51 pages • 1 hour read
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Janice reaches out and tells Ray that he’ll be playing with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, one of the most renowned orchestras in the world. Prior to that performance, he lines up a show at Carnegie Hall and prepares for another one with the Erie Philharmonic. As he rehearses, a beautiful viola player catches his attention. She comes up to him after their rehearsal and introduces herself as Nicole. Ray is nervous and flustered. After he returns to his hotel, he thinks about her and about his prior lack of success with women. When he performs the next day, he’s nervous and tries not to stare at Nicole. He loses his place in the music, but his discipline and training carry him to the end. Afterward, Nicole has left, and he vows to put her behind him. He travels to New York for his Carnegie Hall performance. He rehearses with a piano accompanist, Grace, who is cold and distant toward him. When he performs, he plays “Spanish Dance,” which he often played for his grandmother, and wins the audience over. After the show, Nicole meets him outside and says that she came to see his performance.