by Anna Adams
Maude and Thomas headed over to the piano under the crowd’s applause. Maude took her seat on her stool while Thomas stood next to her.
“You’ve probably heard this song a hundred times on the radio, but this is our new version of ‘Sunrise,’” Thomas introduced.
Maude’s schedule had been hectic, and her piano sessions had suffered, but she was still eager to perform, even though the keys of the brand-new polished piano were too mellow for Maude’s taste. She preferred a piano with an ancient aura about it, like Soulville’s haunted grand piano. Yellowed and slightly dusty keys met her approval far more than shining ones. But this Steinway, just like the rest of the entire TV set, was spotlessly dull.
Nevertheless, she wanted to give her best performance to her audience and delved into her music with all the heart she could muster. She showered Thomas with such convincing smiles and fondness that a seed of hopeful trepidation grew deep in her co-performer’s chest, its roots entangling with those of his long-nurtured ambition.
From where Maude sat, she could’ve seen Matt, behind the scenes, had she chosen to, but deliberately avoided his gaze.
Their performance ended before she knew it, much to Maude’s chagrin. Any piano was better than no piano at all.
“So Maude and Thomas,” Karrie commented when her guests had taken their seats in her alcove. “That was some performance you two lovebirds gave.” Karrie, a handsome, blonde quadragenarian draped her eyes with a large amount of bright Gemey eyeliner. She found the use of words such as ‘lovebirds’ and ‘honey’ were effective to conceal the fact that her heart was colder than a summer day in Antarctica.
“Well, it really isn’t that hard once you’re inspired by the one you’re with,” Thomas answered, taking Maude’s hand with a gentleness he seldom displayed.
A wave of immediate repulsion floated to Maude’s lips, but she played along nevertheless, patting his hand with slight gaucherie.
“So it’s official then, you two are an item?”
Maude nodded with a tight smile while Thomas proudly answered, “Yes, we are,” an admission immediately followed by loud whoo from the audience. On the left side, Maude noticed a brunette her age or a year older holding her phone up and glancing around to make sure a member of the crew didn’t spot her taking pictures of the two stars.
“How did you two meet?” Karrie asked, directing her question at a Maude who had been far too silent for her taste.
Maude hid her hesitation with a swift change of position on the sofa. The girl in the audience, biting her lip with excited curiosity, still held her phone, probably filming the interview. It bothered Maude although she was unable to enunciate a clear reason why.
“We took lessons from the same vocal coach,” Maude answered simply, turning back to Karrie.
Sensing Karrie wanted Maude to develop, Thomas jumped in and pursued in her stead.
He spoke of how impressed he’d been by her knowledge of classical music, her incredible raw talent, the time they’d spent rehearsing together, their endless conversations on their way home. Amazed to see Thomas remember their conversations with such detail, she thought how this arrangement had never really seemed to bother him as much as it rankled her.
“So those rumors about you and Matt were false? You’ve never been together.”
“Never,” Maude stated with as much bravado as she could muster while her personal life was being dissected by Karrie’s cold hands. “Lindsey Linton can have him if she wants,” she added, regretting those words as soon as they were out of her mouth.
In the corner of her eye, Maude saw Adrianna in the scenes wring her hands in desperation.
A renewed interest lit Karrie’s eyes.
“You and Lindsey aren’t very good friends, are you, honey?” she asked.
Thomas fidgeted ever so slightly, and Maude knew why. He’d gone along with Lindsey to plagiarize Maude’s song, and the memory of it made him squirm. And rightly so, Maude thought.
“Lindsey and I get along fine,” she answered. Once she’s out of my sight, Maude thought. “We’re the same age, we both love music, and she’s one of the most talented singers I’ve been acquainted with.”
“Would you ever consider singing a duet?”
She stole one of my songs, isn’t that enough! Maude mentally shrieked.
“Absolutely,” she answered with a nod. When hell freezes over. Not before.
“Hmm, that should give your respective labels something to think about.”
“I’m sure they will. They always have plenty of fantastic ideas,” Maude chirped, thrilled to see Adrianna agonizing out of the corner of her eye. This interview was turning a lot more amusing than when it started.
“And what are your plans in the near future?”
“Thomas and I will be working on a duet soon,” Maude responded, all smiles. “We’ll spend lots of time working on it, to make it our own. We don’t like using other people’s music,” she added with an eyebrow raised in Thomas’ direction. He rapidly overcame his initial embarrassment and played along.
“We’re completely authentic. As are our feelings for each other,” he added, taking a hold of Maude’s hand again and squeezing it, or rather, crushing her pinky and index fingers together with hasty clumsiness.
“It certainly is refreshing to see two bright teenagers wholly unmarred by fame, isn’t it?” Karrie asked the crowd.
Maude and Thomas smiled in unison at the positive response.
“And, who knows, maybe in a couple of days we’ll receive some good news?”
Maude and Thomas looked at each other quizzically. She couldn’t be talking about marriage? Maude yanked her hand from Thomas’ grip. Contract or no contract, she was seventeen!
“Maybe a nomination for each of you at the National American Music Awards?” Karrie clarified, glad to see the effect her ambiguous question had on the two artists.
Maude blushed. She had pushed any thoughts of the NAM Awards away, she couldn’t bear to potentially jinx the nomination.
“We’ll keep our fingers crossed,” Thomas answered when Maude didn’t.
“Maude, Thomas, it was a pleasure having you in my Korner,” Karrie thanked. Cornered was exactly how Maude felt. Yet she managed to exit the set with a smile of contentment, happily anticipating Adrianna’s fury.
“Now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for. We’re going to welcome one of America’s most beloved and talented pop stars who’ve agreed to perform a new song for us tonight. Say hello to Matt!”
Matt brushed past Maude, seemingly oblivious to her presence, and strolled over to Karrie’s corner with his acoustic guitar under the wild applause of hysterical fans.
Having rarely seen him perform live for an audience, Maude looked forward to hearing Matt’s new song. After several failed attempts at attracting Maude’s attention, Thomas gave up and retired to his dressing room.
It was a funny song about a guy whose girlfriend had gotten a nasty haircut and who didn’t know want to give her his real opinion on the matter. Instead he found different ways to tell her how beautiful she was.
Maude listened, highly amused by the simple, upbeat song, before being dragged away by an irate Adrianna.
“Don’t pull that crap again,” Adrianna hissed once they were in the privacy of the empty dressing room.
“Adrianna, I have no idea what you’re talking about. I wore a pretty white dress, sat among white cushions, played on a white piano. I laughed, I smiled, I held Thomas’ hand like it was made of pure satin, and did everything but make out with him in front of the camera. What more do you want?” Maude asked sweetly. “I think I made the best of it considering the questions asked, don’t you think?”
Adrianna hesitated a split second, unsure of Maude’s sincerity. Her dark brown eyes glimmered with sweet innocence, and Adrianna surrendered. They hadn’t predicted questions about Lindsey in their brief. Karrie had strayed from the list of questions they’d submitted. That would have
to be remedied.
“Fine,” Adrianna finally let out, giving Maude leave to exit the room.
After all, Adrianna was sure Uncle Alan and she could find a way to spin this animosity between Lindsey and Maude to their advantage.
*****
Maude walked on cotton candy, and it tickled her feet. Adrianna and Alan didn’t know she could walk on cotton candy, they thought all she could do was jump. Maude twirled her delicious thoughts around the silky strands of pink softness, careful to tread lightly lest she made a squishy mess. Alan would snatch the pink delight from under her feet and she’d fall. Hard.
But no one would take her cotton candy away from her. Maude would make sure of that.
Ever since Ms. Tragent had pronounced the word “Aida,” Maude had hummed Verdi’s melodies to her heart’s content. An epic romance in an ancient Egyptian setting? Aida’s heartbreaking choice between her people and the man she loved? A jealous rival dead set on separating the star-crossed lovers at any cost? There was little Maude didn’t love about Aida. It was a tale to be told, and Maude wanted to tell it with her voice.
When she arrived at Morningside Theater for her first rehearsal, Maude was greeted by ten pairs of hostile eyeballs.
A stark, brown-skinned, young man with an angular jaw came to her and met her with a stern demeanor. Asking him to smile would have been demanding he take the moon down from its hanger.
“You must be Maude Laurent. We’ve heard a lot about you,” he greeted. Maude wasn’t sure how she was expected to answer. “ I’m Radamès.”
Aida’s lover, Maude thought. But she also knew his real name. Who didn’t?
“You’re Nathan Leopold,” she gushed. “I saw a recording of your performance at Covent Garden, in Verdi’s Othello. You were amazing.”
He bent his head slightly, blasé like one used to hearing how ‘amazing’ he was. He’d heard it steadily and in various languages for the last five years. Amazing, incroyable, wunderbar they all meant the same thing: he’d made it and his opponents were somewhere far behind eating the crumbs he’d left over.
“I thought you were taking a break from your career?” she asked. He’d made an announcement a couple of months ago at a press conference, leaving the opera world in shock.
“Nobody refuses an opportunity to work with Ms. Tragent,” was his sole reply before he walked away.
Maude watched him walk away with mixed feelings. She’d just met Nathan Leopold! She’d just met Nathan Leopold.
Maude took a quick glance at the other performers. All twenty-somethings, warming their voices without assistance from an absent Ms.Tragent. But excepting Nathan, she recognized none.
All professionals. A detail Ms. Tragent had failed to mention.
And she was to play the lead? Opposite Nathan Leopold? This didn’t make much sense.
“Ms. Laurent, why are you the only one not warming your voice? Or are you waiting for me to help you?” Ms. Tragent asked with an arched brow as she entered the room accompanied by another person.
Maude peered at the girl behind Ms. Tragent and gasped, her jaw swaying dangerously close to the floor.
“Rebecca Sylvester,” Maude whispered when her jaw regained composure. She was even prettier in real life than on screen. Flaming red hair elegantly twisted into a braid, set against flawless pale skin, grey eyes shining with infinite kindness.
“I’m very pleased to meet you, Maude. Ms. Tragent speaks very badly of you,” she laughed, knowing Maude would understand the compliment.
“Ms. Sylvester, it’s such an honor,” Maude choked, dumbstruck with silly happiness. She shook Rebecca Sylvester’s hand with as much energy as that of an electric chair.
“Call me Rebecca. Ms. Sylvester sounds so grand and serious,” her eyes twinkled with mischievous enjoyment. “Besides, the honor’s all mine. I never thought I’d have the pleasure of meeting the singer whose album is one of the best pop albums I’ve heard in a while. I wake up to ‘Sunrise’ every morning.”
Nathan snickered at the word pop, but Maude couldn’t care less. To think she was on Rebecca Sylvester’s playlist! Rebecca Sylvester wanted Maude to call her Rebecca! She’d most certainly died and gone to heaven where angels sang Rebecca Sylvester’s most famous arias.
But Ms. Tragent brought her back to earth with a painful thud.
“Enough daydreaming! All of you gather around,” Ms. Tragent called out. “I’m happy to say we’ve found our Aida and our Amneris. Ms. Sylvester has agreed to be our Aida.”
Maude choked back a cry of surprise. Rebecca would be Aida.
Of course she would, Maude realized with an uneasy sense of foolishness. How stupid she’d been to think Ms. Tragent would let her play the lead. Especially if she had Rebecca Sylvester, and considering her disastrous experience last year. Besides, she was delighted to work with Rebecca as Aida. She was perfect for the role.
“And Maude will be Amneris.”
She heard murmurs and a few shocked glances swayed her way.
Amneris. Pharaoh’s evil daughter who thwarts Aida and Radamès’ love? Who causes their demise? Maude shuddered. She’d wanted to play Batman and had been cast as the Joker. Still it was an important role, third most important role in a production dripping with renowned professionals. She’d wanted the part of Aida when she thought she’d be rehearsing with people her age. Now her confidence swayed at the thought of singing the part of a main character with Rebecca Sylvester and Nathan Leopold.
But then this was Ms. Tragent, and Nathan had been right to say nobody refused a part offered by her.
“Some of you have worked together in the past,” she turned to Rebecca and Nathan,
“And others are relatively new to this environment. Of course, I expect the best from all of you. Here are your scores.” She started handing out stacks of documents.
“Now, I want us all to picture ourselves in Ancient Egypt, and I want you to introduce yourselves as the character you embody. Let’s start with you, Aida.”
Rebecca stepped forward, closed her eyes and spoke.
“I’m an Ethiopian princess. My people have been at war with Egypt for years. But we are losing the war.” As she spoke Maude could picture the grand Egyptian pyramids and temples, the scraping sand, the flirtatious sway of the Nile.
“I was taken prisoner as was my father, the king. I’m Amneris’ servant.” Rebecca walked towards Maude and beheld her with an angry eye. “Me! A former princess. Alas, I’m in love with an Egyptian general,” Rebecca sighed. “The same man who calls my enemies brothers. I love him, and he loves me, but we can never be together. He is destined to marry my mistress, Amneris. My hands are held captive by Amneris, my heart is chained to Radamès. Should I uphold loyalty to my people but betray my heart?”
Rebecca nodded in Maude’s direction. It was her turn.
“I’m Amneris, daughter of Pharaoh, the most powerful man on earth. I’m in love with Radamès, but he seems to prefer Aida over me. I mean, he loves her, but he should love me.” Maude hesitated. “I’m prettier and I’m . . . ”
Nathan Leopold let out a low whistle and his friends snickered.
“That’s deep,” Nathan mocked, folding his scores like a book. He crossed his arms across his chest and surveyed Maude as he would a monkey in a zoo. Maude glared but remained silent.
“Maude Laurent, you’re out of character. Do you really think Amneris would speak with such flippancy? She’s not a bimbo in a sitcom, she’s a princess and she’s superior and JEALOUS. She loves Radamès but is consumed by her jealousy. Think about it. For now, I want to hear Radamès.”
Maude’s gaze slid down to her score, her cheeks scorching with shame while Radamès explained his character’s personality with proud eloquence intended for Maude. What a prick, Maude thought, a lump forming in her throat.
After class was dismissed, Maude lingered to talk with her teacher.
“Ms. Tragent?”
“Yes, Amneris?”
Maude wonde
red whether her teacher would call her by her character’s name for the rest of the year.
“I’m not Amneris.”
“You aren’t yet, that’s for sure. But you will be. You managed to play Cinderella’s character pretty well.”
“Cinderella was closer to me in many ways. Amneris and I are nothing alike. She’s hateful and vengeful.”
“You don’t expect to have similarities with each character you embody, Ms. Laurent? Besides, Amneris is a very interesting and complex character. She’s not just evil. All her actions stem from love, her love for Radamès.”
“But that’s just it. I can’t understand that! I can’t imagine destroying two people in love out of jealousy. I mean, I’ve been jealous before, just a bit. But I’ve never acted on it, I think.”
“Then you have never loved, my dear.”
“In jealousy there is more self-love than love.”
“Is that a bad thing? If you don’t love your own self, you can never love another.”
Maude remained silent.
“We all have a piece of Amneris buried in us, Ms. Laurent. And I want you to dig out yours. Besides, will you leave Mr. Leopold thinking pop singers can’t sing opera?”
Maude lifted her head, her eyes burning with fierce determination, and met Ms. Tragent’s questioning eyebrows. No way would she let Nathan Leopold look down on her again. She’d send him back to his retirement.
“I won’t disappoint you,” Maude bowed her head.
It was an important role, and she was singing with two talented and completely professional opera singers. Unlike the performance last year, where only students of Ms. Tragent were involved, the stakes were undeniably higher.
She wouldn’t let Ms. Tragent down this time. She’d go all the way.
When Maude arrived at the brownstone, the entire Baldwin family greeted her at the door. It was a refreshing change from the hostility her new co-workers had displayed in abundance that evening.
