She Deserves It

Erica Rale, a seventeen-year-old girl who was always been the best when it comes to playing the piano. 

Like any other parent, her mother was very proud of her daughter's achievements. 

Gold. Gold. Gold. That was all she had. She never received other awards than being the best than the best. Her school was so proud of her, for whenever she presents her academy to a musical competition she has no doubt to have her name on that first place. 

They all started to declare that her name has been already written on the golden trophies right before the competition had even started, because for them when Erica sat on that massive piano, it's a sure win, like what her father used to do. 

Erica was never trained to play the piano. She just used to watch her father do the thing on the huge stage when she was young. Not until her father sadly passed away when she was only eleven. Since then, whenever she misses her father, she would sit on her father's piano in the living room and play a song. No one knows that.

One day, the day that she regrets the most. Was when she didn't realize that her mother got home from a long day of work.

Right before her mother step on the front door, the melodic music caught her attention as she hasn't heard it since her husband passed away. She silently walks to the living room to see her daughter sitting on her husband's grand piano. She looked at her daughter as she plays it emotionally while closing her eyes. Her mother can't believe what she's seeing, her 12-year-old daughter never touched the piano ever since.

Her mother remains speechless as the music comes to an end. 

Surprise covers Erica's eyes seeing her mother in the living room. At that time she never knew what would happen next. But she knows that she won't like it whatever it is.

Like what she said, Erica went to high school in hell. Her mother would force her to attend music classes and private tutors after school. She won't have the free time to hang out with her friends or focus on her academics. Because her mother's success is to master an instrument. As what her husband's family believes. 

"If you are good enough to play even just a single instrument, success is just one music away." Said Erica's father as he was the fourth generation of the family that becomes super successful through playing the piano. It is said that it's the bloodline's talent and Erica inherited it.

But for Erica, it it's not a talent.

Erica spends her high school going competition to compete. She saw that everyone was so happy and proud of her especially her mother, but it was not enough to make her happy. 

Yes, everyone was so happy and proud of her, but she needs to be happy also.

She attained thirty-four gold medals and eight trophies from the musical tournaments, and none of that ever made her smile. Not even once.

All those six years was wasted sitting in front of a huge instrument. 

Well, not after an unexpected accident happened.

It was a normal day for Erica. She was in the car with her mother going to school.

In her usual school uniform and old music playing on the radio. Like any other day, her mother talked about a new national competition coming and wanted her daughter to get ready for it. But Erica refuses to go to that competition for it was on her eighteenth birthday. She waited for that day for it was the only day where she can do whatever makes her happy, she doesn’t want to spend it with an unwanted huge musical event. So, for the first time, she said 'no' to her mother. 

Her mother replied by saying that her birthday can be celebrated the next day with her new golden achievement, but Erica shoots back that she's not doing it. 

And for a while, the mother and daughter in the car came up with a serious argument. So serious that her mother started to focus on convincing her daughter rather than focusing on the road. 

Then there it goes, as expected, their white Porsche bumped into someone's car. 

A few minutes pass before the ambulance came.

The accident gave a huge change to Erica and her mother. It's a life-changing event that they can both mourn and smile about.

Erica's mother was a bit lucky to have simple bruises and cuts over her, while Erica was in critical condition at the ER as she bumps her head really hard.

Almost a month later Erica was safely discharged, but she still needs to fully recover from the accident.

Her mother was very worried and been crying all this time. She is all she had.

Resting at their home Erica take the opportunity to do what she likes, until her mother saw her daughter's talent.

This time, it's real.

Erica smiled at her new situation. It's hard but at least she can do the things that make her happy. Different kinds of colors were in front of her as she holds the brush. 

The sight of colorful flowers made her smile bright as she sat at their garden's bench with her paint and brush. 

Her mother let her do things the way she wanted to and starts to regret how she controlled her daughter's life and made it hard for her. 

For now, her mother is more proud.

Her daughter becomes a great painter, greater than she is a pianist, and most importantly she is happy with what she is doing.

Seeing her daughter paint with a smile was the thing she never saw in her while playing the piano.

That painful accident for Erica changed her life. 

As he sat at the bench in their garden she watches the birds fly from trees to trees, but how she wish she can hear the winds and the sound birds make. 

For now, it's all silent.

Like what they say, you have to give up something in order to gain something. For Erica, she gave up her sense of hearing to gain the happiness she deserves.

And that is why everything happens for a reason. It might be painful to her loss but what she wants was happiness.

And she deserves it