Maria Plays the Piano
When the song ended, the auditorium remained silent for a full second. A second didn’t sound like much, but it felt like a long while, considering the weight of it. It settled so heavily, before exploding into cheering, clapping, and whistling. It went from so quiet to deafening, and up above her she could see as Maria’s face morphed from nervous to surprised to delighted in the same space of time.
It was hard to say who had been more nervous for Maria’s performance—Maria or her mother. Maria had felt some nerves, but mostly had the unearned confidence of youth. Eliza, on the other hand, had never had the blind assurance of a mother who believed her child would be perfect. She wondered about parents who believed their children were flawless—what did they do when their child ultimately made a mistake? Who hurt worse?
So even though she knew Maria had prepared, had practiced countless hours on the second-hand keyboard at home, had watched hundreds of YouTube videos of performances, had hummed the tune to herself in her sleep… Eliza had felt a bit nervous. How would Maria, just seven years old, react when faced with a crowd for the first time?
But now she knew: Maria had risen to the occasion beautifully.
Maria curtsied from the stage, wearing the hand-me-down dress she’d gotten from her cousin. Eliza quickly wiped away proud tears and cheered as loud as she could. Eliza watched as Maria swept her eyes through the crowd, and when they landed on Eliza her face lit up.
“Mama, I did it!” She called out.
Everyone in the crowd laughed with delight. A bubble welled up in Eliza’s chest, so warm and bright it felt like a star had lodged itself in place of her heart.
“You did!” Eliza shouted back. They all clapped, if possible, louder.
At stage right, her the school’s piano teacher called Maria off and waved another student on. The crowd quieted back down, and Eliza slipped backstage to find her daughter. She felt like she floated all the way back, carried on the currents of her pride to see Maria succeed.
Notes
I won’t make excuses for not putting out Monday’s and Friday’s stories last week. Sorry about that, everyone. Things just…happened. And I’m sorry this story is so late tonight. If you follow me on Instagram, you may know I got laid off today. While this wasn’t exactly a surprise, the reality of it was startling. This very scene story was all I really had in me today, but I hope it cheers you up for a second.
Prompt
You can use this prompt to write your own story, draw something, sing a song, whatever you like! I will (probably) use it for the next story!
There's an urban legend about a cab that doesn't take you were you want to go, but where you need to go. You don't believe it, but then one day you get in.
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Stay safe and healthy wherever you are,
Valorie