Magpie Tale-1 2 3 do re mi

1 2 3,
do re mi,
1 2 3,
do re mi,
1 2 3 4 5 6 7,
do re mi fa sol la Si,
…

Ms. Linda’s voice keeps echoing in my ears. She was my 2nd grade music teacher in elementary school and had the sweetest voice any female could dream about.

“1 2 3 4 5 6 7 , do re mi fa sol la Si are pelicula sound of music, it is the tools to build a song.Once you have these basic elements in head, you can compose or sing thousands of millions of different tunes by mixing them up by random…”

Ms. Linda continued, she wanted to make sure that her students knew how music works.
And her efforts did pay off. The whole class loved singing during music time except me. I only opened my mouth and did not let my voice out.

At first Ms. Linda focused her eyes on me.

I continued failing to sing.

Then, Ms. Linda paused with a smile:” Someone did not sing along, please stop the silence.”

I still remained silence, this time, not even opening my mouth.

Now, Ms. Linda walked toward me after the class finished a full round.

“Joyee, you always have such natural smiles on your face when you walk into the class. I love seeing you in class and feel like smiling when I see you. I am sure
your voice is beautiful and adds credit to the class as a whole.”

My face turned red. I could not sing because the other day, when I tried to model a famous singer on TV, my best friend Lan told me that my voice was among the worst, I should never try to sing anything at all. I always trusted my friend and her words.
I agreed that I am never a singer and decided to stop singing at all.

Of course, I could not tell my reason in front of my classmates.

And I failed to sing along the whole class period.

Ms. Linda spoke to me in person in her office later that day. She forgave me after listening to my explanations.

“Joyee, you voice is very different from others, but this does not mean you are not a singer, you sing for fun, you sing for pleasure...most importantly, I believe that
you could become a folk song singer.”

I remembered her words until today. I have never become a famous singer or a singer with specialization on folk music, but it does not matter. For more than thirty years, I hear Ms. Linda’s encouraging words and never hesitate singing any song for fun. And I love music and enjoy attending concerts all my life.

Two years ago, Ms. Linda committed suicide.

She has developed her career very successfully and has become the principle of the school after 20 years of excellence in teaching. but, as a female, she has faced doubts, questions, and personal attacks.

According to rumor: The major reason for her suicide is that her husband has filed a divorce case against her due to his assumption that she has had an love affair with the school superintendent, a powerful male who used to be a language art teacher in the same elementary school.

And they are close colleagues for more than a dozen years.

I don’t care what has led Ms. Linda’s death. I value her for her encouragement and care for her students. I never have kept in touch with her personally, but her words sing in my head for my life time.

I bought a statue with a girl singing proudly and it reminds me of Ms. Linda.

I wrote this poem for my lovely music teacher Ms. Linda,
May peace and love be with her.

I heard you singing when the dawn was near,
With silver dews eagerly waits for the sun to appear.
You sing all day through,
With the sun drinking up the dew.
You continue to sing during evening hours,
Your voice lulls both animals and flowers.
your song sounds like sweet and yummy ice creams,
I trust that your singing echos lovers’ dreams.
Satisfied, when all the obstacles are cleared,
All of a sudden, the spell of your song has disappeared.
All alone,
Without your lovely song,
I am ready for everything that lies ahead,
I move forward, no fears or dread.

By Joyee on June 8th, 2010/Tuesday.

*****

This is a post for Magpie Tale hosted by Willow at magpie tale

This is a work of fiction.

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