The Gift of Goodbye

by Kleven, M. Kay

  “Okay, boss. Show me around the store and tell me what I need to know.”

  I did just that, spending the next couple of hours, while Daniel was gone, showing Mara how things were done at the Emporium. Once Daniel returned, I ran across the street to pick up lunch for the three of us, guessing that neither Daniel nor Mara had eaten breakfast. When I returned with the food, Daniel said, “I almost forgot, Anna Louise, but Mr. Benson would like to see you for a few minutes this afternoon. Mara and I can watch the store while you’re gone.”

  “Do you know what Mr. Benson wants with me?”

  “No, but he sure was impressed with the score when he went through the music with the cast this morning.”

  “What time does he want to see me?” I asked Daniel.

  “He said any time after lunch would be fine.”

  “I’ll go as soon as we finish eating, so if a customer comes in you and Mara will be ready.”

  As I entered Mr. Benson’s office, he gazed up at me and grinned. “The actors and the orchestra loved your music this morning. I don’t know how to thank you for all your hard work, Anna Louise. I can’t pay you much, but I’ll make sure you receive a packet of tickets to give away for the show.”

  “I wasn’t sure at first, but once I’d read the script and could hear the music in my head, writing the songs turned out to be easier than I thought.” Picking up my purse, I said, “Don’t worry about the money, but I will take the tickets. Have lots of people in mind already.”

  “You’re on. NYU thanks you, I thank you, and I’m sure Daniel will thank you once he starts performing on stage.”

  “I look forward to seeing Streets live and on stage. Thank you, Mr. Benson, for the opportunity.” He shook my hand and gave me a huge smile. I felt good about the music I’d written for the play. “Bye, Mr. Benson.”

  “Bye, Anna Louise. Thanks, again.”

  When I returned from NYU, the Emporium truck was backed up so close to the back door I could hardly get in. “What’s going on here?” I asked.

  “Mara took a call while you were gone from the owner of a newly remodeled hotel on Fifth Avenue and told him we’d deliver two baby grand pianos yet this afternoon. Bob and Carl are on their way.” Daniel frowned over at Mara, then smiled. “Guess she needs a few more hours of training before you set her loose again.”

  I stared over at Mara. “Great sale, Miss Entrepreneur, but we do have a few rules for setting up appointments. I’ll have to go over them with you.”

  “Sorry, but I could tell the owner of the hotel was in a hurry to get them. He kept pushing me for a delivery time.”

  “No harm done, and Thomas will be surprised when he returns from vacation and finds the showroom minus a couple of pianos. Way to go, Mara!”

  Once the pianos were loaded in the truck and Daniel had the instructions and directions in his hand, Mara asked if she could ride along. Bob and Carl knew that would put them in the back with the pianos, but Daniel got this big grin on his face. “It’s okay with me,” he said, “if it’s okay with you, Anna Louise.”

  “It’d be good experience for her,” I said. “Just hope she doesn’t drive you crazy with all of her questions, Daniel.”

  “Oh, she doesn’t bother me, and I’m sure she’ll want to make some sketches of the different architecture along Fifth Avenue for her college portfolio.”

  “See, Anna Louise. I won’t be talking all of the time.”

  “Sorry. Just thinking of the men and how late it will be by the time you get back. Please accept my apology.”

  “You’re forgiven.” Mara hugged me, then grabbed her sketchpad and pencils, flying out the door behind Daniel.

  The afternoon alone at the Emporium turned out to be a busy one for me, but after a few hours, I started to worry about how the hotel delivery was going. I sent Daniel a text. He quickly replied they were almost back to the store. When Daniel drove in, everyone was sitting up front, Mara on Bob’s lap. They were all laughing, so I guessed the delivery went well. Daniel backed the truck into the garage, and they all piled out.

  “How’d it go?” I asked Daniel as he slid out of the driver’s seat.

  “Great. None of us had ever seen such a lavish hotel before, so with permission, I took some pictures on my phone. I’ll show them to you tomorrow.”

  “Were they satisfied with the pianos?” I asked. Thomas would want to know once he heard about the sales and delivery.

  Mara chimed in, “The owner loved them and the pianist sat down and tried them both out. One was delivered to the piano bar and the other one to the new ballroom, which is out of this world. Wait until you see the photos.”

  “Good job. Let’s all go home,” I said. “Daniel are you coming with Mara and me?”

  “No. I’d better head home and check on the house and the animals. I’ll come by later.”

  “Goodnight, Bob and Carl. Have a good evening.” I waved as they went out the back door.

  Tuesday was another day of training for Mara, but we also had a lot of fun. Mara stood outside sketching the Emporium and then came in and sketched the inside. Mr. Cutler would’ve enjoyed seeing her sketches of his grand Emporium. I also caught Daniel steeling a couple of kisses from Mara throughout the day. “Hey, you two. Enough already,” I said. “Remember, Thomas will be asking for my report when he gets back.”

  “Tattletale,” Mara quipped once again, while Daniel stood there laughing at the faces Mara and I made at one another.

  Wednesday brought rain, but, even then, Mara was able to sell another baby grand piano. This time it was going to a new high school that taught mostly advanced students in the arts, but not until the rain stopped.

  In the meantime, Daniel and Mara kept an eye on the store and listened for the phone so I could practice for my debut with the Chamber Orchestra of New York. The music was challenging and I worked especially hard on my solo piece. I wanted to put every song to memory, so I could play with as much emotion as possible. If I could be successful playing with the Chamber Orchestra, I hoped that would bring more invitations to perform in other concert halls around New York. With a little more experience, maybe even Carnegie Hall would be on the horizon.

  After Mara and Daniel had left for the day on Thursday, I sat down at one of the baby grand pianos to play the Chamber music on a piano similar to what I would be playing on for the concert. I had my head and heart into playing one of the pieces when I heard a voice behind me say, “You make beautiful music for one so young.” I turned to see Mr. Epstein smiling a wide smile at me. “Sorry if I scared you.”

  “I do get a little carried away when I start practicing for a big occasion,” I replied. “Forgot all about what time it was.”

  “What’s the big occasion you mentioned?”

  “I’ve been asked to play in a concert with the Chamber Orchestra of New York coming up soon.”

  “What an honor. I haven’t heard anyone play the piano like you do since my wife. She was a concert pianist and traveled all over the world while I stayed behind and raised our son. I wanted her to be happy, but I didn’t want my son traveling from country to country each week. She died in a plane crash over Italy a number of years ago now.”

  “I’m so sorry, Mr. Epstein. But now that I’ve finished the program at The School of Musical Arts, I want to fulfill my promise to Mr. Cutler that I’ll become a concert pianist and play Carnegie Hall for him one day.”

  “Your playing is remarkable, young lady, and I’m sure you have the talent to make it all the way to Carnegie Hall for Mr. Cutler, but once you do, consider very carefully whether you want to travel the world as a concert pianist or if playing the great halls here in New York and nearby would qualify as being a great concert pianist to you.”

  “That’s the question I’ve been asking myself ever since I attended
the Maestro Ball with my best friend Mara Holbrook’s brother, Blake. He’s very accomplished and is traveling the world doing concerts right now. I didn’t enjoy the Ball and don’t know if that’s how I want to live my life. I love playing the piano, but I also love working at the Emporium, Thomas’s family, and my friend Mara. She and I have so much fun together. She’s an artist and we live in SoHo. Then, there is Chase Monroe who I met my first day in New York. He was my neighbor at the Blue Sky Apartments, then.”

  “I didn’t mean to cause you any distress, Miss Anna Louise, but I couldn’t walk away when I heard you playing so beautifully.”

  “Actually, I appreciate you talking with me, Mr. Epstein. You’ve already lived through what I’m about to face in the months and years ahead. Thank you,” I said, standing up next to him. “How is that new little baby girl doing these days?”

  With a proud smile on his face, he pulled out his phone and showed me all of the new pictures he’d taken of the baby as well as of his son and daughter-in-law. “They’re doing great. My love for little Elena will help keep my heart young. Maybe she’ll want to hang out at Epstein Pianos with her grandpa and dad one day.” He laughed.

  I took his arm as we strolled toward the back entryway. Mr. Epstein headed up the stairs leading to his apartment as I locked the back door behind me on my way out for the day.

  On Friday, Daniel, Bob, and Carl were finally able to load the baby grand for the high school and get it delivered. Mara stayed with me this time. I wanted to be sure the store was in tiptop shape before Thomas arrived back on Monday.

  ~ ~ ~

  Thomas returned from his vacation, grinning from ear to ear. But being Thomas, the first question out of his mouth was, “How did it go while I was away? Leaving you three young people to mind the store made me a little nervous at first. Well, for at least five minutes anyway, then when the plane left the ground and we were headed west toward the badlands of South Dakota, I sat back and relaxed. The kids loved seeing Mount Rushmore. Kind of like you seeing the Statue of Liberty for the first time, Anna Louise.”

  “I remember,” I said. “It was breathtaking. Was it as hot there as it is here right now?”

  “It was hot, but we were so busy we didn’t really even notice. At night, we’d take a swim in the motel’s swimming pool. I’m sure glad I took the time off. Now it’s your turn, Anna Louise.”

  “Thanks, but I’m not sure when that’ll be. My debut concert with the Chamber Orchestra is coming up shortly and then the opening of Daniel’s play will follow soon after. Mr. Benson loved the musical score. I can’t wait to see Daniel performing on stage. Mr. Benson sent me a packet of tickets to give away. I have one for each of you in the Cutler family, if Daniel hasn’t already done so.”

  “He hasn’t, so thanks. Can’t wait to see and hear the play. Daniel certainly isn’t following in his father’s footsteps, is he?” Thomas smiled over at me. “Guess I’ll have to hope one of my other two sons, Lucas or Benjamin, does. Maybe even Ashley will want to follow in her father’s footsteps. Never know these days.”

  I laughed. “You never know. That reminds me, Mara sold three baby grands while you were away. Guess I’d better get busy and sell more pianos or the boss might fire me.”

  “Not on your life, Miss Armstrong. But, I might need to hire Mara one day.”

  It was good to have Thomas back and sitting in his office. I’d never thought much about all of the responsibilities Thomas had until he was gone. He’d stepped right in for his father, but now there wasn’t anyone to fill Thomas’s shoes at the Emporium.

  I had put a list on Thomas’s calendar of all of the pianos that needed to be tuned, starting today. “Yikes,” Thomas exclaimed as he reviewed the upcoming weeks on his calendar. “Looks like I’m going to be busy tuning pianos for the next few weeks. Glad you were able to schedule them out until I got back, even though I’m going to have to really hustle on a few of those days.”

  “They didn’t want anyone but you, so it was easy to put them out a week or so. Told them you were taking a few badly needed days off with your family.”

  “Thanks. Well, it seems the first one will be this afternoon. Doesn’t take long to get back into the swing of things, does it?”

  “Nope. Hope you and Beth will be able to attend my debut performance as a concert pianist. I’ll even be playing a solo in the bright spotlight during one of the pieces.”

  “We’ll be there. Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

  Chapter 19

  In the next few minutes I’d be stepping out onstage to play with the Chamber Orchestra of New York for the first time. Mr. Anderson stood by my side, holding my nervous hands in his. I’d practiced the music he’d given me over and over until I knew every note by heart. The whole Cutler family, including Savannah, as well as Mara and Ms. Thompson, would all be sitting in the front row. I didn’t want to disappoint them. “You’re going to play beautifully,” Mr. Anderson whispered to me. “Just follow the wise words of Ms. Thompson. “Once you start to play, everything else will fade away.”

  I smiled. I could hear her saying those words to me right now. Then, as the curtain went up on the stage, Mr. Anderson signaled to me and I walked out and took my place at the piano. The conductor raised his arms and the music began. I joined in with the orchestra to play one classical piece after another. Then, when the spotlight came up on my solo during the final composition, everything faded away and I began to play from the heart. Piano music filled every corner of the room. I heard the crowd begin to clap as the piece came to an end. The conductor smiled over at me, meaning I should take a bow. I stood, stepped away from the piano, and took a bow. The audience came to their feet and applauded for what seemed like forever. I smiled and bowed over and over. My first concert as the guest pianist with the Chamber Orchestra had gone well. As I left the stage, I looked for Mr. Anderson, but instead found Chase standing there holding a dozen red roses. I thought my heart was going to leap out of my chest. “Chase. I’ve missed you so much.”

  “Mara sent me a text. She thought I might want to see you in your first performance as a concert pianist. She was right. I wouldn’t have wanted to miss it.” He handed the roses to me, then hugged and kissed me on the cheek. “Congratulations. I’ve missed you, too.”

  Mara, Daniel, and Ms. Thompson all came backstage. I introduced everyone, and after Ms. Thompson left, Mara and Daniel, as well as Chase, insisted that we go out and celebrate my first appearance on stage as a concert pianist.

  “Whoa, Miss Armstrong.” It was Mr. Anderson and the conductor. Mr. Anderson stood quietly as the conductor spoke, “Your performance tonight was outstanding. I’d like to invite you to perform with us again. Young talent like yours is hard to find.”

  “Thank you, sir. It was an honor to play with the orchestra tonight and I accept your invitation to play with the orchestra in the future.”

  “Mr. Anderson told me you began working at the Emporium with Mr. Cutler and that’s how you became enrolled in the program at The School of Musical Arts. Mr. Cutler tuned many a piano for me. News of his death stunned me.”

  “It was the saddest day of my life. I still miss him every day. His son, Thomas, runs the Emporium now. He is also an excellent piano tuner.”

  “Hans will be calling him soon, then. I’ll also have Hans send the orchestra’s schedule to you at the Emporium, if that’s all right, then you’ll be able to see where the orchestra will be playing for the rest of the year.”

  “That would be wonderful, sir. Thank you.” I shook his hand. “I look forward to playing with you again.”

  “Goodnight to all of you.” He nodded to Mara, Daniel, Chase, and me.

  “Goodnight,” I replied.

  As Mara and Daniel led the way out of the concert hall, Chase and I followed. I held on tight to his arm, never wanting to let go of it
again.

  ~ ~ ~

  It wasn’t like Thomas to be late, especially on a Monday. What could’ve happened? I was about to call his cell phone when the back door opened and he walked in. “You’re late, boss. I was beginning to worry.”

  “Sorry, Anna Louise. Had a little business to attend to that took longer than Beth and I thought.” He had this wide grin on his face, like something exciting was about to happen. “We go to court on Friday for Savannah’s adoption. Then, on Saturday, we’re going to throw a big party for her at the house with family and friends. Beth is sending out invitations today. You and Mara will be getting one for sure.”

  “Oh, Thomas. Congratulations!” I ran to him and hugged him. “I still can’t believe how all of this has worked out, but I’m so happy for Savannah and her new family. I know she’ll be well taken care of. Thank you.”

  “I never dreamed I’d ever be adopting a little girl, but now that Savannah is there and has already become part of our family, adopting her seems like the right thing to do.”

  “I can hardly wait for Saturday to hear all about what happened in court and to see Savannah with her new family. Does she understand what being adopted means?”

  “Beth has explained to her how on Friday she’ll become a member of our family and that no one will ever be able take her away from us again. That she’ll grow up with Ashley as her sister and the boys as her brothers. Even the girl Lucas is dating right now thinks it’s cool. So having Savannah stay with us must be the thing to do.” Thomas let out a huge laugh.

  When Friday finally arrived and Thomas left for the courthouse, I knew I’d be on pins and needles until he returned. While waiting for Thomas, I sat down at the piano I usually practiced on and began to play a song that had been rolling around in my head for the last few days: “Savannah: Safe and Sound.” After playing the song, I ran into my little office and quickly wrote down the music. I wanted to play the song for Savannah tomorrow at the party. I knew the Cutlers had a baby grand in their living room.