aged

1.

People said scent could bring us back memory, silently and subtly, stayed in our mind.

That afternoon was sitting outside a café in Marylebone High Street, the sunlight was warm and gentle, like a hug from lover – which is never enough. There were only few people on the street; England was having a match in the World Cup, all the people went into pubs watching. The street was so peaceful and calm unlike London; I was having a small cake with S (szeki), chatting, and there was wind blowing dog passing by; everything looks familiar, it is the scent of summertime. This scent makes me remember that summer in France, also with S, like two little crazy girls fooled around in French small towns, what seems like epoch ago. At that time I do not even know how to drink coffee, only could drink hot milk in France, and sometimes I would just laugh about myself on this. Now I could make many different kinds of coffee, without any melancholy, just feel glad on my life in these years. And then some days (or years) later, when I smell the same scent as what I did that day, maybe I would suddenly remember that afternoon in London.

2.

That day after examination, I was flying high into the sky, even I did not sleep for several days, I was not willing to go back home straight ahead and sleep. Walking along Bricklane, wanted to spend some money but I could not find anything to buy. There was a second-hand market, although it was smaller than the Sunday market, it would be good to walk for awhile. It was closed to evening; the sellers were going to close their shops, only few people were walking in the market. There were old books old furniture old clothes old accessories, were placed messily. If you want to buy something you could just find it by yourself, like treasure hunt, which is my favourite. The sellers ignored you, they were chatting with each other aside. Actually I was very tired, just like a spoiled child unwilling to go to sleep. I was searching the treasure, without really watching. While my hand was playing a little Pinocchio, I dropped several books on the floor. I picked up the books, and discovered a piano score. The book was very old the paper was in yellow the pages was not in order, yet it was poetic to read an old book. I opened the book and read carefully – Mozart, 22 sonatas, published in 1870. I was very excited after I knew the year - at that time in China, Empress Dowager Cixi has not yet listened behind the curtain!

The seller knew that I like the book, immediately grasp the chance to do the business, said, ‘all these piano scores are 3 pounds per one, if you buy them all, I could give you 5 pounds in total!’ This is the first time I found something really cheap in London. I immediately gave him 3 pounds, took the sonata with me, that seller knew nothing about the value of that book.


At home I tasted the book for whole night. The piano scores had history behind, has changed several masters already; reading their hand written notes on the scores, the finger usage next to the notes, pictured the images of Victorian Era in London. Here is no piano, gladly I have known how to read score; I was reading the notes, humming the sonatas, my fingers was beating slightly on my desk, my imagination was flying to the old times.