"REQUIEM FOR LAURA MARTIN" "Do you mind if I light a cigarette?" "Yes I do." "I don't like women who smoke." "Do you want anything specific?" "I have to tell you I don't like bizarre..." "Scatological stuff and things of the sort, ok?" "Alright." "I don't mean to be rude, but we do run into many crazy people in the world." "And I am a bit square." "Square?" "What do you like then?" "Whatever gets you off, baby." "You're paying." "But no crazy stuff." "Do I look crazy?" "No, you don't ." "You are very handsome, attractive." "What's your name?" "Vanessa." "Vanessa." "Is that your artistic name?" "You can say so." "What's your name?" "Doesn't matter." "Don't you know me?" " Not that I remember." " Don't you know my name?" "You got an artistic name too?" "Doesn't matter. lt's good you don't know who I am." "What do you do for a living?" "Music." "Cool." "I love music!" "Nice." "What kind of music do you like?" "I like axé, dance, funk." "A bit of everything." "I see." "Do you like funk?" "Funk!" "?" "Do you know Bo Horne?" "No, that one I don't ." "is he from Rio?" "No, why?" "Funk is from Rio, right?" "Maybe that's why I don't know him." "He must be from São Paulo." "A " paulista" singing Rio Funk." "What a piece of crap!" "Oh..." "Are you that guy?" "I'm sorry!" "Are you him?" "No, definitely not!" "Thankfully!" "I know." "You don't know me?" "Never saw me?" "No." "Not that I remember." "I'm not so good with faces." "Don't you know my name?" "Excellent then." "Shall we start?" "Ok." "I want to ask you something." "I'll call you Laura." "is that ok?" "Laura!" "?" "I was called so many names you wouldn't believe it!" "Laura's fine by me." "What's your name?" "l told you it's Vanessa." "You didn't understand." "What is your name?" "Laura." "Laura." "My name is Laura." "Laura." "Laura." "What do you want from your Laura, my love?" "Laura." "Tell me what you're feeling." "What are you feeling?" "My muse!" "My music!" "Come." "Come, my love." "What are you feeling?" "My muse!" "Come, come, my love!" "Laura." "What do you want from me?" "What do you want from your Laura?" "I miss you so much!" "I miss you so much!" "I need..." "I need... I need to revive you." "Even if it's for pain." "I need to revive you." "Tell me, tell me, tell me." "Tell me about your men." "Tell me!" "Why do you want to live that again, my love?" "Why live that again?" "That's how I'll find you again." "Tell me, tell me." "The night I was with Giuliano, the night I had him... I had him because I wanted it." "As simple as that." "I could've had anyone, but I chose him." "Didn't matter to me if he was more or less intelligent than you." "I didn't care if he was young, handsome, athletic... lf he had a long and thick cock, if he moved very slowly, very nicely inside me." "I didn't care if he was better than you..." "Or worse." "What else do you want to know?" "Everything." " lf it was good?" " Yes." " lf l came?" " Yes." "I did." "I came twice." "And in none of them, I was thinking of him." "The second time was almost involuntary." "A body reflex." "I just couldn't help it." "Sometimes the body does it by itself." "Thinks by itself." "But you were the one I was thinking about." "I was thinking about your body the whole time." "It was your sweat that I felt." "It was your taste that I tasted." "It was your cock that I imagined inside me..." "When he used my whole body." "You were the one in my mind." "You were the one in my thoughts." "A woman's thought is the only thing a man can truly have." "But it's such a rare thing." "Don't be fooled, my love." "I was always yours." "Always." "Many men might've had my body, but my soul... and my heart were always yours." "But if you want to believe it, if you want to suffer thinking of me... I'll let you." "is that what you want?" "Suffer thinking of me?" "is that it?" "I must walk towards you." "No, you don't." "You still have too much to do." "I must go towards you." "Sir?" "Are you alright?" "Did you do any drugs earlier today?" "I don't know who that Laura is, but I'm done playing this game." "It's getting too serious, I'm getting scared." "Are you alright?" "I know you paid me in advance, but I'll give some advice instead:" "Look for that Laura, baby." "Go after her, open up your heart and tell her everything you feel." "I say that as a woman, I know what I'm talking about." "I'm sure she'll come back to you." "You are a bit crazy, but you seem to be a good person." "Don't let her go." "Go after her, baby." "She's gone." "Maestro, excuse me." "I apologize for being late." "I don't usually do that." "Then I must be very lucky to be insulted like that." "Since you don't usually do that, I'm very fortunate." "I'm sorry." "Stop apologizing, boy!" "People apologize too much." "Your absence made no difference to me at all." "I think that another venue would've been better..." "What's your professional experience?" "I've worked at the publisher for 15 years." "Do you feel you have what it takes to write a story about me?" "It's not a story, it's a biography." "A book." "Yes, the publisher believes I'm the best person for the project." " And you?" " Me?" " You." " What about me?" "Do you feel you're capable of writing about me?" "Yes, it's an honor." "l don't expect anything from you." "Tell me something, boy." "Have you ever truly loved a woman?" "How is that... lt's very relevant." "I asked you a question!" "But we are here to talk about your story." "I want to know if you ever loved a woman so much... that you felt you were able to fight time and space... to be with her for all time?" "I'm ... afraid I haven't ." "I want to know if you've ever suffered for love." "Not for an unrequited love, but for the powerlessness in face of fate." "For the impossibility to live such love and not even be able to breathe." "Because losing a great love is like having the floor taken from under you." "You float between the sky and the ground." "No..." "No, you don't have what it takes... to write about anyone because you haven't lived your life yet." "Go live your life, boy." "And give my regards to your publisher." "Hand this to the owner of this restaurant and pay the bill." "An autograph!" "?" "A privilege of famous people." "I don't need to carry money." "Could you take the time and sign the score of one... of your works for a friend of mine?" "That napkin is enough to pay the bill." "If I signed the score, you would buy the restaurant." "See?" "And don't buy such a cheap dye for your hair." "I can't take this any longer." "I can't take being your amusement any longer!" "Calm down, Laura, you are not my amusement." "But that's how I feel." "Like your pet, locked alone inside this house." "Always at your disposal and at the disposal of your geniality." "Oh great Maestro!" "I love you." "I truly love you." "But I don't want to live in your shadow anymore." "I don't want to spend all day long transcribing your wonderful scores." "While that other one on the spotlight, on magazine covers... as the cute little wife." "Oh, I get it." "You want to be the lovely wife." "I didn't say " lovely" ." "I said " cute" ." "I am a musician. I am." "But I'm also a woman." "A woman!" "I think you forget that sometimes." "Do you know what the worst thing is for a woman in love?" "Knowing that she will sleep alone while the man she loves is in bed... fucking another woman." "Yes, like you were just the other day with some untalented spalla... in a hotel and phoning me drunk in the early morning just to tell me so." "Precisely." "That was why I did it." "I did that so you would feel once what I feel everyday." "So that you'd remember I'm a woman." "A woman!" "Although you do remember that." "When you want to fuck me." "When you want to bang me." "Such a dirty mouth!" "If it is dirty, it's because I put your cock so many times in it." "Yes, you're definitely not cute wife material." "I doubt she does half the things I do." "I doubt it." "You're with her because it serves other reasons." " That's not true." " Yes, it is." "It's because of her name, her family." "Things I don't have:" "name or family." " That's not it." " Yes, it is." " lt's not." " lt is." " lt's guilt." " What guilt?" " lt's guilt." " Why guilt?" "I feel guilty because the day she had the accident I was here with you!" "She had asked me to drive her to her parents' home." "Good!" "I saved your ass." "You could've been there in the accident, with her." "I saved your ass and, in addition to that, she's alive." "But there was a child." "What do you mean, a child?" "" What do you mean, a child?" She was pregnant!" "A child?" "She was pregnant?" "You were going to have a child and didn't tell me?" "You kept that from me?" "How could you keep that from me?" "This is the only thing that matters to you, right?" "These scores that I transcribe for you all day long." "Don't do that, these are original scores." "Now you, the music and I have a blood pact." "We'll be together forever." "Don't..." "Doctor Guilherme!" "I'm curious about something:" "How many bones are there in the human body?" "As I've learned, 206 bones." "And that cigarette is bad for each one of them." "But you've known that for a long time." "By the way, give me a cigarette" "The last one?" "Yes, the last." "Thanks." "Yes, Doctor Guilherme... a smoking doctor, infecting his smock, stethoscope with bacteria... and seeing his patients afterwards." "That's what is bad for health." "What can I do?" "That's a habit I've had since we went to college." "College." "You think you're important because you went to many colleges." "I was here just now observing the garbage collector take the huge... amount of trash this hospital produces." "Hazardous waste!" "And I started to think he's more important than you, even if he didn't go to any college." "If he stops collecting it, we'll be exposed to terrible diseases... that you won't be able to cure." "I consider myself as important as him or as you, my noble Maestro." "But let's get to the point. I called you here because Laura is too weak." "There isn't much we can do about it." "I've been hearing that my whole life: " Not much to do."" "What about my money?" "The money I've put in your institution for so long?" "Look, Maestro, you are rich, you are famous." "And I know that money's not important to you." "Just as we know that it won't save you a place in heaven." "But that money of yours makes a difference for many people here." "If that's any consolation." "I don't want any consolation." "Let's get straight to the point." "How much time does she have?" "Look, I believe she has days." "A few days." "Do you want to see her?" "No, I can't handle that." "Lately, Laura has been obsessed... with that crazy and impossible idea that you both had." "No, it's not a crazy idea." "It's a pact we have." "And I have an agreement with you, Guilherme." "Wait, but that pact may be..." "No, it can't be broken." "I can sign a life long agreement of donation to your institution." "And I don't care what you do with the money." "If you want to take a cruise around the world, just do it." "If you want to invest it in cutting edge researches, you can do it." "But you have a pact, an agreement with me." "You owe me." "And when the time comes, you will pay me." "I'm sorry." "So, what is your fantasy?" "What kind of game is that now?" "lt's not a game." "Oh, it isn't !" "?" "Too bad, I thought it was." "Fine, so it's a game." "What's the prize?" "My heart." "l already have that." "l thought you had my body." "No, I want everything." "Everything or nothing." "So, what's your fantasy?" "l want you to tell me yours first." "Oh, I already know it:" "to have sex with two women." "Such a cliché!" "Oh, is it?" "I'll call my girl friend... and cancel the surprise I had prepared for you." "Don't cancel it." "Oh, no?" "It's a cliché!" "You know what:" "life is a cliché." "Living, loving, dying... lt's all cliché." "Just as both of us here like a teenage couple is a cliché." "And how is Raquel?" "Raquel is a forbidden subject." "But she must think this is all a cliché too." "She probably has her fantasies, her desires..." "No." "Raquel is asexual." "Raquel is an indifference." "Wow, that's sad!" "Yes, Raquel is sad." "I was talking about you." "Ok." "You know what I wish for?" "To conduct an orchestra while I'm naked." "Completely nude." "Just me and my baton." "Among those men, those respected musicians." "And me there, completely free." "Stop it." "Alone among them, naked." "Among those respected men." "And me, free, with my music." "Don't be so hard to get!" "Jesus!" "I adore you, you know." "Geez, such a religious thing to say." "Your body is my religion, making love to you is my liturgy." "You know what the problem with being a saint is?" "I don't hear the calling to be sacrificed at all." "Too bad the lamb isn't the one who chooses to be the victim." "It's the beast who chooses to sacrifice." "It's an honor to be able to talk about oneself." "Laura." "Raquel, can you hand me a napkin." "Raquel?" "Could you turn the light off?" "Thank you." "You're welcome." "Good morning, my Maestro." "That song..." "Beautiful, right?" "lt is!" "But it was in the score you tore apart." "I did tear it." "But I memorized every single note." "I know it all by heart here and here." "And I bet that if I miss a chord, I'll give you a blowjob." "I don't know if I want you to make a mistake... or to listen to the whole song." "As everything in your life, whatever the situation... whatever happens, you end up winning." "Maestro... I can't move my hands." "That's not funny." "I'm not kidding." "Stop that, stop fooling around." "I'm not kidding!" "Laura!" "I'm not kidding!" "I'd prepared a long list of people to thank... but I feel the urge to confess something." "Music is the silence between one note and the next." "And that silence is filled with life, meanings and feelings." "This work was possible... thanks to my relationship with the talented composer... who I believe should receive this award." "This prize is to Laura Martin." "Thank you very much." "Any questions, gentlemen?" "Maestro, how does it feel to get such an important award?" "The award is an overestimation." "Here, allow me to state that the awarded person is overestimated." "And can you tell us something about your next work?" "No." "Thank you." "It liked me, see?" "And I liked it too." "Always did prefer animals to people." "Actually, I always considered myself more animal than human." "There's something I've been meaning to ask you:" "Don't you think it's time you composed something for yourself?" "The best part of my work I lent to you, my dear Maestro." "Actually, I think I allowed you to steal them from me." "One by one." "You know how to hurt me, don't you?" "But I have a surprise for you." "I started composing a piece." "And when I'm done." "I'll dedicate it to you." "My master piece, somewhere between my heart and my thoughts." "I'm completely in love with you." "You even forget our age difference, don't you?" "I'm a mature woman, and you are a 13 year old boy." "That's how I feel most of the time when I see that silly face." "I'll always be a silly boy looking at you." "A silly boy." "A fool." "Silly." "Raquel, please!" "Raquel?" "Raquel, please help me." "What is she doing here?" "She is sick." "What is she doing here?" "She got sick all of a sudden." "I don't know what to do." "l need your help." "That's so disrespectful!" "It's not disrespectful." "She needs help." "I don't want to take her to just any place, ok?" "Why not?" "She needs to be close to me." "I'm done." "The cello part." "I can't play anymore... but the music is still alive inside me." "More than ever." "Laura." "Laura." "Raquel?" "Raquel?" "Raquel?" "Help me." "No, I can't help." "Raquel, help me." "No, I can't help, I won't help." "Look at me." "Look at me, Raquel." "She won't live much longer." "Help me, please." "We're going to be together in the end, like you always wanted." "Thank you." "All I wanted is for you to have for me... one percent of the love you have for her." "One percent." "I could kill you right now." "But God knows what He does." "I can wait." "Good morning, darling." "What's going on, Raquel?" "There's nothing going on." "Don't play with me." "What's going on?" "Nothing." "Everything is normal." "As perfect as it could be." "My husband doesn't love me." "Never did." "We practically have no more servants at home." "Ultimately, I am the servant here, right?" "My husband's mistress is sleeping in our bedroom... I'm sleeping in the guest room." "The day is beautiful." "Everything's normal." "Want some coffee?" "Thank you." "I need to go somewhere." "Please, take care of her." "For me." "Of course." "Excuse me." "Go." "Go away." "Hurry." "Laura?" "My little Laura?" "My little Laura?" "Alone at last!" "We're all alone here at home." "Just the girls." "My little girl." "You're so weak." "How did that happen?" "Haven't you been eating properly?" "How do you expect the wolf to want to eat you?" "How?" "If you died now, that would be the last sound you heard in your life." "My laughter." "But I'll do as I promised." "Ok?" "I'll take care of you." "I'll take care of you." "You're going to be my girlfriend." "Wait here a little bit." "Wait a little bit." "Hi!" "Hi?" "I am Erica." "How are you?" "Let's play?" "I love to play!" "Don't you wanna play with me?" "Don't you wanna be my friend?" "Be my friend, please!" "My friend." "Oh!" "Just stay here for a while." "Stay here, little Erica." "Hello." "Hi." "My name is..." "Laura." "How are you?" "Hello, Laura." "You can call me Maestro." "Hello, Maestro." "Do you want to fuck me?" "I'd love to." "But the thing is... I'm dead." "Pretty dead." "I'm dead." "See, Maestro?" "!" "Now we play." "I'll take care of you." "My little doll." "Come here." "Let's play pretty nicely, the way it should be." "My little girl will go a ball and will look really pretty." "Ok, look what I've got right here to make my girl pretty." "Let's start!" "You're gonna be beautiful." "And we're going to meet the prince at the ball." "Yes, we're going to be very pretty." "You are so young." "I hate how young you are." "I envy you." "I envy how young you are." "Come here." "Do you want... to be my daughter?" "Do you?" "Would you leave him?" "I'd take care of you." "I'll take good care of you!" "We'll keep each other company." "You won't be with him." "You'll be without him." "And you'll stay with me." "I'll take care of you." "Alright?" "Time to sleep." "Sleep, sleep my little daughter My innocent little angel" "Sleep, little one, to make mommy happy." "If this street were mine I would have them cover it" "With little diamond rocks" "So my love could walk on them" "In this street there's a forest" "That's called loneliness" "Laura?" "Laura, my dear?" "If you were a man," "would you want me?" "You are so lucky!" "If you die," "you won't see your physical beauty... die before your head." "Lucky you." "You are so lucky." "So lucky." "What is that?" "Are you insane?" "That's too disrespectful!" "Who are you to talk about respect?" "Why are you laughing?" "Who would imagine it?" "Who?" "That you'd find me in bed with the love of your life." "I would be the last person you'd imagine doing that." "I had forgotten the weight of your hand." "Had forgotten the texture of your skin." "Had forgotten your touch." "From now on, you can't get near her." "Understood?" "You can't get near her." "is that so?" "Who is going to take care of her, honey?" "Who will take care of her?" "You?" "You can't even take care of yourself?" "You will take care of her?" "I can take care of her." " Can you?" " l can." " Oh, yes?" " Yes." "Fine then." "You will take care of her." "Here, you will wash your loved one's clothes covered in shit." "Do you know who washes them?" "Who washes the shit from the... love of your life's clothes?" "It's me." "So you'll wash them now." "I'm leaving this house." "Don't." "l'm leaving." "We can not get apart right now." "You stay with your ghost." "You'll be alone and I'll leave." "There's too much at stake." "Don't go." " So she has to leave." " No." " She must go." " No, no." " Get her away from here." " No." "She can be a little while longer with us, you see?" "Do you see?" "She is lucky because she doesn't know who you are." "She doesn't know the man she loves." "She has no idea who you are." "I'll leave." "And you'll stay with her and take care of her." "Don't leave." "We're going to be together." "Raquel, please." "Do it for me." "You are pathetic." "Pathetic." "Pathetic." "Isn't it ironic?" "What is ironic, darling?" "I always saw myself as a force of nature." "And now only nature can help me." "Stop that." "You'll be fine." "No, I won't." "Come on." "Again." "Damn it." "Fine shape, Maestro." "Practice is the secret of everything." "I confess I was terrible." "No, you were not." "You played well." "But you can recognize who's better than you." "And I can recognize a good loser." "Juice?" "Juice." "First of all, congratulations for the brilliant concert in Vienna." "It was memorable." "Giuliano, I agreed to have you here, but that doesn't mean... I have time to waste." "So let's cut the chitchat and get straight to the point." "Well, Maestro, I don't even know where to start." "Start with the day you fucked Laura Martin." "The day you two went out." "What you did you do with her?" "What did she mean to you?" "You guys went out." "So?" "Maestro, I don't remember, it's been a long time. I was drunk." "Giuliano, we're having a guy talk." "How was it?" "Did she like it?" "Did she come?" "She complimented you?" "She fucked good?" "How was it?" "Please indulge me." "How was it?" "Tell me." "Maestro, what do you want to know?" "If it was doggy style, she was on top... if she was under me?" "As I've said, I don't know." "I was drunk." "I don't remember." "The only thing I do remember is she told me she came at least twice." "But I couldn't come myself, Maestro." "The thing is Laura is very strong, very controlling," "And I confess I can't adapt in bed with..." "Maestro, she used me." "She did what she wanted and threw me out," "And I stood there with no idea of what had happened." "That's it. lf you want to know more, you can ask her." "Very well. I know you have a request." "In return, I also have a request. ls that ok?" "If you agree with it..." "Well, as you know, a spot's just opened in..." "Maestro Strasberg's orchestra, who is a good friend of yours." "Not only a good friend, he's practically a brother to me." "I exert a huge influence on him." "Yes, I need..." "I mean, I'd like to be recommended, if you could do that." "Giuliano, you probably know there's a long line of candidates." "It's everything a young musician such as you can aspire to, right?" "I'll recommend you." "As long as you do me a favor." "Of course, Maestro." "I'll do anything you want." "Anything I ask?" "Anything." "Anything?" "Yes, sir." "I want you to have sex with my wife Raquel." "Excuse me, Maestro?" "Have sex with my wife." "Maestro, what kind of depravation is that?" "The kind you'll never forget." "Juice?" "Giuliano, I just don't understand why you invited me." "What am I doing here?" " Do you like the wine?" " lt's great." "So, what am I doing here?" "Let's say I need your advice about something." "You are a classy woman, used to great concerts... and will certainly be able to judge my qualities." "But not yet." "Thank you." "Look me in the eyes." "Cheers." "What are you doing?" "I told you I wanted to show you how talented I am." "Stop that!" "What are you doing?" "If you want to get a woman or anything in your life, at least act like a real man." "I'm sorry." "It's just that I..." "I am a fraud." "What do you mean?" "Talent." "I'm not talented." "I'm rich." "Always had money, the best instruments... the best courses, the best teachers." "But there is one thing money can't buy:" "Talent." "Talent." "Everybody has talent." "Everybody." "But you have to look for it." "Tell me, what is yours?" "Mine?" "Mine is..." "My talent... is to tolerate crying musicians." "Grown men who turn into babies in front of me." "That's my talent." "Can I ask you a favor?" "What?" "If the Maestro asks you if we slept together..." "The Maestro?" "What do you mean?" "This evening was his idea." "What?" "I asked him to do me a favor and..." "And in exchange he wanted me and you to... me and you..." "You know." "No. I dont know." "Raquel, he wanted me and you..." "Us to... I can assure you that whatever you asked him, you'll get it." "As to what he asked you to do, now I am the one..." "who wants it." "Leave him and be with me." "I'll take care of you." "Just the two of us." "You didn't have a mother, I didn't have a child." "I never had a daughter..." "You could be my daughter." "Then I would take care of you everyday." "Why am I here?" "You promised me." "Now be strong and keep your promise." "Are you sure you want to go through with it?" "I promised her, Guilherme." "What does that matter now?" "She is dead anyway." "Alright, alright. I'm only doing it because... you are her only friend." "Actually, you're the only family she has." "We can't forget you are the main donator this institution has." " And, above all, you're my friend." " Enough, enough, enough." "Enough!" "You'd do it even if you didn't have to." "That's human nature, Guilherme." "Are you sure about it, Maestro?" "Who are you?" "Sir, I must take her inside now." "She will take a bath, her medicine and get some rest." "Sir?" "Do you believe in God?" "Yes, why?" "Aren't you afraid to pay too high a price for what you did?" "My friend, when Laura got sick, God closed His eyes on us." "I'm sure He isn't seeing any of this." "I guarantee it." "She came to for a moment and asked for you." "Then, she locked herself, didn't want to see anybody..." "She doesn't want to eat anything." "I put her in an exclusive room, as you requested." "My God!" "Laura, Laura?" "She's strange, sir." "Violent." "She lost it." "I've deposited a huge amount of money in your account today." "No, I don't even know why I accepted to do it." "I never did anything like that in my life." "I understand. I know." "It is an once in a lifetime work." "Only an artist such as you will be able to accomplish that task." "I know that money will help you." "Even if it weren't for the money." "I'll do it." "My friend." "My dear Maestro, in your life, I was but a shadow." "And when I'm no longer around, I hope my absence will follow you around and haunt your nights." "And that when unable to sleep, may you not find the right notes... for they'll be there, but you won't have me to show you where." "If I were, I'd ask you if you really believe you were... the one who created the works you take credit for." "But that won't be necessary." "You and I know the answer is "no."" "Just as it's not your last name that you use... it's not your family in the photos that decorate your house... and it's not your empty smile on the covers of magazines... and newspapers that portray you." "The talent, which is not yours either, lies with me." "What's left for you?" "To cry over my death and how unfortunate you are." "Ultimately, may my death take over the mediocrity of a... loveless and untalented life." "Here's where l die; but you died before I did." "It's over then?" "May she rest in peace." "And may we live in peace." "Try to forget." "Try to forget." "Try." "Life goes on and so does your art." "Your art will go on too." "Try to forget." "He's mine." "He's mine." "He's mine." "I'm glad you came to an agreement." "I mean, you and the Publisher." "I'm sure we'll write a book that matches your significance." "Contact Raquel, my wife, and she'll tell you very interesting stories about me." "She will be very pleased to do it." "Because I confess that I have none." "Good. I'm sure she's the one who knows the best stories." "You two make such a beautiful couple.... such a long time together." "Maestro, I saw that piano in your house... lt has such a special color and texture." " Did you touch the keys?" " That's what I'm talking about." "That piano has a very special story." "When I started my studies, I was very poor." "And I dreamed about having a small apartment with a piano to develop... my stories, my music." "And that seemed impossible." "I barely had money to eat properly." "I went to a bakery near the conservatory, where there was a lady that I believe liked me very much... and must have listened some comment I made about that... and told me that there was an apartment for sale nearby." "And that whoever bought it would take its piano for free." "Wow!" "Funny. I had no money to eat... or rent an apartment, I'd surely had no money to buy one." "But a strange force led me to that apartment." "Luck?" "Fate?" "Do you believe in that sort of thing?" "Anyway." "There I found out the apartment had belonged... to a former piano teacher, who took real good care of it." "She left it to her inheritors, who were greedy ignorant, and wanted to get rid of the apartment to make money." "Then, I made an offer." "I said that I would pay for the apartment in two months." "Why did you do that?" "Were you bluffing?" "No, I wasn't bluffing." "The thing is those greedy and ignorant people didn't realize... that the piano right there, in perfect condition... was a rare Pleyel, that was much more than the apartment." "Wow!" "So I sold that piano and used the money to buy the apartment... and pay for my studies." "Years later, my fame and success allowed me to buy the piano back." "I kept it for a while." "And recently found an artisan who crafted the keys the way I wanted." "And about that score?" "Do you know music?" "Sure." "Maestro, who is Laura?" "Who is or who was?" "I'm sorry, Maestro, I couldn't help but reading the name in the score:" ""Requiem for Laura" ." "Laura doesn't exist." "I invented her." "How many bones are there in the human body?" "You'd do it even if you didn't have to. lt's human nature." "I don't know if human bones can generate white keys as good as ivory." "I've never done that." "Nobody has ever done that." "That's what I told you, it's an once in a lifetime work."