The Schooldays of Jesus by Coetzee J. M

Author:Coetzee, J. M. [Coetzee, J. M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Philosophy
ISBN: 9781911215363
Amazon: B01NB0J23G
Goodreads: 29959887
Publisher: Random House
Published: 2016-08-01T07:00:00+00:00

The Academy of Singing is a very different place from the Academy of Dance. Housed in an elegant glass-fronted building, it is situated on a leafy square in the most expensive quarter of the town. He and David are ushered into the office of señora Montoya, the vice-principal, who greets them coolly. Following the closure of the Academy of Dance, she informs him, the Academy of Singing has received a small flood of applications from ex-students. David’s name can be added to the list, but his prospects are not favourable: preference will be given to the applicants who have had formal instruction in music. Furthermore, he, Simón, should take note that fees at the Academy of Singing are considerably higher than at the Academy of Dance.

‘David took music lessons with señor Arroyo himself,’ he says. ‘He has a good voice. Will you not give him a chance to prove himself? He excelled at dancing. He could excel at singing too.’

‘Is that what he wants to be in life: a singer?’

‘David, you heard the señora’s question. Do you want to be a singer?’

The boy does not reply, but stares evenly out of the window.

‘What do you want to do with your life, young man?’ asks señora Montoya.

‘I don’t know,’ says the boy. ‘It depends.’

‘David is six years old,’ says he, Simón. ‘One can’t expect a six-year-old to have a life plan.’

‘Señor Simón, if there is one trait that unites all students at our Academy, from the youngest to the oldest, it is a passion for music. Do you have a passion for music, young man?’

‘No. Passions are bad for you.’

‘Indeed! Who told you that—that passions are bad for you?’

‘Inés.’

‘And who is Inés?’

‘Inés is his mother,’ he, Simón, intervenes. ‘I think you misunderstood Inés, David. She was referring to physical passion. A passion for singing is not a physical passion. Why don’t you sing for señora Montoya, so that she can hear what a good voice you have? Sing that English song you used to sing to me.’

‘No. I don’t want to sing. I hate singing.’

He takes the boy to visit the three sisters on their farm. They are as warmly received as ever, and treated to little iced cakes and Roberta’s home-made lemonade. The boy sets off on a circuit of the stables and the stalls, reacquainting himself with old friends. During his absence he, Simón, relates the story of the interview with señora Montoya. ‘A passion for music,’ he says: ‘imagine asking a six-year-old whether he has a passion for music. Children may have enthusiasms but they can’t yet have passions.’

He has grown to like the sisters. To them he feels he can pour out his heart.

‘I have always thought the Academy of Singing a rather pretentious institution,’ says Valentina. ‘But they have high standards, there is no doubt about that.’

‘If by some miracle David were to be admitted, would you be prepared to assist with his fees?’ He repeats the figure he has been given.

‘Of course,’ says Valentina without hesitation.

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