Pinche Symphony

"Pinche Symphony !", Rick shouted. He always used Spanish slangs when he was angry. It was easy this way to express his anger on Alejandra.

Tears were rolling down Alejandra's eyes. There was a sob every minute or two. She was sitting by the huge glass window of her main room. The room was brightly lit. Outside was dark. Rain drops were hitting the floor with vengeance. The wet evening cast a sorrowful look into her heart.

"You know I don't like concert. Why do you keep asking me ?", an irritated Rick asked.

There was no answer. Alejandra kept looking at the magazine lying on the table. She was sitting on a sofa, wearing a beautiful black dress. Her feet was up and her hands were around her knees.

Rick looked at her and said slowly,"Honey! Don't cry.You know I hate to see you cry.". Rick never knew whether he loved her. But every time she cried, he had felt an inexplicable pain in his heart. Alejandra knew this too.

Moments passed. Her tears has stopped. But she sat on the sofa watching the magazine on the table. She thought about the many concerts she had attended alone while Rick was away with his friends. She never understood why Rick hated symphony and Rick never understood why she loved it.

Rick lit a cigarette. It was the second best thing he needed when he sad, the first being Alejandra. Deep down he hated going to the concert, but today he felt sad. He again looked at her and said slowly,"Ok. Let's go.". Alejandra didn't reply.

Rick came closer and sat on the table. He touched her soft shoulders and said,"Honey ! Let's go." Alejandra just nodded her head.

In half an hour they were at the car. The rain had diminished into a drizzle. The apartments were staring at the roads. The new light posts proudly lit the avenue. They got into the car. Rick drove away from the colony and sped into the highway.

Rick had always compared driving the car with driving his life. He took a U-turn. Every time he took this U-turn, he always had a fear that he was leaving Alejandra behind, forever. The car sped down from the top of the hill. Rick turned to his right. He was not watching Alejandra, who still looked sad. He looked through the window to the brilliant lights glowing far away in the city. Thousands of lights illuminated the otherwise dark night. He loved the view, the view of an outsider. He never felt comfortable when he reached the bottom of the hill. He felt lost in the crowd.

The car rode over the flyover and then turned a sharp left and then a right. He enjoyed the turns. His life never had taken a straight route.

The car got into several boulevards and prolongacion. Rick had forgotten about Alejandra's presence, lost in the maze of his life.

"izquierda", shouted Alejandra.

"Sorry.", and Rick turned left.

"Don't you know where the Concert Hall is ", Alejandra asked.

"My car doesn't like going that way.", smiled Rick.

"Shut up.",replied Alejandra and angrily said, "You and your car !!!"

Rick kept smiling.

It was ten when they reached the concert hall. On a rainy dull night, the building looked alive. The place was crowded. People were running towards the entrance. The rain had started again.

They got out of the car.

"It looks beautiful, doesn't it, Rick?", smiled Alejandra.

Rick looked at the first smile on her face in th elast five hours.

"No lo se. But you look beautiful."

"NO. Look at the place. You see me all the time." And she held him close putting her head on his shoulders.

They hurried towards the entrance, Alejandra watching the building in childlike excitement.

The huge wooden doors of the concert hall was open. People were getting themselves seated. The hugeness of the hall made the people look tiny.

"Hey guide me. It's huge.", Rick said slowly. Alejandra smiled.

They crossed several rows and seats and finally were seated. In a foreign land everything seems hostile; the elegant chairs, the people, the gorgeous lights and the symphony band on the stage.

"Do you like this?", Alejandra asked, with a doubt in her eyes.

"Yes, I think.", came a short answer. His eyes were glued to the stage where a group of musicians were getting ready for the show. There were all kinds of instruments, most of which he dreamed never existed. Alejandra never stopped giving him an introduction on each instrument.

They waited for the symphony to begin, and in half an hour there was an applause.

The symphony began in chapters. The composer gave the directions and the players played devotedly. There was beauty in watching the players playing in synchronization, when one stopped, the other began. The flute players were meddling with the air trapped in the flute. The huge violins happily sang to the tunes of their masters. The music rose up, the music fell down. Alejandra's eyes twinkled and she started tapping her fingers on the knees.

She turned to Rick and said, "Hear the chickens are dancing.". Rick listened carefully and probably heard the chickens. Or it could have been any other animal Alejandra had mentioned. The only thing he could feel was the passion in the music, the altering tones, the changing moods, and the dramatic faces of the music players.

"How do you understand all this?", asked Rick.

Alejandra just smiled. She held Rick's palm softly and looked into his eyes. Her face was calm, eyes fixed on him, afraid to think that he may leave her anytime. She turned her eyes away suddenly towards the stage. A tear drop was building in the corner of her eyes.

A new chapter started. The music became grave as if mourning for the lost ones, grieving for the ones who were never ours. The music became sombre, the music grew loud. The flutes cried and the violin gave a loud chill. The molecules in the air became heavy, unwilling to move.

The touch of her palms had a new sensation inside Rick. It seemed that the molecules were dissipating from her into him. The palms became warm and cold with each changing tone. She held him tight one moment and the other left him loose. Rick saw the different shades of life in the music just like he put the shades of life in his stories.

One says a deaf person listen to sounds by feeling them. Rick felt the music through the palms of Alejandra. He forgot the time, he forgot the place. He submitted himself to the touch of Alejandra.

"Honey. It's over.", Alejandra said.

"Hmmm.", Rick shook in his seat.

"Hmmm.", again replied Rick.

"Are you okay ?", a worried Alejandra asked.

"Yeah."

The crowd left the hall amazed and soaked in the pure music. It was already midnight. The rain had stopped. It was cold outside. Alejandra and Rick were walking with their shoulders crossed. Rick was watching the crowd dispersing in the dark. He was not afraid of the crowd anymore. He held her closer.

They came to the car.

"Wait.", Rick said.

"What?"

He gently brought her in front of him. The splendid hall shone bright behind the beautiful face of Alejandra. His heart was beating fast. He puller her closer.

"I may never understand symphony. And I may never hear it again.", he paused. He paused again, and it seemed indefinite to Alejandra. But in the dim light, she saw a different Rick.

"You know I have always wanted to tell you ...."

Alejandra stopped him and said,"I know."

She lay her head on the chest of Rick and was glad to hear the symphony of his heart beats. Rick held her tight looking at the concert hall and wondering whether it was the symphony or just another turn in his life.