Rhapsody (Butcher and Violinist 1)

Rhapsody:

a one-movement musical work that is episodic yet integrated, free-flowing in structure, and featuring a range of highly contrasted moods, color, and tonality.

Prologue

Desperate Times

Eden

The New Year had arrived, and I was broke as fuck.

And for me, no money triggered depression. Bills caused anxiety. Hope rotted. Empty pockets weighed down my ego.

How the hell am I going to pay rent?

Coughing, I put my joint out into the ashtray and returned to my job search.

All morning I’d been on my laptop applying for positions, smoking my roommate’s weed, and sipping on coffee. Newspapers surrounded me.

My cat, V, snuggled against my foot. Her nickname was short for Vibrato. Her purr sounded like the musical effect. It pulsed and changed in pitch, just like my violin.

V purred against me as if demanding that I spend time with her.

“I can’t mess with you now.” I moved my foot.

Seconds later, she returned, rubbing her soft, furry head against my toes. Spoiled to the core, I’d found Vibrato on my doorstep as a kitten in a basket with a red bow loosely tied around her neck. There was no note, just her sad little eyes begging me to bring her inside.

I moved my foot from the persistent cat and continued to type violinist jobs into my laptop. “Dude. I need to make some money, so we can both eat.”

V didn’t care as she commenced with molesting my foot.

Then, someone knocked at my door.

My roommate Leo tattooed people at the house for extra money. He’d played in the Belladonna Symphony like me. He was a cellist, and I, a violinist. Since the symphony’s demise, we both were out of a job.

I hope this is somebody for him. We need to make rent.

I rose from the couch and walked over to the door. “Who is it?”

“It’s your aunt. The one that’s been calling you five times a day for the past week.” She knocked again. “What’s up with you millennials and not answering the phone?”

“Shit,” I muttered under my breath and opened a window to get some of the marijuana smell out. It wasn’t like she didn’t know I smoked, and I would turn twenty-six soon. Still, it was just weird to have weed around her.

My aunt called through the door. “Eden?”

“Coming.” I hurried over and opened it. “Hey, Auntie, I wasn’t expecting you—”

“Eden, what’s wrong?” Aunt Celina stepped inside my small apartment. A disappointed expression covering her face. She tossed her hair back. Always looking fabulous, no one would even know we were related.

She had long blond hair that hung to her waist and pale skin. She was my father’s twin. They were both blonde with blue eyes, long and slender. Aunt Celina and I shared curvy bodies with slim frames. That was where the resemblance ended. I looked more like my mom’s side, I had a caramel complexion with kinky curls falling past my shoulders.

Dad had met my mom in college, during a legalize weed protest of all things. Mom had a huge afro, dark brown skin, and a smile so gorgeous, that Dad still talked about it years after her death. They fell in love immediately, had me after graduation, and married later.

Five years ago, Mom passed away from cancer and Dad went to the mountains to find God. Currently, he was building a church based on some religion he’d come up with, and each day I found myself unable to keep it together.

Aunt Celina placed her hands on her hips. “You haven’t answered my calls or come by the condo.”

“Well. . .”

“This was on your door.” She handed me an eviction notice. “You’re still having money troubles?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry for not calling.” I shut the door and hurried to pick up the newspapers spread out on the floor. “I’ve been trying to get a new job and…stressing…I’ve been in a horrible mood. I didn’t feel like calling anyone up and depressing them to death.”

At the sight of Aunt Celina, V raced away into my roommate Leo’s bedroom.

My aunt waved the cat away. “Bye to you too, Vibrato.”

“She smells the twins on you.”

Aunt Celina had twin poodles called Yin and Yang. She brought them everywhere, except into my apartment due to them not getting along with V. I was sure the twins sat in her town car along with her driver.

She strolled through the place. “You’ve gone silent.”

“A little.”

“I figured things hadn’t brightened for you.” She sat down on the couch. “Eden, I’m sad that the Belladonna Symphony lost its funding.”

“Me too.” I moved my laptop to the coffee table and then sat down next to her.

The State indicted the symphony’s managing committee on money laundering and fraud charges. The scandal rocked the city of Belladonna’s wealthy. One day I was playing the violin in my city’s most popular orchestra, the next day, the theater locked out the musicians. Everyone on the committee went to jail. The State charged them with money laundering and fraud.