Maya listened as Sam read more comments. About half of them were defending her and saying Victor was wrong to be so cruel. But the other half agreed with Victor that blind people could not be professional classical pianists. Some people said even worse things than Victor had said.
"This is terrible," Maya said. "Now everyone thinks I'm just some silly girl with impossible dreams."
"That's not true," Sam said firmly. "Lots of people are on your side. Look, this comment says: 'I'm a music teacher and I think that pianist is completely wrong. Some of the best musicians in history have been blind. This girl should keep following her dreams.'"
But Maya was not listening to the positive comments anymore. She was only hearing the negative ones. People were saying she was delusional. They were saying she should find a more realistic hobby. They were saying that classical music was too difficult for someone with a disability.
Maya's parents came home from work that evening, and they had heard about the video, too. Her co-workers at the cleaning company had shown it to her mother during their lunch break. Maya's father had seen it when someone at the factory was watching it on their phone.
"Maya, sweetie," her mother said gently, "maybe this is a sign that you should think about other interests. There are so many things you're good at besides piano."
"You're very smart," her father added. "You could learn computers or work in an office. Those are steady jobs that would give you a good life."
Maya felt like everyone was against her now. Even her own parents thought Victor Holbrook was right. Maya went to her room and closed the door. She lay on her bed and cried for the first time since she was a little girl.
The next day, Maya did not want to go to the community center to practice piano. For the first time in five years, she stayed home instead. She told herself that maybe everyone was right. Maybe she had been fooling herself all this time. Maybe blind people really could not become professional pianists.
But staying away from the piano felt wrong. Music had been the most important part of Maya's life for so long. Without it, she felt empty and lost. Maya tried to read a book, but she could not concentrate. She tried to listen to the radio, but even her favorite songs made her sad now.
Mrs. Rodriguez, Maya's music teacher at the community center, called Maya that evening. Mrs. Rodriguez was a kind older woman who had been helping Maya learn music theory for the past two years. She had heard about what happened at the concert.