It's over. I never want to see you again. Never. Do you understand?Suddenly, Maya's voice resonates within me. Her words echo in my inner emptiness.Never. Never. Never.
She threw those words at me in Geneva before disappearing from my life. I could see in her eyes howserious she was, and her continued silence speaks louder than any words in the world.
She doesn't want me in her life anymore. I should respect that. Shouldn't I?
I look at Tamika desperately, but she just rolls her eyes in exasperation.
"For heaven's sake, Josh, get ahold of yourself. That girl doesn't suit you anyway. With those garish dresses, the bad haircut, and the cheap plastic jewelry." She shudders as if a chill ran down her spine.
How can she act as if that matters? As if anything about her appearance mattered, when from the inside she is the most wonderful person imaginable.
Shaking my head, I gaze at Tamika. "I need to go home and fix this."
"You better forget about that quickly," she snaps, her eyes glaring with anger. "Or is the prize suddenly not important to you anymore?"
"Of course, it is," I admit meekly. I massage my temples, feeling the weight of it all on my head.
"Good," she says, dissatisfied. "From now on, you have to behave like a professional. I want to see you smiling exclusively during the press events and fan meetings. And the concert must be perfect." She reaches out and grabs my hand. "Do you understand, Josh?"
I lower my lids. This feels wrong.
"You realize I'm doing this for you, right?" Suddenly, her voice is gentle, making everything worse. "Don't leave me to fight alone, Josh. Please don't do that to me."
Overwhelmed by a heavy sense of guilt toward her, I bite my lip.
"This is about your career." Her voice suddenly falters. She sounds like her own words are causing her pain behind her tough facade. "Women come and go, but playing the piano will always be your true love. And that's how it should be."
Yes, music is my passion. It's a significant part of my soul, and all my dreams are tied to those melodies. But in my heart, there's still so much space. For my daughter. And for Maya.
I strain to find a solution. In ten days, the International Music Award will be awarded. After that, I'll be free to go wherever I want. But until then, I have no choice. I can't go back to Vienna. What options remain to convince Maya that I deserve her trust? That her father and I have absolutely nothing in common, and that I would do anything to have her back in my life?
"I have to win her back," I mumble absentmindedly.
"There's only one thing you truly need to do,"Tamika reminds me, her voice pleading. "Be the pianist the world wants to see. Everything else will follow."
That's the premise I've lived by for as long as I can remember. The overpowering, grand goal of proving to my father that I'm not a failure has driven me. And deep down, I know I owe it to myself not to give up in the final stretch.
"That's right," I say absentmindedly, my mind drifting away. Even though I'm doing what needs to be done now, my heart won't stop searching for a solution to win Maya back.
