Chapter 2: The musical genius
2005: Paris, France
Belle
I had always been a fabulous piano player. There was not any partiture I could not play. The piano had no secrets for me. People came all over France to watch me play. Music was like a language to me. I heard it all around me, every note I played I heard before. I thought about what Mozart thought; he wrote music. The music that he played had every emotion in it. Love, desire, heartbreak. I knew nothing about life. I was only 22 years old; I had just graduated from the conservatorium. My whole life in front of me. My father had planned everything for me. One thing he forgot to love. That was the thing I wanted, no, needed most. I needed to fall in love. I needed to feel like I couldn't live without someone.
Well, he had planned something like love for me. His name was Gaston. It was an arranged marriage. I had nothing to say about it. My father told me, this was how my story would go, that I needed to marry him. He never told me why. I was thought to respect my elders, so I didn't dare to say no. I never dared to say no to my father. He was a complicated man; he had lost my mother when he was very young. She had died of cancer, a disease I hated more than anything. There were times that I dreamt about what my life could have been like, if only she hadn't died. I never dared to keep that in my mind for long. Dreams were better kept away. I thought they had a sour aftertaste.
Tomorrow I had a concert, two thousand people who were coming to hear me and my bandmates play. We were playing Mozart. I knew every note; I knew I would not make a mistake. The concert was like any I had before.
Little did I know that the night would change my life forever. I walked in the living room. My father was seated next to Gaston. There was a tense look on his face. I sat down on the other side of the coffee table. I looked at them.
"What is it?"
"Well, the company is performing in New York." Moe looked at me. "I thought we could keep the wedding there. We've already found a charming little chapel."
"New York?" I looked at my feet. The truth was I had always wanted to see New York. Yet I didn't want to marry Gaston in the city I had always dreamed about. It would change everything about this beautiful city. I wanted it to remain a paradise. "Can't we get married somewhere else? Like New Jersey, everything is cheaper in New Jersey."
"Belle…" Gaston walked around the coffee table and sat down next to me. "Your father told me you've been dreaming about New York since you were a little girl. Sure it would be perfect if we get married there. I mean an idea…"
"The truth is…" Belle stood up. "I don't want to marry you."
It became quiet in the small room. Gaston couldn't say he was surprised; he didn't love Belle either. He only thought she was pretty and he thought she was weak. He only wanted a girl to control. That was all he wanted. It seemed that she wasn't that person. She stood in front of them.
"Father, if you love me, you won't ask me to marry him," Belle replied. "I want to love. Like you and mom had."
"Don't mention your mother." Moe stood up. "You do as I say. When we get to New York, you're marrying Gaston. And that's final!"