The story proper starts, as Tom discovers Paris. Lots of characters to be met, so Part 1 is a bit slower building up.
Symphony of the Senses
Part 1: Paris, or the magnificent Laura
Chapter 1
I was resting on the
terrasse
of this Parisian
bistrot
, choosing to take it easy on this first day to avoid the effects of jet-lag. I smiled, hearing behind me certain of my younger colleagues (as in, would be too young to drink stateside) asking the waitress for refreshments, and satisfied to be served without being asked for an ID, which would have been improbably back home for 18 and 19 year-olds. Amused, I thought of what they'd look like the next morning in rehearsal after spending the first day and night getting drunk on top of the jet-lag. Not that I was surprised, admittedly: being experienced in such tours with this and other similar orchestras, I knew well that the coming weeks would be well-supplied in booze, and rich with unexpected anecdotes of all kinds. Letting 70 young adults aged 18 to 27 (I was that season the dean of the musicians) loose in foreign city, with little supervisions...one shouldn't expect them to stay too reasonable.
Nonetheless, as a somewhat older musician, respected and with a certain leadership, I had to at least vaguely look over them, not as an authority figure but in a big-brotherly fashion, having already lived the experiences than some of them were about to have for the first time. I therefore got up and left my table, not without a hint of regret, to get closer to them. I recognized, sitting there, Nick, Jeremy and Simon, three members of the second violin section. They greeted me and invited me to join, offering a drink that I gratefully accepted, noticing it was of a very nice trappist beer. Those young men had good taste! I discussed with them the tour schedule. Some surprises had been kept for us, but we knew that overall, after a few days of rest and rehearsals, we would start this musical journey with a bang with a concert at the very prestigious ThéÒtre du ChÒtelet, before heading to Angers for a concert at the cathedral. Always westwards, we would then travel to the see, with a visit near La Rochelle. Finally, after two weeks in France, a (too long) bus ride to Italy, where another legendary venue awaited: La Scala in Milan. From there, our trip would bring us further to Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany.
I was trying in fact not to look ahead too far, preferring to focus on the present. Indeed, I had gotten out of my long afternoon reflection with renewed energy, determined to forget my sorrow and enjoy every moment of this trip to its fullest. But that resolution would only come into effect the next day: fatigue was catching up on me despite the early hour, I therefore bid my colleagues good bye to find my bed.
"See you!" I said getting up. "Oh, and don't drink *too* much, right? Rehearsal's at 9AM tomorrow!"
"Heh heh, don't you worry about us, we'll be in top shape", replied Nick with a wink.
"Wow, not even 24 hours in and *Mister* is already patronizing! Just let them be. Good for you that we don't have videos from the tour five years ago, Tom, otherwise you'd lose any credibility you think you have!"
That, was Jessica. A bitch. Clarinetist. Pretty but petty, most of the time extremely rude. Especially with me. Yet we had been in good, even friendly terms in the past, but that was before I had an affair with her best friend. She had never forgiven me to have caused her friend pain (in my defence, her friend was completely crazy, and had caused me much more pain than I ever could). She also happened to be the oldest female musician in the group, only a few months younger. We had done our undergrad together.
"Hi Jessica, how are you?" I asked politely, ignoring her snideness.
"*I* won't be telling the younger colleagues what to do. We're here to have fun!" she said, ignoring my politeness.
"Absolutely. Have a good evening, Jess!"
I left for good, not disturbed by the scene. I was in a strangely good mood, breathing in fully the slightly chilled air of the early evening. I was particularly happy to have relaxed, and managed not to wallow over my grief for several hours. I even caught myself return to my old, bachelor-on-the-prowl (bad) habit: I crossed path with a very attractive blonde woman and instinctively turned to look at her beautiful ass. The breeze gently lifted the hem of her garment, and I could have sworn she wore nothing beneath her checkered skirt...
* * * * *
I was only steps away from the hotel when I was suddenly attacked, as someone threw themselves at me while screaming in joy. It took me half a second to realize it was Julie, my best friend, a trombonist in the orchestra and at my grad school. French (she came to study abroad), she had travelled ahead of the group to spend time in her family. Seeing her bag, I guessed she had just arrived in Paris and hadn't yet checked into the hotel. I instantly forgot my fatigue and we headed to a bar a few streets over. Once sat at a table, conversation started as if we'd talked the day before. Julie was only 21, but she seemed to be four or five years older in terms of maturity and life experience. Of average height, very thin with boyish short blonde hair, small breasts and round, sculpted and visibly firm buttocks, she attracted looks, and not only from men. She was the daughter of a rich French industrial (who had incidentally gathered the funding for much of this tour), and, while never lacking money, she had been left to herself for much of her life, hence her precocious maturity. She was an obvious extrovert, and constantly in a good mood, laughing out loud at every turn of a conversation. She caught me up, and then came the unavoidable moment where she asked about my break-up. Used to talk very openly of my personal life (and my sexuality) with Julie, I told her in details about our last night together.
"She let you have her ass!" exclaimed Julie in her typical French accent without h's, and loud enough for half the bar to hear.
"GΓ©ant!
Say, how was it?"
"Divine..."
"I too discovered this pleasure in the last weeks", she confided
I did not immediately understand and must have made a face, because she burst out laughing and quickly added:
"Don't worry, I am still a pure lesbian, you have nothing to fear! It's a girl I met in Nantes.
Sympa
. After making me come two or three times with her tongue -- very agile! -- she took out a dildo...long like this", she showed, her hands about 10 inches apart, "and she popped my anal cherry. Never felt anything as strong. Just for that, I saw her again five or six times.
Ma foi