The Music of Orpheus

Orrin suddenly realized that he might be out of his league being with a woman like Jessica from a wealthy family. They would never accept him, a guitar playing janitor, but when Jessica put her arms around him and they kissed again, she said, "I think I am falling in love with you."

"Well, I'm already in love with you," he said. "But you knew that didn't you."

"Not really," she said, "but when you played the music you wrote for me, I knew what you felt. I have to admit, I was surprised and had no idea but your music stole my heart. I know that sounds corny and I feel like a silly school girl, but you swept me off of my feet. That's why I came to the café tonight. I have never felt anything like this before."

"But you have a boyfriend, don't you?" Orrin asked.

"Yes, that might present a problem, but I have a feeling that Allen will be history. I don't know what will happen with you and me, but right now I know I want to make love to you."

She took his hand and they walked into her bedroom. She put her arms around Orrin and he held her close, feeling her breasts crushed against his chest. They stood in front of her bed embracing, kissing, their tongues touching, dancing, swirling. She pulled him down on top of her as they fell to the bed, Orrin between her legs which were wrapped around his body, their bodies grinding and humping through their jeans, his hardness bulging against her, until she pushed him onto his back and she was on top straddling him, kissing him, humping harder until they could no longer stand it and he pushed her onto her back, kneeling over her, unbuttoning her jeans, his cock throbbing, until she took over, unzipping and he stood up rushing to take off his jeans while she squirmed out of hers, removing her black thong, her white pleasant blouse, her breasts covered by a white bra, which Orrin lifted, and started kissing then licking her hardened nipples, his hands rubbing her other breast, causing her to arch her back wanting him to enter her, breathing, gasping, "Oh please, I want you. I need you," her urgent words brought his hand to his cock, bringing the head to her dripping entrance, moving it up and down her wetness then thrusting, entering her, inching his way deeper, her tightness gripping him as the thrilling sensation of her warm wetness pulsed against his hardness, causing him to withdraw and thrust harder and harder, her moaning sounds like music to his ears exciting him, inspiring him to thrust harder and faster and deeper, while she arched her back wanting more and more, their bodies moving together faster and faster, his thrusting harder and harder, their sounds growing louder and louder, her body tensing, trembling, "Cum in me. I'm safe. Oh please, please, I want it all" and he thrust again and again harder and harder and just as she convulsed, her whole body quivering, shaking, shuddering, her screaming, "Oh my God." bringing him closer to exploding, her pussy gripping his swelling cock, his orgasm rising, his voice growing louder, "I'm cumming, I'm cumming and suddenly his thrusts exploded shooting hot gushes of his cum into her overflowing pussy, his whole body writhing in an intense overwhelming orgasm that sent thrilling waves rolling though him, each thrust causing her to scream louder, her spasms growing more intense, her screaming becoming sobbing bringing tears to her eyes, her orgasms more intense than any she had ever experienced and when he collapsed on her, the soothing warmth of his cum filling her, her arms and legs wrapped around him keeping him deep in her, wanting to possess him, wanting him to never leave her body, both unable to move, as they lay there, panting, gasping, their hearts beating bringing a closeness like nothing either had ever known before. In that moment, both knew the bond of love that had entered their lives was deep, a gift from the gods to be cherished.

In the after glow as Jessica lay with her head on Orrin's shoulders, her body half on his, her leg over his body, they didn't speak wallowing in the warmth and peace of knowing they had found what both had been longing for. At that moment, the difference in their lives, Orrin a janitor whose life was music and Jessica, the daughter of wealthy parents living in a luxurious high rise apartment didn't enter their minds.

The next day was Saturday and they spent the day together talking over breakfast, made love again, took a walk through the park, sitting again on the bench by the pond where they had shared their first kiss. Later, back in her apartment, Orrin practiced while Jessica read, lying on the couch across from him, but also unable to stop looking over at him playing with his eyes closed, looking up at the ceiling.

While he was playing, her cell phone rang and Orrin heard her say, "Oh, hello, Allen," and she went into the other room to talk and not disturb his playing, but Orrin wondered what would happen, would she say they had to talk, would he become history and he stopped playing suddenly feeling painful pangs that he would lose her and closed his eyes suddenly feeling vulnerable thoughts, wondering how someone like Jessica could have a relationship with someone as poor and he was.

When she came back into the room, she came over to Orrin, kissed his head, his cheek and told him, she was going to meet Allen tonight that he had tickets for a concert at the Academy of Music. She then told Orrin, she really wanted to come to the café and hear him play again but couldn't get out of this date.

Orrin looked away, feeling his fear of losing her rise in him. He put down his guitar and walked to the big window over looking the city. She came to him and put her arms around him, pressing her body against his back then kissed the back of his neck and his shoulder. Orrin was confused, disturbed until Jessica said, "I'm going to tell him tonight that she wants to end their relationship."

Orrin turned to face her. Their eyes met and she could see the tears in his eyes. She reached and touched the tear on his cheek then kissed him. "I love you, Orrin, you have nothing to worry about. I don't know what will happen with us but right now, I know I only want to be with you."

Orrin swallowed, loving the touch of her finger wiping the tear, loving the words he was hearing, how she smiled and could not believe that this was happening to him, that the woman he loved was saying what he wanted to hear. All he knew was he wanted to play music because what he felt was beyond words.

And that is what happened. Just before closing, Jessica came into the café and sat at the same table in the corner. Orrin didn't see her at first because he was playing with his eyes closed but when he saw her smile at him, looking lovely in a black dress cut low, a pearl necklace on her throat, her dangling earrings, her long dark hair, his heart leaped and the music he played was light, happy, sweet and she could hear what he was saying to her through the delicate sounds that came from his guitar. It was the music he felt when she told him she only wanted to be with him.

Months passed. Orrin had quit his job as a janitor and devoted his time to his music, practicing, composing, most times at Jessica's apartment but he still loved his small room on the third floor of Mrs. Rose's house. He didn't require much money and the tips he made at the café came to over a hundred dollars for Friday and Saturday. The café started serving brunch on Sundays and he started playing for a few hours over brunch but then he decided he also wanted to be a street musician. He wanted to play his music at different places around the city. He didn't want to get an agent and play concerts in theaters or fancier clubs than Mama's Café, although many people who listened to him said he could be famous if he wanted to.

He liked playing in the park during the day when there were a lot of people strolling and they would stop and listen, tossing coins or dollar bills into his open guitar case. He loved when children stopped playing and came to listen and he would open his eyes and look at them as they stared at his long finger nails plucking the strings, his other hand moving rapidly up and down the guitar, creating his unique mixture of classical and jazz. All ages stopped to listen--old men, young men, girls with torn jeans, black men and women snapped their fingers, bopped their heads when he played more bluesy music but there would be silence when he played Vivaldi or his version of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, or music that Paganni wrote for the lute.

A newspaper story was written about him which brought more people to the park to listen and he often made forty or fifty dollars a day playing for the crowds that gathered around his bench and he liked to think this beautiful spot by the pond where he and Jessica first kissed was his theater and he didn't want more.

Jessica's parents were furious with her for breaking up with Allen because they knew he had a promising career as a lawyer and her father wanted them to get married and become a partner in his firm, but they were even more upset when they met Orrin by accident, stopping by uninvited on a Saturday morning and saw his long hair, his worn jeans and found out he was a street musician, a guitar player, a bum they shouted at Jessica questioning her sanity and threatening to take away her apartment if she continued this ridiculous relationship.

Orrin did not know what to say or do to comfort Jessica when she had the huge blow up with her parents. He didn't want her to lose her apartment or be so pressured by her parents, but she reassured Orrin that she didn't give a damn about the apartment, she wanted him in her life and nothing but her love for him mattered.

Orrin's music became even more beautiful, happier, lighter, and listeners smiled when they listened, but sometimes when he thought of losing her, his music was filled with sadness and he could see by the look on peoples' faces as he played that they felt what his music expressed. With Jessica in his life, he had never been happier or more creative and their days together taking walks, cooking, bike riding, making love sometime with abandon and wildness other times, sweet and tender, expressing the depth of their love.

One day after playing music in the park, he decided to surprise Jessica and go to her office with flowers. He hadn't been in there for at least six months because it reminded him of his days as a janitor, but on an impulse he walked into her office and saw she wasn't at her desk. He saw Gloria crying.

"What's wrong?" Orrin asked. "Where's Jessica?"

"It's horrible," Gloria said wiping tears from her eyes. "Jessica's in the hospital. She was hit by a car when she was at lunch. The guy was drunk. She's in a coma at Jefferson Hospital. It's pretty serious."

Orrin was stunned. He dropped the flowers and dashed out of the office and ran the five blocks to Jefferson Hospital. He ran carrying his guitar case as quickly as he could, found out what room she was in and felt panic as he waited for the elevator. When he found her room and saw her with tubes in her nose, her eyes closed, the nurse taking her pulse, he ran to her bed side. Just then the doctor came in and Orrin asked how is she, what's going on, will she live?

He was told it was very serious. Her leg, her pelvis, severe fractures, head injuries, she'll be in intensive care for quite awhile.

"Will she live?" Orrin asked.

"I don't know," the doctor said. "It's very serious. She's in a deep coma. She won't even know you are here."

Orrin went to her bedside and leaned over to kiss her, feeling her dry cold lips. He held one the one hand that did not have a needle in its vein. He could tell she was hardly breathing and just looked at her closed eyes, her pale face, her hair draped on the pillow.

He couldn't take his eyes from her, seeing his beautiful Jessica in a coma, hoping she wasn't fading and didn't know what he would do if she died and was no longer in his life. He remembered Paul telling him how he felt when his wife died, how he mourned and never stopped loving her. He remembered the story of Orpheus and how his pleading music inspired Persephone and Hades to release Eurydice from the underworld and how Orpheus almost brought her back but then lost her when he looked back to see if she was there.

Orrin glanced down at his guitar case and suddenly wanted to play his music for her, hoping somehow she would hear his longing for her, his wanting her to be well and took his guitar from his case. He stood by her bed, closed his eyes and started to play softly, feeling his heart sending music to his fingers, as he touched the strings, wishing his music could somehow bring Jessica out of her coma and back to his life. Somehow he felt the coma was like Eurydice in the underworld and he was Orpheus playing to the gods to give him one more chance to have his love with him where she belonged and they would to return to the sweet days, the blue skies, the warm sun, the green fields where they loved to roam and embrace, make love and hear their ecstatic sounds fill the air.

He looked down at her closed eyes as he played. The music was gentle, delicate, each note filled with his pleading for her to hear and see him standing there. His fingers moved gently, then with more passion, more intensity wanting to reach her, he closed his eyes as he played and then opened them and saw her eye lashes flicker, saw a slight movement and then she slowly opened eyes and looked up at him, their eyes met and lingered, he thought he saw a small smile on her lips and his playing grew louder, his fingers, moving faster, he played chords he had never played before when suddenly he heard shouting behind him and a nurse and two orderlies came in said he had to stop playing.

Orrin kept playing, looking at Jessica's eyes, ignoring the nurse telling him to stop playing, but the two orderlies grabbed him, making him stop playing and roughly pulled him from the room shouting "This is a hospital. You can't make noise here."

Orrin struggled to break loose. "Leave me alone. My music is helping her," but it was too late. They pushed him against the wall. One of the orderlies went in and grabbed his guitar case and took his guitar and said he had to leave or they would call the police.

Before he left, he looked back in the room and saw Jessica'eyes were closed. He wished he could play for her but knew what would happen. He would be forced to leave. When he went back to see her the next day, she was not there. He was told she had died. They were sorry but there was nothing they could do.

Orrin was devastated. He didn't know what to do. He walked around the city unable to believe that the love of his life was gone. He continued to play at Mama's Café but his music was now so sad and mournful that people stopped listening. Julie knew what had happened to Jessica but told him he had to play lighter music or she could no longer have him play.

He understood and knew he had to find a way to play music that touched people and made them feel better, not sad, not music of loneliness and death. Gradually, he remembered the night they first kissed in the park, the nights they made love, the way she wiped the tears from his cheek, the way her smile melted his heart. He knew Jessica would not want him to be so sad and it was the memory of their love that let him close his eyes, see her face and know he would always play his beautiful music for her.