Chapter 20: Control

The premise of control is but an illusion and obtainable only at great cost.
The true secret of control is free, one must only learn to let go to fly.

A Fool's Book of Wisdom

Christine burst through the back door of the cottage and breezed into the kitchen with Erik following close behind her.

"Helen! Helen! We have wonderful news! Where are you? Helen?"

Erik smiled as he softly closed the door and leaned against the door jamb, waiting for the scene before him to unfold. The old woman tottered into the kitchen and huffed.

"By the Goddess! What is all this ruckus about? What on earth are you on about, child? News ... what news? You could not possibly have eloped. I did not leave the two of you alone long enough for that, so come, Christine. What is your news?"

The young woman blushed deeply while at the same time, she grinned impishly.

"No! We did nothing of the sort, Madame! But, Erik has offered to act as my vocal instructor. Is that not wonderful news?"

The rictus of wrinkles that surrounded the hole that was Helen's mouth, turned up in a smile.

"That is truly astonishing news." The old woman turned her eyes to the man in the doorway. "So, Erik, what brought about this sudden change of heart? I thought that after turning away the lucrative offer from that young man in Melbourne, nothing would ever entice you into teaching."

Erik cocked an eyebrow.

"Young man? Melbourne? Oh! You mean, Frederick Matthias Alexander¹. Well, I did not turn him down. He and I did not see eye-to-eye on some of the specifics I developed and decided to part ways. I helped him as far as he allowed by telling him why he experienced so many problems with his voice. He did not require a vocal teacher; he needed to reeducate himself in the area of his entire body's posture. He needed to learn primary control. I brought to his attention ways he held his head and neck when he attempted to project his voice. I showed him with mirrors and told him he needed to rid himself of these compressive movements. However, I believe that having someone make the corrections for the subject is most likely more effective. By electing to reeducate himself, Monsieur Alexander most likely requires substantially more time than if he received assistance. You see, the only time he can properly observe his body is while using at least two mirrors and he cannot do this while he is on the stage performing. Without the mirrors, he most likely will fall back on his dysfunctional habits and once again lose his voice..."

He cleared his throat and blushed as he noticed Christine's befuddled expression and Helen's smirk.

"I apologize, but I believe that this method of training can help more than actors and vocalists. It could help persons suffering from neck and back pain, perhaps, even asthma. It really is quite revolutionary. I implemented the techniques and noticed an improvement in my bowing of the violin."

He gazed deeply into Christine's eyes and murmured.

"While observing you, I have not seen much that needs correcting, but you do have a habit of tensing your jaw and biting your lip. Once you unlearn these habits, I believe the improvement of your voice's resonance will astound you. That is ... if you will allow me."

Christine cocked her head and bit her lip. Erik laughed and she pouted.

"Of course, I will allow you. What must I do?"

He grinned wickedly and at the same time, he began to blush.

"That is the beauty of this technique. You do not need to do anything. I observe you and then make corrections using verbal and manual guidance."

She frowned.

"What do you mean by manual guidance?"

Helen snorted and it was Erik's turn to look uncomfortable. He shifted his feet nervously and the words tumbled and stammered out of his mouth.

"Well, you must lie down ... fully clothed, of course, on a board and I explain the corrections as I perform them. You must execute the corrections in your mind only. I quite understand how strange this sounds, but it does work..."

Christine cut off his words.

"Erik, I trust you. You do not need to convince me."

The young man sighed in relief as the young woman slid into his welcome embrace. He nuzzled her neck with his lips and she giggled. Helen rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Somehow, I do not believe that manual guidance is an intelligent activity for either one of you to indulge. I believe manual activity actually becomes hazardous activity where the two of you are concerned, but I will withhold my final opinion on the matter until after the first couple of lessons. Now, Erik, cease your nibbling on that girl's neck! She is not for supper and I need her to have her wits about her so she may help me prepare our meal for tonight. Otherwise, we all go hungry. I know! If you have so much excess energy, perhaps you could work it off by splitting some logs for the fire. The bin in the parlor is empty and I noticed that the wood pile is dwindling fast. Now, get! You know where the axe is, boy. Go make yourself useful and keep out of trouble!"

The women laughed merrily as they began to busy themselves about the kitchen. Helen paused only long enough to shoo Erik outside and close the kitchen door behind him with a soft thump.

◊ ○ ◊ ○ ◊

"He really is quite an amazing person ... for a man, you know." The old woman commented quietly.

"Oui, from the moment we first met, I have known he is special." Christine mumbled in a husky murmur.

Helen laughed. The glorious sound caused Christine's head to whip around and stare in surprise.

"What?"

Merry ice blue eyes met confused warm brown ones. The young woman tilted her head slightly and her eyes looked to a place Helen could not see. After a few moments of silence, Christine's gaze returned to Helen and she smiled shyly.

"I do believe that both of you are very special, Tante² Helen."

Shocked, the old woman turned away to hide the flood of emotion that threatened to spill from her brimming eyes. She quickly blinked back the tears and cleared her throat.

"Well, it seems that it must be something about this cottage as it seems to me that all of the people living in it are special."

She paused and turned to watch Christine as she awkwardly chopped carrots.

"Enough of this foolish blathering, child! Oh, merde! Take care and mind your fingers! That knife is wicked sharp! It would be a shame for you to lose one or two while you daydream. And, by the by, if you tell Erik what I said, I will forever deny it."

Christine giggled and smirked at the old woman.

"I solemnly promise that I will never ever tell. We women need to stick together. After all, men do not need to know everything about us. It will remain our secret."

Her grin faded as she regarded the knife with a disgusted frown.

"Tante? Can you teach me how to use this thing? I worked as an upstairs maid. Mostly, I gathered the dirty bed linens and soiled clothes then brought them to the laundress. Sometimes, I would help make beds. When I was not busy with those duties, I had to help the scullery maid with the dirty pots and pans."

She set down the knife on the counter and displayed her rough, red hands to Helen.

"These hands know only how to strip beds, carry dirty laundry and scrub pots. I never used a knife before today. Well, not for chopping anyway ... oh, you know what I mean."

The young woman's voice trailed off and Helen noticed Christine's face had taken on an embarrassed flush. Without a word, Helen stopped stirring the stew and placed down the spoon. She waddled over to Christine and took the knife into her hand.

"I would be honored to show you, ma petite. Watch me. It is quite simple. There is no secret to using a knife other than this ... let the knife do the work. This knife is quite sharp. Most people cut themselves with knives because the blade is dull and they have to force the knife to cut. With a properly sharpened knife, the blade does the work. All you have to do is guide the food to the blade, the knife remains in the same spot. You never hold the food, but push it. See? You raise and lower the knife as you push the food across the cutting board. There! All done! Would you like to watch me do that again?"