Lyrical

Whenever you’d hear a lachrymose melancholic sound that would be Emery. Her voice had always been a puzzle waiting to be solved by many professors, but her mother knew better. After all, who would know better to guide Emery in her vocal transition from soprano to mezzo soprano, than her mother? She and Emery shared the same sound.

Every time Emery would sing, Juliana would drift back into her earlier years when she was a renowned young mezzo. Her voice was often sought out and acclaimed as one the rarest of voices in Puerto Rico. After having two kids and going through an ugly divorce, Juliana didn’t think that she’d sing ever again, until her daughter asked for beginner lessons. She hadn't pushed Emery into singing, she didn’t even consider the possibility that her young one would find an interest. But then again, Juliana remembered how fully surrounded her daughter was by music, and especially by her mother’s voice.
Juliana felt immense joy when Emery decided to be fully committed to music and to the art of lyrical singing. But she was even more overjoyed when she watched her dearest daughter grow throughout her five years of college, succeeding in everything she did and bringing such joy and light to everyone who’d listen to her voice. Within Emery’s fourth year, Juliana had realized that her voice had matured differently than most sopranos, she had a different color and her tessitura clearly differed from the others. Then, after tirelessly pondering and experimenting until it dawned on her, Juliana had realized that her daughter’s voice was not of a soprano, but a mezzo soprano. Emery’s voice was much richer and darker in color, and Juliana ceased the moment to guide her through her daughters transitioning repertoire. Typically, the voice of this particular classification would often take more time to develop than the soprano, so it was only natural that Emery’s first years were done as a soprano. Her repertoire would change surely, but her voice, although now different, had acquired a new characteristic, or maybe not? Even as a soprano, Emery’s voice always had a dark melancholic quality—Juliana had always thought that her sound, unlike her own, was like dark velvety chocolate.

Emery’s voice was a rare find, and Juliana knew that her daughter would go far in an operatic career. However, Emery, though having recently graduated from her bachelor’s degree, still had a lot to learn. She was a delicate creature, such as her art, anyone who’d want to hurt her could hurt her easily because she was gullible. Emery was friendly with everyone, even the people that were secretly spiteful with her, but that didn't stop her from trying to make friends.

You see, even though she was successful academically as well as in her music, there were students that couldn't help but feel jealously towards her perfect life, or so they thought it was perfect. Emery had wished many times in her childhood that she could have the perfect life, but the truth was that it was far from perfect. Having lived through her parents’ divorce and the aftermath thereof, she had hardships that surely many children who’d undergone through this heartbreaking experience would be familiar with. When Emery was a child, she looked for a friend that could understand her, a friend that would know what it was like to see their mother working hard every day just to make ends meet for her newborn baby brother and herself. A friend that would know what it was like to be frightened to go to sleep at night every night because they were afraid to find their mother not wake from her sleep, all because she would work so hard that she’d neglect her health. Someone who could remember the countless nights they’d hear their mom crying herself to sleep, knowing that she was crying because of frustration, the frustration on having to do everything by herself without any help from the father of her children.

Emery had seen the worst and the best of her mother, and she loved her deeply for being such a wonderful parent. However, she also had many dark secrets in her life that she tries to forget but to no avail. Rage, anger and revenge were the reigning emperors of her heart, but even in all these strong emotions, Emery had always managed to transmit through her singing, just the contrary. It didn't matter though, no one knew every little detail of her life, not even her mother. She felt that it was better to keep all these feelings to herself, keeping them especially hidden from her mother because after all, what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her. Ever since the divorce and although she was very young, Emery vowed to never let anyone hurt her mother ever again, not even herself. But no one knew this aspect of her life, no.

To everyone who knew Emery, they believed that she’d always get picked for the gala recital not because she worked several hours every day on her vocal technique and her challenging repertoire or, because of her O.C.D., Emery could hardly get a good night’s sleep until she made sure that she had learned her music correctly, but because she was the daughter of the voice coordinator in the music department. Emery could see the evidence of other’s students jealously when she’d often find something unpleasant written next to her name which was on the list of the gala recital participants.
However, Emery was the exemplary student of every professor in the music department, and with thorough examining, they’d choose her to be yet again one of the participants of the gala recital because her art and her musicianship went beyond that of a student her age.

Juliana couldn’t be prouder of her daughter, she thought as she escorted her up the stage to receive her diploma. Emery looked at her mom whose eyes were gleaming and teary, she happy for this moment and Emery knew that her mom would keep this memory forever in her heart. Emery felt proud of herself but she also felt more relief because she thought that she’d finally get a vacation for the first time in years since she began her bachelor’s degree. The university’s chancellor handed Emery her diploma and then they took a picture, her mom standing close to her smiling just as widely as Emery, it almost seemed as if Juliana was reliving her graduation. There was a long line of students who looked just as eager as Emery to get this process over with, the night was warm and humid, quite unpleasant to be wearing such warm robes.

“Okay, please let’s go now.” Emery whispered discreetly to Juliana as the cameraman took another picture.

“Honey don’t be in such a hurry, after all it’s only once that you get to graduate with high honors.” Juliana spoke through her smile.

After enduring the greetings, their long speeches, and formalities of the university’s faculty and administration, Emery was relieved when she could finally go back to her seat. She sighed in relief when she loosed the straps of her shoes.

“Can’t wait for that vacation, I can finally rest and play video games and—“And now you’ll have more time to practice your new repertoire! Oh I can’t wait! I've found some great mezzo arias for you to learn! You have to be prepared to enter the music conservatory and I want to make sure you have everything you need.” Said Juliana as she sat down next to Emery.

“In these five years of studying, I’ve never taken a vacation! Can’t you give me a break? At least a month?” Emery begged.

Juliana shook her head, “Honey that is too long, you’ll fall behind.” She sighed, “However, if you really need it, you can have a week off.”

Emery knew that negotiating with her mother about breaks would be a losing battle. She sighed and slumped, “Alright, a week. You better not forget how long a week is.” She fumed.

Juliana looked at her, offended “Young lady I know how long a week is!” Emery smiled, “Of course you do.” Deep down she knew that her mother would be telling her to study within the first three days of that week.

It didn’t bother Emery thought, to practice instead of resting, but she wished that she could pretend to be a lazy person at least for a while. “I’ll start organizing my repertoire folder first thing tomorrow.”she said and Juliana smiled as she side hugged her, “That’s my girl!”

The ceremony progressed with even more speeches and Emery grew bored of them, “Do I have to stay for the rest? I already have the fake diploma.” She asked Juliana.

Her mother sighed, “You don’t feel like staying?” Emery shook her head “Not really…” Before the graduation ceremony was over, Emery and her mother left without saying goodbye to the only two people who would be her friends. “She’s going to be pissed when she finds out…” she muttered.