Delight

Something was continually converting within Rosa. With each day she practiced her instrument, she felt as if her personality gained yet another layer which helped shape her in ways she couldn't really understand at the moment.

Learning to play was undeniably one of the most amazing long-term experiences she'd been blessed to have. This was the something which had been missing in her life before, not only the general meaning of listening to music. It didn't matter that she was far, far away from attaining her goal of mastering the fiddle, for every second spent in the company of it was like a gentle hand wiping the invisible tears of her soul, or making her heart leap into a dance, or simply aiding her to unwind after a taxing day.

Acquiring prowess on her own was never an option; unlike Miguel, Rosa highly doubted her autodidactic faculty. Although the guitar and the violin were both string instruments, he couldn't be of much avail to her, so she hung on to the last option.

Discovering a professional violin instructor wasn't as hard as she had expected. All it took was one question asked to her music teacher at school, who was all smiles about a Rivera who wanted to learn music (Rosa had to beg her to stay silent). That's how, after a couple of phone calls, she got in touch with Isabella López.

Isabella was around thirty-two years of age, but her heart was as young as the one of a child. She'd heard numerous positive appraisals about the woman throughout her school years. She was renowned for her hard-working, talented nature and great teaching qualities. The fact that Rosa was now her student did wonders in raising her tenacity to pursue her dreams.

However, the aspiring violinist had plenty of qualms about her at first. The start of the lessons had been… nothing short of frightening, if she were frank. She was terrified lest she be rejected because of the infamous music ban (she and Miguel had been getting bullied because of it, after all). Surprisingly, Isabella didn't even bring it up; she treated her with respect and amiability in lieu. Fortunately, the more lessons they had, the more she proved herself trustworthy and the more the girl's fears lessened; the young Rivera's heart gradually opened up to her, especially after López guaranteed that her secret was safe.

During her first four lessons (she'd decided to test the waters and not rush into things with one lesson per week), Rosa learned the very basics. It felt unnatural, slightly weird even, to take up something she'd once thought was never going to be possible, mainly because her family abhorred the art of music. She learned not to let herself be distracted by that, though.

What raised question marks in her head was the unknown reason why López refused to accept the normal price for her teaching. She barely accepted any pay at all, much to the girl's amazement. Despite Rosa's obstinate pleading that she take the money she rightfully deserved, Isabella stood her ground, so she had to back-pedal with the promise to not speak to anybody else about the price. Was it related to the music ban? Was she pitied because of it? Rosa made an exception and told Miguel, but he was just as puzzled as her.

Feeling rather guilty, she begged her mamá to give her a pair of brand-new shoes with the pretext that she'd seen a barefooted beggar on the outskirts of the village. Carmen had easily given in to her request, because she had a soft spot for unfortunate people; so did Rosa, but she was unable to shake off the shame her conscience threw at her in sizeable amounts for taking advantage of her beloved mother's generosity. She gift-wrapped the box with a heavy heart and left it with an anonymous thanking note on Isabella's doorstep the next day after school.

Was that considered theft? She didn't want the response. But the pair of resistant shoes served a good deed, right? It wasn't her fault that Isabella was so strangely set about the money.

She was prepared with the most reasonable of arguments for her next violin lesson should she be faced with opposition. She smiled stealthily when noticing her teacher wearing the glossy leather shoes. But if the woman had realized that she was the secret exporter, she didn't say a word about it, which Rosa was eternally grateful for.

The first month was the hardest. A practice routine wasn't easy to find and especially to stick to. With school, homework, helping out in the workshop and spending time with loved ones and friends, the balance between her new passion and the challenges of each day often sloped in favour of the latter. Hadn't it been for her supportive and reinvigorating cousin, it would have taken longer to create an advantageous schedule. Isabella advised her to practise four times a week by herself, each session of at least thirty minutes.

Her fingers, arms and back hurt because of the stance she needed to maintain whilst playing the instrument. Oftentimes, her hands went numb after finalising a session, and the muscles of her arms pinched painfully. Rosa's comfort relied not only on advancing in her passion, but also on improving her posture and strengthening her upper body.

The top layer of the skin on her fingertips wore away, and she had to give it time to heal. Miguel said that was the start of her calluses building up, which were going to help her play without any ache as they proceeded developing.

She had to make up excuses when the faint bruises appearing on her neck drew the stares and concern of several of her family members, which luckily faded as she learned to hold the instrument better.

The case wasn't the same with the white-yellowish, firm-becoming surface of her palms. Berto called it "a mark of greatness"; he believed she was seriously invested into the art of making footwear, and never missed an opportunity to voice how proud he was of his little girl, nor to mention that she was growing up so fast. They spent more time together in the workshop than before, her loving papá teaching her everything he'd been taught about the business at her age. Appreciative, Rosa was enjoying it thoroughly, but was always saddened that his beliefs were partly false.

Now, during the second month, she got more comfortable with her violin, and decided to have two practice lessons per week with Isabella to enhance her skills more rapidly. The balance between life and lessons solidified, to her glee and relief.

No matter how hard the road she'd taken would get, Rosa was determined not to let anything bring her down.