you must know, you’re interfering with my piano practice,” he answered.

“I’m sorry. Hi, I’m Janice. Nice to meet you,” I replied, trying to be nice to him. It won’t harm me just to know him as a friend, right? But he did not answer me. He sat on his seat and put both hands on the keys. Then he continuously glanced at me and the music room door. I understood him; he wanted me to leave the room that very instant. I quickly stepped out of the room.

As usual, I went into the classroom to have a chat with my friends during recess since I can barely do so when teachers are in the class. Both my friends were reading a magazine. I quickly snatched it from them.

“Hey…!” they yelled.

“You girls should not bring magazines to school, right?” I asked and looked at the page they were reading. It was an article about the boy in the music room whom I had seen not long ago. There was a picture attached to the article which showed the boy, dressed in formal clothes, playing the piano.

“Elle, do you know who that is in the picture?” I asked, pointing at the picture.

“I will tell you if you promise not to confiscate my magazine,” she replied. This was a hard bargain as a prefect, but… I finally nodded. She breathed in before continuing. “Do you know Kelvin from the next class? He won third place in the National Classical Music Competition. This article tells us about his playing skills. ‘Although he won third place in the competition, all the judges claim that his skills were still not enough for him to continue his dream to become a professional pianist’.” Elle read a part of the article.

“Have you heard him play before? I too realized that his technical skills were excellent but the songs he played had no emotion, no feelings at all,” said Kelly, another friend. I gave Elle her magazine back when the teacher came in.

After extra-curricular activity with the Choir Club, I walked home. As I walked pass a playground, I saw Kelvin tearing up papers and throwing them into the rubbish bin. I ran to him and picked up a piece that had fallen on the ground. It was one of the scores that I saw him holding this morning. Worried, I stopped him and he turned to look at me. There were tears filled his eyes.

“Wh- what’s wrong?” I asked, holding his left shoulder.

“Let go!” he yelled and swing his hand. His elbow jabbed my stomach and his fish hit my ear. That jerk, he didn’t even say sorry but just walked away. As I rubbed my aching ear, I realized that my earring was missing.

The next morning, I went into the next class to confront him.

“Are… are you Jan… something. J- Jane?” a person asked me. I turned to look at Chris. Looking at him made me remember an embarrassing past.

I remembered when I used to go to the same tuition class with him. He was so smart and cute-looking that I fell in love with him. There was once when I confessed my feelings toward him but he rejected me.

“Sorry, I don’t think this is the right time to have a girlfriend. I prefer to focus on my studies and the upcoming examination,” I remembered him saying that to reject me.

“No, I’m not Jane, my name is Janice. Hey Chris, It’s been a while since we last met.” I replied. “Do you have any idea where Kelvin is?” I asked him after surveying the class; Kelvin was not in the class. He shook his head vigorously. Since he didn’t know Kelvin’s whereabouts, I left a package that I had brought for Kelvin on his table.

Not long after that, Kelvin entered my class during recess.

“Are you showing your good deeds at me by collecting these?!” he asked as he approached me. His hands were holding the contents of the package.

“For your information, I don’t know that you ACTUALLY wanted to throw the scores away because I really wasted my time trying to retrieve all of the pages. As if it is not enough I even lost my earring, but you lectured me as well!” I shouted at him and stormed to the cafeteria.

Passing by the same playground, I saw him idling in between the swings. Curious, I approached him and said, “ I’m so sorry if you’re upset about what happened between us this morning and yesterday-“

“I will try to find it later, okay?” he said before I could finish my sentence.

“Find? Find what?” I asked him back.

“Your earring…” he replied. But the way he looked for objects was funny. After waiting for some time on one of the swings, I noticed that he didn’t move a muscle. He was still idling at the same spot, doing nothing.

“You don’t need to look for it. My earring is so small that you would hardly notice it in such a large field,” I said, convincing him to stop. “Yesterday I tried to look for it but as expected, I couldn’t…”

“I’ve found it!” he said and put the earring in my open palm, smiling. He sat on the other swing and offered me a can drink.

“If you must know, this is my favourite earring. I can’t believe you can find it back so fast!” I said, trying to start a conversation.

“Well, the method I used is the actual method to find four leaf clovers,” He replied and stood up. “You have to look across the field to find what you’re looking for.”

He walked a few steps forward and knelt down. Without me noticing, he put a four leaf clover on my palm. I was impressed. Standing still in the middle of a place can find the lost items.

“Thank you, I will keep it in a safe place,” I said, smiling at him.

He sat on the swing again and said, “I’m sorry for scolding you this morning… most of my friends told me that I play the piano like a machine. I can’t improve at all.” He looked at his can drink. “Playing the piano became a phobia to me… I can’t stand it, so I tore up all the scores. I made a serious decision that shocked my whole family.

“And what was that?” I asked, after listening to his long story.

“I’m going to London to learn under a better piano teacher.” I was petrified after hearing that. A serious decision can be made in a blink of an eye. He must be rich.

“After listening to your story, I felt the urge to listen the beautiful music played by you.”

“Re- really? I promised you then. When I’m able to play the piano well, I’ll let you listen. Wait for my return.”

That sentence was still ringing in my ears even though six months passed. It was a mathematics lesson when a school staff entered my class and asked for me to see her. She handed me an envelope.

“I checked the content to make sure it safe. I do so because this envelope doesn’t have the sender’s name,” she said and walked away. I stared at the envelope and pulled out the contents. It was a ticket to the annual National Piano Competition. It made me smile because I would finally get to listen to him play after waiting for such a long period.

I entered the giant hall and sat on one of the seats after school. I watched him play the piano when it was his turn to perform. I cried as he played the piano as graceful as a swan. I finally realized that he could play very well. It was such a wonderful music, ‘Rain Drop’ composed by Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin.

After the competition was over, I ran to his preparatory room but it was empty. Without hesitation, I went to the usual playground. But he was not there either. I wanted him to know that I wanted to see the smile that was carved on his lips. No, I was lying to myself. I missed him… By then, I heard a twig break.

“I knew it, you would surely be here!” I turned to look at Kelvin, smiling at me. I went to buy your favourite items because I wanted to give them to you. But when I went back to the hall, you were gone.” He continued.

“You knew I was there all along?” I asked.

“Of course! Not only in the hall but here too… I thought you knew that I’m an expert at finding things?” he replied. I could see him smile again. Tears started to pour down my cheeks.

“Janice, it’s okay. You don’t have to cry…” he said, leaned over me and kissed my cheek. I blushed. “I… I love you…!” he said with a petite voice. “I’ve loved you ever since I saw you for the first time!” he continued and I was confused.

“But… why were you so angry with me when I entered the music room?” I asked him.

“Do you have any idea who ‘Kawaii’ is?” he asked and I thought about it. Wait a minute! That name is the name I gave my childhood friend!

“How… do you know that childish name? I gave it to my childhood friend because he was so cute with glasses on. That word meant cute in Japanese…” I answered back.

“You still don’t get it, do you?” he sighed. “I’m angry at you because you had forgotten me, ‘Kawaii’ here, in front of you!” he paused and continued, “You didn’t recognize me even when I was at the same tuition class with you. When you confessed your feelings to Chris, I was beside him!”

“B- but… how come?” I was lost. God, please help me.

“I’m his friend. Well, was actually. I was hoping that you will love me back… I was so happy that you begged me not to leave when I’m moving ten years ago.” He hid his face under his hands. I pulled away his hands and apologized.

“I… I love you too.” I replied and he hugged me. Both of us paused for a moment and he kissed my lips.