Me and Ai

Chapter 4: The Other Side of the Snow

Author's Note: In this chapter, I had to write some lyrics. I'm not very experienced with this kind of thing so I hope that it didn't turn out so bad.

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Chapter 4: The Other Side of the Snow

"Kaori-chan, this is the practice hall. You can practice your routine here and use the various instruments present. I'll just sit over there in case you need anything at all. Feel free to ask me anything or if there is anything you need." Tsukimiya-sensei then took a seat at one end of the room. This room is big enough to let a whole group practice! This is so cool!

I saw a piano and immediately went to it. I love the piano very much. It was my first instrument and I have been playing since I was five years old. I was forced to learn at first and didn't like it very much but I soon learned to love it and never stopped. The piano is a long old friend of mine.

Now I have to compose the melody first and make the lyrics. A song soothing like the sight of snow but gives a nice warm feeling inside. How could I put two opposite things like snow and warmth together? This is something similar to being happy and sad at the same ti—

Before I could finish the last word in my thoughts, I remembered someone. I remembered someone who was important to me...I remembered my father. My father is still alive and well but ever since long before I was born, he has been working overseas. He's one of my idols in life and he was always supporting me in everything I chose to do. He is barely around but when he is able to get a long vacation, he would always come home and spend it with us.

Thinking of my father, I remembered the day that I graduated from junior high school. It was a snowy day just and father said that he was going to attend my graduation ceremony. However, when the ceremony started, he was nowhere to be found. I still had my hopes up but by the time the ceremony ended, he still wasn't there. I didn't mind so much since I know he's a busy person and all but I couldn't help but feel a bit sad. "Well, it is normal to feel sad." I told myself.
I decided to go to our favorite resting place which was a bench under a tree that faced a big grass field which was covered in snow that day. I also bought one cup of hot milk from father's favorite vending machine which was on the way. I sat there and texted father that I would wait for him here since the school was closing after the ceremony and most of the students and parents were already leaving. I sat there by myself waiting in the cold.
It turns out that father couldn't come because his flight was delayed. He couldn't contact me right away because he kept losing signal. At least he was safe. I thought something bad happened to him that's why he couldn't come. He told me his flight was delayed for five hours so he'd probably arrive here on the next day probably in the afternoon.
He kept apologizing to me for not being there during my graduation but I kept telling him that is was okay. We talked for a while over the phone and then I told him to take care and our call ended. I put away my cell phone and on that bench under the tree, I drank the cold milk by myself.

That's it! I could use that! It may sound like a sad story but it wasn't that sad at all. Through that sad experience, I also realized just how warm my father's love and concern for me was. There was happiness and sadness within that story and in the end, love was still what I felt in the end. Yes, I was sad but I was still happy.

My hands just started to move on their own and before I knew it, I was writing a music sheet as well as some lyrics. Everything just started to appear in my head—the way the music should sound, what the lyrics should be, how should this song be sang. It all just came to me. I continued to write.

"Hmm? She's already writing? It didn't take her too long to think of something. That's fast." Tsukimiya-sensei said to herself. "I wonder how it will turn out?"