Chapter 8

Ch. 08 Song Titles

The next several weeks were a whirlwind of activity for Mike and Melody. Mike first solidified his new contract with the ASO, giving him a substantial pay raise, with the potential for more if he managed to earn tenure. As rehearsals resumed in preparation for the last concert of the year, he worked to earn the trust and respect of the section leading up to the next season. Despite the competitive nature of professional trumpet players, they all seemed happy for him, feeling he was the best fit for the job.

After a couple of rehearsals, Maestro Spano asked Mike to stay late one day to discuss something. The ASO planned to introduce him as the new principal trumpet at their final concert of the year, and wanted to feature him in a solo piece of Mike’s choosing. Considering his options, Mike decided on Herman Bellstedt’s Napoli, one of his favorite cornet solos. Fast and flashy, it was always a crowd pleaser, and showed off many of Mike’s skills, plus it was a fun piece to play. Spano agreed, handing out the music to the orchestra the next day to begin work on it.

Melodious Photography got off to a strong start with Melody at the helm. The first few jobs she worked were flawless, earning her rave reviews from her clients. This resulted in more referrals as wedding season approached. She found that she had a particular talent for engagement photo sessions, being able to capture the love and affection between the bride and groom without letting it appear staged.

Photographing her first actual wedding, the bride requested that Melody bring a second shooter to capture as many different angles from the ceremony and reception as they could. Again stretching the limits of her powers using Mike’s wish of equal partnership, she was able to create an assistant for herself. The girl she created was in essence only a robot, but with the ability to work and interact with others at Melody’s direction. Naming her Evelyn, she looked as though she could be either a sister or cousin to Melody, albeit with raven hair instead of Melody’s red wine color.

Besides her professional success, Melody also worked to further her studies of the Bible and Christianity. She enrolled in Ashley’s study course at Mike’s church, intending to take the first steps towards joining the church someday, much to Mike’s excitement. Ashley found that having Melody in the class was an absolute joy, as she always had excellent questions that fostered communication and debate among the students. This in turn helped her gain a greater understanding of the context of the scripture they were studying. These classes also served to strengthen the fast-forming friendship between Ashley and Melody, the former becoming a trusted confidant and mentor for the latter.

In their personal lives, Mike and Melody couldn’t have been more in love if their lives depended on it. Each day was a new experience, even if they did nothing but lay in bed making love all day; they never grew weary of each other. On some nights and weekends, Sasha and Tyler would come down from their apartment for them to babysit, much to Sandra’s relief. Sasha and Melody were becoming ‘best girlfriends, ‘ according to Sasha, and Tyler was starting to catch on to Mike’s example of treating women with admiration and respect, regardless of if they were a girlfriend, a mom, a sister, or even a total stranger. After a while, the kids would sometimes beg to go and see Mike and Melody even if their mom had no need for a babysitter.

As Melody had predicted, Stuart asked Darcy out that night as they left Mike and Melody’s apartment. They were cautious at first, feeling each other out for the first few dates, but soon fell hard for each other. Beneath his goofball personality, Darcy could see the good man Stuart was deep down, yet the goofball always managed to shine through at the right times. Stuart always seemed to be able to make her laugh right when she needed him to. Both were grateful to Mike and Melody for their evil plot to set them up with each other. They razzed them at first about being nosey and meddlesome, though it was pointed out that Darcy was an expert in nosiness. The two couples double dated quite often, strengthening Darcy and Melody’s friendship even further.

As early June approached, so too did the final performance of the ASO before their summer break. It always took place on a Sunday afternoon, with a large party for all employees and their significant others following. Additionally, word of Melody’s photography skills had gotten to Maestro Spano, who enlisted her services in photographing the after party. Of course, Melody wanted to enjoy being Mike’s date for the evening, so she “hired” Evelyn to work the camera for the event.

Standing in his tuxedo in front of his floor mirror, Mike adjusted his black bowtie and vest. As he was the featured soloist of the concert, he wanted to be sure his attire would be suitable even for James Bond himself. As he finished the last of his grooming, a whistle of approval came from behind him.

“Damn, you may not make it out of the bedroom dressed like that,” Melody marveled.

He turned to face her and was mesmerized. Though Melody was usually at her most gorgeous with the wholesome-yet-sexy girl-next-door look, the sophisticated evening gown style she now displayed was quite stunning. Her deep red hair had grown out longer, now reaching to her armpits. It was still perfectly straight, and clasped together at the top of her neck with a black barrette. Her long black dress sparkled and shimmered from every direction, extending almost to the floor. An elegant slit exposed just enough of her toned left leg to be tantalizing and sexy for anyone catching a glimpse of it. The top of the dress was held up by two straps tied behind her neck in a halter-top, completed by a plunging V-neck that showed off the perfect amount of her ample cleavage. She wore little makeup, but she had so little need for it with her pure and sweet facial features; a light touch of black eyeliner and some pale pink lip-gloss were all she required.

“Holy shit ... I’ve died and gone to heaven,” came Mike’s eventual reply.

Kissing him on the cheek, Melody whispered in his ear, “Not yet.”

Taking her hand, Mike backed up to continue examining her beauty. She gave a little twirl to show her exposed back of the dress, throwing her megawatt smile over her shoulder as she did so.

“Stunning,” Mike continued to gush. “Although, I think it’s a bit incomplete.”

“What do you mean?” Melody asked with a puzzled look on her face.

With his trademark grin, Mike pulled a small, old brown box from his pocket. “Got you a little present.”

Melody took the box, her smile a mile wide as she lifted the lid. Looking inside of it, her eyes were now fixed upon the locket Mike had released her from. He had taken painstaking steps to clean and polish it, adding a brand new gold chain to it as well, fearing that the old one might break at some point.

“Open it,” Mike instructed.

Slowly prying the clasp open, Melody peered inside the locket to find that it was no longer empty as it had been before. Mike had placed a small, circular photograph of the two of them in the back piece of the locket. She remembered well when the picture had been taken. They had been walking with Sandra and her kids in the local park when Melody slipped her phone to Sandra. Melody had whispered to her that they needed a picture of the two of them, but that it had to be spontaneous. Melody then snuck up behind Mike, jumping on him for a piggyback ride as Sandra snapped a picture of them cracking up laughing. Mike had cropped that photo to include just their faces and Melody’s arm wrapped around his neck, holding on for dear life. As Melody gazed upon the photo, she placed her hand over her mouth in disbelief, tears welling up in her eyes.

“You ... are ... unbelievable...” she managed to gasp through her tears of happiness. Enveloping him in a passionate, loving kiss, she said as their lips parted, “I’ll always keep it with me.”

Chuckling at her, he pointed out that her tears were staining her eyeliner; she fixed it with a snap of her fingers. After another short make out session, Melody turned to face the mirror and held her hair aside for Mike, beckoning him to put the locket on her. Clasping it around her neck, he sensuously rubbed her bare shoulders and kissed her neck as he finished. He wrapped his arms around her waist, gazing at her in the mirror, and saw that the locket was an excellent complement to her beauty, nestled in-between her breasts.

“Perfect,” Mike whispered to her.

Departing the apartment, Mike grabbed his cornet case and Melody a small purse that matched her sparkling dress. Along the drive downtown, Melody confirmed that Mike’s parents had tickets reserved for the three of them at the box office and that they would meet them there. Under most circumstances, Mike wouldn’t socialize before a performance, but as the featured soloist, he was not asked to play on any other piece on the concert. In this way, he could be certain to be in prime condition for his solo.

After parking in the employee deck, the pair met up with Mike’s parents outside the entrance to symphony hall. They exchanged their greetings before Mike slipped backstage for a moment to drop off his horn in the greenroom. As he rejoined the group, his parents were chatting with a couple of church friends who happened to be there also, while Melody was being hit on by a middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair. His demeanor indicated that he thought quite a lot of himself.

And who the hell is that? Mike asked, keeping his distance.

A partner at a law firm near here. Sees himself as a future United States Senator, even though he has no shot in hell. Not the ONLY thing he’s got no shot in hell at.

As Mike approached them, Mike heard the man saying, “Well, my dear, if you’ll permit me, I’d love to be your escort for the rest of the evening.”

Linking her arm in Mike’s as he arrived, she politely replied, “That’s very kind of you Mr. Blair, but I’m being escorted by tonight’s featured soloist, Mike Braxton. Have you met?”

“Umm ... no. James Blair, how do you do young man?”

“Mike Braxton, very well, thank you sir.”

Rubbing his back, Melody continued, “Mike has been working so hard, winning the principal job, preparing for this solo. To be honest, I doubt he would have been so successful without my help. I’m quite good at providing ... inspiration,” she said suggestively.

“Ah, I see. In any case, I hope you enjoy the performance young lady, and good luck to you Mr. Braxton,” the man said, beating a hasty retreat.

Chuckling, Mike turned to Melody. “Yet another pompous idiot with no idea how out of his league he is.”

“Never gets old,” she replied with a grin.

Mike’s parents rejoined them soon, his mom saying that they had a celebratory gift for his winning the principal position.

“Mike, we want you and Melody to take a vacation to the beach. You pick out the time, reserve the hotel, and charge everything to your copy of my credit card. That includes your food and gas, young man!” she said as he attempted to profess her generosity as unnecessary.

“Mom, you really don’t have to do all that...”

“No we don’t have to, we want to. And we get to. It’s not every day my son wins his dream job, after all,” she replied with a smile.

Knowing that their minds were made up, Mike and Melody glanced at each other in confirmation before accepting their offer. Marveling at his parents’ gift, she thought to Mike an observation she had during the previous conversation.

I see where you get your generosity. Not to mention your stubbornness.

Please. My parents got me beat on stubbornness six ways to Sunday.

As the lights flashed to indicate the performance was about to begin, Mike made his way to the greenroom to warm up while Melody walked with Jane and Brad to their seats in the balcony. Melody sat in the center seat of the front row of the balcony, ensuring Mike would be able to see her once the house lights came back on after his performance. After the orchestra entered the stage and tuned up, the lights dimmed and the concert began.

First on the program was Dvorak’s New World Symphony. The entire symphony was almost an hour in length, and as such, comprised the entire first half of the program. In particular, Melody enjoyed the lyrical second movement, which she could tell was based on the folk tune Goin’ Home. The finale was exciting as well, providing ample opportunities for Stuart and the low brass to let loose at full volume. Upon hearing the first notes of the finale, Melody leaned over to Jane and whispered a question.

“Isn’t that pretty much the Jaws theme music?”

Suppressing a laugh at her perceptiveness, Jane could only nod in reply.

After the intermission, the orchestra launched into Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, which featured Maestro Spano on piano. There were also several jazzy trumpet solos scattered throughout, providing the current principal trumpet, Ray Velazquez, one last chance to show off before retiring. After the frantic final segment of the piece, the piano was rolled offstage in preparation for Mike’s solo, the final selection of the evening.

As Mike stood offstage, Maestro Spano spoke to the audience of the audition he had given to earn the principal position. Proclaiming him to be one of the fast-rising stars of professional classical music, he hoped that the audience would enjoy tonight’s performance, plus many performances to come. With a final introduction, the audience erupted in applause as Mike walked out onstage.

Shaking the Maestro’s hand as he reached center stage, Mike then bowed and took a deep breath, ready for the start of the piece. After a short introduction from the orchestra, Mike entered on an extended cadenza to open the solo. Showing off for a few seconds, he and the orchestra then launched into the familiar main tune of the piece. The audience oohed and aahed as they began to recognize the light, bouncy Italian music. As the piece progressed, the main theme began its variations, becoming more technical and flashy as time went on. By the time he reached the flurry of notes that closed the piece, Mike’s fingers were an absolute blur as he danced over the entire range of the horn. With a final grand cadence to close the final notes, the audience jumped to their feet in a rousing standing ovation.

Lowering his horn with a huge smile on his face, Mike pointed up to the balcony where Melody sat. She waved and screamed excitedly, blowing a kiss right back at him. He then turned to shake the Maestro’s hand once more and, turning to do the same for Jessica, was pulled into a congratulatory hug. Exiting the stage, he heard that the applause had not diminished a bit, so he reentered the stage once more for a final bow, turning once again to thank the entire orchestra for their efforts. As the applause began to die down and the house lights came up, Mike made his way around the entire orchestra, thanking the principal player of each section personally. Along the way, he got a hug from Darcy and a playful head-slap from Stuart, who threatened, “Hands off my girlfriend.” As he packed up his equipment in the greenroom, Melody came in with Mike’s parents, marveling at his performance.

“You look like you had fun,” Melody said.

“I actually get PAID for this!” Mike responded with a laugh.

Saying goodbye to his parents as they started for home, Melody took Mike’s arm as they walked together to the employee party. As they arrived, there were quite a few stares and whistles, as this was the first time the orchestra as a whole had seen Mike’s girlfriend. Darcy approached and greeted Melody with an excited hug. Even though Melody was a complete bombshell that evening, Darcy was equally as stunning. She had changed out of her black performance dress and into a stunning royal blue gown that extended all the way to the floor. The garment was held up by a single, elegant shoulder strap that perfectly complemented her light brown hair. Mike caught Stuart’s eye as the girls chatted, giving him a thumbs up sign in approval, which elicited a smirk from Stuart.

Throughout the evening, the couple made the rounds, munching on finger food and schmoozing with various members of the staff and orchestra. Mike got quite a few congratulations on his performance from the evening, as well a few of the other trumpet players sarcastically asking if he only got Melody due to his promotion. She gave her usual flirty responses, but always made it clear that she was with Mike the person, not Mike the musician. After about an hour or so, the pair approached Ray Velazquez, the outgoing principal trumpet.

During his short time with the orchestra, Mike had developed a deep respect for the portly Hispanic man that led the trumpet section. Now in his late sixties, Ray had worked with many orchestras around the country before settling in Atlanta some twenty years ago. Besides his classical experience, Ray also had training in jazz and studio music, having played with Los Angeles studio bands for film soundtracks, as well as touring groups such as the OJ’s and Earth, Wind, and Fire. He was a true Renaissance man; eager to dabble in any style and medium he could through his music.

“So, how ‘bout it Ray? We never gonna see you again, or you gonna be in the audience all the time just to give your evil glares when we mess up?” Mike asked.

“You know, I really can’t decide. A nice, quiet beach in Tijuana sounds fantastic, me and my wife, but I never pass up an opportunity to, shall we say, point out areas for improvement,” Ray shot back.

“Oh, ‘areas for improvement, ‘ is it? I thought it was the smug satisfaction you get from being right all the time.”

“The fact that I am right all the time is merely coincidence,” he said with pride. As Melody giggled at their exchange, Ray turned to her and said, “I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure young lady.”

“Of course. This is my girlfriend, Melody Roberts. Melody, meet Ray Velazquez. I taught him everything he knows,” Mike said with a grin.

“You wish, chico,” Ray replied, thickening his Mexican accent. Extending his hand in greeting, he addressed Melody. “Delighted, my dear. I only hope that you can reign in my friend’s ego a bit,” he said with a wink.

With her megawatt smile, she replied, “I’ll do what I can. He’s stubborn, but I can be very persuasive.”

Stroking his greying goatee with his fingers, Ray said to Mike, “Sweet mama, you’d better hold on to this one, Mike.”

Mike pulled her close to him by her waist, kissing her on the cheek. “I plan to. You take care of yourself, Ray. You’ve earned a long retirement.”