Skip to main content

THE PIANOIST (CHAPTER II)

Billy "the ferocious" was barking his head off and my alarm was buzzing a sharp reminder that I had reality to confront. I had a magical moment at the Expo center, Eko hotel yesterday and I had not fully recovered from my epiphany. My phone was ringing.
"Joseph the dreamer hope you slept well and did not spend all your night meditating" came Larry's voice, laughing.
"I did and how was your night?"
"Refreshing. I was wondering if me and Lynn can come over for a chat. There is an issue we'd like your input."
"And what could this be about? I querried.
"It's from yesterday night. Lynn's been talking funny ever since." Of course I knew what he meant by talking funny especially since he referred to yesterday's event.
"Hmmm, odviously, you are not seeing reasons with her plus you are now confused" came my reply. He laughed ruefully. "I don't know how you guys see the things you see in every thing, I've tried hard to see like you guys but the world to me is just black and white. I feel I'm stupid" he said, with a tone of regret. I felt his pain. He was completely disconsolate now. "Bro, there are times when I feel lost too. Sometimes it's like I'm trying to navigate a labrynth without a guide so I know what you are feeling right now."
"You do? But you carry on with the air of someone who's got life figured out."
"Come to my place." I said half  begging, my passion for councelling getting the better of me. "We can put heads together and help you."

I was not having appetite for something elaborate so I ate a few slices of plain bread and flushed it down with a glass of milk. I was with my bible, meditating on Habbakuk 2:1-2. I know I have a mental picture of a desirable future, I thought to myself, but how many times have I put my life in perspective and howmany times have I checked to see if my decisions aligned with the vision?
I have built my life on certain values, deductions from my education and environment but I realised that at this point in my life, I was taking a detour, I was not sticking to the plan. This is the realisation that brought me to tears yesterday as that man played... That man. I could still see the expression on his face as he artfully delivered his concerto. Now the feelings were comming back and I was beginning to feel dizzy from it. I had just appeared before a judgement seat as it were, and my life had just been played out before my very eyes. I saw what lay at the end of the path I'm presently on and what could have been. I saw where I had missed it, that point when I changed paradigm from the character paradigm. I was all gleaming and polished on the outside but decaying on the inside. My emphasis had shifted from growing within to learning and I stupidly thought they were thesame!
Now Larry's in a dilema. I could not imagine that he'd be touched by yesterday's event. He was aloof, his sweet non-challant self. I was going to talk to him and try to help him. I do this for people all the time but now I was feeling like an hypocrite. I had not removed the beam from my eyes and I was hoping to remove the mote in Larry's .

"I both love and hate what that man did to me" Lynn was reflective as she said this.
"He's such a genius and he played a fine tune, better than the others I might add" came Larry's reply.
"Yeah, I know but this has nothing to do with his skill."
"You and that Bosun guy are such kill joy". Lamented Larry. "You guys tend to see things that are not there. The old guy gave his heart out. Instead of appreciating his work, you are whinning about what he did and did not do to you."
"My love, it's not that I do not appreciate his work. You know better than to judge me like that."
"I did not mean to judge" he was appologetic, "you guys just confuse me. Look at the way Bosun was weeping lika a baby and there were no words in the song. What could have stired such emotion?
"I know you and it's sweet of you to see life so simply.." Lynn began to explain.
"You wanna subtly attack my simplicity. Go on outright and say I'm dumb." He was smothering.
"Oh Larry love, I don't wanna fight. How could I? I just wanted to explain to you the effect the song had on me and the probable cause of Bosun's reaction."
"I envy you guys, sometimes I feel so inadequate being in your midst." Larry said with a sigh.
Lynn felt sorry for him. She loved him- simpleton or not, he was the most important person in her life and he had come to her when she thought her world was spiralling into oblivion.
"I love you for who you are,you are strong and daring. We are not all thesame, we are the product of different experiences and because we are different,we see life differently. We are outside, who we are inside."
"You guys have said this many times and I wonder how it came to be that you believe alike."
"We have our differences" Lynn argued. "I know that too." Larry concurred, "but they are less then the similarities you share."
"I know where you sweet head is drifting to but opposites attract and there is nothing we can do about it." Lynn repied preempting his supposition.
"You know Larry, that guy brought a mirror before me and I was evaluating myself as I saw myself in that mirror. Did you not see that man and how he looked?
"I saw him. He looked like he had been struggling all his life yet he had this regalness about him."
"That's my point! It was not just the music, it was the person playing it and the music. They both combined to produce a stunning effect. I guess this is what Bosun experienced."
Larry sighed heavily.
"You perceptive people are paranoid. Sometimes it serves you."
"What's that Larry?" Lynn asked amused by the finality of Larry's statement.
"It's my friend Nath form school days. He used to say that. He's right isn't he?"
"Perception is what gives meaning to life. He's right about the paranoia but wrong about what it does for the perceptive mind. I believe though, that it  is better to be considered paranoid than to be blind."
"What has blindness got to do with it? Larry asked. "Perception is seeing with the inner eye." Lynn replied.
Larry had never been so confused in his life. Here he was driving with the woman he loves and listening to her as she mounted affectionate assult on his belief system.

Heve you enjoyed your reading so far? keep an eye out for the continuation of this insightful story. Thanks.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Owner of the Office knows best.

Earlier this evening I decided to cook for the family. I wanted to prepare a local delicacy popular with the Enugu people of Eastern Nigeria. It is called Okpa. It is a pudding made from the flour of bambara nuts with palm oil, pepper and a little salt. You can add pepper to taste. My son is particularly fond of it. Well, my wife is the manager of the kitchen and the store. She went to church for clean up, leaving me and my boy at home. I decided to give her a helping hand. It was she who organized the store and it was she who really knew where what was kept. I invaded her office with good intentions. But you know how that saying goes that good intentions are not enough. I had never prepared Okpa myself but I have watched her do it several times. I can learn by observation so I knew what to do. I entered into the store and got the flour I used, combining it with the other ingredients and seasoning it to taste. It was going to be delicious and I felt proud of myself. I put it on the

Tests of purpose and vision- The sequel

Last time on this series, we examined four of twelve tests of purpose and vision- The test of apetite, pride, sex and money. Let's continue from where we stopped. As an addendum to the test of money, let me quickly say that most christians find it rather challanging to be faithful when it comes to money. Money is the only thing Jesus put in the god class when he said "you can not serve God and mammon". The problem believers have is the love of money which, as scriptures put it, is the root of all evil. We have seen (and we will always see) men do all sort of things for the sake of money. Believers have to be espeially areful in this area because what you do for immediate gain and satisfaction could cost you your destiny. Now to the next test- The test of Parenthood. Honour your parents (Eph 6:1-3). How you treat your parents affects your destiny either positively or negatively. The consequence of dishonouring your parents is not just a curse but the result of breaking

The Shift

Happy new year to all my esteemed readers around the world. We have, together, seen the end of the first decade of the 21st century and i have been doing alot of thinking and personal evaluation. I have come to the conclusion that there is a place where we are, or were, and there is a place where we ought to be, or are tending towards. One of the most significant things that will happen in the year 2011 is the shift. This shift will happen on a personal and global scale and the shaking will bring about mixed consequences. This shift i am talking about will be characterised by "seasons." Your control of your seasons will determine where you will end your shift process. There are certain things you must know about your season: every season has it's benefits no matter how gloomy every season has an opportunity for growth in all four dimensions of human consciousness viz: Imagination,conscience,will power and self awareness. You need the right tool to master your seaso