One Single Note

The voices inside became almost to loud to bear. A mind full of wonder and awe of the world around him, a cacophony of ideas and inspiration spiraling out of control. The terror of a world within himself that he did not even know. But now was not the time for a man’s mind to race. It was time to perform.

Matthew stilled his restless mind and began to focus. This morning was the morning that he debuted a piece written from the corners of his imagination to show the world, to introduce a work of art that challenged his audience to experience life from a new paradigm. He began to focus, the constant din of noise subsiding until he was focused on one single note, the beginning of something new.

A concert was not the only plan he had for the day, as ambition often leads too, he also had a wedding to attend. Matthew was a groomsman in his lifelong friend’s wedding, and the weight of responsibility had begun to weigh upon his emotions as he prepared to preform. The distraction of feelings was not uncommon before events life this, but ignoring the afternoons excitement was difficult to put off to focus on the now.

There was one other thing; Ashley. Ashley was a beautiful bridesmaid in the wedding, with olive toned skin, long dark hair, and eyes that seemed to glow at times. Out of all the other girls that it could have been, Ashley was assigned to walk with Matthew down the isle during the ceremony. It was hard to ignore her glowing white smile and soothing alto voice. Although Matthew was not particularly interested in any kind of relationship, Ashley was a woman that stood out among her peers.

Matthew was brought abruptly back to reality as the time came for him to perform. He walked out to the grand piano and sat down, his fingers resting on the ivory keys. He adjusted the mic to his lips as he took a deep breath, relaxed, and began to play. The words flowed effortlessly from his mouth as his muscle memory caused his hands to jump from chord to chord in rhythmic succession. He felt his body begin to relax and the shaking he had barely noticed before now faded away. This was the only time when his mind was at peace, calm and still among a symphony of harmonic grace.

The piece was over as quickly as it had begun, as Matthew sat there in a daze, letting the last notes fade into silence. There erupted a roar of applause, but he barely heard it. He made his way back stage and immediately headed home to change and catch a cab over to the wedding venue. The rest of the groomsman would already be there, doing photoshoots and preparing for the ceremony.

Upon arriving to the venue, Matthew made his way to the room where the groom and his men were finishing getting ready. The groom looks dashing in his tailored suit and burgundy bow tie, nervous and yet excited to see his bride.

“How are you feeling?” Matthew inquired upon finding a seat on a conveniently placed couch.

The groom adjusted his cuffs for a shot from the photographer, “You know, I’m nervous, but I’m also ready to just get it over with.”

The men shared a laugh as they hung out, killing time as they ate off of a disappointingly healthy veggie platter and watched a football game on the TV.

Matthew began to find himself retreating into his own world yet again as the men chatted on. He would often lose track of reality, especially since he was now tired after the morning events. He was definitely of sound mind, or at least he would tell himself that; however, he would often hear voices and even music coming from some part of his subconscious that was not know even to himself. He stilled his mind once again as the wedding drew near and the bridesmaids and groomsmen began to line up. He began to focus on one single step, one step at a time.

The girls and guys lined up with each other, a few minutes left to spare before they had to commence the ceremony. They all began to chatter, the excitement building with every passing moment.

“I heard you had a concert this morning, how did it go?” Ashley’s voice caused Matthew to jump out of his thoughts, standing upright and quickly raising his eyes to meet hers.

Her sweet smile welcomed his response, “I knew she would tell you about that, yeah it went pretty well, I had fun with it.” Matthew found it difficult to keep eye contact with such a beautiful woman, but he enjoyed her company far more than being left alone to his thoughts again. “Is there anything I missed this morning?” He inquired.

Ashley quickly explained the few details he had missed and the conversation carried on almost effortlessly as the time came for everyone to walk down the aisle. The wedding participants were instructed to walk up to the chapel before walking inside where the guests were seated, and many of the bridesmaids were quick to worry about walking in high heels over the large rock steps and pathways.

“May I offer you a hand?” Matthew inquired as Ashley began stubbornly to do her best at not tripping on the rough terrain.

“Thank you,” she replied with her smile, “I am probably going to fall if you don’t.” Almost immediately tripping on the next rock she was navigating.

Matthew, now with her arm linked around his, held her up as she regained her footing, an awkward moment of being too close passed in silence as they continued down the path. The rest of the short walk to the chapel was on level ground, but Matthew did not attempt to unwrap his arm from around hers, and he could not help but notice that she kept her arm wrapped around his.

As the final seconds passed before the wedding, the quiet chatting stopped and girls grabbed the arms of guys as they prepared to walk. It was then that Matthew realized that when the outside chatter stopped, the internal noise he was so used to also began to quell. They began walking as he looked once more over to Ashley, catching a glance from her bright and gentle eyes. It was in that moment that all fell to silence. Not just the internal noise of his mind, but even the music of the procession and the footsteps of everyone seemed to fade. In that moment all he could see was Ashley’s breathtaking wonder, all he saw a was single girl, peace filling him from head to heart to toe.

The wedding passed in a blur, the effect of Ashley’s calming presence being at the front of his mind as he stood on the opposite side of the stand, wondering what it was that made him feel such a way.

After the wedding was the reception. A long table at the back of the room was filled with all manner of delicious and savory foods and treats. An array of meats was followed by carefully prepared dishes of unique and wonderful side dishes, and at the end on a separate table was a grand and beautiful charcuterie board of exotic cheeses, fruits, and vegetables that would make anyone hungry.

Before the meal began, the bridesmaids and groomsmen once more had to line up, doing an improvised walkup as they danced into the reception gallery.

Matthew and Ashley were together again as they danced into the room, albeit a bit awkwardly, but he was oblivious to it all. The warm lighting reflecting off of her burgundy dress and her feet danced on the marbled stone floors, her hair spinning gracefully just behind her as she laughed and enjoyed the moment. The evening was purely magical, even if only for a moment. For while the festivities were gay and the music graceful, the chaos of people and sound caused the his anxiety to well up withing him, making him again retreat to the dark corners of the room and of his mind.

Matthew left the wedding early that night, the delight of Ashley still on his mind, but he was tired he told himself, he had to go home, life would go on, other girls would come his way. But he could not dismiss the elegant figure of Ashley dancing around his mind, one single girl, who just might have changed his world.