by Cristina Nuta -

Fred Ames and I haven't much in common. I sometimes wonder why we are friends at all. Perhaps it is Fred's skill as a craftsman that I find so attractive. He's always busy making things. Everything he makes is so perfect that I sometimes feel a twinge of envy. If I knock over a vase and it is shuttered into pieces, Fred puts it together again in such a way that only an expert would see the difference.

My problem is that I'm one of those impractical and incurably lazy people. Outside my work at the office, the only thing that interests me is listening to classical music. I have a big collection of records and all day long the only thing I can think about is when I am going to get home to listen to a new symphony or concerto.

I've often tried to get Fred interest ed in music. When I'm in one of my talkative moods, I spend hours pointing out the beauties of a particular piece. I look at him as he's gazing at that little black statue of a monkey I keep on the mantelpiece and wonder if he's heard anything at all. When I look into those big, blue, expressionless eyes of his, I realize that he hasn't been listening to a word I've said. 'I'd love to make a copy of that some day', he remarks, indicating the statue.

One Saturday afternoon I came home from work even earlier than usually. I had just bought a new recording of Schumann's piano concerto and I could hardly wait to listen to it. I had already played the record twice when Fred entered. Perhaps because of the effect the music had on me, I was more than usually pleased to see him. I started talking excitedly about the record: how perfect it was, how marvelous, how he just had to listen to it. He said nothing and after he had sat down, he asked me where the little black monkey had got to. I answered irritably that the cleaner had knocked it off the mantelpiece and I had thrown it away. 'What a pity', Fred exclaimed.

I left the living-room to make a tea and when I came back I could find Fred holding the record in his hands. It was so strange to see such a delicate object in his rough hands. He had been listening to it.
'Did you enjoy it?' I asked eagerly.
'Oh, yes…yes', he answered vaguely.

I don't know what came over me but at that moment I said: 'Well, you can have it'.

A few days later, Fred arrived with a little box under his arm. He gave it to me saying: 'A little present'. When I opened it I was astonished to find an exact copy of the little monkey which my cleaner had broken. He said: 'I got the idea from a magazine. You just melt down an old gramophone record and then you can mould it into any shape you like'.

Different Passions, Different Talents written by Cristina Nuta for FamousWhy.com
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Different Passions, Different Talents Image Source : chinamuseums.com

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Tags: different, passions, talents, common

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Category: Entertainment  - ( Entertainment Archive)

Date Added: 17 February '09

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