ELI’S HEART, TAKE
TWO
So this book
I began writing in September is almost ready to be released. It’s taken longer
than I had thought it might. I rewrote early chapters several times, at one
point discarding my initial opening chapters and completely starting over. I
woke up with thoughts and went immediately to the computer. More than once I
woke in the wee hours of the morning and went immediately to the computer. I
would be driving and a thought would come to me that I’d hold onto until I
could get to the computer. It’s amazing I didn’t wreck my car a time or two! The
book has always in my mind, over these past nine months plus.
Actually,
other than polishing and incorporating a few recent thoughts, the book is
complete. It’s been a remarkable journey. I’ve learned a great deal about a
difficult and frightening congenital heart disease. I’ve listened to some
wonderful music, often in a different way than I had listened to it previously.
I’ve listened to some magnificent music I wasn’t aware of. I’ve made nostalgic
trips back into the past. I’ve created these two people, Eli and Krissy, and
grown to love them nearly as much as they love each other. They experience good
times and bad times over the years. How they handle these is the essence of the
story.
Yes, ELI’S
HEART is a love story, but it is not a “romance” novel. In no way does it fit
that genre. I can’t really find a genre for it, other than “literary fiction” …
it’s about the characters and the life they share. It’s about the vital
importance of music in their lives. It’s about how they deal, separately and
together, with Eli’s damaged heart – a heart filled with music. I think the
reader will laugh, and cry, and come to care about these people and what
happens to them.
And since
you are reading this blog, here’s a taste of the book. This is the “Prelude.” I hope it makes you want to read the entire
story.
FLYING HOME FROM
MOSCOW
It was the final
night of the Moscow International Music Competition. In the aptly named Hall of
Columns, with its massive Corinthian pillars, three-tiered crystal chandeliers
and plush red seats, the large audience of world-class musicians and music
lovers generously applauded the Award announcements.
The twenty-two year
old American violinist Warren Anderson had just been awarded the gold medal.
His accompanist, twenty-nine year old American pianist Eli Levin, then received
a special award in recognition of his brilliance. It was the first time such an
award had ever been presented at this event.
Eli’s wife Kristina
was overwhelmed when Eli’s award was announced. The audience stood and
applauded, those near Eli voicing their approval: “Well done!” “Très bien!” “Bravo!” “Pozdravlaiu!” Everyone who had heard him
recognized his genius, and the judges had as well.
Eli bent to embrace
his petite wife and, flushed with excitement, hurried to the stage to accept
the award. Krissy watched through tears as her slender,
dark-haired husband accepted a medal from the judges.When he returned to Krissy, he pressed the medal into her hands and bent
down to speak to her softly: “This is for you, my sweet girl.” He held her
close as she rested her face against his chest and wept for joy.
Warren, Eli, and
Krissy had traveled to Moscow together. The trip was a surprise for Krissy.
Warren’s sponsors had provided her ticket and Eli had arranged with Maestro
Aaron Rubin, General Director of the City Opera Company for whom Krissy was
Personal Assistant, to give her the more than three weeks she needed to
accompany them. Eli knew his wife had always wanted to visit Russia. It meant a
great deal to him to make it possible, and Krissy was thrilled.
The evening after the
competition ended they were at the airport preparing for the long trip home,
flying first to Paris and then to New York. They left as the sun was setting.
As the Boeing 707 lifted into the air, the spires and onion domes of the city
soon disappeared into the concentric circles of light surrounding the Kremlin.
The sky on the horizon faded from a pale blue to a soft rose to a deep purple.
Krissy wanted to give
Eli a sleeping pill but he shook his head; he was tired enough to sleep without
it. They were in the first class cabin, and Warren was across the aisle from
them, the Amati violin he had played positioned securely beside him. That violin,
valued at over one million dollars and borrowed from a collector, had not left
his side the entire trip.
Eli stretched his
legs out as best he could. Krissy asked the stewardess for a blanket, and
tenderly tucked it around her husband and herself. He smiled at her, rested his
head on her shoulder, and soon after takeoff, he was sleeping soundly in the
darkened cabin. She carefully removed his glasses and put them in her handbag.
Eli was born with a
defective heart. He had received a second surgery for the condition only months
earlier, and even though he had seemed tireless and energetic throughout the
competition, Warren noticed on the drive to the airport that he looked
exhausted. No doubt that was why Krissy wanted to be sure her husband received
some needed rest on the flight.
Warren had also
stretched out, and he could see Krissy’s warm brown eyes as she watched Eli
sleep. She looked at him as if he were the most priceless thing on earth, a
treasure almost unimaginable. He envied Eli this kind of love, a love he seldom
saw even between the most devoted couples. He leaned across the aisle and said
to her softly, “What are you thinking, Krissy, when you look at Eli like that?”
She said, not taking
her eyes off Eli, “That I can’t believe I’m with this incredible man. That I’ve
been given a gift I can’t even describe.” She gently touched his head, stroking
the dark, curly hair as she so often did. She smiled at Warren.
“He’s very fortunate
to have you,” Warren said. “I know he adores you. He’s told me that many
times.”
Krissy looked again
at her sleeping husband and kissed his temple softly. “I’m the fortunate one,
Warren. I lost him, years ago, not long after I met him. Eli brought us back
together. I treasure every minute I have with him.”
“Sounds to me like
there’s a story behind that,” Warren said, settling back in his seat.
She smiled but didn’t
reply. Indeed there is, she thought. With a noble prince who rescues
a damsel in distress, a wicked queen, and a sleeping dragon. A story with an
unknown ending.
