"The train ride was very interesting. I was afraid of everything. I had
never traveled outside of London before, and my head was filled with doubt.
What if I lost everything in Monmartre? Should I go back to my father's
house? I began to think that I should return home, but doing that would
signal a victory for my father, and I would still be unhappy. I sat on my
seat as the train pulled into the last station before continuing to Paris.
My mind was clouded as I picked up my things and started to leave the
train. Suddenly, the words of my uncle filled my head. He was the man who
had given me the courage to leave London and to go to Paris. It was he who
told me stories of the people of Monmartre."
Uncle, singing: Lonely boy, get up and fly
Lonely boy, get up and try
Everyone knows you got what it takes
All you need is one or two good breaks
Lonely boy, this is your time
Lonely boy, you're on the line
This just could be the only throw you got
Get on up and give it your best shot
You gotta make it lonely boy
You gotta take it lonely boy
Oh do da do da day
You gotta do it lonely boy
Get to it lonely boy
Oh take it all the way
Lonely boy, you are the one
Lonely boy, your chance has come
Destiny gonna put you to the test
Face the music and disregard the rest
"His words held me back, and I sat back down in my seat. My uncle was right. This could be my only chance to live my dream. If I returned to London, I'd be sitting in an office all day observing people. That was not my wish, and I impatiently awaited for the train to move again."
"Next stop: Paris!" the conductor announced as the train slowly crept away from the station.
"It was going to be a long ride, so I reclined in my seat and began to reminisce about my life."
[FLASHBACK]
I don't remember much of my childhood. I was born on September 20, 1875. My parents were Nathaniel and Roberta James, and we lived in a beautiful, ivy- covered house in London. The English were having their own Industrial Revolution, and my grandfather and father started their own steel company. When my grandfather died, he left everything to my father. My uncle, Rupert, was considered the misfit of the family, and was left with nothing.
When I was five years old, my mother gave birth to a daughter, Elizabeth. I was extremely jealous of my sister, since she was getting all the attention from my mother. Of course, I wasn't getting attention from anyone except my uncle. Since he had no money to his name and couldn't afford to live on his own, my father was gracious enough to let him live with us. I spent a lot of time with my Uncle Rupert, listening to his stories of his worldwide travels before he "lost it all" as he put it. I admired him for doing that, but even from that young age, I was told that my lot in life was to inherit the company.
I did the things that most normal young boys did: I rode horses, hunted, and played with other boys my age. Sometimes my mother would take Elizabeth and I on a picnic, and we had fun wading in the creek and laughing. I was enrolled in a private academy for boys when I was six years old, and it was located in Scotland. It was the loneliest time of my life. Not only had my parents abandoned me, but also there was no one at school I could relate to. The only comfort I found was in the weekly letter I would get from my uncle or the monthly ones I would receive from my parents. At boarding school, I learned grammar, literature, history, math, and science. Math, grammar, and history were the most important subjects, and I tried my hardest to receive good grades in those classes.
Holidays were my favorite time of the year, especially Christmas. I remember the Christmas of my tenth year. Elizabeth was five years old and growing up fast. My mother looked pale and weak, as if she hadn't slept in days. My father was working late on Christmas Eve, and my uncle was sitting by the hearth, smoking a pipe. When my father returned home, we gathered around the hearth to tell stories and sing. My mother, with tears in her eyes, sang the lullaby that had so often put my sister and I to sleep.
Mother, singing: If you see me speak without words
Know that I am speaking of the wind
And if you see my words like wind
Know that soft tongues cut through stone
And if you see my tongue like stone
Know its wisdom lies in silence
And if you see my wisdom in silence
Then with you I will always be
And if you doubt my true love is true
Just see how you have no mockings on your hands
And if you see you wear no chains
You are free like poor men
And if you see your freedom in being poor
Pleased you'll be with the treasure of your mind
And if you're pleased with the treasure of your mind
Then with you I will always be
And if you wonder how it is that I left
Just watch the sunset slip away
And as you watch that sun slip away
Know some things are better left unseen
And if you know things are better left unseen
Then night shall carry you in her arms
And if you see I carry you in my arms
Then with you I will always be
With you I will always be
I will always remember that Christmas. Only a few days after the joyous celebration of the birth of Christ, my mother died. The doctors found nothing medically wrong with her, but something in my heart told me that she knew she would be leaving us soon. I felt like an orphan. My mother was gone. The night after her funeral, I crawled into my bed and watched the snowfall silently.
'She always loved the snow.' I thought to myself. She said that the snow fell in preparation for spring. To me, the snow symbolized the end of her life, and I never wanted to see snow again.
Songs Used:
"Lonely Boy" by Elton John
"Circle Song (With You I Will Always Be)" by Jewel
Uncle, singing: Lonely boy, get up and fly
Lonely boy, get up and try
Everyone knows you got what it takes
All you need is one or two good breaks
Lonely boy, this is your time
Lonely boy, you're on the line
This just could be the only throw you got
Get on up and give it your best shot
You gotta make it lonely boy
You gotta take it lonely boy
Oh do da do da day
You gotta do it lonely boy
Get to it lonely boy
Oh take it all the way
Lonely boy, you are the one
Lonely boy, your chance has come
Destiny gonna put you to the test
Face the music and disregard the rest
"His words held me back, and I sat back down in my seat. My uncle was right. This could be my only chance to live my dream. If I returned to London, I'd be sitting in an office all day observing people. That was not my wish, and I impatiently awaited for the train to move again."
"Next stop: Paris!" the conductor announced as the train slowly crept away from the station.
"It was going to be a long ride, so I reclined in my seat and began to reminisce about my life."
[FLASHBACK]
I don't remember much of my childhood. I was born on September 20, 1875. My parents were Nathaniel and Roberta James, and we lived in a beautiful, ivy- covered house in London. The English were having their own Industrial Revolution, and my grandfather and father started their own steel company. When my grandfather died, he left everything to my father. My uncle, Rupert, was considered the misfit of the family, and was left with nothing.
When I was five years old, my mother gave birth to a daughter, Elizabeth. I was extremely jealous of my sister, since she was getting all the attention from my mother. Of course, I wasn't getting attention from anyone except my uncle. Since he had no money to his name and couldn't afford to live on his own, my father was gracious enough to let him live with us. I spent a lot of time with my Uncle Rupert, listening to his stories of his worldwide travels before he "lost it all" as he put it. I admired him for doing that, but even from that young age, I was told that my lot in life was to inherit the company.
I did the things that most normal young boys did: I rode horses, hunted, and played with other boys my age. Sometimes my mother would take Elizabeth and I on a picnic, and we had fun wading in the creek and laughing. I was enrolled in a private academy for boys when I was six years old, and it was located in Scotland. It was the loneliest time of my life. Not only had my parents abandoned me, but also there was no one at school I could relate to. The only comfort I found was in the weekly letter I would get from my uncle or the monthly ones I would receive from my parents. At boarding school, I learned grammar, literature, history, math, and science. Math, grammar, and history were the most important subjects, and I tried my hardest to receive good grades in those classes.
Holidays were my favorite time of the year, especially Christmas. I remember the Christmas of my tenth year. Elizabeth was five years old and growing up fast. My mother looked pale and weak, as if she hadn't slept in days. My father was working late on Christmas Eve, and my uncle was sitting by the hearth, smoking a pipe. When my father returned home, we gathered around the hearth to tell stories and sing. My mother, with tears in her eyes, sang the lullaby that had so often put my sister and I to sleep.
Mother, singing: If you see me speak without words
Know that I am speaking of the wind
And if you see my words like wind
Know that soft tongues cut through stone
And if you see my tongue like stone
Know its wisdom lies in silence
And if you see my wisdom in silence
Then with you I will always be
And if you doubt my true love is true
Just see how you have no mockings on your hands
And if you see you wear no chains
You are free like poor men
And if you see your freedom in being poor
Pleased you'll be with the treasure of your mind
And if you're pleased with the treasure of your mind
Then with you I will always be
And if you wonder how it is that I left
Just watch the sunset slip away
And as you watch that sun slip away
Know some things are better left unseen
And if you know things are better left unseen
Then night shall carry you in her arms
And if you see I carry you in my arms
Then with you I will always be
With you I will always be
I will always remember that Christmas. Only a few days after the joyous celebration of the birth of Christ, my mother died. The doctors found nothing medically wrong with her, but something in my heart told me that she knew she would be leaving us soon. I felt like an orphan. My mother was gone. The night after her funeral, I crawled into my bed and watched the snowfall silently.
'She always loved the snow.' I thought to myself. She said that the snow fell in preparation for spring. To me, the snow symbolized the end of her life, and I never wanted to see snow again.
Songs Used:
"Lonely Boy" by Elton John
"Circle Song (With You I Will Always Be)" by Jewel
