Music to My Ears

"Jonny, you know I can't skate!" the five year girl whined as she watched him skate around on the pond near their homes. "Yeah, well that's a bummer!" The little girl pouted on a snow bank next to the pond. "Jon, I don't know why you're so mean to me..." She started sniffling, and soon started crying. "Awh Dee, don't cry!" Jon skated over and crouched down next to Deidre. "Do you want me to teach you?" She wiped her eyes with tight fists and nodded while avoiding his eyes. He helped her up and took her shaking hands while guiding her onto the ice. The seven year old hockey player was a natural at skating, while the musical Deidre was clumsy, and not as coordinated as Jon. He was skating backwards while watching Deidre's face as they skated. "Now Dee, all you have to do is push off from one skate and then glide. See? You're doing it!" He still held her hands in case she started to lose her balance, but her face lit up after his compliment. "I'm skating! I'm skating!" Deidre was grinning ear to ear as her and Jon laughed and skated around the lake. They did this for a couple hours until Mrs. O'Kelley, Deidre's mom, and Mrs. Toews, Jonathan's mom, came to take them back to the houses. Before they left, they took a picture of Jonathan and Deidre on the pond in their skates, both of them with grins on their faces.

-Present Day-

Deidre smiled and stared at the picture while reminiscing at the happy memories. It had been years since her and Jonathan had last seen each other, before he went to Saint Mary's. She was 13 when Jon left, and she was a very talented violinist, while Jon was a very talented hockey player. When she moved next door to him in Winnipeg when she was 3, they became best friends. They had done so many things together. Not only did they become best friends, their families became best friends, too. Jon's two years older with her, so he was always like the big brother she never had. Granted, she had two older sisters, but they were never as protective of her as Jon was. Since Jon moved to St. Mary's, she continued to write to him, but it steadily declined as they both became busier and older. Deidre kept improving in violin, and she was also very smart. When she graduated from high school, she was accepted to the Julliard School of Music, and even received scholarships for violin and academics. After she graduated from Juilliard, she auditioned for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and she had made the orchestra. She was co-concert mistress, which was very impressive seeing as she is only 22. Shaking all of the memories from her head, she looked at her watch and swore under her breath as she hurried out of her apartment to rehearsal.

Rehearsal was calming, seeing as we worked on the slow movements of all the pieces. Ha. Who am I kidding? I almost fell asleep at one point. I think the guest conductor somewhat likes me because I received multiple compliments from him after rehearsal. Deidre, this is good! He is the judge for the concerto competition, after all! I smiled and thanked him before he exited the stage. I was packing up my things when I look to my right, and Jia is glaring at me. “Jia, is something wrong?” I asked cautiously. “No, nothing’s wrong with me.” What the hell is that supposed to mean??? “Uhh, okay…see you in a couple hours for the concerto competition auditions,” I added hurriedly and left the stage. I could’ve sworn I heard her call me a stupid bitch under her breath as I walked away. This only fueled my need to beat her at this competition. She decided to head over to Corner Bakery for lunch, and possibly treat myself to a cookie…hm. We’ll see. I walked outside to Michigan Avenue, and felt the warm, crisp, Chicago autumn air hit my face. I took a deep breath and smiled before starting my walk down the street. When I got to the restaurant, lunch hour hadn’t fully hit so it wasn’t too busy. I took my place in line, and wait for my turn to order. Someone behind me accidently bumps into me, so I turned around and was immediately met by a pair of chocolate brown eyes. “Whoops, my fault,” the man apologized. “It’s not a big deal; I run into people all the time,” I added with a smile. I turned back around and placed my order before I flashed back to the picture at the pond with Jon when I was five. No…it can’t be! I turned and looked at the man before tentatively asking if I knew him from somewhere. He studied my face and then his face lit up when he remembered. “Deidre O’Kelley!” He quickly wrapped me into a hug that I faintly remember from my childhood. “Jonny! Oof, you’re squishing me…” He laughed and set me down again. He looked bewildered. “I had no idea you were in Chicago!” I mumbled, “I knew you were here…” He stopped walking towards a table for us and asks, “You knew I was here, but you didn’t call or write?” He had a concerned, sad look on his face. “What was I supposed to do Jon? Show up and say, ‘Hey, remember me? I grew up next door to you and we were best friends!’ Really?” But the truth was that I had thought about calling him. Every day since I moved to Chicago… He gave me a look that said, ‘Yes, really you idiot.’ “Whatever. I’m not going to get mad at you about that. You’ll have to do something way worse to get me angry.” “Oh, really? You have the quickest temper I know of!” I poked his arm as I said this. Damn! He’s toned! We both smirked as we sat down to wait for our food. We caught up since the last time we saw each other, and when our food came, we quietly ate our sandwiches. When we were done eating, I looked at my watch and swore under my breath. I had about an hour before my audition, and I needed to properly warm up if I wanted to beat Jia. Jon noticed my uneasiness, and asked, “Dee, what’s wrong? Do I need to beat someone up again?” I laughed and quickly declined the offer. “ Although, I do remember when you beat up that one kid who made fun of me because I played violin.” He chuckled. “Alright, well if I don’t need to beat anyone up, what’s wrong?” “Nothing’s wrong, I just have to go back to the Symphony Center and get ready for my audition for the concerto competition. If I win this, I become concert master and go on a solo tour with the CSO,” smiling to myself. “That’s amazing!” he exclaimed. I laughed quietly, “But you do know that means I have to go, right?” His smile faded slightly, but he reassured me by saying there was no way he’d leave his best friend before a huge audition. I thanked him graciously, and we walked down to the Symphony Center together.