Chapter 25 - The Stage Fright
When Sophie was fifteen, her piano teacher urged her to enter the State Youth Conservatory Competition.
It was a massive event held in a grand auditorium in the city. When they arrived, the sheer scale of the venue, combined with the hundreds of judging eyes, suddenly hit Sophie like a tidal wave.
She stood backstage, her hands trembling violently.
"Dad, I can't do this,"
Sophie gasped, her breathing becoming shallow and erratic.
"I'm going to mess up. Everyone is going to look at me."
Richard didn't offer empty platitudes. He knelt down in his expensive suit, right in the middle of the chaotic backstage area, and took her trembling hands in his.
"Look at me, Sophie,"
Richard commanded gently.
She met his eyes, her own filled with panic.
"You don't play for them,"
Richard said firmly.
"You play because you love the sound. You play because it makes you happy. If you go out there and miss every single note, we are still going to get ice cream on the way home, and I am still going to be the proudest father in this building."
Sophie took a deep, shuddering breath. The panic in her chest slowly subsided, anchored by the absolute, unshakeable certainty of her father's unconditional love.
"Okay,"
May you like
Sophie whispered.
She walked out onto the stage. She sat at the grand Steinway piano, closed her eyes, and played a Chopin sonata that brought the entire auditorium to a profound, breathless silence. She didn't win first place, but when she walked off the stage, she looked like a champion.
