Black Monster

Christine sat at the back of the concert hall in dejection, too numb to leave and hide her shame. She’d muffed the recitle, muffed it big time. The conductor had been kind but she knew she would not get another chance like this again. It was the culmination of three years hard work and she’d stuffed it up. Rob appeared at her elbow but he was the last person she wanted to see right now. She would disgrace herself more by balling and causing her nose to run in a most ungraceful manor.

‘Christine?’ he asked gently putting his large hand on her shoulders, it was warm and sent a thrill through her.

‘I’m ok’ she said but knew he wasn’t fooled.

‘Come on lets go over to the Union and catch a bite to eat before the Freshers pour in for a night of cheesy disco.’ She shrugged and he pulled her up, his violin case was slung over his shouler. She hated him for a moment, it was hot and acrid and nasty feeling. The concert hall as always was too cool for the flimsy top she had worn on the stage. She had a moment of almost abandoning her flute but she just couldn’t. She wondered what she would do with her degree now that she had prooved not to be large crowd proof. What use was she and her flute?

Rob man handled her out and into the grey drizzel coated square, the plinth out the front looked as dejected as she felt. Shuddering she did a little half run around the corner into the Quad, carefully not looking at the red brick building opposite – The Musical School had been her home and now she trembeled with the thought of going back. Music was alreading blearing from Da Vincis so they headed to the quiet little Union Bar in the corner, they’d played concerts here too. Helped the Dram Soc put on productions and the like, it wasn’t their student union but then they didn’t really have one and they were welcomed here so it didn’t matter – lockers had even been put in for the musical instruments.

The bar was fortunatly not yet crowded though if the Miners came in there would be beer drinking contests and puking Freshers to deal with, she detested the Rugby club members who came into this bar too but they were not yet here. She sat on the old wooded benches polished to a gleam only managable with a good coat of poly urathan varnish. She picked up a coaster and began to fiddle with it, Rob appeared with a Tetleys and a vodka and orange, he dumped the pint in front of her, sloshing the creamy smooth froth she liked so much. The head was massive, she gave the bar tender a sad little smile.

‘I saved changing the barrel for when you came in’ he said and then turned away as if embarrassed, she stuck her finger in the cream and licked it off her blunt nailed musicians finger. She was greateful – Edwine could loose his job for giving her the ‘substandard’ pint.

Rob gulped his Vodka orange, ‘What happened?’ he asked her suddenly.

She sighed, ‘nerves I think’ she shrugged trying not to cry though the weight of the tears was burning her eyeballs. He looked at her, he knew there was more to it than that but how could she explain that the stupid mushrooms on the cieling put her off?

They’d been put in to improve the aucoustic which would have been dead without them, it wasn’t the best even with them there but the ugly grey things huanted her. It was stupid. And worse than that he would make her go to the gateway nurse again and college would be all understanding but none of it would help she had screwed up.

‘I should have stayed with the Chamber Chior then I would have been more used to performing in there,’ she said to fill the gap and the busied herself with sipping the pint.

Rob nodded, she hated his sympathy, ‘Well if your results come out too low I’m sure you could resit or something, we’ll go and see your tutor tomorrow. Christine?’ he said gentle, she didn’t look up she knew what was coming, ‘Christine, you should tell them it was the OCD even if it wasn’t.’ He reached for her hand. She jerked it away.

‘How DARE YOU!’ she tried to whisper and shout mangling the words slightly. Edwin came back to the bar thinking it was someone asking for a drink but she didn’t notice him. ‘It’s not something to use like that!’

‘I know that Christine… that’s not what I ment! It was the OCD though wasn’t it? I know you remember?’ He winced as she slamed her pint down sending a foamy tsumarmy over the side of the glass, he’d been expecting in the face, she was slight and fragile looking but she did tend towards artistic rages, but mainly she was hurt, it was the OCD of course it was but she could not admit that. She looked around, there was only Edwin standing frozen in the wake of her rage.

She burst into tears and run. Rob stood frozen for a moment and followed. Edwin stood there staring at the door, a sadness was eating him Christine and Rob, Christine and always Rob, he would give anything for them to break up but not for Christine to look like that, not for her to be so angished. He shook himself and collected their instruments and popped them in the office. It was his own fualt for having gone to a University with a 7:1 male female ratio. All the girls were either imports from the Music School or Medics. Methodically he went back to clearing the tubes from the barrel change.

He was sure they would be back later. Maybe he could get them to come to a party with him? Not that his shift ended particually early and he did have lectures on the morrow, plus he had orders from his mother to call in at UCL another university across Town. His Grandpa was back from Crete apparently.

Posted: Sunday, November 4th, 2012 @ 5:28 pm
Categories: Uncategorized.
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