by Raine Koh
“Where’s Kamaki?” Mimi asked her manager as she looked around backstage.
“He said he had something urgent to attend to. He’ll be in any minute now,” said Kenta, glancing at his watch. He looked worried and Mimi wondered if she should be too. It was soon her cue to perform and Mimi came on stage and strapped on her pink electric guitar. Upon seeing her, the crowd fell silent. Mimi walked over to the microphone and said, “Good evening everyone. My name is Mimi. Nice to meet all of you. Before Filth comes on, I’ll be singing two songs of mine, ‘Maybe’ and ‘Farewell’. These songs are about losing someone close to you. I hope you like them.” She started to play the introduction to the mid-tempo rock song “Maybe”. Mimi peered through the crowd and saw her brother and Shina cheering at the front. Shina winked back at her. Mimi took a deep breath and sang her heart out. Yuki was her muse for this song and as she sang “Maybe”, Mimi started to miss him and her heart started to ache all over again. But she had to do justice to the music and carried on singing and playing the best that she could. Her final note was nearly overlapped by tumultuous applause. Mimi smiled and bowed, amazed at the response.
“Thank you all. Now for my second song, ‘Farewell’ is written by someone whom I owe everything to. I don’t think he’s here today, but I want to thank him with this song.” She turned around and realised something had gone terribly wrong. The keyboard was behind but Kamaki was not there. Mimi spotted Kenta by the side of the stage and he looked panic-stricken. “Baby...” he mouthed the words and did some hand-cradling actions. Mimi furrowed her brows in confusion while the band members had already left the stage. The audience was waiting in anticipation and then, Mimi heard some hushed whisperings among them. They were all looking and pointing at one side of the platform. Someone was walking up the stage. It was Sato. With his hands in his pocket, he slowly walked towards Mimi. Standing beside Mimi, he leaned towards her and whispered, “You owe me.” She stood there frozen as he went over to the keyboard and sat down. With deft fingers, he started to play the introduction to “Farewell”. Mimi quickly gathered her senses and started to sing. The whole hall was silent except for her voice and the soft tinkling of the keyboard. In that split second, Mimi thought that this was one of the most beautiful moments in her life.
The applause after that song was even more deafening than the first.
After the whole concert was over, Shina and Roy went backstage to look for Mimi and found her surrounded by press and some newly-found groupies who wanted her autograph. As soon as Mimi spotted the both of them, she quickly walked over, smiling from ear to ear.
“Mimi, your first performance was a huge success!” cried Shina, giving her friend a tight hug. Roy had his hands full with a huge bouquet of champagne-coloured roses and handed them to her, “Sis, you were awesome!”
“Thanks Shina and thanks Roy for flying all the way here. I really appreciate it,” said Mimi, taking the roses from her brother.
“How are you feeling?” asked Shina.
“Like I’m on top of the world!” she said. Her manager came by and told Mimi that they needed to leave soon for press interviews.
“Does this mean that you will be busy over the next few days?” Roy asked.
“I guess so. I have to finalise some more tracks for the new album and then shoot a music video in two days. I’m so exhausted! Shina, can you take care of Roy for me?”
“I’m not a kid, you don’t have to trouble Shina,” said Roy, stepping forward.
“Sure, it’s no problem,” Shina replied, putting her arm around Roy. “So the new single will be out next month? I’ll write about it in the magazine.”
“Yeah, and the album will be out three months later. Thanks Shina!”
After another hug with Mimi, both Shina and Roy left Shibuya O-Nest.
“Hey Roy, are you hungry? Let’s have dinner,” said Shina. “I’m starving!” he replied.
They made their way to a shabu-shabu (a Japanese variant of hotpot) restaurant, which, judging from the press clippings and photographs that adorned its walls, had earned the thumbs-up from various celebrities and food critics.
Roy stared at the pot of bubbling hot soup in front of him and said, “You know, my sister looks the happiest whenever she is on stage. I kinda envy her.”
“Didn’t you tell me that you used to belong to the youth orchestra back home? You gave stage performances back then, right?” asked Shina.
“Yeah, I did, about two years ago.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, why did you stop playing the violin?”
Roy scratched the back of his head and looked into the distance, trying to recall. “Maybe it’s because my parents loved hearing me play, especially my mom. Her smile was what I looked forward to after every performance. So after my parents died, it was hard picking up the violin again. Many have tried to convince me to play in memory of her, but the thought of not seeing her smile after my performance was unbearable. I love my sister and all, but she doesn’t really appreciate classical music.” The steam from the hot soup was beginning to fog up his glasses. He removed them and placed them on the table.
“Can you see without them?” Shina asked, as she started cooking the raw slices of meat in the soup. “I only need them when I’m reading. Although I wear them more then I need to. It’s become some sort of security for me, I guess,” he mumbled, shrugging his shoulders.
Shina thought he looked like a sad lost puppy. “I used to play the violin too,” she said, “But I was never any good at it. I love listening to others play though. Hey, if you don’t mind, come by my apartment for a while? I have something to show you.”
“Sure, why not? You know, Shina, it’s strange, I’m usually shy in front of people, but I feel as if I’ve known you forever.” Shina smiled at his comment and replied, “Come let’s eat, it’s best to eat shabu-shabu when it’s hot.”
Roy entered Shina’s apartment in awe. Besides the funky and bold furniture that stood in her loft, he was drawn to a photograph of the owner hanging on the wall. It showed a close-up of her face, shot in black and white, with a soft smile on her face.
“This photo of you is awesome, who took it?” he asked, pointing at the portrait. Shina looked over and replied, “You mean that one? It was taken by my ex-husband.”
“Your ex-husband?” he quizzed, slightly surprised. Turning back at the photograph he asked, “So he’s a photographer?”
“Yes he is, we met through a photo shoot a few years ago. But we are divorced now,” said Shina. Roy could see that her expression had hardened, but he wanted to know more about what happened.
“Why?” he asked.
“He had a drinking problem, and he would hit me whenever he felt like it,” she replied, matter-of-factly, devoid of any emotion.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. We have been separated for a while now. Here, I‘ve got something to show you.”
Shina took out a black violin case from her room and carried it to the living room. Roy was immediately drawn towards it and his eyes widened as he saw the inside of it. “It’s a Jean Salomon antique violin,” he stated as he gently took it out and examined it. “It’s probably from the 18th century.”
“You know your stuff well. Play something for me,” she requested, sitting down on the flower-printed sofa. She looked at him expectantly.
“Can I?” Roy asked and with her urging, he placed the violin on his shoulder and started to play the first tune that came to his mind – the violin rendition of “Vocalise” by Sergei Rachmaninov. It was a slow, romantic piece and the antique violin ensured that each note exuded a warm tone. Roy closed his eyes and played. He was reminded of what it was like to be in love with the violin again. After he finished playing, Shina stood up and clapped for him. He smiled and bowed. Roy wondered if the beating of his heart was due to the violin or due to her presence. He thought that right now, Shina looked more beautiful in real life than in that photograph he admired a while a
go.
*
Mimi was freezing. The sun had barely risen and disregarding the fact that early winter brought with it cold, biting winds, she was standing on a cliff overlooking the northern shore of Okinawa Island, dressed in a flimsy pink baby doll Comme des Garçons dress with black polka dots. With a full band positioned behind her, Mimi was filming her first music video. When the director shouted “Action!” she had to sing her heart out into the standing microphone in front of her while her song, “Maybe” blared in the background. She had to admit that it was fun to thrash about on a cliff, but the dropping temperatures were killing her.
Mimi was quite astonished to discover that she even had models as extras for her music video. She felt extremely sorry for one particular model who had to be shot walking from the seashore into the freezing waters, until her whole body was submerged by the ocean. She found out later that her name was Rika. Rika had platinum blonde hair and had eyes that resembled a cat. Mimi found her extremely gorgeous and approached her during one of their break times. “Thank you for your hard work. The water was really cold, are you okay?” she asked.
Rika, who currently had a thick blanket wrapped around her, looked at Mimi and smiled, “I’m alright. I love your song by the way. How do you get inspired to write like that?”
“Oh, I usually write them from the feelings I have experienced in my own life,” replied Mimi, sitting down next to her on the sea shore.
“Do breakups make good catalysts for songs?” Rika asked, looking at her earnestly.
“I guess so, any event that evokes a strong emotion usually inspires me.”
“I see. I actually went through a breakup not long ago.”
“Oh? I am sorry to hear that.”
“Don’t be. It was totally my fault. Anyway, if you don’t mind, let’s be friends. I’ll pass you my email.” She fished out her cell phone and passed it to Mimi. “Please key in your phone number and email.”
“Sure. I guess you are done for the day? The band and I still need to go to the Zakimi Castle Ruins for more shooting,” Mimi said, taking the cell phone from her.
Rika nodded, “Yeah, I’ll be heading back to Tokyo tonight. Let’s try to meet up next week?” As they exchanged emails, Mimi thought, even beautiful women are not immune to heartbreaks.
That night, Kenta knocked on Mimi’s hotel room door, dumping a stack of newspapers and magazines on her. “What’s this?” she asked. She glanced at the various news reports and noticed her face plastered on them.
“These are reviews on your debut performance,” he replied. Mimi was shocked to see so many. She also saw that many of them had Sato’s face on the report too. “They are calling you Sato’s new project. Anyway, besides that, I’ve got something important to tell you. When we get back to Tokyo two days later, you’ll be moving into your new house. Your friend Shina told me her neighbour who lives a floor above her just sold her house, so I got you that one.”
“Sounds great, Kenta. Thanks.”
“No problem, good night and good work for today.”
Mimi closed the door and walked over to her bed with the stack of news reports. Sitting on the edge of her bed, she looked through the pile of papers. Most of them seemed to label her “promising” and also talked about how it was Sato’s first public performance since his boy band days. She wanted to read all of them but it was now the wee hours of the morning and tomorrow was another full day of filming. Her eyes soon grew heavy and she drifted off to sleep.
*
“I have free tickets for a violin performance. Come with me?” Shina asked, passing Roy the concert tickets. Both of them were having lunch at a fast food joint – the MOS Burger Ginza Café, which with wooden flooring and specially designed interior by Dick Bruna (famed for creating Miffy the bunny), was classier than your typical fast food restaurant. Roy, who had just bitten into his spicy beef burger, was startled. He swallowed hard before saying, “You sure you don’t have anyone else to go with? I mean, will it be weird to be seen hanging out with me?”
“What do you mean? You are kidding, right? We are hanging out now, what’s the difference when it comes to going to a concert?”
Roy fiddled with the tickets uncertainly. “But, it’s a gala event, right? I don’t have anything to wear.”
Shina snatched back the tickets from him and said, “If you really don’t want to go then it’s alright. It’s just that not many of my friends appreciate classical music like you do.” She shrugged her shoulders and took a big bite from her own spicy beef burger. Roy held his face in his hands and observed Shina’s face for a few seconds.
“What time is it? I’ll be there,” he said, after thinking about it.
Roy waited for Shina at the Foyer of the Suntory Hall. The Foyer was decorated with mahogany panels and marble trimmings and there seemed to be a cocktail party happening at another area of the Foyer. The men were dressed in tuxedos while the women wore formal evening dresses. Roy was clad in black jeans, a t-shirt and a black sports jacket. Despite his young age, he didn’t look out of place at all as he gave off the air of a musician but he felt awkward and could not stop fidgeting. Roy glanced at his watch for the fifth time and wished Shina would arrive soon. She finally did, wearing a boat neck Chloe black sleeveless dress with stud embellishments and flat black pumps.
“You look nice,” she said, smiling at him.
“Not as nice as you,” said Roy, finding it hard to take his eyes off her. He offered his arm to her, as a gentlemanly gesture. She took it and they both walked arm-in-arm across the lobby.
“Come on, let’s go sit in the concert hall first,” she said, giving a quick glance to the crowd.
“Don’t you have to attend the cocktail party?”
“Not really. I don’t like it; I hate these kind of cocktail events where you have to mingle and pretend to know everyone,” she said, wrinkling her nose as they both made their way to the main hall. Roy looked around in amazement. “This place is amazing.” The hall had a warm glow to it and a majestic pipe organ was placed in the middle, at the rear of the hall. The pair took their seats near the front of the wooden stage. Roy peered at the concert brochure. The programme for tonight was Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D Major. It was one of his favourite pieces.
Shina leaned towards him and whispered, “Don’t you miss it?”
“Miss what?”
“The violin.”
“Honestly when I hear someone else play the violin, I feel like killing myself. It hurts when I play it, it hurts when I don’t play it. I can’t help but wonder why music hates me so much.”
“Isn’t that because you love it so much?”
“Does love hurt this much?” he asked.
“I’m no expert on love. But it probably does.”
The lights on the hall started to dim and the orchestra came on stage and took their seats. Just as he’d predicted, Roy’s heart started to ache terribly when the violin soloist started to play. He closed his eyes and allowed the music to fill his veins. The violinist’s technique was flawless and Roy felt the violin crying out to him.
Track #12
After spending three days in Okinawa filming her music video, Mimi arrived late at night at Sato's apartment’s doorstep, exhausted. Earlier, her manager had given her a phone call, reminding her that she would be moving into her new apartment tomorrow. Mimi let out a loud yawn as she fumbled for her keys in her handbag and without warning, she crumpled to the floor.
An hour later, Sato arrived to find Mimi sprawled on the cement ground in front of his doorstep. Panic-stricken, he quickly ran over, only to find her snoring loudly. “Mimi, wake up!” he cried, shaking her violently. However, she remained oblivious to her surroundings and continued to sleep. She was even drooling slightly. “I can’t believe this girl,” he said as he continued looking on helplessly. Figuring that it would be best to just bring her indoors, he searched for his own keys and unlocked the door. Cradling Mimi in his arms, Sato carried her to
her bed.
“Really, I think you are the most troublesome person ever,” muttered Sato as he placed her gently on her bed. Mimi made no sign of waking up. Instead she just rolled to the side and curled her body into a ball. Sato looked at the sleeping figure and sighed. He took off her boots and was just about to leave when he noticed that Mimi was shivering slightly. He carefully pulled the blanket over her. But she still looked cold.
“Are you sick?” he asked, placing his hand on her forehead. “You don’t seem to have a fever.”
“Cold...”she answered in her sleep.
“See, this is what happens when you fall asleep outside,” he scolded, pointing his finger accusingly at Mimi. Sato stared at the snoring girl and wondered what to do. Her shivering didn’t seem to stop and she was unable to wake up.
