Heartstrings

by Marilee Boekweg

  Chapter Nine

  Eroica’s life was quickly becoming hectic. Not only did she have piano students, her own practicing and weekly lessons, and all of her classes, but she had also started her job as the faculty accompanist. And she was the only pianist that was hired.

  Faculty recitals were scheduled in the large recital hall every Friday and Saturday night. That pretty well tied up her weekends and her chances of dating. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. It could keep her from finding her cellist. But, Eroica reminded herself, she wasn’t looking for him anymore. That was just a habit she would have to break. This new job would keep her from sitting at home by herself every weekend.

  The faculty performances began in two weeks with a tenor recital on Friday night and a violinist on Saturday night. Eroica had already talked on the phone with both of them. The tenor, Dr. Carter Rykhart who, over the phone at least, had a rich, melodious voice, had told Eroica that he didn’t want to practice with her until the day of the performance. He knew his part and he was sure that she would learn her part, so there was no sense in wasting time on it.

  But the violinist was much more exacting. He was in the process of performing all of Vivaldi’s major concertos, of which Vivaldi had written over four hundred. It was a lifelong pursuit, and Eroica found herself caught in the middle of it. Dr. Preston Wellesford wanted to practice with her every day until the performance. So there went Eroica’s lunch break every time she accompanied him. Her stomach wished that Vivaldi hadn’t written so many concertos.

  Eroica ended her own practicing early and hurriedly ate something before going to Dr. Wellesford’s office. From talking to him on the phone, she thought she knew what type of person he was. Very tall, very thin, and highly programmed. The kind of person that makes everybody tense because he is always vibrating with energy.

  When she knocked on the door and he opened it, she saw immediately that she was very much mistaken. He was not much taller than Eroica, and he was stylishly dressed. He had dark, well-groomed hair, and dark eyes. Eroica had expected him to be a bit fumbling and preoccupied, a bit like her father. It didn’t take her long to learn that he was not like that at all. He was methodical, focused, and he always got what he wanted.

  “You must be Eroica Hamilton. Please come in. I am Dr. Preston Wellesford.”

  Eroica walked into an office that was clean and orderly. Dr. Wellesford would have been horrified if he were to have seen what chaos she created when she practiced. There were prints on the walls of famous violinists: Paganini, Kreisler, Vivaldi. There was also a photograph of Dr. Wellesford, clad in a tuxedo and holding his violin, in front of Carnegie Hall. He was with a few other musicians who looked as if they were supposed to be famous.

  “I must say,” he continued, “You are quite an improvement over last year’s accompanist. She was a marvelous pianist, but she looked as if she needed a good dusting. Very old-fashioned in her dress and hair. But you, well, you and I will look wonderful together on stage. I just hope you play as well as you look.”

  Eroica didn’t know what to say to that, but she was saved the trouble of replying. Dr. Wellesford needed no response.

  “You were named after Beethoven’s Third Symphony? That’s marvelous. Very catchy. It will look wonderful on the programs. And have you had a chance to go through the music?” he asked while reaching for his violin.

  “Oh yes, I am ready to practice.” She quickly sat down at the piano and pulled out the music.

  For the next hour Eroica was thoroughly engrossed in Vivaldi. Dr. Wellesford was an amazing violinist. He didn’t need to practice to make sure that he was hitting all the right notes. He was well past that. To Dr. Preston Wellesford, music was not just an art. It was a business. He demanded every bit of concentration and energy that Eroica had to give. And when the rehearsal session was over, she was thoroughly exhausted. She wondered how she was going to keep up this level of intensity for the next two weeks.

  “That was just fine for a first rehearsal session,” Dr. Wellesford stated as Eroica gathered up her music. “Tomorrow I would like you to be more definite on the downbeats in the presto section. It would be marvelous if you could see to it.”

  “Yes, Dr. Wellesford, I will work on it tonight.” He certainly was an exacting musician. But this was why Eroica had come to school. She knew that she could learn a lot from working with him. And she planned to.

  Eroica had more to think about than just her daily routine. The ward opening social was getting close and she was beginning to fret about it. She knew she wasn’t the usual type of girl that Barry dated. She had seen him in the halls talking with the girls who never did seem to make it into their practice rooms—the girls who spent a lot of time sharing confidences and scheming up dates.

  Eroica tried not to worry about the activity, but it really did bother her that she had been set up with the campus flirt. Would people think that they were compatible because she was a flirt, too? She feared that it was going to be a trying evening.

  Friday evening came and Eroica did not feel ready for it. She put on a denim skirt and a soft pink blouse, and hoped that she didn’t look too casual. She certainly didn’t want to look too eager. While she waited for Barry to pick her up, she sat down at the piano. She played through some slow pieces in the hopes that this would give her the appearance of calm. Hearing his car pull into the driveway, she grabbed her sweater and was at the door when he knocked.

  “Hi, Barry,” she smiled.

  “Hey there, Eroica. You look really nice. I knew you were the right girl to choose.” He opened the door for her and she got into his sporty-looking, silvery-blue car. He had the radio on and it was blasting out music that Eroica avoided.

  “I haven’t seen you all week,” said Barry as they headed towards the church. “Where have you been hiding out?”

  “I spend a lot of time in the practice rooms,” she answered, stifling an urge to turn off his radio.

  “Huh,” he shrugged as he mercifully turned down the music. “I have always tried to avoid practicing. Just between you and me, it’s amazing that I’m such a good trombonist. I think I can count the hours I’ve spent in a practice room on one hand.”

  “Maybe that’s why you are so good at improvising with the jazz band. You aren’t held back by the need to have all the notes written out. You are good at making it up as you go. I couldn’t do that. I am hopelessly stuck needing every note written down.”

  “Huh,” he shrugged again. “Maybe you’re right. By avoiding practicing I have actually done myself a favor. I knew I was smart.”

  Eroica laughed at his carefree attitude. Barry seemed like he could be a lot of fun. And maybe this would be good for her. She had been so serious for so long. She needed to get out more and have some fun.

  They pulled up to the church and got out of the car. Several other people on the entertainment committee were waiting for Barry to show up and tell them what to do. Soon everyone was busy hanging streamers, blowing up balloons, and taping welcome signs to the walls.

  The people on the food committee had been there for quite a while getting things set up for a potato bar. Eroica found herself drawn to the kitchen. Sister Corothers, the wife of the second counselor, was in charge. She was telling the few other girls what to do. She had a friendly smile and a warm personality. Eroica wished that she could hide in the kitchen with

  Sister Corothers until the activity was over.

  People soon began to pile into the building. Their ward was a fairly large one and just about everyone came. Valarie Rogers showed up with Bruce Merrington. Eroica wondered how Valarie schemed that. It didn’t really matter, though. Valarie looked so happy that her light blue eyes sparkled.

  Mary Hunter was with David Shepherd, and Lisa Prescott was with someone that Eroica didn’t know. Mark Wallace had also come with someone that Eroica didn’t know.

  Ba
rry was doing such a good job of being his own welcoming committee that Eroica thought she might be able to stay in the kitchen. He talked and laughed with just about everyone. But as soon as people sat down at the tables for the opening prayer, Barry remembered his date.

  “Come on, Eroica,” he called after Brother Corothers had said the prayer. “I want you to meet some of the people that I grew up with.”

  Eroica stood in the dinner line with Barry, his friends, and their dates.

  “This is Tim Orchard,” he continued, pointing to one. “We went to elementary school together. We both grew up in Provo, just a few blocks from here. And this is Doug Jensen and Tony Thomas. We were all on the same high school football team together. That was a lot of fun.”

  There was a slight break in the conversation while everyone piled chili, cheese, sour cream, and whatever else they could fit, onto a potato. Barry did his best to keep talking, though. And when they all went back to the table, Eroica didn’t need to do much of anything else. Tim, Doug, Tony, and Barry spent the rest of the time reminiscing over high school football days.

  The other girls tried to talk to Eroica, but Barry and his friends were so noisy that it was too awkward. They finally gave up, leaving Eroica to quietly pick at her potato peel. She wondered how Lisa, Mary, and Valarie were getting along with their dates. Lisa looked as if she were having a lot of fun. She always looked that way. Not much could dampen her spirits. David was so involved with Mary that Eroica could hardly see her. And Valarie was still beaming.

  The people on the food committee had cleared the buffet tables and had set out cookies and brownies. Eroica thought this would be a good time to take a break from Barry and his friends. They had all started singing a song that was popular on the radio when they were in high school. They were laughing and making fun of the song now. Eroica had never heard it before, and she was the only one not joining in. They weren’t going to miss her.

  She walked over to the buffet tables and picked up a napkin and a brownie. She couldn’t bring herself to go back just yet, so she stood off to the side and tried to blend in with a few other people.

  “Eroica, can you believe it? I’m here with Bruce,” Valarie came up and whispered to her.

  “That is great, Valarie. How did you work that out?”

  “I didn’t. We were just set up together by the computer. I was so surprised. It’s amazing how much we have in common. I hope he asks me out again. He has been so nice. Usually he doesn’t even notice me.”

  “He seems to be noticing you now,” Eroica said as she watched Bruce walk toward them.

  “Hello, Eroica,” Bruce smiled. “This turned out to be a pretty good ward activity, didn’t it?”

  “Yes,” Eroica agreed, knowing her opinion wasn’t needed. She thought that Bruce was beginning to like Valarie more than Valarie guessed. What a fun, romantic story to tell their children. Eroica knew she was jumping ahead. She also knew that she had been away from her date for far too long. So she reluctantly went back.

  “Hey there, Eroica,” Barry greeted her. Something about his manner seemed too informal. He acted as if he had known her for a long time. It kept catching her off guard, and she didn’t know how to respond. She certainly wasn’t prepared for what came next. “We’re all going to go see the new movie that’s playing at the mall theater. I just need to tell everyone on the activities’ committee what they should do to clean up. I don’t need to be here for that. They can clean up without me. That’s the nice thing about being in charge.” And he left to get himself out of a responsibility.

  Eroica didn’t know what to do. She had asked Tim Orchard what movie Barry was talking about, and it was just what she was afraid of. This was not a good movie. No one should go see this movie. And certainly not Latter-Day Saints. She was not about to let herself be pressured into seeing it. She didn’t know how she was going to get out of this, but she was determined to stand up for herself. She might be shorter and quieter than those other girls, but she was going to be seen and heard this time.

  As soon as she and Barry were in his car, she began. “Barry, I don’t want to see this movie. It’s not an appropriate movie for members of the Church to go to.”

  Barry turned and looked at her for as long as he could keep his eyes off the road.

  “What!” was all he could manage.

  “This is a movie that I am not going to see. Let’s do something else. We could go see the movie that is being shown on campus. Or we could go bowling. Or we could get a milkshake. You didn’t eat dessert at the activity, and I’ll treat. There are a lot of other things that we can do.”

  “You don’t want to see this movie?” he faltered.

  “No.”

  “But why not?” he asked, unwilling to understand.

  Eroica decided that she was going to have to become specific or he would never believe her. “Because it is not a wholesome, uplifting movie. It is full of things that we, as members of the Church, should avoid. We should not support or encourage the making of these movies. And on top of all this, we should listen to our Prophet and follow him.”

  Barry pulled into the theater parking lot, parked the car, and turned towards her. For a brief moment Eroica thought that she had convinced him. But the moment left in a hurry.

  “Oh, come on, Eroica,” he laughed. “Shake off some of those high morals of yours and come have some fun. Everyone says this is a great movie.”

  “Why don’t you just take me home, and then you can do whatever you want.”

  “But there isn’t time. And there is no way that I’m going to a movie by myself on a Friday night. You are my date. You have to come with me.” He was becoming frustrated with her. “I’ll tell you what, Eroica. I’ll go buy the tickets, and you can sit in the car and think about it. Look at all the other people that have come with us to see the movie. They don’t think it’s such a big deal. I’m sure you’ll see that I’m right.”

  So he left her in the car while he went to buy two tickets for a movie that she was not going to see. She watched as the line grew longer, and she recognized a number of people from the ward who had joined up with Tim, Doug, and Tony.

  Barry was quickly lost to her view in the growing crowd, so she got out of the car and locked both doors. She looked around. She was terrible with directions and had never figured out this town. But she could see the Provo Temple clearly enough, and she knew that she would be able to find her way home from there. So if Barry wouldn’t take her home, then she would just take herself.

  She started walking in the direction of the temple. She had no idea how far away her house was, but she thought that it couldn’t be more than a couple of miles. It was a clear night with just a sliver of a moon. The city lights were bright enough that it was easy for her to see where she was going. And after such a battle of wills she was glad to be walking with a cool breeze blowing.

  When she got on the main road though, everything changed. There was so much traffic and the cars were going so fast. It was hard to look up with all the headlights shining in her face. She knew it was dangerous to walk along the side of such a busy road in the dark. But this was the only road she knew, so she kept her eyes focused on the temple and she kept walking.

  Eroica heard a car pull off the road just as it passed her. She was afraid this would happen. She didn’t want a ride from anyone, and not just because the person would be a stranger. She didn’t want to have to explain her situation. It was too humiliating.

  “Hey,” the person yelled.

  Eroica held her head high and walked faster.

  “Eroica,” he yelled again.

  Eroica stopped. This person knew her. She turned around and there was Mark Wallace. Eroica wondered why it had to be him. Couldn’t she just walk home by herself and end this horrible evening?

  “What are you doing out here?” he asked over the noise of the traffic.
>
  “I was going home.” Eroica was not going to give him any more explanation than was absolutely necessary.

  “Let me give you a ride?” Mark had a beat up old Volkswagen van. “I know it’s ugly, but it can hold a lot of instruments.”

  She got into his car and stared straight ahead. She hoped that she could get home without having to say much.

  “So, you were going home,” Mark laughed sympathetically. “That’s almost seven miles from here. And you weren’t even going the right way. You were turning it into about a ten mile hike.”

  Well, that was about all that Eroica could take. She leaned back and let the tears slide quietly down her face. It was dark and she hoped that Mark wouldn’t notice. But Mark reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief.

  “Here,” he said putting it in her lap. “I use these to wipe the rosin off my cello strings. But don’t worry. This one is clean.”

  Eroica took it and held it over her eyes. She wished that she could disappear. “A gentleman would pretend not to notice,” she said.

  “Nonsense,” he spoke kindly. “A gentleman would notice and would be concerned.”

  Mark didn’t say anything more, and Eroica wasn’t about to. So they drove in silence until they reached her home. Mark walked around the car and opened the door for her. She was trying to come up with a way to thank Mark that would take as few words as possible. But he spoke first.

  “You know, Eroica, it’s only 9:30, and I’m in no hurry to get home. And you have some comfortable looking chairs on your front porch. Why don’t you and I sit down here for a while? We don’t even have to talk if you don’t want to.”

  AnnaMaria had bought some wicker furniture for Eroica’s porch so that Eroica could make use of it after a date. And Eroica was all out of energy to disagree with anyone. Besides, she trusted Mark. And she didn’t even know why. So she agreed to sit on the front porch with him.

  “What happened to your date?” Eroica ventured after a while.

  “She promised her aunt that she would babysit for her. I think I was actually the first date of the evening, and she is now on to date number two.”

  Eroica couldn’t help but laugh.

  “So is this type of dating something that you two had in common?”

  “I think the only thing we had in common was that we were both breathing. Nobody should take these computer dates seriously. They are just for fun.”

  Mark looked at Eroica, wondering. Then he raised his eyebrows and asked, “So are you going to tell me about it? Or do I have to fill in the details with what I’ve already guessed?”

  Eroica sighed as she began. “He wanted to take me to a movie that the prophets have warned against, and I wouldn’t go. He wouldn’t bring me home, so I walked home instead. Well, I intended to walk home until you came along. Thank you, Mark. I was never good at directions.”

  Mark tried to suppress a laugh, but wasn’t very successful. Eroica glared at him but she couldn’t hold out for too long.

  “Oh well,” she joined in, “Barry Drewer was not someone I ever intended on dating. I think I can safely say that he won’t ask me out anymore.”

  They were both enjoying the peacefulness of the evening. Neither of them seemed in a hurry to end it.

  “You told me a while ago that you would tell me all about Eroica Hamilton,” Mark reminded her. “Now seems to be a good time, don’t you think?”

  “I don’t know why you’re so interested. I’m just a typical ‘nose to the grindstone’ musician. But all right.”

  So Eroica told him about her schooling, her experiences with piano lessons, competitions, and performances, her conversion to the gospel, and her family, including her sister who lived next door and was possibly listening to every word that they were saying.

  When the evening was over and Mark had gone home, Eroica went to bed with a clear conscience. She knew that she had done the right thing.