# Touch: Chapter 7 (part 2)



## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

That night, Nadia was beaming as she came to Andrei's home.

"Are you ready? I feel up for anything tonight," she said cheerfully.

Andrei smiled. "Well, I'm glad that you are here. We begin the 2nd mvmt., which I will describe."

He went on to tell of his plan for form and development, and then gave the details of meter, tempo, and key. It was to be a caustic scherzo. Nadia eagerly wrote everything down on a new manuscript sheet. For an hour, Andrei began playing out the melody and main ideas to fit them together, but he only went so far.

"Ugh, this is the hard part. I'm not sure how to segue from the first idea to the next. I need another element."

"Why not... an allusion to another piece of music?" Nadia threw out.

"...Like what?"

"Oh I don't know. Something you know, what I probably wouldn't know."

Andrei furrowed his brow. "That just might be the..."

Suddenly, there was a scratching at a window. It was faint, but Andrei perked up immediately, and even Nadia heard it. They didn't say a word.

The curtains were closed in all the windows, but that didn't mean no one could hear through.

"Let me look," Nadia volunteered.

"No!" Andrei whispered. "You most of all should not be seen. Let me hear..." he got up slowly from the piano, groping around the furniture to the window where he had heard the sound. He put his ear to the curtain for a minute, and then returned back.

"I heard footsteps," he said softly. "Someone was here..." he sank into deep thought.

"...Shall we continue?"

"No. No more tonight..."

"Should I go then?"

He did not speak right away.

"What time is it now?"

"Very early. Only 8."

"Stay..."

"What?"

"I'd... like to just chat with you. Please, sit across from me."

Nadia got up, and moved to a chair a few feet from him. He sat up straight, and although he wasn't looking at her of course, she felt a different sensation. Instead of being watched, she was being listened to carefully nonetheless, and this made her just as tense.

Andrei began asking various questions about Nadia, where she lived, what her family was like, and what she liked to do. Nadia answered each as politely as she could.

"You seem to have been quite well-to-do in your circumstances," he smiled. "My family was good to me too, especially my father. He let me go ahead with studying music, although my mother wanted me to go into the Military, like the rest of my family."

"I see. My brother is in the Military, but he enjoys it. I guess it's not for anyone. But it seems like you've made the right choice."

He smiled his approval. "Thank you..." his smile fell though. "Nadia... I've..."

His hesitation made Nadia curious. "Yes?"

He gave a sigh. "It's just I never got to see what you looked like, having just met you recently. Can you... describe yourself to me?"

"Well, if you like," she laughed nervously. "Well, I'm medium height, brown hair, brown eyes, eyes darker than hair..."

Nadia could see Andrei concentrating hard, trying to imagine her. Her details were rather vague. Andrei said nothing for a moment, but looked like he was on the verge of saying something.

Suddenly, he laughed nervously himself. "Ah, you speak modestly... I would want to know more though... do you mind if," he took a breath nervously, "I touched your face?"

Nadia was caught off guard. Suddenly many ideas flooded into her mind. Was this casual, or formal, or was it something more?

"Well," Nadia's mind racing as she spoke, "I can although... I would ask for something in return."

Andrei frowned. "What's that?"

"That you take off your blindfold."

Nadia could tell this request greatly disturbed him.

"Do you know why I wear it? I wear it because I terrify most of the people that see me."

"Now who are those people?"

"Huh! It doesn't matter... it's just, no, I don't want to show you."

"Then you can't touch me."

There was a pause that lasted quite a while. Nadia waited for a response, but then started hoping that she didn't make Andrei angry. Instead, she saw him become very sorrowful.

"Very well," he finally said softly. "Let me touch you first though."

"You promise you will do what I ask?"

"Yes."

Nadia got up, and sat next to Andrei. She grabbed his hands, and lifted them to her face.

It was an unusual sensation, Andrei touching her face like that. She could tell he was focusing really hard again, trying to absorb her features. He particularly felt around her eyes.

"You are beautiful..." he said softly, dropping his hands.

Nadia stared back at him. "Why does he say that? What for?" she wondered.

"Thank you," she said even more softly.

"Here, you take off my blindfold," he said.

Nadia slowly took the blindfold off. His eyes were closed, but when he sensed it was off, he opened them. Nadia finally understood what he meant.

He had dark eyes just like Nadia's and indeed he was handsome, but there was something disturbing about his look. The deadness and lack of focus on anything was actually very frightening.

He looked his eyes almost into Nadia's and she gasped at how close he guessed where she was.

"I frighten you then," he said dejectedly, lowering his eyes.

"N-no! It's that you... you looked into mine, perhaps unwittingly just for a moment..."

"I thought I might have... I can almost see you now in my mind..."

Again, they were very quiet. As Nadia watched him, she felt a painful compassion surge within her.

"Oh, what is it like to be this way?" she said sorrowfully.

"I'm getting use to it... although a month ago, it was... very hard. It was a fever that caused this. It was an illness I got just days after the premiere of my 1st symphony, which I had worked on for so long, and had to wait so long to be performed. There was joy in that... and pride I must admit. But all of it vaporized when I lost my sight. Ah... I'm still depressed." He put his face in his hands.

"I... can't imagine how you feel," Nadia felt her voice choke up. She grabbed the edge of the couch, as tension was building in her soul.

"No, you most certainly don't... because you are a spiritual person, aren't you?"

"I am. But even a believer in God can be blinded."

"Not in this way..."

"What do you mean?"

"God is punishing me."

"No, don't say that! You don't know the mind of God. It might be for your good."

"Indeed you can speak like that!" he became irritated. "God would never let anything bad happen to you. But God is punishing me. Because He hates me... and there's nothing I can do but embrace my curse."

Nadia struggled in her mind how to address this. Surely it was false, but it was hard to explain why.

"It's one thing to believe in God, Andrei, but it's another thing entirely to have faith in Him."

"... That's not going to help. It's too late."

"No it isn't. You can still--"

"No."

Something about the way Andrei said it this time made Nadia hold her tongue. He was adamant about his position, and it was no use fighting with him when he was so hostile.

At this point, although it was only 9 o'clock, Nadia felt it was time to leave, and said so.

"Yes, you may go... goodnight Nadia. And be careful."

She stepped out of the room, and took one last look at Andrei. He was still sitting on the couch, his dead eyes staring blankly at the ground. She gave a sad sigh which she hoped he heard, and stepped out the door.


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## Vesteralen (Jul 14, 2011)

I'm probably not the best judge, but in my opinion, both the story and the story-telling have improved as it's gone along.


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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

The plot thickens...  Will post more.


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