As James walked home from school that Spring afternoon, the scent of wattle filled the air. His mother was working from home that day and he could not wait to show her the miniature clay volcano he and his mates Srinivas and Khaled built, complete with flowing lava.
When he walked in through the door, his mother excitedly told him he got a musical audition for one of the high schools his mother had enrolled him in. If he was successful, he'd get a scholarship. If not, he, Srinivas and Khaled were going to attend the same high school in Year 7.
"James, this audition is at a private boys' school. It will be a change if you get in but I've spoken to your grandparents about it and it is near their place. They're happy for you to stay with them during the week if it will help you with the travel. If not, you will have a bit of an adventure travelling back and forth every day. They may even have their own bus service. But first things first, you must be successful at the audition," his mother explained.
James was thoughtful about the audition. He knew he had a natural talent with music. From the very first moment of his consciousness he would hear music, and a variety of them. He was adept at strings and keyboard and he easily picked them up. He had music tutors from an early age.
"What is so special about the school?" James asked curiously. His volcano soon forgotten.
"Your grandpa John went to that school, and so did your Uncle Charles. They have fantastic stories to tell you about attending that school. I also grew up in that milieu. They have plenty of resources for talented boys like you and I do not wish to see your musical talent wasted.", she explained.
"Oh. The way yours was?" He asked pensively.
Lizzy did not know how to respond to that question. Did she waste her musical talent all these years? Why was she so insistent on this audition? Did it matter if James went to a private school full of elitist snobs when he was happy with his public school mates? Was this audition a blessing in disguise or an entrapment to capture her back in her former world of constriction and parochialism?
"Yes, I suppose you could say that. I do not play music professionally so my arts degree was probably not used as it ought to have been. But I still love music, I play when I can and I enjoy our duets together at grandparents' place," she smiled encouragingly.
James smiled back. He loved his mother and while there was sometimes sadness in her eyes, he could not find that unhappiness at this very moment.
"Very well then", he said, "I will practice hard just for you mummy. Perhaps we should spend the weekends at grandparents' place so that I can practice more."
"Yes, of course we can."