The Long Happy Life Of Amadeus

He burst forth from the comforts of his mothers' womb into the world of light and sound; much to the relief of all present. With the usual smart slap to his blue pink ass, he announced himself immediately. Unlike newborns who voice displeasure at their harsh ejection he drew a deep breath, his first, and let loose for all in the delivery room, and down the halls to hear, a loud perfectly pitched voiced note in the key of "C". On his next, his second breath, he belted out another perfect "C" followed, in the same breath by a perfect "D"; then back to a perfect "C". By the end of his first five minutes in this world, it was clear that he was sounding out a popular tune of the day that his mother loved and would listen to over and over; which he could hear plainly within the warm comfort of his mothers' belly. Some in the delivery room found themselves swaying, moving to the rhythms of the newborn as they went about cleaning up. It was a very popular tune.

He quickly became the talk of the hospital. No one could explain such a thing. The delivering doctors had brought many hundreds into the world and had never seen anything like this. He filled the maternity ward, day and night with notes and compositions and, at times, with the sounds of the various instruments. At first, the staff rejoiced in the miracle, but after three days of nonstop music, they were happy to see the child go home. His mother insisted on naming him Amadeus; after her favorite composer with much argument from her husband, who favored Coltrane over Amadeus

arguing that Coltrane was more modern and relevant. After much debate, the husband relented for the sake of peace. The child was named Amadeus Coltrane.

By the age of one Amadeus mastered the sounds of all the local birds; Bluejays, Cardinals, Crows, Hawks and the majority of songbirds that came in the summer. By the age of two, while rolling around on the floor, before learning to walk, he was often heard humming parts of arias and music from Beethoven, Mozart and occasionally Coltrane.

At three years, he received his first musical instrument, a harmonica which he played incessantly, often driving his father out to the local pub. On his fifth birthday, he received a beginner's violin, a cello, a guitar and a ukulele. All of which he seemed to recognize immediately. He played his first concert at the age of six; amazing everyone. In the market, with his mother, he was beset by crowds of women begging to hold him in their arms. "Amadeus, Amadeus" they crooned "Please, just one second, Let me hold him, please."

Having never set foot in a schoolhouse he sometimes found himself staring out the window of his practice room looking at children outside playing skip rope, kickball, running around rolling on the grass and laughing all the time. Somewhere deep inside he would feel a sort of longing, but not knowing anything about such things he would turn back to his music. His future seemed written in greatness. Attention poured in from all over the world. His photograph appeared everywhere. People were donating instruments and money, mostly instruments. He gave concerts. He met Presidents, Kings and Queens; royalty of every rank. He even dined once with the Pope at the Vatican. Amadeus, Amadeus.....

On his twelfth birthday, he enrolled at the Juilliard School on a full scholarship. On his fourteenth birthday, his world was forever and irreversibly changed. He met a girl. Her name was Isabel Blanco; newly enrolled and the same age as Amadeus; they shared many of the same classes. She was a violinist; a child prodigy. She was tall with a striking face topped with flaming red hair that gave the appearance of a halo. Amadeus had never seen anything so beautiful in his life. The first time they made eye contact they liked each other; her, with intense blue eyes; Spanish Celtic eyes; he, tall, handsome, with long black hair and a strong sense of composure. Passing in the hall that first time, Amadeus found himself turning to look back at her. As if by some secret cue Isabel also turned to look back at Amadeus. Had it not been for the railing along the wall they both very well might have dropped, weak in the knee, to the floor from the hot dizzy feeling that momentarily erased everything except that instant of eye contact; that flash of something neither one had ever felt before, and no one ever bothered to tell them about. From just such things novels have been written; operas created; tragedy staged; life portrayed; the earth-shattering lightening bolts of First Love.

For weeks after her arrival, Amadeus rarely slept. His head throbbed every time he and Isabel crossed in the hall. He began spending more time in violin class sitting as close to her a possible. At night he would bolt upright out of a deep dream of violins and red flaming hair brushing across his face. He would be drenched in sweat; a burning ache in his groin. Alarmed, at first, he went to the school clinic, but was pronounced "healthy". Confused, he sought advice from some of the older classmates who found humor in his plight. He discovered masturbation; which offered some mild relief, but the dizzy spells persisted. Then, by pure chance, one sleepless night he found Isabel sitting alone, in the dark, in the practice room; she was crying. He sat down next to her and seeing him she laid her head against his chest and sobbed. He held her like that, tenderly, until the bell rang for first class. After that, they were never long out of sight of each other. On their twentieth birthday, Isabel pregnant, they married; Life was good. They had been, after all, the most prodigal of child prodigies and together were bigger than anything musical the world had ever seen. In time they added three more children; which made four; all with flaming red hair; and not one born voicing anything resembling a musical note.