# Don't Ask Me Why: Chapter 9



## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

Time went by slowly for Marie. Faces came and went from the box office, but no one she recognized, as before. Day after day, she started taking up the shifts in the morning, when most people come. Although she generally did not enjoy it, she had a new motivation to do it, even an excuse to do it.

She was waiting for someone.

At every lunch break, she tried to sit outside in the courtyard, at least when it wasn't raining. She may seem to distract herself with reading or working on her computer, but she was always watching, waiting. Marie was most concerned that her presence would attract the wrong person, but he never came. Sometimes Tanya would show up, but she was also elusive. Undergrads were always about, but Marie never felt like she connected with them enough to be in conversation with them.

And yet the person she wanted to meet never showed up either.

Except Thursdays.

Thursdays were pretty important at the school of music. A number of classes took place for Grad students, rehearsals in particular. Performance classes and such. Marie never watched those events, although she was seriously too busy as well. Ticket sales were soaring now, and she really needed to keep track of everything.

This Thursday, it was muggy and cloudy, but Marie still went outside. From the inside, she could see Alex walking through the hall to sit inside with other people. She got up slowly, and peered through the windows to see where he was located before finally stepping in.

Alex had sat at a table with some other grad students, and they were all having lively conversation. Marie didn't sit in the cafe, but sat on a window ledge. She could just barely make out the conversation. It was about the Concerto Competition.

Marie didn't yet know the names of the people applying, but she was to make up the programs as soon as the results for each round was in. She couldn't image Alex stepping out of competition.

"I'm probably doing the Bruch 1," said one student, presumably a violinist. "That's a tough one, but if I can pull it off..."

"I think you will," Alex said. "I think the pre-screening is going to kill us though. They only let eight string players? Total?"

"Yeah, that's pretty tough. We have twenty-five string players apply, yeesh!" said another cellist. "I wish it was twelve for us, and six for winds! Winds never win anyhow."

They all laughed, although Alex never laughed too hard.

"And then why do they let eight pianists in? That's absurd. They win all the time!" a lady violist said.

"Yeah, I hope they mix things up this year, I think we have a chance," the first violinist said.

"I sure hope too," Alex said quietly. "I'm doing Elgar... how do you think that fairs with judges?"

"Not bad, it's not the Dvorak anyhow," the other cellist grinned. "Everyone does the Dvorak. That's why I'm doing the Shostakovich 1. May the best man win though!"

"Indeed! All the best wishes to you, man."

Marie liked eavesdropping on this conversation, and was sad to find it was now finished. The string players all began talking about random stuff that she had no grasp on, and felt it was time to leave.

If only she would be able to join them, she thought despondently.

Turning the corner to go to the lobby, she ran into Ernest.

His face lit up instantly. "Marie! How are you?"

"Hey, I'm good!" she suddenly spoke up energetically, and although she had suddenly lost her pace got back to walking quickly again. Ernest had slowed down, but now she passed him without another word.

Marie felt her blood pressure rise incredibly, and her heart beat rapidly. She sighed exasperatedly.

"No no no! This is no good!" she kept saying under her breath until she got back to her office which she got to through a box office door.

Marie looked at her desk while she stepped in. It was a lot more cluttered than it was at the beginning of the year. The new addition to her desk which she bought in early September continued to be a nice sight to her: a thin blue porcelain vase that she could have flowers in, fake or real. She had fake ones in it for now, since she didn't want to risk water spilling on her papers.

Marie had very little free time during the day now, and so her mind could remain focused. But when work was done, she fiddled with her computer, and its various apps. And she always listened to music. She moved back and forth from her computer's internal music player to internet radio. She liked to look up the pieces that she put on programs, to be familiar with them.

"Prokofiev's 3rd Piano concerto... that must be what won last year, but I didn't see. I'd love to see it now!"

She would only have to wait a week to see it.


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