Niizh Manidoowag: “Two-Spirit”

Niizh Manidoowag: “Two-Spirit”

5/26/2023

By Wade Douglass

Mikaere turned again to take yet another look at the teenager he just passed with her lobster-claw hand, absent right arm, wearing a pirate outfit and carrying her violin. She appeared to be heading to Treasure Island.

"Vegas!" he chuckled, slowly shaking his head. He was impeccably dressed, as always. Today he was in his brown, cashmere tuxedo. He shifted his violin from his right hand to his left hand and resumed his walk to the Bellagio.

He glanced at his watch. Thomas and Mateo, his A/V crew, would not be arriving until late afternoon. His personal assistant, Connie, was no doubt already in their suite at Caesar's unpacking and organizing their gear for the concert tomorrow night.

This afternoon was just a musical appetizer for him. Something to do to kill time until the main event - his concert and his Bach Duo with Midori on Saturday. It also gave him an excuse to spend time at the Bellagio where he heard the tables and the cocktail waitresses were loose. He doubted that very much - at least the part about the tables.

Mikaere was 30-years old and a world-renowned violinist. He had been a prodigy at 10 years of age and had ruled the world of the male violin since he was 16. But his star was no longer rising. Despite his young age, he was in decline. Mikaere blamed this on poor venues, poor timing, his father and any other excuses of opportunity that presented themselves. It was, however, poor lifestyle choices that had doomed him. His personal corporation had been circling the drain of bankruptcy for five years now. He was reduced to playing private gigs for wealthy parties and boon docking in venues such as Las Vegas just to pay the bills. He had become toxic for the big bookings. Too many prior indiscretions, he was told.

For the thousands upon thousands of male violinists that ever played, the list of truly greats was still short: Perlman, Heifetz, Menuhin, Respighi, Stern, Corelli, Paganini, Bridgetower, Oistrakh, Zuckerman, Garrett, others, for sure, but not that many others. He desperately wanted to be on that short list, but he feared that he would end up like the girl he saw on the street today. His attention kept returning to that incident. Why did it bother him? Da capo al fine, D.C., D.C., D.C. 

He finished his private gig and made his way back to the bar. He was ruining a perfectly good afternoon of debauchery by creating a personal infinity mirror of angst, he thought. 

He remained restless. 'What should I do,'he thought, 'drink and depravity!' he concluded. Among all her many lists, Mikaere wondered if Connie kept a debauch list on him. 'Of course, she does' he snickered to himself. 'No doubt cross-indexed and color-coded.' 

A seriously beautiful waitress flashed him a big smile as he entered the bar. He sat down at a nearby slot. He waived her over and ordered a vodka tonic. "Ciroc if you have it, otherwise Ketel One." he said. 

The waitress returned with the drink a short time later. "One of our private VIP lounges is open, and it would be my pleasure to serve you there.” 

Mikaere thought for a moment and then his agitation came into focus. He peeled off two Benjamins and placed them in her hand. "Well thank you sir! That's very generous." She grinned seductively.

He downed his drink quickly and stood abruptly. "Wonder what's happening at Treasure Island?" He said.

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Mikaere had a difficult time finding his mystery girl. Apparently a girl with only one arm, a lobster-claw hand, wearing a pirate costume, and playing the violin was simply not a specific enough search parameter for Treasure Island in Vegas. With the help of a man named Floyd, a hotdog vendor, Mikaere finally ended up in a small bar with live entertainment named "Black Bart's Irish Pub".

The band was on break when he arrived. He took a seat at an open table near the back of the bar. He ordered another vodka tonic and waited.

The band arrived 10 minutes later. There was the drummer, a young athletic guy about 20; the guitarist, a large middle aged man, with shirt buttons open at his belt line; the flutist, a severe looking woman about 35 who was holding a wooden Irish D-flute; and the mystery girl, an unsmiling teenager with arm deformities and a violin. All were wearing pirate costumes. 

The band picked up their instruments and turned on their electronics. Mikaere watched his mystery girl intently as she quickly strapped on a prosthesis to her right arm stub. She then secured her bow to her prosthesis. The band began playing without introductions. The first song was Morrison's Jig followed by several more jigs and 2 slow Irish ballads.

He was transfixed at Morrison's jig. Everything that followed was meaningless noise to him.

Her technique, modified by her prosthesis and left hand placement, worked flawlessly; Her sound was crisp, bold, melodic, and precise. Her talent and skill, he concluded were undeniable. 

The band played one set and took a 15 minute break.

He looked up and saw the girl staring at him from the band break room, her face expressionless. He did not know what he would say, so he made no attempt to talk to her. He returned to his hotel. 

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He entered his suite at Caesar's Palace and encountered a frenzy of activity. Thomas and Mateo were in one corner of the room on their phones dialing. 

"Midori's cancelled on us." Connie said. "The last payment we sent to her bounced. Bank didn't authorize. Insufficient funds." Her lips were trembling. "She said 3rd time's the charm and don't bother calling. She said she was on her way to Sweden to judge a competition." Connie was holding her cell phone and dialing numbers rapidly. "I spoke with LVPhil's director, and he is refusing to modify our contract with them."

"I don't see the problem" responded Mikaere. "She was only on the venue for two pieces in addition to our Bach duo. I can play her pieces and we can switch the duo piece out for another solo.”

"Sir, you don't understand! Our contract with LVPhil does not permit any program substitutions for Name of Work or Movement Number." Her voice broke a little. "We can change the artist, but we cannot change the piece. All to do with orchestral preparation. If we change the piece we are in breach of contract. Triple damages plus expenses.That's about $400,000 dollars in liquidated damages."

Mikaere exploded. "Who would sign such a shitty contract!"

"Well, you did, Sir. I believe you were a bit under the weather at the time."

'Means I was drunk or stoned,' thought Mikaere bitterly.

Connie continued: "We've called every violinist we have on file. No one's available!"

Mikaere thought for a moment, then pulled Connie aside. "I have an idea, and I want you to come with me to help make it work."

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The band had left by the time Mikaere and Connie arrived at Black Barts. They found Floyd Maccam, the man who had finally directed him to Black Barts. Floyd was closing up his hot dog stand . "Hey! Sorry, Floyd, is it?." 

"Hey, you remembered my name! How ya' doin', Mike, right?"

"Yes." Mikaere's response was tense and pressured. "I don't mean to be abrupt, but I need to talk to that girl right away. I'm sorry, I don't know her name." 

"You mean Prizm." Floyd answered suspiciously. "Look, she's a good kid, and if she is in some kinda trouble." 

"No trouble, believe me." Mikaere paused, took a measured breath in, and said,"I want to hire her to play a duo violin piece with me at the Las Vegas Philharmonic concert tomorrow night."

"Say what?" 

Connie started tugging Mikaere's shirt sleeve. "Sir! we need to talk. This is NOT a good idea!" She insisted in a loud whisper.

Mikaere pressed on. "Look, Floyd, Right now I just need to ask her some questions. She may not be qualified to do what I am asking."

Floyd eyed Mikaere suspiciously, then asked abruptly. "You gonna pay her for this gig? How much we talkin’ about. Cuz I'm her agent, you know, and you can't talk to her without me."

Connie's tugging became increasingly urgent.

Mikaere paused, then said: "I will pay her a fair fee. First I just need to ask her some questions."

"Aw, Hell! I can answer most questions. I know her pretty well." Floyd responded.

"Does she have parents?" Connie inserted herself between Mikaere and Floyd.

"Occasionally." Floyd answered.

"Where are they now? We need to talk to her parents FIRST!" Connie demanded.

"Daddy's in prison. Mom's MIA. Shows up once in a while. Her grandma, Memengwaa, has custody, if that's what you're lookin' for. Prizm had to show papers to get her gig at Black Barts."

"Can she play classical violin?" Mikaere was insistent.

"She can play anything, as far as I knows. She's got this eclectic memory."

"You mean, eidetic memory." Corrected Connie.

"Yea, that too." Floyd said.

"So what does she do? Read the score? Play by ear?" Mikaere was confused.

"Nah, she don't read music. She listens to a song and plays it back on her fiddle exact, note for note."

Mikaere stared at Floyd.

"I ain't jivin' you. Note for note - EXACT. So, how much ya gonna pay her for this gig? Remember I get twenty percent."

"If she can do what you say she can, I will pay her a thousand dollars." 

Floyd whistled. "How many songs she gotta play?"

"Just one, but we need her all day tomorrow to prep her for the concert."

"All day, you say?" Floyd paused to consider. "And the concert's tomorrow night?"

"Yes. Look, I'll pay her $2000!" Mikaere was desperate.

Connie looked at him sharply and bit her lower lip.

Floyd whistled again and exclaimed." Man, I am in the wrong line a' grift."

Floyd scribbled an address on a piece of paper and handed it to Mikaere. "Pick us up at 7:30 tomorrow morning. Send a fancy limo."

"We PREFER that only the girl and her grandmother come tomorrow." Connie said evenly. Your presence will not be necessary."

"Yes it will." Floyd replied. "Prizm don't speak. She can hear OK but does this morse code thing with her hand to talk to people. Only her grandma can understand her hand talk. But her grandma can't speak English. I can speak Ojibwe , so I can talk to Memengwaa. It's simple once you get the hang of it."

Connie slumped to the floor. "I have a headache. I'm going to vomit." 

Mikaere helped Connie from the floor and assisted her toward the exit.

"The limo will be there for you at 7:30." Mikaere commanded. "Be there! All of you!"

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The door to the suite opened, and Prizm entered. She was flanked by Floyd and her grandmother. Her eyes were wide, roving over the room. She nodded when she saw Mikaere. Her face remained expressionless and she did not speak. Grandma walked over and looked up at Mikaere. She pointed at Prizm and said in Ojibwe: "Niizh manidoowag."[Two-Spirit]. She looked back at Mikaere, frowned, and said "gaawiin" [Not]

"Let's sign that contract." said Floyd.

"Do you want to read it first?" asked Connie.

"Does it say she gets two grand and I get twenty percent?" 

"Yes"

"Then we good."

"We need to test your ability with the violin, because of your peromelia, you understand." Connie said. Prizm nodded her head sharply up and down. 

Mikaere looked at Connie and raised a quizzical eyebrow. “Google search” Connie said, continuing to type on her laptop.

Mikaere turned to Prizm and said: "Listen to this piece and play it." Then to Connie, he said: "The Bach Partita, Connie."

The sounds of Bach's partita fill the room. When the piece ended, Mikaere turned again to Prizm and said: "If you need more ti..." Prizm had already raised her violin and within seconds started playing the Partita as requested. 

She completed the piece at the precise second the recording had ended. There was no hesitation, no error. Her rendering was flawless. All in the room were astonished. Speechless. 

Except for Floyd who was munching on a bagel from room service listening to his iPod, and Memengwaa who sat in a chair in the far corner knitting. Prizm was sitting quietly in a chair by the desk holding her violin in her lap. Her face was unsmiling, her affect inscrutable.

"Did you get the readings?" Mikaere asked his A/V crew. 

"Yeah, boss. Exactly the same as the recording!" 

"Let's move on to the Duo." he said. Mikaere instructed Connie to play his most recent Bach Duo in D Minor with Midori. A frown appeared on Prizm's face as she listened. and she started shaking her head back and forth and rocking slightly in her chair. Prizm abruptly stood and began signing to Memengwaa. The grandmother then spoke to Floyd and Floyd said to Mikaere. "She doesn't know which violin to follow. She says there are too many voices."

Mikaere was frustrated. 'what we take for granted in this business!' he muttered. "Connie!"

"On it, Sir" Connie responded typing even more furiously. A few minutes passed, and then "Got it!" she said triumphantly as she spun her lap top around to face Mikaere and Prizm. "You Tube, Fragherrnmaurer, gives you audio and visual on the separate violins and variations in cadence."

Prizm listened intently to the YouTube performance. When the piece ended, She reached for her violin, but Mikaere stopped her saying: "Wait. This time we play together." Another sharp nod of her head and she stood by, waiting. Mikaere picked up his violin and standing next to Prizm, he brought the instrument to its' ready position. He started playing Voice #1.

With flawless precision, Prizm started Voice #2 on the measured beat, and the two musicians played together. Mikaere, was rhythmic and expressive; Prizm stiff and expressionless. Yet the sound of the two violins together was extraordinary. Connie had tears in her eyes. Thomas and Mateo stood mesmerized with their mouths open. Memengwaa continued to knit. Floyd reached for another bagel. 

When they were done, Mateo leaned over and said softly: "Boss, you guys are going to nail this one."

Mikaere turned to Prizm and asked: "Anything you want to rehearse? Work on?" She shook her head and picked up a comic book that she had brought with her.

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The concert had been well received up to this point. Mikaere sighed as he stepped to the podium to introduce the final piece, the Bach duo in D Minor. He could feel the irritation of the audience as he announced that Midori would not be performing, Prizm was a hard read for Mikaere, but he saw uncertainty and a little fear in her eyes. He thought maybe he should have put the Duo at the beginning of the program. He had forgotten how intimidating orchestral halls can be for beginning artists. 

The music started. Mikaere started Voice #1 on cue and Prizm followed with Voice #2 on her cue, crisp, strong and precise. So far a solid performance, he thought. Three minutes into the Largo and barely noticeable at first, Prizm lost her cadence. Mikaere saw she was trying to correct, but was not succeeding. He could sense her growing panic. 'Too many voices', he thought. ‘That's what happened in the hotel room. Maybe that's the problem again.’ He considered his options and decided on a dangerous one. He signaled the conductor "Orchestral reduction to piano." On cue the orchestra stopped playing except for the piano. The audience began murmuring.

Prizm looked quizzically at Mikaere. He nudged her with a double stop. He wanted to get her attention. Have her follow him to her cadence line. Her mouth opened with surprise. He nudged her again with another double stop and vibrato. 

At the beginning of the Allegro, the magic started.

Prizm grinned. almost imperceptible at first, and it grew into an actual smile.

She then nudged Mikaere back with her own double stop and vibrato. Then she began to soar. The timbre of their violins blended perfectly. The strength and clarity of the two violins with all of their tones, overtones and vibrations came at the audience from all directions. The Allegro ended and the piano and the two violins concluded their rendition at the same precise moment.

There was complete silence in the auditorium for an almost uncomfortable second or two. Then the noise began. First the orchestra stamped their feet and tapped their bows on their music stands. Then a few bravos and cheers started followed immediately by an eruption of yells and screams, and cheers. The audience was on their collective feet stamping and applauding. “The longest standing ovation ever at the Las Vegas Philharmonic.” according to CNN the next day.

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The limo arrived to take them home. Prizm ran to Mikaere and hugged him. She then signed to her grandmother. Memengwaa spoke to Floyd. ”It don't make no sense!” Floyd exclaimed. “She sayin' thank you for the inside music."

Mikaere looked at Prizm and grinned." It makes perfect sense. She understands now she can be more than an amazing jukebox!"