12. Have You Ever Loved A Woman?
After school, Lime entered the hall and found her seat. It's in the middle of the front row.
"Ladies and Gentleman! Welcome to the Blues Feastival Concert..." said the announcer.
The show went on for about an hour. Lime wasn't in the mood to listen, she was thinking about something else.
"And now, the moment you've been waiting for, the Cream of Chicken!" said the announcer.
So here is Eric's turn. Lime looked at the stage.
She saw Eric, Ginger and Jack entered the stage. Ginger sat down behind the drums, Jack put on his bass, and Eric put on his guitar as well.
Lime saw Eric's face, she was close so she could see clearly. He looked sad.
Lime had noticed that Eric was not okay since this morning.
Eric came to his microphone. he said nothing and started to play his guitar.
It's "Bell Bottom Blues".
Eric saw Lime was on her seat. She looked as lovely as she always was.
Eric sang.
"Bell Bottom Blues, makes me cry,
But I don't want to lose this feeling.
If I could choose a place to die,
It would be in your arms..."
Eric was looking at Lime while he was singing and playing. What he was singing was just like the words he always wanted to say to Lime.
In Eric's mind, there was no audience, it's only him, and Lime in this hall.
Then it's the chorus.
"... Do you wanna see me crawl across the floor to you?
Do you wanna hear me beg you to take me back?
Oh I would gladly do it because
I don't want to fade away
Give me one more day please
I don't want to fade away..."
Eric thought he could do anything, ANYTHING, only if he could have Lime back.
Eric was looking at Lime in the eyes, and he sang.
"... in your heart, I want to stay..."
Eric closed his eyes. He remembered the good times he had been with Lime, everyday.
He opened his eyes, looked at Lime. Eric smiled lightly.
Lime noticed Eric was looking at her, she felt that his stare was different. He was smiling to her.
"...It's all wrong, but it's all right,
The way that you treat me baby.
Once I was strong, but I lost the fight.
You won't find a better loser..."
"...Bell bottom blues, don't you say goodbye,
Surely we gonna meet again.
And if we do, don't you be surprised
when you can't find me with another lover... oh"
Eric sang the chorus twice.
Eric was thinking.
"Lime..."
"Otaru..."
It hurted.
Eric closed his eyes and shouted the last line.
"... in your heart it's THERE I want to stay!"
They made the ending bit and the song ended.
The audience clapped loudly. It was the hottest song at that time, the theme song of the blockbuster movie "The Led Zeppelin".
Lime noticed there is something in this performance. Eric was looking at her all the way in the song. The way he smiled to her. The way he shouted the last line.
Eric looked down, said nothing.
He set his guitar to woman tone, with the guitar switched to use only the treble (bridge) pickup and switched off the rhythm (neck) pickup, turned the tone value to zero, then played the next song.
It's "Have You Ever Loved A Woman". A slow 12 bars blues song.
Eric looked at Lime again. And then he began to sing.
"Have you ever loved a woman,
So much, you tremble in pain?
All the time you know
She bears another man's name..."
Eric knew what he was singing. He was talking about himself.
"...Have you ever loved a woman?"
He did. He loved Lime a lot.
"So Much!" Eric shouted. He closed his eyes and played a fierce, blistering riff.
"...It's a shame and a sin..."
"And you know all the time"
"She belongs to your very best friend..."
Eric knew now Lime belonged to Otaru.
That was so painful. Eric just looked down, playing his guitar solo. The solo was slow and sad.
Eric was looking at the floor, but in his eyes it was not the floor, it's a picture.
A picture of Otaru and Lime inside a church, during a wedding ceremony.
"No... NNNNOOOOOOOO!!!!!" Eric closed his eyes and wanted to scream. But the scream didn't come from his mouth. It came from his guitar.
He played several blistering, heartbreaking riffs, one after one. It was so terrible, it sounded like the scream from someone who was burning in hell.
The audience was stunned. They had never heard anything like this before. They all clapped their hands.
"Eric..." Lime worried about him.
Eric opened his eyes. His mind was filled with anger, jealousy, sadness...
...and of course, love.
His mind was about to explode.
He then shouted as hard as he could.
"Have you ever loved a woman!"
"And you know you can't leave her alone! And you know! Yes you know you can't..."
He then played a fierce riff.
After the shout, he felt weak. he felt like falling on the floor but he managed to stand.
"Something deep inside of you"
He looked at Lime again. His eyes was full of tears.
"Won't let you wreck your best friend's..."
Eric closed his eyes. The pain was killing him. His heart was torn apart like a paper, and he could hear the sound produced by tearing his heart.
"...HOOOME!!!" Eric shouted, with a painful expression. The tears ran down on his cheek.
Lime was so close she could see the tears. She covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh Eric..."
He played the ending. Then the song came to an end.
The crowd gave Eric a standing ovation. They gave Eric the loudest applause ever in JIS.
It was so emotional! Eric now was no longer the emotionless guitar playing machine that just sounded good!
Eric stood on the stage, with his eyes closed, his pick was dropped on the stage floor.
Eric opened his eyes, then He walked down the stage.
It was a torture to be there.
He wanted to leave as soon as possible.
And he didn't want to get back here again.
Forever.
--
"Eric?" Lime went to the backstage to look for Eric. He looked bad enough. Lime wanted to find him.
But he wasn't there.
Lime went to every part of the school to look for Eric.
"Eric?" Lime opened the trash can and looked inside.
"Eric?" Lime knelt down and looked at the space below the bench.
"ERIC!!!" Lime shouted in the middle of the JIS park.
No response.
Lime had looked everywhere. But she just couldn't find Eric.
Lime felt bad for Eric. She needed Squirrelly. She climbed up the tree again.
On the branch, she held Squirrelly in her hands.
"Eric... what's wrong with him?"
Lime began to think. He started to act wrong since she told him about she was about to marry Otaru.
The way Eric played on the stage.
"...in your heart, I want to stay..."
The way he played "Have You Ever Loved A Woman".
"...She belongs to your very best friend..."
Lime began to understand. She realized something.
She remembered the whole performance.
She tried to feel how Eric felt.
A tear ran down from Lime's bright eye.
"... Poor Eric..."
Since then, Eric never set foot in JIS again.
--
Go to Chapter 13, "The Ending".
After school, Lime entered the hall and found her seat. It's in the middle of the front row.
"Ladies and Gentleman! Welcome to the Blues Feastival Concert..." said the announcer.
The show went on for about an hour. Lime wasn't in the mood to listen, she was thinking about something else.
"And now, the moment you've been waiting for, the Cream of Chicken!" said the announcer.
So here is Eric's turn. Lime looked at the stage.
She saw Eric, Ginger and Jack entered the stage. Ginger sat down behind the drums, Jack put on his bass, and Eric put on his guitar as well.
Lime saw Eric's face, she was close so she could see clearly. He looked sad.
Lime had noticed that Eric was not okay since this morning.
Eric came to his microphone. he said nothing and started to play his guitar.
It's "Bell Bottom Blues".
Eric saw Lime was on her seat. She looked as lovely as she always was.
Eric sang.
"Bell Bottom Blues, makes me cry,
But I don't want to lose this feeling.
If I could choose a place to die,
It would be in your arms..."
Eric was looking at Lime while he was singing and playing. What he was singing was just like the words he always wanted to say to Lime.
In Eric's mind, there was no audience, it's only him, and Lime in this hall.
Then it's the chorus.
"... Do you wanna see me crawl across the floor to you?
Do you wanna hear me beg you to take me back?
Oh I would gladly do it because
I don't want to fade away
Give me one more day please
I don't want to fade away..."
Eric thought he could do anything, ANYTHING, only if he could have Lime back.
Eric was looking at Lime in the eyes, and he sang.
"... in your heart, I want to stay..."
Eric closed his eyes. He remembered the good times he had been with Lime, everyday.
He opened his eyes, looked at Lime. Eric smiled lightly.
Lime noticed Eric was looking at her, she felt that his stare was different. He was smiling to her.
"...It's all wrong, but it's all right,
The way that you treat me baby.
Once I was strong, but I lost the fight.
You won't find a better loser..."
"...Bell bottom blues, don't you say goodbye,
Surely we gonna meet again.
And if we do, don't you be surprised
when you can't find me with another lover... oh"
Eric sang the chorus twice.
Eric was thinking.
"Lime..."
"Otaru..."
It hurted.
Eric closed his eyes and shouted the last line.
"... in your heart it's THERE I want to stay!"
They made the ending bit and the song ended.
The audience clapped loudly. It was the hottest song at that time, the theme song of the blockbuster movie "The Led Zeppelin".
Lime noticed there is something in this performance. Eric was looking at her all the way in the song. The way he smiled to her. The way he shouted the last line.
Eric looked down, said nothing.
He set his guitar to woman tone, with the guitar switched to use only the treble (bridge) pickup and switched off the rhythm (neck) pickup, turned the tone value to zero, then played the next song.
It's "Have You Ever Loved A Woman". A slow 12 bars blues song.
Eric looked at Lime again. And then he began to sing.
"Have you ever loved a woman,
So much, you tremble in pain?
All the time you know
She bears another man's name..."
Eric knew what he was singing. He was talking about himself.
"...Have you ever loved a woman?"
He did. He loved Lime a lot.
"So Much!" Eric shouted. He closed his eyes and played a fierce, blistering riff.
"...It's a shame and a sin..."
"And you know all the time"
"She belongs to your very best friend..."
Eric knew now Lime belonged to Otaru.
That was so painful. Eric just looked down, playing his guitar solo. The solo was slow and sad.
Eric was looking at the floor, but in his eyes it was not the floor, it's a picture.
A picture of Otaru and Lime inside a church, during a wedding ceremony.
"No... NNNNOOOOOOOO!!!!!" Eric closed his eyes and wanted to scream. But the scream didn't come from his mouth. It came from his guitar.
He played several blistering, heartbreaking riffs, one after one. It was so terrible, it sounded like the scream from someone who was burning in hell.
The audience was stunned. They had never heard anything like this before. They all clapped their hands.
"Eric..." Lime worried about him.
Eric opened his eyes. His mind was filled with anger, jealousy, sadness...
...and of course, love.
His mind was about to explode.
He then shouted as hard as he could.
"Have you ever loved a woman!"
"And you know you can't leave her alone! And you know! Yes you know you can't..."
He then played a fierce riff.
After the shout, he felt weak. he felt like falling on the floor but he managed to stand.
"Something deep inside of you"
He looked at Lime again. His eyes was full of tears.
"Won't let you wreck your best friend's..."
Eric closed his eyes. The pain was killing him. His heart was torn apart like a paper, and he could hear the sound produced by tearing his heart.
"...HOOOME!!!" Eric shouted, with a painful expression. The tears ran down on his cheek.
Lime was so close she could see the tears. She covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh Eric..."
He played the ending. Then the song came to an end.
The crowd gave Eric a standing ovation. They gave Eric the loudest applause ever in JIS.
It was so emotional! Eric now was no longer the emotionless guitar playing machine that just sounded good!
Eric stood on the stage, with his eyes closed, his pick was dropped on the stage floor.
Eric opened his eyes, then He walked down the stage.
It was a torture to be there.
He wanted to leave as soon as possible.
And he didn't want to get back here again.
Forever.
--
"Eric?" Lime went to the backstage to look for Eric. He looked bad enough. Lime wanted to find him.
But he wasn't there.
Lime went to every part of the school to look for Eric.
"Eric?" Lime opened the trash can and looked inside.
"Eric?" Lime knelt down and looked at the space below the bench.
"ERIC!!!" Lime shouted in the middle of the JIS park.
No response.
Lime had looked everywhere. But she just couldn't find Eric.
Lime felt bad for Eric. She needed Squirrelly. She climbed up the tree again.
On the branch, she held Squirrelly in her hands.
"Eric... what's wrong with him?"
Lime began to think. He started to act wrong since she told him about she was about to marry Otaru.
The way Eric played on the stage.
"...in your heart, I want to stay..."
The way he played "Have You Ever Loved A Woman".
"...She belongs to your very best friend..."
Lime began to understand. She realized something.
She remembered the whole performance.
She tried to feel how Eric felt.
A tear ran down from Lime's bright eye.
"... Poor Eric..."
Since then, Eric never set foot in JIS again.
--
Go to Chapter 13, "The Ending".