Tremolo

Tremolo:

A term used to describe a trembling/shuddering effect. The Tremolo is created on a violin with rapid up and down bow movements, or on a guitar by rapidly altering the volume up and down.

I would definitely describe today as being a Tremolo kind of day. What do I mean by that? It was kind of a shuddering, trembling, up and down, kind of a day.

It started as most days do. Alarm clock rings, I roll over and turn it off, and then proceed to pray and read my Bible. Then I put my face on, put my clothes on, go downstairs and eat, and do everything else to ensure I'm ready to leave.

That's where normal ends.

My appointed ride for the way to classes today happened to be Amoroso. Now, I knew that yesterday, but I waited by the door for him for about twenty minutes with my heart fluttering in my chest. I think I almost threw up my breakfast because I couldn't keep the Tremolo from out of my stomach. When he pulled up I casually stepped outside into six inches of snow. Being the genuis I am, I was wearing my high tops instead of boots.

"It's just from the door to the car, whatever." I thought to myself. And I clambered into his car.

He said that we would probably be late to class because it was slow going. Okay, no big deal. Well we pulled onto the road, and WAS IT EVER SLOW GOING! A ten minute drive ended up taking us forty. Not that I minded. I was in the car with Amoroso. I'm becoming a little less stupid when he's around too, which is great. I'm carrying on real human conversations and everything.

Then we got to school. And someone was stuck just outside our parking lot. I felt so useless while all the guys got out of their vehicles and tried to push, pull, haul, shove, and otherwise will his car out of the ditch. They didn't manage to, but one of our classmates called a truck to tow him out. It'd be four hours they said. We invited him into the school, but he declined. With a little more urging and the same response, we decided to get to class. We had to trudge through ever increasing mounds of snow until we got to the door, and though it doesn't sound like that much of a heroic feat, it was! Trust me. 

One of our teachers told us to pray for the guy stuck outside when we had come into class and I'm sure that more than one of us did. Then, odd event number two? Our classes got switched around on a whim and we just sort of had to roll with it. It wasn't that bad, in fact, it made the day go by even more quickly.

At break one of my classmates went and urged the guy to come in again, and he actually did. It was awesome! He sat with some of the guys in my class, and they talked about--I don't know. Guy stuff?

When classes were over I helped to take down some of the tables, and then I got ready to head off with my other ride. She's one of my best friends in the class, and she's the only one at our school who knows I like Amoroso. She does a really good job of making sure nobody else finds out too. I love her!

Amoroso asked if I was going to be getting a ride back with him, and I had to reluctantly admit that the other classmate was taking me. Well, he said, it was closer for him to drive me and in the bad weather it's probably be better if she didn't have to go out of her way.

"Okay," I said, trying to hide a blushing smile and thanking the Lord for the snow. My friend said thanks with elegance and class, and not a hint of the laughter that was probably welling up inside of her.

It hasn't stopped snowing all day, and we had to do another trudging experience to get to Amoroso's car. He was quite the gentleman though, and went in front of me and dragged his feat so I had a bit of a trail. He said I wouldn't be any less wet, but it was cute anyways. When we got to his car you almost couldn't see it. I wish I was exaggerating but I'm really not. The snow was up to the doors, and the roof and windsheild were completely covered.

There was an admirable effort made by Amoroso, but before even leaving the parking lot, we got stuck. And so did many other of my classmates. A whole bunch of us ran back through the snow, and grabbed a bunch of shovels to start digging eachother out. And maybe this is terrible, but it was actually really fun.

When I got home I heated up some leftovers, kickboxed, showered, got into sweats, and tried to study. But I ended up texting people more than anything. My friend told me her sister is sick, and she's leaving today to go and see her because she's going into surgery. Another Tremolo moment for me. She got there safely though, which is awesome. I was praying for her, for sure.

Then, things went from down to up. My Mom called and it was really nice to talk to her. She bugged me a bit about Amoroso, but that's to be expected. Then, somehow, we ended up talking about this whole gas issue that's been bothering me for awhile. You see, I didn't realize I should be asking everyone that drives me if they want me to help pitch in for gas. Which I'm totally willing to do, that wasn't even the issue. It was just that I didn't think of it. I offered my friend, because she drives me all the time, and then totally didn't think to ask anyone else. And that's kind of made me feel like a terrible person. I was going to get everyone that drives me regularly a gas gift card for Christmas, but what about until then? I'm just mooching a free ride? My Mom told me to do the gift card anyways, but in the meantime ask them if they want me to pitch in.

My Mom is my voice of reason. She makes what's sometimes really obvious, obvious to me, because it isn't always.

But I freaked out a bit because what if everyone thinks I'm a terrible person? I had to ask Amoroso too, and what if he thinks I'm a terrible person becuase I haven't asked about gas until now? I haven't heard back from one person, but I have heard back from Amoroso and he apparently thinks I still deserve to live. He doesn't even want that much gas money. And, if anything can be said for my paranoia about having this conversation with people, it has kind of sparked the longest text conversation I have ever had with Amoroso. I was joking with my Mom and said that I should ask him if I can make up for all the weeks I've missed by taking him out for a movie. Hahaha! Yah right. I think I'd die before I'd actually get up the courage to ask Amoroso out.

I also have been texting my sister, which is sweet because I haven't talked to her in awhile. We're the best of friends, so the fact that we have not been talking for awhile is unheard of. What's awesome, she may be able to bug me about Amoroso, but now I can bug her too. She knows what I'm talking about.

So anyways! Tremolo. It has been composed of a lot of ups today. The drive with Amoroso, the guy coming into the school, shoveling with friends, talking with my Mom, texting my sister, longest conversation with Amoroso. But there have been a lot of downs that have come with it. The roads are awful, the guy got stuck in the first place, my classmate's sister, the gas conversations.

It has all come crashing together to make a trembling that I don't quite know how to interpret. But even though it's been weird, and amazing, and tragic, and hard to deal with, all at the same time, it's a part of the score. It might be shocking at first, but it adds a new dimention to the peice that wouldn't be there otherwise.

So I'll thank God for every Tremolo that I have to fit on my page.

-Trumpet Player