Learning to Walk Again

by S. L. Kassidy

  Before retiring for the evening, they took Haydn out one more time. He trotted ahead of them proudly before running back to them every now and then, nuzzling them for a few seconds. When they came back home, they took that bath together and settled into bed. Danny explored her portfolio, running her fingers along the pockets. Nicole laughed.

  “I’m glad you like it.”

  “I can do this, right?”

  “You can do this and more. Look at me, love.” Despite those words, Nicole shifted her body, straddling Danny’s abdomen. Danny looked up at her, and she cupped Danny’s face with both hands. “You know what your world is. You’re a master of your art, and he can’t take that away from you. You’ve got this.”

  Danny put her hands-on Nicole’s hips. The cold leather of the portfolio pressed against her bare thigh, but she ignored that as Danny tapped her fingertips against Nicole’s legs. Nicole caressed gentle circles on Danny’s cheeks with her thumbs.

  “I’ve got this,” Danny said.

  “I know you do. Go in there every day and show them just how you earned the title of goddess of rock and roll. You’re awesome.”

  Grey eyes sparkled like polished silver and it was clear Danny was all right now. Nicole hoped she carried that confidence with her for the rest of her stint as musical director. Danny could do much more than shine with her new job.

  ***

  Dane made sure to wake up early enough to make breakfast and get dressed. Yes, she understood their relationship was a two-way street and everything, but she liked her household tasks. She liked taking care of Nicole, and making music wasn’t as hard as handling idiots in a law firm or settling serious business matters.

  By the time Nicole made her way downstairs, everything was ready. She handed Nicole a cup of coffee and smiled at her. Nicole grinned back, which set Dane at ease. She thought Nicole might be upset with her for making breakfast. Maybe Nicole understood the housework was something Dane needed to do to keep peace in her heart.

  “We’re going to have to figure out something for Haydn,” Nicole said as they sat down to eat. “I don’t think he’ll get used to both of us being out of the house for this long.”

  Dane nodded. “I don’t want to leave him alone for this long anyway. You think Jody or Philip might be able to come over? I think we’d all like him to have his afternoon walk.”

  “I’ll ask them. Jody might have time, depending on the day.”

  Dane nodded. Philip had college courses, but he also had a band he played in now. They weren’t very good, but they weren’t horrible either. They were all late bloomers when it came to learning instruments and enjoyed playing together. Between their practicing and their few gigs, Philip wouldn’t have a lot of time to pup-sit.

  “What about Allison? We could pay her,” Nicole said.

  “Is she old enough to be here by herself?” Of course, when Dane was Allison’s age, she used to be drunk and wandering the streets. Allison had her beat in that regard.

  “We’ll talk to her parents about it. First, I’ll ask Jody. I’m sure she’d love a valid excuse to be away from people.”

  “She is not that antisocial.” Dane liked Jody, who was exceptionally introverted. She respected that because Jody was also extremely focused on her own passion and worked a computer the way Dane worked her guitar.

  “Please, if Jody woke up one day and found that everyone on Earth had disappeared, she’d breathe a sigh of relief and go on to build her android army.”

  Dane snickered. Nicole teased Jody about these things. She wouldn’t mind seeing more of Jody. It’d be nice to build more of a relationship with her. They were sort of family, after all.

  ***

  Nicole drove Dane to work. They exchanged a kiss that reinforced Dane’s steely soul, and Dane turned her attention to the theater. Today would be a good day, damn it. She clutched her portfolio to her chest. She’d crush this gig. Just like Nick said I would.

  Taking a breath, she marched into the theater. Andrew was already busy with something by the stage area and if it didn’t have anything to do with her, she wanted to keep things that way. Calvin was nowhere in sight, but she had been told yesterday he wouldn’t be around much once things got settled. She went to the band room.

  Samiyah was the only one there. She stood in a corner of the room by the slender windows, sunlight highlighting cracks in the wall, but also causing her to glow. Chocolate skin had a halo around it as Samiyah’s bow glided across her violin strings. The music sounded divine, and Samiyah was in her own world as she played.

  Dane’s body buzzed and the world was brighter as her mind rushed for ideas on what to do with Samiyah. She had to do Samiyah’s talent justice in the score and people had to leave the play feeling like Samiyah had given them new pieces of themselves, like friends they just made. Dane let loose a loud breath, which caught Samiyah’s attention.

  “Hey, Dane.” Samiyah smiled as she put down her violin.

  “You sound better now than you did yesterday,”

  Samiyah’s high cheekbones were on display as she smiled and shrugged. “Well, I’m more familiar with the classics than what you came up with.”

  “I hope you get as familiar with my work. You sound awesome.” She was giddy at the thought of composing for her. The inner child she thought died when she was eight giggled and danced.

  Samiyah glanced away briefly. They were cut off as Evie came in, struggling with her keyboard. Dane moved to help, forgetting about her leg until the keyboard was in her hands. It wasn’t as bad as it would’ve been if she hadn’t had that surgery, and wasn’t wearing her brace, but thankfully she didn’t have to take it far. Evie and Samiyah greeted each other with short waves.

  “I’m going to leave this here from now on,” Evie said, motioning to the keyboard. “My boyfriend was not happy helping me drag this thing down to the car.”

  “I’ll bet.” Dane ran her hand across the keyboard, a little jealous. She had a good one, but this was beyond her imagination.

  Evie must’ve noticed her affection. “You play?”

  Dane shrugged. “A little.”

  “Let’s get it set up and hear what you got, director.” Evie winked. There was a bit of a challenge in her voice, like she didn’t think Dane was much with instruments.

  Dane shrugged again. There wasn’t any reason to hold back and they’d probably respect her more if they knew she was musician as well as a composer. She cracked her knuckles just for the show of it and flexed her left hand. Just as she was about to press the keys, Dougie and Pedro strolled in.

  “Hey, boss.” Pedro smiled at Dane.

  Boss? Dane blinked. Whoa. She was the boss. The idea was different from when she was in Destined for Nowhere. She’d been in charge back then, but no one openly acknowledged it, not even her. The group just did what she said. Maybe the acknowledgment could be better, though. The job itself was her second chance. I can make it better. I will do something with this.

  Dane clapped and twirled her finger. “Let’s get started.” She grabbed a nearby seat while the others found spots to park themselves. “After talking to the producer, Calvin Mason, he’s going to let me add three more players. We need a drummer. I’m going with a trumpeter as well.”

  “You should’ve kept Louis then,” Dougie hissed.

  “Why? Louis sucked,” Dane replied.

  “Like you know good music.”

  “I know what sucks and Louis has vacuums beat. Now, drummer, trumpeter, and a guitarist,” Dane said.

  “A guitarist?” Evie asked with a furrowed brow.

  “I’ve decided to let each instrument represent a character. I think it’ll help make the characters more dynamic. I need a badass guitar player for the villain,” Dane explained.

  Since she didn’t have the best understanding of the overall story, it seemed like having instruments play the characters might be a good way to work with the script. If she couldn’t figure out the story, maybe they’d be able to figure
out the characters. “Anybody know anyone looking for a gig fitting those descriptions?”

  They were musicians. Maybe they had friends who needed gigs. If not, she knew plenty of people. In fact, she already knew who she’d grab for the drummer. God help us. She had a couple of ideas for a trumpeter and had called them up to come, but the orchestra might have friends who were better.

  “You want us to save your sorry little production already?” Dougie scoffed, throwing his head to the side.

  “No, I want your input. I don’t want this to be a dictatorship. If you have valid information, please share. If you don’t have any, I know plenty of people searching for a gig.” She’d go haunt Melody for a while if she didn’t get a decent trumpeter. They’d probably have suggestions for her down there anyway. Crow might be able to point her to a guitarist. She called her last night to spread the word. Crow was more than happy to do so.

  “It’s cool you want to include us,” Pedro said, glancing around. He smiled, even though it didn’t seem like anyone else was with him. Still, he had a cherubic face that could set pretty much anyone at ease.

  Dane shrugged off their indifference. “Okay, if you know anybody who fits the description and needs a gig, call ’em now. Dougie, did you bring your flute and clarinet?”

  “I did,” he grumbled, glowering.

  “Okay, I want to hear you on those and then we’ll talk about what we’re going to do with these characters.” Dane motioned to the script, which sat next to her new portfolio on a small office desk. “With our remaining time, we’ll practice some songs together to get used to playing together.”

  Dougie went for his instruments while the others made some phone calls. Thankfully, they respectfully took the calls into the hall without needing to be told. Dougie sounded fantastic with both woodwinds, as promised. She nodded as he played, and she picked out bits of his sound. The ideas she had could work. By the time she was done, she had ideas for the others as well.

  “You’ll be seeing a few of my friends in a couple of hours,” Evie said.

  “Mine, too,” Pedro said.

  “Good. Let’s get to other things while we wait. Have you guys read the script?” Dane asked.

  They shook their heads. “I didn’t get one,” Samiyah said and the others nodded.

  Dane groaned. How do they expect us to get anything done if we don’t know the story? “Lemme go get some scripts.”

  Dane hated that she’d have to interact with Andrew, but it was a necessary evil. She needed the musicians to know the characters and the story, so they could understand her vision as they played. She’d also like feedback, in case they thought something she made didn’t match the scene or didn’t match the character. Plus, they might be able to figure out the story Andrew was trying to tell, beyond the basic fairy tale anyway.

  “Andrew,” Dane called for him as she spotted him on stage. It looked like he was auditioning an actor. They hadn’t completed casting from her understanding of things and the theater still needed to be cleaned. So much work for everyone.

  “I’m busy,” he snapped, not even bothering to turn to her. She didn’t understand his hatred. Okay, he didn’t want music, but trying to stonewall her wouldn’t help his play in the long run. After all, there’d be a score going with the production opening night no matter what. She figured he’d rather it be awesome than terrible, as the music would reflect on him regardless of how he felt about it. He didn’t seem to follow the same logic, though.

  “I’m sure you are. I just need a few copies of the scripts for my orchestra,” she replied.

  With a sneer, he glared at her. “They’re just playing music. They don’t need it.”

  She squinted. That’s really his answer? “They do. They need to know and understand the show to play the music for it and why the music goes with what’s happening.” Why do I even have to explain this?

  His eyes dug into her in ways that reminded her of how her parents’ friends looked at her. “They don’t need to understand anything. They’re not actors. They just need to play some stupid music.”

  Dane frowned, but wouldn’t let this jackass get to her. Keep calm. Do your best and make Nick proud. “The music will enhance the story.”

  “The story doesn’t need enhancing,” he barked, slapping his hands against his sides. “I don’t care what my stupid father thinks!”

  Ah, Calvin was his father. That made some sense. Maybe Nicole was right about people getting jobs through personal connections. She felt a little better, but she still needed to get scripts for her people.

  “I still need scripts,” Dane said.

  “I’m busy,” he hissed and turned away again.

  Dane rolled her eyes and asked the crew who milled about the place. Eventually, someone got her copies of the script. She made sure to thank him and find out his name. She’d need to make friends with the crew to get things done. Now, to get to work.

  ***

  Nicole had a spare minute, so she decided to get in touch with Jody. She wasn’t sure how long they’d need Jody, but after talking to Danny, she was certain Danny would see the job all the way through. They’d need someone to watch Haydn for a few months, probably.

  “Hey, Nicole,” Jody greeted her over the phone.

  “Hey, Jody. How’s everything going?”

  “Fine, the usual.”

  “Ah, school and computers, but nothing else. You still keep your blog?”

  “Of course.”

  “That’s good. It still taking you places?”

  “I got an invite out to this thing over in the spring, but it’s a while from now. I’ve made a couple of apps, too. You should tell Aunt Katie to get me IT work at the firm. She’s acting like she doesn’t know what I’m talking about.”

  “She might not. Mommy isn’t completely up-to-date on the firm’s network. I’ll put a bug in my father’s ear about it.” It’d be nice to help Jody out, and the firm would benefit in having her around.

  “I didn’t even think to ask him.”

  “He’ll be okay with it. He knows you’re brilliant.”

  Jody laughed. “I am.”

  “Now, humble on the other hand…” Nicole trailed off into a snicker.

  “I’m humble enough.”

  Nicole rolled her eyes. “I’m fairly certain that’s not how humble works. Now, if you’ll forgive me, but I was calling to ask a favor of you.” She kept working since she doubted Jody would want to stay on the line for long.

  “Well, I just asked you a favor. Tit for tat. What do you need?”

  “Danny has a regular job now, and we need someone to watch Haydn.” Nicole grabbed a few folders and flipped through them. Once she found the one she needed, she grabbed a pen.

  “She got the job writing music for that play?”

  “Yes. She got the gig.” Nicole couldn’t stop a smile as she made a few notes about the file in front of her.

  “Awesome! I have classes three days a week, though. I’m not sure what I can do.”

  “If you could just go over and check on him whenever you get a chance. He’s by himself from eight to five-thirty now. It might be later than that when Danny really gets into work and when I have school.” They would have to do something before classes started for her. She didn’t want Haydn to suffer because they didn’t plan.

  Jody made a humming noise. “I’ll do what I can. It shouldn’t be too hard. You’re not far from school, and I scheduled stuff in the morning.”

  “Great. Can you start tomorrow? I’ll leave you a key in the mailbox.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “Thank you so much.”

  Jody scoffed. “Are you kidding me? You’ve helped me tons of times in my short life. I’m glad you trust me enough to take care of your precious pup.”

  “I know you’re responsible.” She frowned at her notes and went into her desk drawer, needing a paper that should’ve been pinned to the folder.

  “Yeah. You also know I’m going
to mess with your computer, right?”

  “I imagined you would.” As long as Jody didn’t do anything dramatic to it.

  “I’m going to play Danny’s game system and possibly ruin any places she saved.”

  “Figured.” She even warned Danny, but Danny didn’t seem to mind.

  “I’m also going to eat all of your food.”

  “We’re well stocked.” But, they’d have to figure out who would go shopping when they started running low. It would probably have to be her at some point since she drove. Or maybe we can do it together, one day after I get her from work and Jody can stay with Haydn for a little longer.

  They bid each other farewell. Smiling, Nicole was glad it was easy to figure out what to do with Haydn. She hoped it gave her and Danny a chance to spend a little one-on-one time with Jody as well. If Jody hung out for a little while, anyway. They could play video games and bond some.

  Finally, time to leave, Nicole picked up Danny, who seemed to be in good spirits. Well, a smile danced on her face anyway. They greeted each other with a kiss.

  “How was work?” Nicole asked as she pulled away from the theater.

  Dane’s caramel cheeks flushed a light pink. “I think this is going to work out. I hired musicians today. I mean, I got to hire people. Got everyone, except a drummer. The dude I want is going to show up tomorrow. He’s great. Bad with time, but unbelievable on drums. The group’s going to finish reading the script tonight, and we’ll be able to talk music and the play tomorrow, start getting to know each other and learning how to play together.”

  Nicole couldn’t help her grin. She listened as Danny went on about her plans for the show, if she could get her orchestra behind her. It was adorable whenever Danny used the phrase 'my orchestra.’

  “I think I’m going to let Samiyah represent the main character. It might seem weird for a hero to have violin music as a theme, but she’d crush whatever I write.”