by Dale Mayer
“They don’t look so great, do they?” Lance asked.
“It doesn’t look bad though,” Shane said. “How about a stool?”
Lance studied the lower stool and tried it out. He could hook one leg on the bottom railing and could sit with his other leg all the way to the floor for balance. He shifted so that he was sitting upright on the stool and sat for a good five minutes and then winced. “It’s a good idea in terms of guitar-playing,” he said, “but it’s not such a good idea in terms of my hips and back.”
“That’s what I was worried about,” Shane said. He looked over at a big armchair and said, “The arms here are too high for you to play, aren’t they?”
Lance looked at it and nodded.
“This pot chair here has the same problem.” Nearby was an open chair with no arms on the side. “What about something like this?” Shane asked. “You can lean back and get a little support.”
Lance looked at it and laughed. “Are you moving the cat first?”
Shane looked at the cat, smiled, and said, “This is Max. He’s taken over the place, although he hasn’t been here all that long. He’s only got three legs, but nobody told him that he’s any different.” He reached down and scooped up the cat. Max stretched in his arms, completely trusting that Shane wouldn’t dump him. Max gave a little bit of a meow and closed his eyes, relaxing into Shane’s embrace.
Lance looked at the cat and shook his head. “Such innocence.”
“It’s all about trust,” Shane said. “Sit over here and give this a try.”
Once he sat down in that chair, Lance nodded. “This one is perfect.”
“Then let’s shift it,” he said. ‘Where would you like it to be so you can face everybody?”
Looking around, Lance shrugged and said, “Well, how about over there in that corner? Then, as people come in, they can sit wherever they want.”
So, they set that up, and Lance sat there a bit. He really wanted to strum the strings, but he didn’t want to break Dani’s trust that he wouldn’t play indoors except on scheduled times. But he could run his hands up and down the strings, pretending like he was playing to test out his back. The chair was small enough that he could spread his legs on the corner and push his back right up against the chair for support. He smiled up at Shane. “You know what? This might work.”
“Good,” Shane said, and they talked about how to sit properly with his back getting the support he needed so that he wasn’t completely exhausted at the end of his concert.
Just then a man walked up and went straight to the piano. They watched in fascination as he opened it right up.
Shane asked, “Are you supposed to be working on that?”
The man, surprised to hear somebody talking to him, turned, looked at the two men, and said, “Oh, hi. Yeah, I’m here to tune it. Sounds like somebody here wants to play it, so they hired me to get it fixed. Looks like it’s been a while.”
Lance could feel something really bloom inside him. “Did Dani do that for me?” he asked Shane.
Shane slid him a sideways look. “Everybody here cares about your recovery,” he said. “It’s a simple-enough thing to do, and, yes, it sounds very much like her,” he said, laughing. “So, enjoy. I don’t know when it’ll be ready for you to play, and I doubt you can just sit down and run off a few songs, but it’s something for you to consider. Maybe next weekend?”
Lance really wanted to walk over there and place his fingers on the ivories. It had been years since he’d played the piano, and it had always been one of the best mediums for him. It was a completely different kind of instrument from the guitar and even the trumpet. He loved them all, but, at the same time, something was just so special about playing a piano. As it was, his session with Shane was almost over, and it was hard to leave, but, as he wheeled away from the piano tuner, he turned and asked him, “When will you be done with that?”
“I’ll be a good couple hours here yet,” he said, “but definitely by the end of day.”
“Perfect, thanks,” he said. He looked up at Shane. “I guess Dani would know if it’s me, wouldn’t she?”
“Most likely, if you’re any good, yes,” he said, laughing. “But you can bet this may flush out a few other guys who want to sit down and pound on the keys. And some of them may be good too.”
“That would be amazing,” he said. “I love sitting down and playing impromptu sessions,” he said, “just jamming with a few friends. There’s nothing like it.”
“Sounds like my version, minus the musical instruments and your talent, with a couple guys hanging around the barbecue with a couple beers,” he said.
“Almost,” he said, “I’ve had lots of friends over the years who played, but I don’t know anybody right now who does.”
“That’s okay,” Shane said, “maybe you’ll meet one or two here.”
Chapter 11
As it neared four o’clock, Jessica got nervous. Maybe she shouldn’t have started this. Maybe he wasn’t ready. Maybe she was pushing him? She didn’t know why she was so nervous, but she was. She walked into the cafeteria to see Dennis handing out ice cream cones again. She looked at him and said, “You know that it wouldn’t be so hard to keep the weight down if you would stop feeding us so well.”
He laughed. “There’s no such thing,” he said. “If you just added a little exercise or walked a little more,” he said, “you could afford a few hundred more calories.”
“The trouble is,” she said, in a low whisper, as she accepted the ice cream cone, “a hundred calories is a cookie. Something as delectable as this,” she said, as she held up the cone, “has got to be more like five or six hundred calories.”
He grinned. “A little less, but yeah,” he replied.
She rolled her eyes at him. “As if I could resist ice cream. I’ve been trying to stick to veggies and protein as it is,” she said.
“Well, whatever you’re doing, it’s working,” he said. “I haven’t seen you gain an ounce since you got here. Of course, you’ve also been working at a dead run day in and day out too.”
“Well, there’s that. But most of us staffers are aware of how easy it would be to pack on the pounds, courtesy of your kitchen, so we’re extra mindful,” she said with a laugh. Taking her ice cream, she walked back to the common area and realized a few of the chairs had been rearranged to not only allow for wheelchairs to come in but also for people to sit and just listen. And the piano was open and had been polished. She walked over and ran her fingers over the beautiful white keys. They made a lovely set of scales, but she had absolutely no idea how to play. Wouldn’t it be nice if she did?
She sat down on the piano bench, facing the room, and enjoyed her ice cream cone. A few people arrived at about a quarter to four, and she wasn’t sure if they were coming for the concert or if they were just coming because it was the common room and available when they wanted to be away from their rooms. She understood that very well.
By the time the scheduled concert hour neared, her ice cream was gone, and she’d slipped out and picked up coffee. She was seated once more on the piano bench, when she watched Lance roll his wheelchair to the front, then carefully shift over to the chair he had picked to use for today. He had the guitar with him, he looked over at her with a smile and said, “Well, I guess it’s time, isn’t it?”
She nodded. “A few people are already here for you,” she said encouragingly.
He shook his head. “I’m playing for myself,” he said. “People will come and like it, or they won’t. I just want the time to play.”
Slipping the guitar pick over his finger, he quickly thrummed the chords, then immediately launched into a country song and then slipped into a feel-good song, then sad, and back over to happy. She lost track as he took them through this emotional river. By the time he drifted off the last note from his guitar, an hour had passed. As soon as silence filled the room, she looked around to see that it was completely full of people. Once they realized he was done,
they clapped like crazy. He looked up, surprised to see so many people here and gave a lazy smile.
She hopped to her feet and said, “That was absolutely superb,” and clapped even harder. He shrugged. Dani was here too.
“I did say that you could go for another half hour,” she said, “but, if you’re tired, don’t overdo it,” she warned Lance.
He shook out his arms and said, “Actually, if you guys have a little bit of tolerance,” he said, “I’d love to try out that piano.”
Dani looked at Jessica in surprise and then nodded. “Don’t you need some time to practice first though?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “Let’s see.” And, with that, he sat down beside Jessica, smiled at her, and his fingers spread out over the keys. Closing his eyes, he immediately jumped into Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. There were gasps of shock as the music thundered through the room.
Although it may have hurt him, he gave absolutely no sign of it. He ripped into song after song after song, but Jessica could see the strain starting to set in.
After twenty-five minutes, she reached out a gentle hand and touched his shoulder. He tilted his head against her hand ever-so-lightly, and moved into a very slow serenade. By the time he got through the song, she could see that he was done. He dropped his hands to his lap and turned to face everyone. “Looks like my time is up. Thank you all so much for listening. That will be all for tonight.”
With that, the crowd erupted into a thunderous applause. She looked around and realized at least seventy-five people were here, although there could have been twice that many; she had no way of knowing because they were so jammed in the room. Somewhere off to the side was Shane. She walked through half the crowd that was slowly dissipating, noticing that the other half rushed to crush around Lance. She joined Shane and said, “That was freaking unbelievable.”
Shane nodded, visibly impressed. “He told me that he was a musician, but I didn’t realize how much of a musician. He’s the real deal,” he said. “As I sat back here and watched him, it was clear to me just how much we really have to do.”
“My God, the piano, he really killed it!”
“He did, and that’s a whole other can of worms to work on,” he said. “I don’t know if you noticed, but he didn’t use his other foot for the pedals.”
“I didn’t notice at all,” she said. “Please don’t tell me that, instead of enjoying that wonderful music, you spent the whole time working, designing changes to his program?” She turned to look back at Lance, but he was completely surrounded by people. “He is beyond talented,” she said, still in awe.
“Concert level,” Shane said, crossing his arms over his chest. “I wonder why he didn’t go into that full-time.”
She shook her head. “That’s a question we need to get to the bottom of,” she said. “And, if this is what he wants to do for his future,” she said, “maybe it’s time to pursue his gift. Do you think it’s possible to get him to the point where he’s capable of doing this for more than an hour and a half?”
“Most concerts are about ninety minutes,” he said.
“Concerts, yes,” she said gently, “but not necessarily practice.”
“Good point,” he said. “An hour and a half a day probably isn’t enough, is it?”
“I’d bet he’d play all day if he could, but I have no idea really. As far as practice goes though, I don’t think he wants to tour and do concerts at that level,” she said.
“But a bar in town, that’s a whole different story,” Shane said, clearly still focused, his mind spinning with the details of the challenge before them.
She smiled. “So, let’s see if we can get him to that point,” she said.
“I talked to him about a couple live-music bars in town, but I don’t think he’s done anything about it.”
“I’ve gone to one a couple times,” she said. “I wonder if I could talk to them myself.”
She pondered that, while Shane leaned closer and said, “If you do, don’t let him know you’re doing it. It’s one thing to think that other people are helping. It’s another thing to have them doing things because they think you can’t.”
“That’s not why I would do it,” she protested. “I just happen to get into town a little easier than he can.”
“I know,” he said, “but pride is a touchy thing.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “Particularly with the male species.”
He burst out laughing.
When she looked over at Lance, he was watching the two of them, frowning. She gave him a bright smile and then walked over. “Are you ready to go for dinner?” she asked.
“Yeah, I am kind of tired now and hungry. Starving, actually.” Several of the others crowded around them, and one of them said, “Let’s go. We can all have dinner together.”
She loved that camaraderie, that sense of inclusion. He really needed that. It was acceptance at his peer level, and that was so important. She stepped back as they headed toward the cafeteria.
Shane motioned and said, “Are you letting him go alone?”
“I don’t know,” she said, shoving her hands into her pockets. “This is important for him too,” she said. “He has a chance to make some friends here.”
“No reason he can’t make friends with you there,” he said, giving her a gentle nudge. “Go join them, and you’ll be accepted as part of it all as well.”
She frowned, hesitating and hating that part of her which said she didn’t belong, but Shane wasn’t having it.
“Go,” he said. She shot him a look, and he just shook his head. “Don’t even begin to give me excuses,” he said. “This is your one chance to join him, as if you were at a dinner party. Get out there and go. Let your own light shine a little bit too.”
“My light doesn’t shine very bright,” she said with a half laugh.
“That’s because you don’t let it,” he said. “Lately you’ve been all about getting Lance to shine,” he said. “Now you’re feeling like you don’t think you’re good enough or something, which is crazy,” he said, shaking his head.
She considered it, shrugged, and then said, “Okay, but if it doesn’t work out—”
“If it doesn’t work out,” he said in a sarcastic voice, “you’ll try again tomorrow.”
Lance glanced around, but he was surrounded by other patients, and they were all talking and laughing about concerts they’d been to. One of them used to jam on the drums, and another used to play trumpet. He was really happy that his music had sparked something for a lot of them. The energy was high and the conversation light and bubbly. Yet something was missing. He kept looking around, but he saw no sign of Jessica.
Finally a hand gently touched his shoulder, and he recognized it immediately. He also sensed something settling inside him at her arrival. He reached up a hand, grabbed hers, and tried to push his wheelchair with just his free hand, which didn’t work so well. She chuckled, squeezed his fingers, and, grabbing his wheelchair, pushed him from behind. He thought about arguing, then shrugged and gave up. The truth of matter was, his arms were sore, and he was tired. And he was also grateful to have her here with him. As they got to the cafeteria, Dennis waited for them behind the counter. He looked up and beamed.
“There you are, Jessica,” he said. “I wondered where you got off to, and then, when I heard the music, I figured, when it came to an end, you’d be all rushing down to eat.” Next he looked at Lance and said, “I got to tell you, man, that was some of the best music I’ve heard in a long time.”
That comment set everybody else off too. Lance felt warm inside, in a way he hadn’t in a very long time. He wasn’t sure who had brought it up, but it was all about acceptance, finding your place, and being true to who you were. A guy stepped back and, “Let Lance go first tonight.”
Looking around, Lance said, “Hey, you don’t need to give me any special privileges,” he said. “I’m just the same as you guys.”
Jessica plunked a tray
into his lap, and she said, “Absolutely you are, and everybody else here has their own specialties too,” she said. “But tonight, you made us all very, very happy because that music was like nectar from the gods.”
A round of clapping came at her words. Lance just laughed.
Dennis said, “Okay, then. What can I get for the man of the hour? It’s steak night, by the way.”
Feeling like a celebrity and a bit of a fool, he said, “Actually I’d love a steak.”
Dennis’s eyebrows shot up, and he said, “Medium rare, rare?”
“Medium rare, baked potato, and a Caesar salad on the side.”
Dennis nodded. “You got it. Anybody else?”
Immediately half the gang behind him chimed in.
“Guess we’ll have to have steak night more often,” Dennis said.
“It’s the whole dinner-and-a-show feeling,” Jessica said.
“You may have something there. Anyway, where will you all sit? I’ll start bringing out plates as they come up.”
Chapter 12
They headed for the deck in the open air. It was still a hot afternoon, though it was overcast today, so it wasn’t like they were sitting in the direct sun. They collected their drinks, and, as a group, they all headed out to the deck and pulled chairs and tables together, so they could all sit somewhat close together. They ended up in a big square, with some seated inside and some out. Laughing and joking, Jessica hadn’t felt this good or this much a part of something since she’d arrived. As she realized that, she was also aware that this was really important. And the whole time Lance stayed beside her, being part of it all.
He reached over and gripped her fingers. “Thank you.”
“I didn’t do anything,” she said, her lips kicking up in the corners.
“Yes, you did,” he said. “You helped set this up, and you stayed with me the whole time.”
She looked at him in surprise. “That matters?”
