"Another wallflower night, another lonely night," Riya muttered to herself as she stared at her reflection in the window and tugged at the hem of her flowery gown.
Riya was from a well-to-do home and everyone in town knew about her and her family. Her father, Sir Dumelo was a great philanthropist; her mother, Mrs Elizabeth was a healthcare professional and Riya was their only child until they finally had a set of twins twelve years later. Riya received all the love, affection and monetary gifts anyone would want but still, a part of her felt empty.
"What gift does my little princess want for her 18th birthday?" Sir Dumelo asked his daughter.
"Would you do whatever I ask of you?" Riya asked.
"I will give you the world if you want , " her father replied.
"A music concert is coming up, can I attend?" Riya asked again in a subtler voice, her eyes widened in expectation.
"Sweetheart, we’ve had this conversation so many times. Anything linked to music shouldn’t be mentioned in this house and isn’t allowed."
"But daddy…"
"Riya!! Stop right this minute. Her father’s voice heightened. I will not hear of music again from your mouth, under my roof!" He yelled and marched out.
"Your daddy loves you a lot Riya, why do you always have to bring up music when you know he has an unpleasant story with it?." Her mother, Mrs Elizabeth asked while trying to comfort her.
"But I love music!" She said, freeing herself from her mother’s grasp and walking angrily and briskly to her room. It was another wallflower moment for Riya, "it’s been decades since that incident happened, why can’t father just move on? why does he have to drag me into all of it?" she asked under her breath.
Riya had always been passionate about music but music was forbidden in her home, even the word "music" was forbidden. So everytime she secretly watched videos on YouTube of her favorite musicians, she risked attending concerts and everytime she saw the crowd cheering and clapping—she dreamt of being the life of the party and being remembered as the one who made the party unforgettable. She pictured everything vividly—standing under bright lights, all eyes on her, a microphone in her hand and people cheering from the crowd with faces beaming with smiles.
On the other hand, her father was hard as stone and refused anything pertaining to music but he hadn’t always been like that, an event that happened changed him. Growing up, Sir Dumelo had loved hanging out with his brother(Samuel), who was a wonderful singer and pianist—he was so good that people paid just to hear him sing and play the piano. Sir Dumelo always tagged along, he loved his brother so much, whenever he cried as a little child, his brother would sing and play the piano for him to feel better.
Samuel one day, was invited to showcase his incredible skills and that was what shot him into the world of fame. But he forgot his family when the world began loving him, he chased fame and forgot everything else including Sir Dumelo, he stopped writing home and pushed Dumelo aside at shows; pretending not to know him. The music Samuel once loved became linked to betrayal, music stole Samuel and turned him into a stranger. With deep emotional wounds and broken trust, Sir Dumelo swore never to let music into his life.
Riya understood her father’s extreme reaction, she understood he didn’t want her to venture into music for fear of losing her, just like he had lost his brother. Her father believed being the centre of attention would cost her family. Just as her thoughts wandered, a knock came at her door—it was her father.
"My pretty princess, can we talk? You know, I don’t hate music neither do I want to punish you, I just don’t want to lose you to the world of fame. I wouldn’t forgive myself if I let the same mistake happen twice." He said as his voice trembled, holding Riya’s hands tightly.
Her pulse quickened, "But daddy, singing makes me feel alive, like the life of the party. All I need is for you to trust me." Her voice quivered.
Sir Dumelo looked deep into her eyes, "Maybe it’s time for me to let go of the pain and the past, maybe it’s time I listen again." He then pulled her into his arms.
Riya finally felt like she could be herself again, tears glistened in her eyes as she smiled, the weight she had carry for years was lifted from her shoulders. She didn’t have to choose between music and her family. She could finally pursue her dreams.
ALL IMAGES GENERATED WITH META AI.
Thank you for reading.
