Chapter 10
The New Year brought with it another recital that would be performed at the Kaufman Concert Hall to a larger audience. I practiced for hours and hours after the Emporium closed each day, pounding away on the same piano Mr. Cutler had first given me permission to practice on when I started working for him. I had advanced beyond my wildest dreams in the six months since starting my lessons at The School of Musical Arts. Ms. Thompson had pushed me as hard as she could and I had written a number of songs she’d allowed me to incorporate into my program. But for this recital, I would be playing “Rachmaninoff’s No. 3, D Minor.”
I had invited Mara and Daniel to come listen to me play this time, but when I walked out on stage, there sat Blake Holbrook next to Mara. I took my seat at the piano and composed myself. Once I began to play, like Ms. Thompson had told me, everything else around me disappeared and all that mattered was the music. I loved Rachmaninoff’s piece, so I leaned into the piano and played my heart out. The room erupted when I finished and that’s when I caught Blake gazing at me with admiration in his eyes. I floated off the stage on cloud nine.
Mara, Daniel, and Blake appeared backstage. Mara hugged me. “Your playing almost brought me to tears, my friend. That was amazing!”
Then Blake stepped forward and actually hugged me as he said, “I couldn’t believe I was listening to little Anna Louise Armstrong playing at such a high level. You’re becoming an accomplished pianist. I would love to sit down and play with you sometime.”
“Oh,” I said, moved by Blake’s words, “but I have a long way to go. I’m only halfway through my program with Ms. Thompson.”
“We’re both still students. But that doesn’t mean we can’t play together.” Blake smiled at me with his brilliant blue eyes and winked at me.
“Do you really mean it?” I asked, feeling my face grow warm.
“He means it, Anna Louise,” Mara said in her most persuasive voice.
“I’ve got your phone number. I’ll be calling you.” Blake waved as he left, making his way out of the hall.
I screeched and hugged Mara. Blake Holbrook thought I was becoming an accomplished pianist.
“Grandpa Cutler would be so proud of you,” Daniel chimed in. “But let’s get out of here.”
Daniel’s words touched my heart. Tears started to fill my eyes, but I replied, “Yes, let’s get out of here.
~ ~ ~
I hadn’t seen Savannah since Christmas Day and was feeling guilty, so I bundled up and scurried out to the sweet shop in SoHo to buy her a treat, then hailed a cab for the Morgan Stanley Hospital to spend some time with her.
It was Sunday afternoon, so most of the children were off somewhere with their parents. Savannah was alone in her room, playing games on her tablet.
“Hi, there,” I said, pulling the bag of goodies out from behind my back. “Lollipop, anyone?”
Savannah gazed up and gave me a half-hearted smile. “Thank you,” she replied, taking the bag. “Anna Louise, my cast comes off tomorrow, and then it won’t be long before I’ll have to leave the hospital. I just know it.”
“Has anyone told you where you might be going once you leave the hospital?”
“No. And that’s why I’m starting to get scared.” Savannah finally looked inside of the bag and pulled out a cherry, banana, and blueberry swirled lollipop.
“How about if we go down to the children’s room and play together on that white baby grand piano the hospital has in there?”
“I don’t know how to play,” Savannah said, taking the candy out of her mouth.
“I’ll show you how. We can play ‘Chopsticks’ together. You can play with your right hand while I play with my left.”
She smiled and slipped off the edge of the bed, setting her bag of treats on the hospital stand. Grabbing her robe, she said, “Let’s go.”
“Just a minute, Savannah. I need to let your nurse know where we’re going.” I took her hand in mine.
As we strolled into the playroom, there was no one around, so Savannah and I sat down at the piano and I showed her how to use the finger on her right hand to play “Chopsticks” while I used my left finger. She laughed and laughed as we tried to get it right, both of us playing when we should. After a few more tries, we sounded pretty good together. When I noticed Savannah getting tired, I stood and made a sweeping bow to her. She laughed as she stood up and slipped her hand into mine again and led me back to her room. Before I left, I said, “I’ll be back tomorrow to see if the doctor took your cast off. How would that be?”
“I’d like that. I think Beth and Ashley will be here tomorrow, too.” Savannah’s pretty blue eyes lit up. “Ashley wants to see what my arm looks like without the cast. She’s never seen me without it. You’re the only one who has.”
“I certainly have. Maybe the doctor would save your cast for you. It has everyone’s name on it: Ashley’s, Beth’s, mine, Mara’s, the other children, the nurses, and even your doctors.”
“Can they really do that? I’d love to have my cast to take with me when I leave the hospital.”
“Sure they can. I’ll mention it to your nurse.” I gave Savannah a big hug and as I was about to walk out the door, Savannah’s nurse walked in to check on her.
“Hi, Libby,” I said. “Savannah would like the doctor to save her cast so she can take it with her when she leaves the hospital. Is that possible?”
“I’ll make sure the doctor knows that Savannah wants to take her cast with her when she leaves.”
“Thank you,” I said as I waved goodbye to Savannah.
In the cab on the way home, my phone rang. Oh no, my mother. What could she possibly want now that Charlotte was married? “Hello, Mother. Happy New Year.”
“What do you mean Happy New Year?” She was slurring her words. “You didn’t come home for your sister’s wedding, or Christmas, or the New Year. Hope you’re happy with yourself.”
“I am happy, Mother, and I have no idea when I’ll be returning to Wisteria again. I’ve gotta go. The cab driver is waiting for me to pay him.”
“Cab driver, huh? Who do you think you are these days? Too good for your own family.”
“Did you want something?”
“I guess not. You seem to have gotten a little bit too big for your britches, missy. Goodbye.”
“Goodbye, Mom.”
Mara could tell the minute I walked into the apartment that something was wrong. “Why the sad face, Anna Louise?”
“My mom called me out of the blue while I was on my way home from visiting Savannah in the hospital. She was slurring her words and belittling me as usual.”
“I’m sorry, Anna Louise.”
“Thanks. Why is it that I always let her drag me down?”
“Because she’s your mother.”
“I don’t know if I’ll ever go back to Wisteria.”
~ ~ ~
Dear Dad,
Mom called today. She was slurring her words and belittling me as usual. Isn’t there anything you can do to help her? I miss you and Grant, but I’ll never be able to come back to Wisteria unless Mom stops drinking.
How are you and Grant doing these days? I know it has to be hard for both of you trying to take care of Mom. I wish she would get the help she needs. Email me when you can.
I love you,
Anna Louise
~ ~ ~
I was surprised when my dad wrote right back:
Dear Anna Louise,
I’m sorry your mother called and was mean to you again. She’s been grumbling about you for days now, but I never thought she’d call you. But then, when she’s been drinking, I never know what she’s going to say or do. She doesn’t think there is anything wrong with her, it’s the rest of us who has a problem. She’s sick, but won’t get help.
I’m glad you’re in New York and doing well. I want only the best for you. Stay there for now and keep in touch with me.
I love you,
Dad
~ ~ ~
Mara and I talked again later over a cup of chamomile tea. Somehow she always knows how to make me feel better about myself, so by the time we went to bed I was happy again. “Thank you, my friend,” I said. “You’re like a soothing balm to my battered soul.”
~ ~ ~
Monday turned out to be a cold, blustery, January day, so business inside the Emporium was slow. Thomas stepped out of his office and put his hand on my shoulder. “Anna Louise, today seems like a good day to record some of those songs you’ve written. We need some new music in the store to go with the new year.”
“Really?” I stammered.
“You play and I’ll record. How about it?” Thomas unlocked the door to a room I’d never been in before. I let out a scream when I stepped inside right behind Thomas. “A recording studio with a grand piano and a control room to record music. You weren’t kidding when you said you’d record my music one day.”
“Pop had this room put in when he bought the store and remodeled the inside, hoping one day he would have the chance to record someone playing this grand piano, the first one he ever bought: his pride and joy.” Both of us had to wipe away tears. “He had this room designed with the best acoustics money could buy. Then, just like Pop had taught me to tune a piano, he taught me how to record music. I hate to say it, but he even knew how to use a computer before I did.”
“What a smart man your father was. A visionary, too.”
“Pop was all of that and more. Have a seat, young lady, and I’ll go into the control room and get things ready to record.”
Thomas fired up the digital audio workstation and made sure the microphones were on and placed so he could pick up the best sound from the piano. He checked to be sure the monitoring equipment was plugged into the computer and put the headphones on to be sure they were working. It’d been a long time since he and his father had come into this room and tuned his pride and joy. “Sit down and play something, Anna Louise. I may need to tune the piano before we start recording.”
I sat down at the piano and began to play a medley of the songs I’d written so far. Mr. Cutler sure knew his pianos. This grand piano was indeed a beautiful musical instrument. Stopping for a moment, I called out to Thomas, “Did Mr. Cutler know how or do you know how to play the piano yourself?”
“I’m embarrassed to say that neither one of us ever took a lesson, but like you, I guess we had a good ear for musical sound. We both learned the keys on the piano, but never sat down and played a song from a book in our lives.”
“I often wondered about that, even asking Ms. Thompson one day if she knew. She said to ask you.”
“Well, I’m going to need to tune the piano before we start, so I’ll go grab my bag and get busy. It shouldn’t take me long.”
“I’ll watch the store while you tune the piano,” I said.
Before long, I heard Thomas shout, “Okay, I’m ready. All I need to do is uncover the security monitor in here so we can tell whenever anyone enters the store.”
“Mr. Cutler didn’t forget a thing, did he? A born businessman.”
Most of our day was spent in the recording studio, except when we bundled up and raced across the street for lunch, with me playing and Thomas recording a number of songs I’d written down, but could play for memory, too.
“Anna Louise,” Thomas exclaimed. “You just finished playing the song you played your first day at the Emporium. Remember the house on the hill and the grand piano I tuned that day. What’s the name of that song? It makes my heart beat faster every time you play it.” Thomas stopped recording and came out and sat down on the piano bench next to me.
“I will never forget that day, Thomas. It’s etched in my brain forever. I played the same song for my first recital, too. I hadn’t given it a title, so when Chase asked me that same question after the recital, I told him about writing the song, hoping to leave Wisteria as soon as I graduated, then gave him the honor. He thought for a bit, then said, ‘The Gift of Goodbye.”
“Perfect title. Great name for an album. One CD coming right up.” Thomas grinned from ear to ear as he stepped back into the recording studio.
It wasn’t long before Thomas had produced a CD with the soft sound of an orchestra in the background as my piano music filled the store. I was stunned to hear my own songs played back to me for the first time. “The Gift of Goodbye” almost brought me to tears as I thought about Mr. Cutler and all that he’d done for me in life and now in death. Little did I know this album, produced by his son, would be my gift of goodbye to him too? I missed him so much.
“What do you think?” Thomas asked, popping out of his office where the sound of the music was coming from.
“I can’t thank you and Mr. Cutler enough for all you’ve done for me. My life before coming to New York was nothing like this.” Tears flowed down my cheeks.
“Oh, Anna Louise, I’m sorry to hear that. Your music is so beautiful, it’s hard to believe your life hasn’t been.”
“My mother was harsh and abusive, so I left my home in Wisteria and came to New York as soon as I graduated from high school. The day I came into the Emporium, I was searching for a job when your kind and caring father hired me right there on the spot.” Wiping away the tears, I continued. “My plan was to work until I had the money for piano lessons, but not only did Mr. Cutler hire me, he sent me to The School of Musical Arts to receive the lessons I’d only dreamed about though his scholarship honoring your mom. I wouldn’t even be taking lessons today if it weren’t for your father, say anything about me writing songs and you recording them.”
“Now that you’ve said all of that, I can hear some of the pain in your music, but mostly it’s warm and thoughtful like you are.”
“Thank you, Thomas. My hope is to become the accomplished pianist Mr. Cutler saw in me.”
“You will, Anna Louise, and even more.”
~ ~ ~
Even though the winter winds were blowing, I had promised Savannah I would stop by the hospital to see if she’d gotten her cast off. So, as soon as I finished my piano lesson with Ms. Thompson, I hailed a cab and asked the driver to make a quick stop at one of the boutique shops on the way to the hospital so I could run in and buy Savannah some ribbons for her hair. She had the prettiest strawberry-blond hair I’d ever seen. I picked out a blue ribbon, a purple ribbon, and a yellow one for her. She spotted me the second I walked into her room and held up her left arm. “The doctor sawed the cast off of my arm this morning. He gave it to me to take with me.”
“That’s great, Savannah. How are you feeling?” I handed her the bag of ribbons.
“Ribbons,” she exclaimed. “Thank you, Anna Louise. I’m better, now that the cast is off, but I have to go to phy-sic-al ther-apy to learn how to use my arm again.” She showed me how she could bend her arm, then pulled the ribbons out of the bag. “I like the yellow one best.
“I’m so proud of you, Savannah. You learn so quickly,” I said. “Yellow will look great in your pretty hair.”
“Thanks. It was kind of fun going to phy-sic-al ther-apy. They have little balls, big balls, and all kinds of bicycles to ride there.”
“Maybe you’ll get to play with one of the balls when your arm gets stronger.”
“That would be fun. I could play catch with the girl who’s helping me get better.” She tucked the ribbons back into the bag.
“I have to go, but I’ll be back to see you soon. It’s really cold out today. It’s nice and warm in here, though.” I hugged her, then waved as I left the room.
I was shivering as I hurried into the apartment to get warm.
“Mara, are you home?” I shouted.
When no one answered, I figured she and Daniel were off somewhere. Studying is what they called it, but their relationship seemed like more than that these days. Being alone, I found some lettuce and turkey in the refrigerator, dug a bun out of the bag on the counter, and made myself a somewhat okay sandwich, then grabbed a water and turned on the television. Some of my favorite shows were on tonight. Getting comfy, I took a bite of the sandwich just as my phone rang. Thinking it was Mara, I answered, with my mouth full.
“H-e-l-l-o,” I said.
“Hello, to you,” came this firm, but friendly voice. “What are you up to this evening?”
“Blake,” I stuttered. “Sorry, I thought you were Mara.”
“We do look a little alike, but no. So what are you doing right now?”
“Having a sandwich in front of the television. Mara is off with Daniel. Again,” I said, emphasizing the last word.
“They are becoming cozy, aren’t they?” Blake replied. “But, how would you feel about grabbing a cab and coming by my place to play a few duets together?”
“Wow! I’d like that. Are jeans and a sweater okay to play in?”
“Sounds good to me. I’ll meet you in the lobby. How long do you think?”
“Give me thirty minutes and I’ll be there.”
“See you then.”
I couldn’t eat another bite, so returned the remaining sandwich and water to the kitchen, then threw on my dark navy-blue jacket, swirled my long, red paisley scarf around my neck, and hurried out the door. While riding along in the cab, I sent Mara a short text telling her where I was going. I added a couple of exclamation points after typing Blake’s name. Before I knew it, the cabbie had pulled over in front of the address I’d given him. There, as I entered through the glass door, stood Blake Holbrook: tall and slender, with curly brown hair like Mara’s, but cut short, and would you believe, wearing jeans and a burgundy sweater. They looked expensive, but still.
He smiled as I walked toward him. “Good to see you, again.”
“Hi,” I said with a nervous laugh.
“Glad you could come by. I was thinking about you the other day, so went in and bought a couple of duet books, hoping we might get a chance to play together.”
“You were. You did.” I fumbled over my words. “I’m willing to give the duets a try, but I hope I don’t embarrass you or me.”
He laughed. “You’ll do just fine.”
Blake’s place looked more like him without all of the Christmas decorations. His baby grand piano waited for us in the living room. He took my jacket and ushered me over to the piano. Opening one of the duet books, he sat down on the bass side of the piano bench, so I assumed I was going to be playing the treble side. We played and laughed together for a couple of hours before realizing what time it was. We shared a cup of hot black tea, then he sent me off in a cab with a kiss on the cheek and a wave goodbye. What a lovely evening it had turned out to be.
Arriving back home, I opened the door to a snuggled-up Mara and Daniel sound asleep on the sofa. Should I wake them up or not? I decided not to and tiptoed on by them into my bedroom. I would have lots of questions to ask Mara tomorrow, but for tonight, I hoped I’d have visions of Blake Holbrook dancing in my head as I drifted off to sleep.
~ ~ ~
“So. How cozy is this relationship between you and Daniel becoming?” I asked the minute Mara and I were alone the next night. “I saw you two all snuggled up on the sofa last night.”
“Maybe a little closer than we should be for our ages. We both have big dreams and a long way to go in school, so we don’t want to mess things up by becoming too serious too soon. And we’re definitely playing it safe if that’s what you’re insinuating.”
“That’s exactly what I’m insinuating.” I put my hands on my hips and stared at her. “You get into trouble and your parents will blame me for it.”
“Whoa. That’s not about to happen. Rest assured, my dear friend.”
“Good, otherwise, I’d have to start chaperoning the two of you.”
The thought of that made us both laugh.
“So how did you and my brother make out last night?” Mara giggled.
“We played together for a couple of hours on his baby grand. We had a good time and ended the night with a cup of tea.”
“He’s not so bad as a big brother, I guess,” Mara said.
“He’s mega talented, Mara. Every cell in his body must be filled with music. It just pours out of him naturally.” I paused. “You’re an artist and Blake’s a pianist. I know your dad’s a surgeon and your mom stayed at home while you and Blake were growing up. But what does your mother like to do when she’s not busy with the family?”
“She’s always been there for Blake and me, but she also draws beautifully. She and I are more alike, whereas Dad and Blake have more in common.”
“I never knew your mom could draw. I just knew she encouraged you and Blake to do the things that made you happy. My mom was the opposite. Wonder how we became such good friends, with our mothers being so different from one another.”
“I’m sort of quirky and I guess you needed a quirky friend when we first met. I don’t know, but can’t imagine my life without you in it now.” Mara came over and hugged me.
“Ditto, my friend. Just behave yourself, though, so I don’t have to report you to your parents.”
“Who would you like me to report you to if you get into trouble, Anna Louise?” Mara asked with her hands now on her hips.
“No one. Let’s go grab a pizza and a soda. My treat.”
~ ~ ~
A few days had gone by again since I’d gone to visit Savannah in the hospital. The day her cast had come off she seemed so happy, but when I walked into her room today, she appeared to be sad again. “What’s the matter, Savannah?” I asked.
“My nurse told me today that I’ll be leaving the hospital in a few days, but they don’t know where I’ll be going to live yet.”
“That has to be a lot for a little girl to think about,” I replied. “Even a little scary.”
“I want to live with Beth and Ashley. They’re going to talk it over with the rest of their family and let the hospital know. I don’t want to live anyplace else.”
“How about if we play a few games on your tablet while I’m here, or would you like to take a walk around your floor tonight?”
“Let’s walk. I’ve played games most of the day.” She slid out of bed, put on the robe the hospital had given her, and took my hand.
We walked up and down the halls, looking at all of the artwork done by the children hanging on the walls. Savannah wanted to find her drawing, so while she looked through all of the pictures, I took in the large mural on one of the other walls. “Look, Anna Louise. I found it. That one is mine.”
Savannah had drawn a picture of a happy family playing outside on the lawn in front of a white house with black shudders and roof. They even had a dog. “So what’s the dog’s name?” I asked.
“It’s a girl dog. Her name is Penelope, but I call her Pippi.”
“Fantastic name, Savannah. I’d better return you to your room before your nurse thinks you’ve disappeared.”
Savannah laughed, taking my hand as we walked back toward her room. She took off her robe and hung it back up, then climbed up on to her bed.
“Would you like me to read you a story before I leave?” I asked.
“Yes.” She jumped out of bed and picked out the book she wanted me to read. “This one, Anna Louise,” she said, handing me the book.
I recognized Elsa on the cover of Frozen. “I don’t know Elsa’s story. This should be fun.” But, before I was even halfway through the story, Savannah was fast asleep. I returned the book to the shelf where Savannah had gotten it and quietly tiptoed out of her room.
Thomas called me into his office the next morning after my visit with Savannah. “Have a seat, Anna Louise. I have something to tell you. We made a family decision last night. Beth and Ashley have grown to love Savannah and would like her to come live with us. We would become her foster parents to start with.” His face lit up.
“I know this had to be a big decision for you and your family, but I’m so happy to hear Savannah will be living with your family, and especially with Ashley. Those two girls seemed to become fast friends ever since the first day they met one another.”
“After what happened with Savannah the day you played for the Christmas festivities at the hospital, and Ashley saw how lonely she was, Ashley begged to go back to the hospital to see Savannah again. Beth said that the more they went to visit Savannah, the more she began to talk about her mother and how they had kept moving from place to place—her mother always hoping that the next man would take care of them.”
“And she’s only six years old, Thomas. My heart breaks for her, but now I know she’ll be going to a good, loving home.” I hugged him. “You always wanted another daughter, right?”
“I guess so. At least Ashley thinks so.” He got this big grin on his face.
I laughed. “When will Savannah be dismissed from the hospital?”
“I think in the next day or so.”
“I’m going to go visit her tonight and see if she tells me the good news. Savannah called Ashley her new friend when Mara and I went to visit her on Christmas day.”
“Soon, you’ll be able to visit her at our house. I bet you never imagined that because of how your mother treated you, you would reach out to a little girl being mistreated by her mother on a bus ride to New York, and how you would be reunited the way you were. That you work at the Emporium and I’m going to be her foster dad. What do you think the odds of all that happening would have been without divine intervention?”
“I’d say the odds would’ve been zero. Thank you, Thomas, for being the person you are and having the wonderful family you do. I hope one day I can help someone like you and your family are helping Savannah and how Mr. Cutler helped me when I first arrived in New York.”