by Dean Mayes
Realising what he had done, Khalili whipped a handkerchief from his pocket and hurriedly began dabbing at the rapidly spreading puddle. Lynch also got to his feet and added his handkerchief to Khalili’s own.
Lynch felt awkward and regretful in the face of Khalili’s reaction and he knew that he had crossed the line.
“Look, prof…I’m sorr—”
Khalili whipped his head up and fixed Lynch with a glare that carried the strength of a hurtling bullet.
“That child transcends everything I have ever known about the violin,” he said.
He left his handkerchief on the desk and looked at his hands impotently as he sank down in his chair.
“She can pick up a piece of music that she has never seen before, read it and play it fluently within a breath of studying it. Her ear—it is an exquisite ear. She can reproduce a note as perfectly as it was intended to be played.”
Khalili paused; the tension he held in his shoulders and neck seemed to leave him all at once and the anger that he had spewed forth went with it. He swivelled in his chair and stared out through the window.
“I am nearly eighty, Charlie. In all my years I have never encountered such a pure practitioner. Everything about her style—how she learned, how she came to be this wonderful musician—it’s like looking in a mirror.”
Lynch immediately knew that Khalili was referring to his own experience of learning as a child in the concentration camps and he lowered his head.
Khalili turned back toward Lynch and met him with an expression of earnest determination.
“I don’t care where she has come from. She deserves a chance to be discovered, Charlie; a chance to show just how talented she is. Otherwise…she may languish where she is and lose that gift forever. I will not allow that.”
Khalili shook his head for effect.
“And that is my only motivation.”
For the first time, Lynch nodded slowly, understanding where Khalili was coming from. He stepped back from the desk, suddenly feeling small, and he wished he’d never broached the subject with his colleague.
“I understand,” he said softly. “I’ll tell the faculty that you’re doing this on your own time. I’ll tell them there is no conflict.”
Khalili seemed to let go of the vestiges of his hurt and the impish smile returned as Lynch prepared to turn and leave the office.
“Hey,” Khalili called after him. Lynch turned in the doorway and leaned against the frame, his hands in his pockets.
“Don’t forget your book, Charlie.”
After Lynch had gone, Khalili turned to his MacBook and wiped his hand over his face. Though he’d gathered himself, he was stirred up by Lynch’s concerns.
Bringing up a webpage on the screen, Khalili typed in an address and hit “enter.”
Light from the screen reflected on his glasses as his eyes scanned the information that had flashed up and he considered it carefully. He then clicked through to an application form and printed it out, leaning down under the desk to retrieve the document from the printer.
He held it up before him and nodded slowly.
“Opportunity,” he muttered.
Rain fell outside Elder Hall, pattering on the roof far above, echoing distantly in Ruby’s ears as she practised her scales before Khalili.
Jeremy watched quietly from a seat in the front row, occasionally yawning.
Despite her concentration, Ruby sensed that Khalili was pre-occupied by something, by the way he was fidgeting in his seat and absently chewing at the ends of his fingernails as he was listening—if he was even listening.
She had also noticed the small video camera he’d set up over by the piano and had fiddled with numerous times this afternoon. Occasionally he would take some footage of her then spend several minutes reviewing the footage before filming some more.
Ruby tried to ignore his odd behaviour until finally it became too much. She stopped in mid note and lowered the violin.
“Okay, sir, you’ve seriously got ants in your pants about something,” Ruby snapped, glaring at him with a disapproving frown. “What’s going on?”
Khalili blinked and chuckled from behind his up-raised hand. Unexpectedly, he comically spread his hand across his entire face, hiding behind it.
Ruby laughed in spite of herself and jabbed theatrically at him with her bow
“Stop it,” she whined. “You’re hiding something and I wanna know what it is right now.”
Slowly drawing his hand away from his face, Khalili turned to his leather bag behind him and took out a folded piece of paper.
He held it in his hands, turning it over and over, which only annoyed Ruby more. Her eyes went wide in a parody of anger but she couldn’t contain her smirk.
“Sir!” she said warningly.
“Okay, okay…” Khalili began. “I have been talking to a colleague of mine about you and…”
He paused, taking in a deep breath of air and scratching the back of his head.
“And…” Ruby echoed impatiently.
Jeremy sat forward in his seat now, watching in interest.
“And…I think there may be an opportunity for you to participate in a very special concert for youngsters like yourself—gifted youngsters.”
Ruby bit the inside of her lip to stop herself from squealing and looked across at Jeremy with wide eyes, sensing that she knew what Khalili was going to say next.
He held out the piece of paper which Ruby eagerly snatched from him and she opened it up. It was an application form.
“As part of the upcoming concert season at the town hall, the opening event will feature a contest for young soloists like yourself. The soloists will compete for a scholarship prize—The…”
“…The Malley-Joyce Scholarship.” Ruby finished for him, sitting upright from her seat. Jeremy came up on stage now and Ruby showed the form to him eagerly.
Khalili blinked and tilted his head backward slightly, clearly impressed.
“You know of this?”
Ruby looked over the top of the piece of paper at Khalili with a less than impressed expression.
“Are you kidding—of course. It’s a scholarship awarded to musicians of talent by The Lavery School here in Adelaide,” Ruby explained. “It’s one of the best schools for music in the city.”
She paused, scanning through the application form, shaking her head slowly.
“Are you actually saying that she could qualify for a spot in this?” Jeremy ventured.
“W-well…” Khalili stammered. “I can put forward a compelling case to the organising committee. But it’s not as simple as that. Before we can proceed, we shall need the permission of a parent or guardian. In which case, you’ll need to talk it over with your grandmother and your aunt.”
As soon as Ruby heard the words “your aunt,” she felt her heart sink. Khalili raised a sympathetic brow, knowing what Ruby was thinking at that moment.
“Many of the decisions that are made within your family, particularly those relating to the children, are done so by the women,” Khalili observed. “Aren’t they?”
Ruby nodded slowly.
“And Aunty Belle is way strict when it comes to me,” she replied sombrely. “She doesn’t like me very much.”
Khalili leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees.
“I’m sure that is not true, Ruby,” he countered. “I sense that your aunt is just protective of you children…especially from outsiders.”
“Well, I know she won’t have a bar of this when I show it to her. She’s already pissed off because of the attention I’ve been getting from them news people. She thinks all this is a big fat waste of time.”
“Well…” Khalili ventured, ignoring Ruby’s use of profanity. “There is your grandmother. I am sure she would be more favourable to this opportunity. Don’t you think?”
Ruby shrugged her shoulders and held the form limply in her hand now. Her expression became increasingly down cast.
“Nana
can’t make the decisions about me the way she used to…”
“And yet she has allowed you to come here, even after you were discovered outside the window…as has your aunt for that matter.”
“It’s not the same,” Ruby said softly.
Her eyes turned up toward Khalili’s own; her expression was calculating.
“You could come with me and speak to Nana and Aunty Belle. You could talk them both into letting me enter.”
Khalili stiffened and held both his hands up, palms out toward Ruby.
“I’m not sure that is such a good idea. My presence in your home may not be well received.”
“Nana trusts you,” Ruby pressed. “You said it yourself—she’s lettin’ me come here to get these lessons. She knows how good a teacher you are.”
Khalili nodded, pursing his lips thoughtfully.
“That may be but if I come to your home, it could be perceived as me interfering or trying to place undue influence on your grandmother…and your aunt.”
Ruby huffed in annoyance and stood, setting her violin down and pacing around her chair.
“I can’t do this on my own. Aunty Belle will put her foot down if I show this to her.”
She turned to face Khalili then and crossed her arms in a gesture of defiance.
“Besides—you brought this to me, which means that you’re just as keen as I am for me to be a part of this.”
Khalili appraised his student with a poker face. For her part, Ruby maintained her probing stare at him.
His shoulders sagged and he whistled a puff of air out through his teeth.
He knew she was right.
“Alright,” he relented. “You win. We shall present the idea to them together.”
The knock at the door was loud enough, although it was somewhat hesitant. Unsure of who might answer, Khalili shifted nervously as he looked down at Ruby. He shook his head and feigned a half-hearted scowl.
The front door opened and Belle peered at him through the fly screen. Almost immediately, her scowl told Khalili just how impressed she was to see him.
“What do you want?” she growled, failing to see Ruby who had inched her way back behind him.
“I was hoping that I might speak with you. I have something I would like to discuss with you.”
Belle remained unmoved where she stood, sizing up the professor with a look of barely concealed distaste.
“We didn’t appreciate those bloody news people rockin’ up on our door step, asking questions, wanting to know about Ruby. We don’t like getting that sort of attention.”
Khalili stifled a lump in his throat and tilted the corner of his hat.
“I am sorry about that,” Khalili offered hesitantly. “I had no part in it, I promise you.”
He paused, and frowned awkwardly as he felt Ruby nudging at the backs of his knees, pushing him toward the door. Belle herself looked around Khalili, catching a glimpse of Ruby’s elbow.
“I won’t take up too much of your time Mrs. Delfey. I will be brief…then I shall be on my way.”
After a long moment, Belle unlatched the screen door and opened it, gesturing with a subtle tilt of her head for him to enter.
In the kitchen, Virginia sat at the table with Asher—both of them hunched over her school project. Minty was sitting on Asher’s knee playing with a stuffed animal.
Virginia stood as Khalili entered, followed by Ruby and finally Belle. Virginia’s expression registered surprise and reverence upon sighting the professor.
“Good evening, Mrs. Delfey,” Khalili greeted respectfully, taking his hat off and offering his hand to Virginia. “I hope I am not inconveniencing you.”
“No, no,” Virginia stammered as she gestured toward a chair opposite. She quickly gestured to Asher to put the kettle on the stove. “Can I offer you a cup of tea?”
Khalili smiled graciously as he sat down and nodded. Asher immediately set about preparing a cup, while Minty dropped down to the floor.
“That would be lovely, Mrs. Delfey. Thank you.”
Belle had leaned up against the side counter with her arms crossed over her chest and was watching Khalili with a suspicious glower.
“I was just telling him, we don’t appreciate the attention we’ve been getting lately,” Belle commented acidly. “…People knocking at all hours—wanting to get their story on the little black kid that can play the fiddle.”
Virginia flashed a glare at her daughter in law as she resumed her seat and Ruby sat down beside her.
Belle’s barb might have stung Khalili, but he gave no hint of it having done so. Instead, he pulled the form from his jacket pocket and set it down on the table.
“Mrs Delfey. I have come to see you both about an exciting opportunity for Ruby. I have been in discussions with the organising committee for the Lord Mayor’s Winter Recital Concert at Adelaide’s town hall. As part of the recital, there is a section competition known as the Malley-Joyce Prize. It’s a scholarship which will allow the winner to attend The Lavery School. It’s a school with a highly regarded music program.”
Khalili paused as Virginia slowly reached out across the table and took a hold of the application form. Grasping the glasses that hung around her neck, she lifted them up and placed them on.
“Now, the committee has already expressed an interest in Ruby, having seen her play for me at the hall and I can almost guarantee that she will be able to qualify for a place in the competition.”
Asher gasped and looked excitedly at Ruby, immediately coming over and squeezing her shoulders affectionately.
“All it would require is your permission…as her guardian, for her to register her entry.”
Virginia scanned the application form from top to bottom while Asher, Ruby and even Minty watched her expectantly.
“What’s in it for you?” Belle asked caustically.
Khalili turned in his seat to face Belle. He shook his head slowly.
“There is nothing in it for me, Mrs. Delfey. Ruby is an extremely talented young violinist. This could be an opportunity for her to receive an education in one of the finest music schools in the city—fully paid for.”
“Nana?” Ruby ventured hopefully. “I really want to do this.”
Virginia hesitated, her brow furrowing.
“I…I’m not sure Ruby,” she said. “It seems like…”
“I don’t like it,” Belle interjected abruptly, rounding the table and peering over Virginia’s shoulder. “Sounds to me like a chance for you to show off your little experiment to all your posh white fella mates. There’s no guarantee that Ruby’ll win this thing.”
Khalili bit the inside of his lip and nodded slowly. He knew he had to tread carefully here, feeling the antipathy radiating from Belle.
Virginia, for her part, craned her neck around to glare up at Belle disapprovingly.
“There are no guarantees of anything in this life, Mrs. Delfey,” Khalili said. “But I believe in Ruby.”
Khalili levelled his gaze at Ruby and rested his hands together in front of him.
“How much do you love your music?” he asked her softly, but firmly.
Ruby sat straighter in her chair.
“I love it,” Ruby replied hesitantly. “I love it more than anything.”
“Would you do anything for it?” Khalili asked.
At that moment, Virginia felt something akin to a crackle of electricity through her body as Khalili’s questions echoed in her mind.
They echoed and simultaneously metamorphosed into another, long forgotten voice. A voice from Virginia’s past.
A woman’s voice.
Memory flashes blossomed. The parlour. The sounds of the violin. The woman sitting in her chair, listening to Virginia play.
Khalili glanced between Belle and Virginia.
“Ruby’s…gift, is one of a kind Mrs. Delfey. I have not seen anyone in my fifty years as teacher who can play with the kind of skill that Ruby has. She has the commitment and she has the will. I
think she can do it.”
Virginia’s concentration appeared to be far from the present.
Belle nudged Virginia’s shoulder.
“Ginnie? We gotta talk about this. I don’t want Ruby gettin’ mixed up in this white man’s business.”
Virginia didn’t hear her.
All those long years ago, Virginia had been presented with a similar proposal. A proposal she had rejected out of fear, out of the belief that she herself would be rejected. It was a decision she had thought little about in the intervening years but here and now, Virginia felt a new and surprising emotion in recalling those old memories.
Regret.
Regret at not having explored the possibilities that Agatha Penschey had presented to her in the parlour.
Here and now, was a chance for that gift to be nurtured in Ruby. This was the chance she and Ruby together had been hoping for.
Slowly, Virginia reached out across the table to Asher’s pencil case where she drew out a pen.
Belle’s eyes widened and her jaw set hard.
“Mum, we need to…”
“Oh, shush up!” Virginia cut her off resolutely as she set the form down on the table and signed her name with a slight quiver at the bottom. “Last time I looked, I was still legally responsible for her. I think I can decide what’s good for my granddaughter.”
Both Ruby and Asher shrieked with delight and hugged each other enthusiastically while Minty clapped his hands and giggled, not quite knowing what to make of all the fuss.
Virginia’s spark had returned. She briskly slid the form back toward Khalili with a satisfied nod, then put her arm around Ruby.
“Let’s give her that chance, Mr. Khalili,” she said confidently.
Belle abruptly turned and left the kitchen and Khalili watched her go.
“Don’t worry about her,” Virginia reassured him. “We only need to worry about Ruby.”
Ruby’s face lit up and she smiled broadly at her grandmother and at Khalili who happily folded the form and tucked it safely into his shirt pocket.
“Very good,” he beamed. “I will submit these forms first thing tomorrow along with the video recording I made of you.”
“Then what?” Ruby asked expectantly.
“Then we wait,” Khalili replied. “The committee are renowned for keeping everyone on tenterhooks whenever they are assessing an applicant but I am sure that we have as good a chance as any.”