Chapter 34 #2
‘I think fraudulently impersonating me is grounds on its own, before we get onto you vastly overreaching your remit. If necessary, and I really hope you won’t force me down this path, I will hire a forensic accountant to look at your expenses.
One decimal point out of place is all it takes. So, what’s it to be?’
‘You’re going to regret this.’ Although the words are still menacing, I can tell that Harvey is finally capitulating. ‘You won’t last five minutes in this industry without me.’
‘That’s a risk I’m just going to have to take.
Goodbye, Harvey.’ Gabriel presses the button to end the call.
Barely five seconds pass before his phone rings again, and the caller ID shows it’s Harvey.
Gabriel rejects the call and we wait to see if he’ll try again.
It seems, however, that Harvey has finally got the message.
‘Is he right?’ I ask eventually. ‘About the critics turning on you?’
‘He isn’t right about any of it. Let me show you something.’ He picks up his phone again and fiddles with it briefly, before turning it around and pushing it towards me. It’s a newspaper article.
GAbrIEL CAMPBELL WOWS AUDIENCE WITH VIRTUOSO PERFORMANCE
Internationally acclaimed concert pianist Gabriel Campbell delighted his home crowd with a commanding performance at the Shell Bandstand, Hope Gardens last night, showing yet again why he’s one of the most sought-after pianists in the world.
His opening rendition of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.
1, accompanied by the Philharmonic Orchestra of Jamaica conducted by Frederick MacDonald, was a masterclass in how to interpret the great composer’s work.
Sensitive and yet bold, Campbell’s playing perfectly complemented the orchestra, and he captured the playfulness of the final movement perfectly.
‘You don’t need to read it all,’ he says. ‘Skip to the end, if you like.’
I scroll down to the final paragraph and read.
Undoubtedly the crowning glory of the evening, however, was Campbell’s encore.
He’s famous for his rendition of Liszt’s ‘La campanella’, so it wasn’t a surprise that he chose this piece as his final gift to the audience.
What nobody was expecting was the dedication to someone called Tori, nor what happened next.
Campbell seamlessly and wittily incorporated modern themes into the piece, including a number of tracks by Lady Gaga, and even (if this writer is correct) a theme from Rihanna’s ‘Disturbia’.
To my knowledge, no pianist has ever attempted to mix classical and modern music in this way, but it was an absolute triumph.
The identity of Tori may be a mystery but, if this is her influence, then she is to be congratulated.
‘Wow,’ I say.
‘That’s just one review,’ he tells me. ‘The others were the same though. Let me show you something else.’ He takes his phone back, presses the screen a few times and then pushes it back towards me. I’m looking at an email this time.
Hi Gabriel!
My name is Emily, and I work for Stefani Germanotta (who you may know as Lady Gaga).
She heard about your encore at the concert in Jamaica and asked me to find out more about it.
It took a bit of work, but one of the audience members had filmed it and uploaded it to YouTube.
I played it to Stefani, who was blown away and asked me to let you know that she’d be up for a collaboration any time if you wanted.
Let me know if this is something you think might be of interest.
All the best
Emily Wooton
‘Lady Gaga herself,’ Gabriel says, taking his phone back with a smile.
‘So, let me ask you a question. Is Harvey right, and you’re destroying me?
I don’t think he is. I think you’ve opened up an opportunity that I’m passionate about, which is to bring different genres of music together and showcase them in new ways.
You’ve set me free, Tori, and I want to celebrate that freedom with you by my side. ’
I’m very aware of the repercussions of what he’s saying, but my mind is struggling to catch up with the whole Gabriel the lovely/Gabriel the bastard/Gabriel the lovely again roller-coaster. Instead a totally random question forms, but I can’t let it go.
‘How did you find me?’ I ask.
‘LinkedIn,’ he says, looking at me strangely.
‘It wasn’t hard. Oddly, there aren’t that many recruiters called Tori in London.
I think there were eight that came up, but only one of them looked like you.
Look, I get that this is all a shock. You thought I’d sent you that letter, and who’d blame you for thinking I was the worst person in the world?
I cocked up, I freely admit that. I let Harvey railroad me at the airport and I behaved poorly towards you, but I’ll do anything to put that right.
’ His expression is earnest and he turns his chair so he can take both of my hands in his.
‘I’ve never met anyone like you, Tori. You keep me real and I feel alive in your company.
I don’t want to let that go. I don’t want to let you go. I think I love you.’
I’m aware of a smile starting to spread across my face, but there’s still one thing that’s stopping me from telling him how I feel.
‘How does this work though?’ I ask. ‘Harvey’s right about one thing – I’m no classical music buff.’
‘Can I answer that with another question? If we could find a way to make it work, would you want to?’
Damn, all this outmanoeuvring Harvey has obviously lit something in his brain, as he’s just cornered me masterfully. I’m not going to fold that easily though. For some reason, my mind decides now would be the perfect time to whip out a bit of the corporate lingo bingo that Priya and I enjoy.
‘There are definite synergies,’ I begin, adopting a thoughtful tone.
‘Social, as well as recreational. Would this be a merger though, or a hostile takeover? It’s easy to be distracted by the low-hanging fruit, but would I find myself drinking from the firehose down the line?
It’s all very well when you’re blue-sky thinking, but what happens when the rubber meets the road? ’
Gabriel is looking at me as if I’ve grown an extra head. ‘What?’ he asks.
‘If we do this,’ I tell him, my mind now working properly again, ‘I’m not going to be subsumed by your career, got it? I’m my own person, and I’m not going to thrive as a mere Gabriel appendage, to be put down by the next Harvey, or whomever.’
‘Those are just some of the qualities I admire about you, that attracted me to you,’ Gabriel says. ‘Like I said, you keep me real. But if you don’t think I’m enough for you, then just say it now and put me out of my misery.’
My smile breaks into a full-on beam. ‘No more shitty letters?’ I ask.
‘Like the one I’ve just proved comprehensively I never wrote?’
‘Yeah, like that one.’
He grins. ‘I can solemnly swear never to dump you via a fake shitty letter written by my ex-manager again.’
I study him for a moment before nodding at him. ‘OK. You’re on.’
He wipes his forehead exaggeratedly. ‘Thank goodness for that. For a moment there I thought I’d made a total fool of myself. Do I get to hug you now?’
‘You do.’
As we stand and I fold myself into his embrace, I shed a little tear of happiness and relief onto his shirt.
I didn’t get it wrong again. Gabriel the bastard never existed.
He was the good guy all along. I can feel my heart swelling as I let that thought sink in.
I wrap my arms tighter around him, pulling him close to me.
I never want to let him go again either.
‘Can I ask you something?’ I say as I eventually start to loosen my grip.
‘Of course. Anything.’
‘Did you just drop the L bomb?’
He smiles. ‘I did.’
‘Hmm. I thought you did.’
‘Is that all right?’
‘Yes. In fact, I have a confession of my own.’
‘Go on.’
‘I think I might love you too.’