How sweet the sound

This is a story I wrote quite a while ago. It uses the members of Il Divo as characters, but the essence of the story isn't about them, so if you don't know them (or don't like them ;) ) it shouldn't keep you from reading it. It holds bits and pieces of my heart and soul.


_____


He could hardly wait until the interview was over. Always the same boring and silly questions: How does the fact that you come from different countries influence your relationship? Which song do you like best? Which country did you like most?

Didn’t people understand that they got on as well as any people thrown together under similar circumstances could? That mood and feelings changed whichever song they preferred, but that after hundreds of times one song was as good or bad as another? That countries blurred into hotel rooms and airports? He wished he could be anywhere else but sit here and play his role.

He was drawn back into reality as the interviewer stood and started to shake hands, thanking them for their time. He gave her a smile and was happy to see her disappear out the door.

As he turned to the other Divo’s he caught a glance between Carlos and Urs.

‘Seb, how about we go to that pub I told you about? A nice cold diet Coke and some eye candy sounds like heaven to me right now!’

Seb didn’t even answer but with a wave turned and walked out the door, with Carlos following closely behind.

Urs caught David’s eye and smiled. ‘Out for a walk?’ he proposed.

‘I’d rather…’ David started to protest.

‘I think we could both use a calming stroll in the sun. We could walk to the Junction and stay there for a while. I'd like the company.’

Urs had this way of making it hard to say no. He made it sound as if David was doing him a favour even though David knew it was the other way around. He wanted to be alone. But he didn’t want to be on his own. Urs would give him the room he needed, but still be a comfort with his presence.

David gave him a nod and grabbed his denim jacket. Urs put on his sunglasses and they left the room.

Outside they turned right and strolled along the Arve. David squinted against the bright sun. It was almost as bright as on that day in Colorado, so many years ago.

~

She had walked into the classroom in the second period. He remembered clearly, it was during French and Mr Swoony was trying to get the irregular verbs into the brains of his unwilling students. It had been a sunny day in April and David’s mind had been torn between the piece his school theatre group would be performing a few days later and the bike ride along the river he had promised himself that morning when the sunshine had woken him very early. Between them there wasn’t really any room for verbs and French had never been a favourite subject anyway, so David was happy for the interruption.

While Mr Swoony and the school secretary, Miss Devon, talked in low voices he watched her. She was a tall girl with dark brown hair and clear green eyes. She caught him looking at her and stared back at him. He would have sworn afterwards that minutes had passed. Then, suddenly, a smile crept in her face and she gave him a wink. He felt his face go red and looked down.

‘Okay everyone, this here is Quinn. Quinn, meet your classmates.’

Quinn. That was an intriguing name. David had never heard it before. He looked up again and smiled at the girl. She was scanning the class with a friendly smile on her face.

‘There are some empty seats, pick any one of them and then we’ll continue class.’ Mr Swoony said.

Quinn walked to the closest empty seat, sat down and put her books in front of her. She quietly sat there for the rest of the class.

David didn’t see her for the rest of the day, she obviously took other classes, but after school, as he walked over to the theatre for rehearsals he saw her walking in the same direction.

Taking a couple of long steps he caught up with her and as he got next to her he said ‘Hi!’.

Quinn looked over to him and gave him a smile.

‘Hi! You are in my French class, am I right?’

‘Yes, my name is David.’

Quinn told him she was looking to join the theatre group, but as the play was almost ready she was hoping she would be allowed to watch rehearsals to get to know some of the people. David assured her he couldn’t see any problem and he was right.

They did a complete run through and in the end Quinn even gave them some good hints to improve the whole performance. After everyone had finished cleaning up they all gathered in the entrance hall and chatted while waiting for their rides to pick them up.

David was talking to Quinn and Amber, who was also in their French class.

He found out that Quinn was waiting for her older brother Davin to pick her up. He was 19, 4 years older than Quinn and worked at their parent’s ranch. They had moved down from Canada because her dad got the offer to take over the ranch from an old friend of his. The kids hadn’t been too keen on the move, but didn’t have much of a choice either.

‘Maybe it won’t be as bad as you thought,’ David winked.

Amber immediately started talking about all the school clubs and teams they had and about the plans the theatre group had for the rest of the year and even for the following year.

A honk outside made them all look up and Quinn waved. ‘My brother.’ She explained and grabbed her bag.

David picked up his and with a wave to the last few waiting walked out with Quinn. She introduced David to her brother and bidding him goodbye got into her brother’s car.

David got into his hand me down and drove off.

He noticed Davin followed him and concluded they must be living on the same side of the town. After 20 minutes Davin was still behind him and he couldn’t help but starting to wonder. Then he suddenly realised that down the road from where he lived old Henry Rivers had moved out to go live with his daughter and some new guy had moved in, taking over the Double Arrow ranch. Could it be?

And yes, after another 10 minutes he saw Davin put on his indicator and honking he turned up the drive way of the Double Arrow.

~

The honking sound pulled him back into the reality of the day. Urs had grabbed hold of his arm, stopping him from crossing a busy road. He had no recollection of how they had gotten there, being taken by the past that felt so close today.

He looked at his friend and smiled apologising. ‘My mind was elsewhere.’

‘I know, that’s okay,’ Urs answered. ‘Just watch out while crossing here, I’d rather not have you flat.’ He winked and turned his attention back to the traffic.

David nodded and decided to be better company.

He started talking about the interview and they tried to come up with the silliest question and a good way of answering it next time it came up in an interview.

As soon as they reached the banks of the Rhone they both got quiet though, amazed and impressed by the sheer beauty of nature in this big city. Right in front a high cliff towered them, with at its bottom the heart-touching blue water of the Rhone that had just left the lake of Geneva. The trees were just starting to get their leaves and the grass was filled with spring flowers.

Accompanied by the rustling sounds of the river and trees they turned left and followed the clear water to the point where it joined the grey stream of the Arve. There they stood in silence, admiring the sheer power and beauty of nature.

The flow of the river and rustling of leaves brought David back to years before when he made similar walks with Quinn.

The fact that they were almost neighbours had had David propose they would drive to school together. It would save Davin driving up and down and would make the daily drives for him more fun. Quinn had invited him over to meet her parents and they had agreed on the two sharing a ride.

So for the rest of that year they had spent quite some time together, driving, and in school and theatre. They had gotten to know each other quite well, and David often wondered why he didn’t have the ‘in love’ feelings for Quinn.

One day he had told her, his face reddening as she swallowed a chuckle.

‘David, why would you be in love with me? Do you want to be? Do you have to be?’

That made him think.

‘Why would I be in love with you? Well, because you are funny and sweet and cute and…’

Now Quinn laughed out loud. ‘But sweet David, so are you and I am not in love with you either. I like you, and I love you, and I am grateful for having you in my life. But to have all that is enough. You will find a person who will be more than a friend, who will be like your other half, a half that you never knew was missing.’

David didn’t really know what to say, and so he kept his mouth shut. The words did linger on his mind for a long time after though, and he couldn’t help but agree with them.

A couple of weeks later, just before the end of the school year, Quinn asked David if he would help her out with her acting assignment. Their drama teacher had given them a monologue for their end of year performance: it had to be on the world and their relation to it or their position in it. David had decided to make it into a monologue on being a song in the world, heard by many, but leaving a different memory in each person that heard it. He felt very proud of it and had already held the monologue for his parents.

‘Sure, I’ll help. What do you want me to do?’

‘Not much really. Just listen to it and tell me if it is too much.’

David frowned. Too much? Too much what?

They agreed to meet at the theatre after class.


That day was not the last time he said goodbye to her, but it was the last time she said goodbye to him.

_____


Standing on stage, looking down at the screaming audience, the four men took another deep bow. Then Carlos and Seb grabbed the stools that were set on the side of the stage. This wasn’t part of the usual routine and thinking there was going to be a new song the audience managed to make even more noise.

Without a word the four men sat on the stools. The men and women in the orchestra put down their instruments and the band members sat quietly too.

The noise slowly died down and when it had gotten to the level of a soft murmur Urs lifted his microphone.

‘"In everyone’s life there are people who make an impression that can never be erased. An impression because of who they are, of what they do, of what they mean to us. Sometimes these impressions are the result of a lifelong friendship, sometimes they are what is left of a short encounter, sometimes even just a ‘Hi, how are you?’, a wink, a smile.

But not all impressions people leave are positive. We all have at some point in our lives, hurt another person. Sometimes it happens by accident when we do not realise the impact of our words or deeds, sometimes we want to hurt back when we are hurt, we strike out in anger or pain. And sometimes people leave an impression that damages a life beyond repair.

All these impressions, the good, the bad, they make us, they shape us, they last forever: sometimes in plain view for all to see, sometimes lingering in the back of our minds until something makes them appear, a date, a word, a feeling, a song.

The people who made these impressions in our souls will always be part of our lives, for the memory of them will be within us forever. After they have left our life, even after they have left this world their impression will live on in us, in our memory, in our heart. And sometimes they don't even know it..."

Here, today, we want to remember the person who spoke these words. A person who left an impression in our hearts, even if three of us never knew her in person. She will be remembered as having an unending love for life, and an immeasurable courage to face each day that was put on her path. Her time amongst the living was too short, but she left impressions in the lives of all who knew her.

This song was special to her, and it has become special to us.’

His words moved the audience, and feeling that this was a very special moment silence fell over the arena. It was like one could hear the silence and the four men on stage knew that this too was an everlasting impression made in thousands of lives, including their own.

The silence of thousands of people was deafening to everyone’s ears.

David felt emotions and memories racing through him, scenes of him and Quinn, laughing in the car, her monologue on the world, her smile as she told him they didn’t need to be in love. He felt love for her, for his brothers, who, by doing this, showed him they loved him as well.

He swallowed hard, determined not to cry, for he knew what they were about to do.

Then, accompanied by a warm deep baritone and a sweet high tenor voice, Urs started singing…

‘Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound
That once saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now am found
Was blind, but now, I see.

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
and mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess within the veil,
a life of joy and peace.

When we’ve been here ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’ve first begun.’