I awoke feeling very refreshed, with the dreams of last night still clear
in my mind. It had been a long time since I'd thought of anyone in that
way. My mind wandered back two years. I was singing in the church choir.
My voice filled the small building. "Excellent!" The director said when I
had finished. I sat down. The rehearsal went on. Afterwards, I felt a
strong yet gentle hand on my shoulder. "Hello," a young man said, "my name
is Robert Wellington. You must be Carolyn. You have the most beautiful
voice!" I felt my face get hot. "Thank you," I said shyly. "May I walk
you home?" He asked. "Yes," I said, "thank you."
From that moment on, Robert and I were inseparable. He was also talented, and we soon fell in love with each other's voices, and each other's souls, or so I thought. My Aunt and Uncle entirely approved of the match, saying, "He's a nice boy, and will take care of you," and I believed it. Robert always treated me normally, but was always willing to help me if I needed it. The six months of our romance were the happiest of my life. Nothing thrilled me more than walking down the street with him hand in hand, or the passionate kisses and caresses we stole when the adults weren't in the room. My friends all told me that I was lucky. They went on and on about how handsome he was, not that I cared. He could have been repulsive, and I still would have love him just as much. I truly believed we would be together forever, but Fate had a different and much crueler plan.
There was a girl in the church choir named Marry Willis. She was beautiful, and her voice was angelic. I thought nothing of it when Robert talked to her. What business of mine was it if he conversed with her? If only that had been all he was doing with her! A month or so after I had noticed there growing closeness, Robert walked me home for the last time. "Carolyn," he said gently, "there's something I have to tell you." I knew the news was not good, but kept silent, and waited for him to continue. "You know Marry," his voice began to sound nervous, "well, I love her, and we're getting married." "What?" I said dismayed, "no! You love me! Not her! Why? What did I do?" "It's not you, but she's so beautiful. I just love her." I didn't wait to hear anymore, but ran home.
Mary and Robert were married a month later. I never knew why he had left me so quickly, until six months later, when their child was born.
I opened my eyes, and slowly came back to the present. "Oh Robert!" I thought, "How could you! I loved you so, I love you still!" Tears came to my eyes, and I couldn't restrain the sobs, which racked my body. The pain was still so all consuming. It was as though it had just happened all over again.
I didn't hear the door open, but I felt someone's arms encircling me in a strong, warm embrace. "Mon Cheri," Erik said, "what is the matter?" I didn't want too, but I poured out the whole story to him. "Oh my poor child," he said when I had finished, "you suffer as I do. I too am in love with someone who doesn't love me. My dear Christine! If she would only look past my face, and se how I love her!" I hugged him tightly. "I will help you through this Erik," I said, "it's the least I can do after all you've done for me."
He left me alone while I dressed. I was not shocked that Erik loved Christine, but a little jealous. How could she refuse the love of such a man? I fought against the feelings that rose up in me. "No!" My mind screamed. "Don't let yourself love him. He loves someone else! He will never love you." My heart said, "Listen to me. Let this new love numb the pain of the old love. See what happens." The battle between mind and heart was still raging when I immerged from my room.
"Are you hungry?" Erik asked. "Yes," I said, "I've just realized that I haven't eaten anything since lunch yesterday. "Well, then," he said, "you must eat now. We can't have you singing on an empty stomach." He never mentioned Christine all through lunch. I was glad. I didn't eat to think of the fact that he loved my best friend, when I couldn't forget the feeling of his powerful arms around me. After lunch, we sat and talked of books we had both read. It was amazing how much Erik and I had in common, far more than Robert and I had. "Have you read Les Miserables?" He asked. "Yes," I said, "Aunt Kathryn read it to me. It's too long to put in Braille. The entire book would take up this whole room. I'd have to climb a ladder just to get the right volume. Erik laughed. His laugh was beautiful as well. But even it held a trace of sadness. I vowed to take the sadness out of his laugh, and out of his life.
All to soon our conversation ended, and Erik said that it was time to get to work. It wasn't that I didn't want to sing, but I so enjoyed these precious moments we spent together just talking.
After I did some scales, Erik said, "Would you like to sing a song that I wrote? It's not from an opera. It's just something I wrote." "Certainly," I said. The song was called Love. It was the most beautiful piece of music I had ever sung. He taught it to me line by line. When I became surer of the words, I sang with all my soul. "My love consumes me, burning my soul with delicious passion," and in that moment, singing the song he had written for another woman, I knew that I loved Eric with every fiber of my being.
From that moment on, Robert and I were inseparable. He was also talented, and we soon fell in love with each other's voices, and each other's souls, or so I thought. My Aunt and Uncle entirely approved of the match, saying, "He's a nice boy, and will take care of you," and I believed it. Robert always treated me normally, but was always willing to help me if I needed it. The six months of our romance were the happiest of my life. Nothing thrilled me more than walking down the street with him hand in hand, or the passionate kisses and caresses we stole when the adults weren't in the room. My friends all told me that I was lucky. They went on and on about how handsome he was, not that I cared. He could have been repulsive, and I still would have love him just as much. I truly believed we would be together forever, but Fate had a different and much crueler plan.
There was a girl in the church choir named Marry Willis. She was beautiful, and her voice was angelic. I thought nothing of it when Robert talked to her. What business of mine was it if he conversed with her? If only that had been all he was doing with her! A month or so after I had noticed there growing closeness, Robert walked me home for the last time. "Carolyn," he said gently, "there's something I have to tell you." I knew the news was not good, but kept silent, and waited for him to continue. "You know Marry," his voice began to sound nervous, "well, I love her, and we're getting married." "What?" I said dismayed, "no! You love me! Not her! Why? What did I do?" "It's not you, but she's so beautiful. I just love her." I didn't wait to hear anymore, but ran home.
Mary and Robert were married a month later. I never knew why he had left me so quickly, until six months later, when their child was born.
I opened my eyes, and slowly came back to the present. "Oh Robert!" I thought, "How could you! I loved you so, I love you still!" Tears came to my eyes, and I couldn't restrain the sobs, which racked my body. The pain was still so all consuming. It was as though it had just happened all over again.
I didn't hear the door open, but I felt someone's arms encircling me in a strong, warm embrace. "Mon Cheri," Erik said, "what is the matter?" I didn't want too, but I poured out the whole story to him. "Oh my poor child," he said when I had finished, "you suffer as I do. I too am in love with someone who doesn't love me. My dear Christine! If she would only look past my face, and se how I love her!" I hugged him tightly. "I will help you through this Erik," I said, "it's the least I can do after all you've done for me."
He left me alone while I dressed. I was not shocked that Erik loved Christine, but a little jealous. How could she refuse the love of such a man? I fought against the feelings that rose up in me. "No!" My mind screamed. "Don't let yourself love him. He loves someone else! He will never love you." My heart said, "Listen to me. Let this new love numb the pain of the old love. See what happens." The battle between mind and heart was still raging when I immerged from my room.
"Are you hungry?" Erik asked. "Yes," I said, "I've just realized that I haven't eaten anything since lunch yesterday. "Well, then," he said, "you must eat now. We can't have you singing on an empty stomach." He never mentioned Christine all through lunch. I was glad. I didn't eat to think of the fact that he loved my best friend, when I couldn't forget the feeling of his powerful arms around me. After lunch, we sat and talked of books we had both read. It was amazing how much Erik and I had in common, far more than Robert and I had. "Have you read Les Miserables?" He asked. "Yes," I said, "Aunt Kathryn read it to me. It's too long to put in Braille. The entire book would take up this whole room. I'd have to climb a ladder just to get the right volume. Erik laughed. His laugh was beautiful as well. But even it held a trace of sadness. I vowed to take the sadness out of his laugh, and out of his life.
All to soon our conversation ended, and Erik said that it was time to get to work. It wasn't that I didn't want to sing, but I so enjoyed these precious moments we spent together just talking.
After I did some scales, Erik said, "Would you like to sing a song that I wrote? It's not from an opera. It's just something I wrote." "Certainly," I said. The song was called Love. It was the most beautiful piece of music I had ever sung. He taught it to me line by line. When I became surer of the words, I sang with all my soul. "My love consumes me, burning my soul with delicious passion," and in that moment, singing the song he had written for another woman, I knew that I loved Eric with every fiber of my being.
