Corinna's first lesson

John stood up and strode slowly around the desk to increase the tension. Corinna looked towards him. It was obvious that this pause in utter silence made her nervous, if not a little anxious. What was he up to, she wondered.

He stopped directly in front of her and looked down. He towered over her by more than a head and had his eyebrows knitted tightly together. He hissed in a menacingly quiet, icy tone:

"Apparently you never learned that discipline is a prerequisite for an orchestral musician. Well, then I guess it falls to me to teach you that."

She blinked and all the color had drained from her face. She insecurely looked up at him but didn't say a word.

"I'm going to teach you a lesson now that I hope you will keep in your mind and that will always remind you who's the boss in the hall. It's the conductor. And when he raises the baton, all your attention goes to him, and you obey his every command. Do you understand that?"

She nodded lamely.

"Is that clear?" he shouted in her face.

"Yes, maestro," she replied hastily.

"Good," he said in his normal voice again, "then we will start practicing this here and now. Now listen carefully, because I'm only going to say this once: if I get even the slightest impression that you're not on the ball, or if you don't obey on the spot, you'll be thrown out of the orchestra in a high arc. Do you understand?"

"Yes, maestro."

"And you want to remain a member of the orchestra, don't you?"

"Definitely, maestro."

"Very well, then, to your first lesson."

He turned to the desk and was about to pick up his conductor’s baton, but then changed his mind and instead reached for a long, wooden ruler. Then he pulled one of the visitor's chairs into the middle of the room and sat down on it. The delinquent’s eyes followed his every movement with concern and concentration.

He adjusted himself in the chair and spread his legs a little so that he could stand securely. Once he had prepared himself, he fixed his gaze on the waiting timpanist and slapped his thighs with the flat of his hand.

"Lie down with your upper body here!"

She widened her eyes and shook her head. John furrowed his brow.

"Apparently you still don't understand who's the master here. That's a great pity. Because I guess that means I'll have to invest a lot more effort to make you understand. COME HERE!"

He shouted the last two words and accompanied them with a loud slap on his leg. The sharp sound made the musician flinch. She finally started to move and came closer, her head hanging down.