Chapter 3

The next day went by smoothly and I was even able to get my American Lit book switched to The Sun Also Rises, which was a huge relief. I knew that Huck Fin would be an easy read. I also knew the imagery was a lot deeper than I’d be able to figure out for a good paper. At first, I thought the curious kissers were going to leave us alone for lunch. And they did, for the first fifteen minutes. And then they came over as a group.

I was prepared for another entertaining lunch, listening to Fallon talk about how to kiss but that’s not what happened. They came to ask me questions. By their questions and body language it seemed like they were anxious to try out what Fallon had said and wanted to use me as their Guinea pig. Fallon seemed to be enjoying my discomfort until the blonde on my left put her hand on my shoulder and moved very close to me.

I had been nice but enough was enough. “I’m sure you’ll do just fine as soon as you find someone to practice with.”

“Maybe I already have,” she said and put her hand on my knee under the table.

“I think there’s one thing about kissing that Fallon left out. It’s probably the key.”

“I’d like to know what that is,” she said laying it on thick.

“Passion. The key to a really great kiss is passion.”

“I’m pretty sure I could manage that.”

“Maybe but if we kissed, it would fall flat.”

“I might surprise you,” she said and Fallon was about done with it.

“You might. But I wasn’t talking about your passion. I was talking about mine. I have that for Fallon. Would you excuse us, ladies? We’d like a little privacy.” She was shocked that I wouldn’t have passion for her. She started to say something else and realized from my face and body language that it would be embarrassing for her if she did. She got up in a huff and motioned for the other girls to go with her.

All but one, got up to leave. The last slid close to Fallon, whispered in her ear, and then left, smiling at me.

“What was that about?” I asked.

“Girl talk,” she said and I let it go. Fallon was smiling once again. That was enough for me.

When lunch was about over, I walked around the table to her side and held her hand as she stood. At first, she hadn’t understood about that type of thing but she had grown not only to expect it but to enjoy it. I knew the curious kissers were watching. I held her close and kissed her gently, then leaned back so I could focus.

“I don’t know that girl but if she thought I’d be interested in her, she’s crazy. Why would I be interested in a student, when I have the teacher?”

“That’s nice. Have you been working on that long?” she asked.

“Only for the last fifteen minutes or so,” I answered. “I’m looking forward to whatever homework you choose to assign tonight.”

“The homework will be nice,” she said and squeezed my hands. “It’s the extra credit I’m really interested in.”

I mouthed the word, “Damn,” back at her. I had no choice but to pull her close and hug her. I let her go, and we turned to walk back to class. “I don’t want to attract the kissing police. I think they’re on to us.”

We gave Sascha a lift home, saving him some time and freeing him up to practice for his test. I told him I’d seen Kung Fu and liked it. He was pleased. I followed Fallon inside and greeted her mom, while she went to change.

“How, are you, Michael?” she asked, picking up a softly crying baby. She sat across from me and popped a bottle into his mouth. He shut up and latched on immediately.

“I’m doing pretty well, Mrs. Deplanes. It’s been kind of a crazy week.”

“So, I hear. Tina says you’ve got a bit of a reputation.” I arched my eyebrows. “She was here last night. A little help with geometry, I think.” For some reason, I had assumed, Fallon would ask me for help with geometry.

“I don’t know about that. I’m not sure I want one.”

“Well, I guess you better get used to it. Fallon says you two might go to the beach after her demo.”

“Yes, ma’am. If that’s okay with you.”

“I’m sure that will be fine. Do you have a time?”

“I have a curfew. One.”

“Do you think the two of you can stay out of trouble that long?”

“Yes, ma’am. I have a reputation. Wait. What’s my reputation?”

She laughed at that. “I’m sure that will be just fine. You don’t know what your reputation is? It must have been a crazy week.” She smiled again.

“Mrs. Deplane, I understand a little about the nature, nurture thing and that Fallon inherited a lot. But I think she must get her happy attitude from you.”

“I’ll take that as the compliment I’m sure you intended. Thank you. She’s had a couple of influences in that department. Your sister is one of them.”

“And the other?”

“Tina, of course.”

“Really?” She smiled and nodded, a bit cryptically, I thought.

Fallon came back out, wearing a floor length black skirt and a white blouse. She was waving one of her hands and blowing on the fingers of her other hand.

“Touch up. They’ll be dry in a minute.” She had done her nails. That’s not all she’d done. She had her hair up in some sort of a knot, exposing her neck, and she had on make-up that accented her beautiful eyes...

“You look great, Fallon. How is anyone going to notice the piano?”

“Stop. Okay. They’re dry enough. Let’s go,” she said and gave her mom a kiss on the cheek.

“Be careful, sweetheart and break a leg.” She turned to me. “I guess I just get a regular old kiss.” That probably answered the reputation question.

We drove back to my house and went in. I hollered but we were the only one’s there.

“We have plenty of time but I should cook. What do you want? I don’t even know if you’re allergic to anything.”

“Nope. I can eat anything. Whatever you make will be fine.”

“I forgot. I’ve cooked for the Musketeers a bunch, haven’t I. But never just one of them. This is new. Do you like spicy?” She nodded. “Great. I’ll make a chicken curry dish.”

She sat at the kitchen table as I prepped. I pulled out the rice cooker and started six cups going. I sliced some onions and bell peppers, cut up some broccoli and tossed them in a pan to warm them up and soften them a bit. Then I diced a package of chicken thighs and threw them on to brown. When the vegetables were the way I liked them, I added coconut milk and some curry paste and a few spices. I checked the fridge and we still had salad from the night before. I wiped down the table and set it for five.

“Oh, oh. You didn’t know. I hope you are making enough for seven.”

I looked in the saucepan and thought there would be enough.

“I made kind of a bunch so we should be good. Who am I missing?”

“LuAnn and Tina. At least I think so. That’s probably where Lisa is. I can call.”

“No. That’s good. The rice should be done in about ten minutes and I’m going to leave the rest on to simmer. I’ll be back in ten minutes. Gotta change,” I said.

“Need help,” she offered with a smile.

“If you help, it will take a lot longer than ten minutes.” I was gone.

“It would keep,” she hollered, teasing me.

I changed into some slacks and a dark blue button-down shirt. Back down in the kitchen, I asked Fallon if she wanted to serve from the stove so we could keep it hot until everyone else got home. Plates loaded; we sat down across from each other.

“Kind of strange, eating without an audience,” I said.

“You sure pissed of Tricia Hurley today. She wanted to kiss you so bad.”

“That’s what it would have been. A bad kiss. Why would she think I would want to kiss her?”

“She thinks she’s pretty. She is pretty. But she’s full of herself, too. You shut her down, too. That was nice.”

“She was asking for it. Do you know what you’re going to play, yet?”

“Yeah. I’m going to start with Debussy’s Clair de Lune, then Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier. I’m probably going to play Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, just to mix it up. I might do a couple of show tunes. It just depends on who’s there. I will probably finish with Liszt’s La Campanella. It’s ridiculously difficult to play and I might mess it up but with a piano like that, I have to try.”

“I heard Gershwin and then a bunch of other guys,” I said and was serious. I’m sure Artie will know all those and he’ll be pleased.”

We finished up and prepared to leave, just as Mom came home with a car full of girls.

“Smells good. What do we have?” Mom asked and lifted the lid. “Mm mm. Get washed up ladies. Chicken curry is best when it’s fresh. Thanks, buddy. You two out of here?”

“Yes, ma’am. After her demo we might go to CDM if that’s okay. I’ve got firewood.”

LuAnn walked up to me and gave me a giggly kiss on the cheek. She was going to leave when Tina grabbed her and held her in place. Tina motioned and the two of them sandwiched me with cheek kisses. It was funny. No one noticed that Tina grabbed my ass and squeezed it at the same time she kissed me.

When the cheek kisses were done and she’d let go of my butt, I turned to Tina and whispered, “You are trouble.” She gave me an eyebrow lift, and moved to start filling drinks.

“Alright. Do you have a blanket or two? Take that old green one. It’s already got holes in it from the last trip to Corona. Back by one unless Fallon has an earlier curfew. Hey, sweetheart,” she said to Fallon. “You ready to wow them?”

“I’m ready to try a Bösendorfer. It’s like a legendary piano. Unless you’re a concert pianist or rich, you never get to so this will be fun. I’m pretty sure it’s the most expensive thing they’ve ever had at Ocean.”

“I know you’ll do well.”

I grabbed the blankets Mom suggested and we left. We arrived at Ocean Guitar Center thirty minutes early. The door was closed and there were a dozen people standing around in front. Not what I expected.

“Go around back,” Fallon said. “We’ll park back there.”

I did and Artie let us in.

“We’re goin to have a big turnout, Fallon. I have to start letting people in soon so if you want to warm up, best do it now.”

It seemed like he’d rearranged the back half of his store to provide room around his new prize. Fallon walked around it once and asked Artie if she could use a different bench. He brought a Yamaha and she was satisfied. She played something I didn’t know and then ran scales up and down the keyboard. I watched her play it again as she worked the pedals.

“It’s beautiful. I want one,” she said and Artie smiled.

“I know you’ll do it justice sweetheart. We goin have a big crowd tonight. Big crowd. I’ve had people callin all afternoon. You look nice. You ready for an interview?”

“Interview? What are you talking about, Artie?”

“Doctor George might come. Dunno. Maybe.” Doctor George Fishbeck was a new, local weatherman quickly becoming known for his quirky ways and introducing his audience to Scouting events, surfers and apparently young pianists. He seemed like a nice guy and I don’t remember ever hearing him say anything bad.

“You do it, Artie. If he comes, you talk to him. I just want to play.”

“Okay, sweetheart. I just thought maybe this might help with you getting known. You should be known, Fallon.”

“Fallon,” I said. If he comes and you end up on the news at eleven, wouldn’t the people at USC find out about it? Could this help you with scholarship chances?” Her eyes got big.

“I wasn’t nervous until now. Okay, Artie. If he comes, I’ll talk with him. If I tell him I want to go to Thornton, they might hear about it.”

“That’s good, girl. You know what you’ll play if they put the cameras on you?”

“I was going to save it until the end but I guess I’d switch and play La Campanella. It would almost be an audition. Now I wish I’d practiced it more.”

“You can do it, honey. It’s short. Do it now and then I’ll cover it up and open the doors.”

She started, stopped and started again. I’d never heard it before but the piece was amazing. It seemed almost too fast to play. I watched her fingers dance over the keys and there were a couple of passages where her hands really flew. It was complicated and fast and beautiful. And, it was only about five minutes long.

“Fallon, that sounds like an hour’s worth of music in five minutes. You were amazing.”

“She is all of that,” Artie said. “Let me cover this up and open the doors. You’ll be just fine.” He pulled a black cloth over the piano. It seemed like it was made for it. Before he went to the door, he turned back to Fallon. “Honey, I don’t care who’s here. You just play for your man and you’ll do just fine.”

She breathed out a big sigh. “Let’s go to the back until seven,” she said. I don’t want to talk to a bunch of people now.”

We went to his storeroom in the back. Before we went in, I saw Artie at the far end of the store and waved to him so he’d know where we were and he waved back. I watched Fallon close her eyes and work through some practice in her mind. It was fascinating. Her fingers tapped the sides of her skirt and she moved her head to the melodies only she could hear. At seven, the door opened and I was surprised to see Tina.

“You ready, girl?” she asked.

“Yes. Hi. So glad you’re here, too. Anyone else?”

“Yes. The place is packed.”

Tina led her out and I followed. Artie was talking about the piano, giving its history and why it was better than any other piano. Then he introduced Fallon, saying she would be playing an assortment of pieces that would show off the piano. There were a lot of people dressed as though for a fancy night on the town. The Musketeers were all there, as were both my parents. Fallon’s orchestra teacher was there, too. This was a world of people I was totally unfamiliar with.

Fallon sat down and started in with Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. It’s the only thing she did that I had heard before that night. When she finished there was light applause. She immediately started on a classical piece I didn’t know. She was pretty good. Everyone was really focused and enjoying it. I saw a commotion at the front door and then it was obvious there was a TV crew in the building. Dr. George.

Fallon changed the pace and played the ragtime song I’d heard her play when we were in the store a week ago. It brought smiles to everyone’s face. When she finished, Artie introduced George Fishbeck. He said he wanted to introduce Fallon and ask her a question or two, he’d have to leave but his crew would film her play something. He thanked everyone for their patience.

Dr. George sat on another bench that Artie brought and whispered to Fallon while his crew positioned a microphone over the piano and set up a lamp and what looked like a reflective umbrella, aiming the light on Fallon. His cameraman motioned that he was ready.

“You’ve been listening to Fallon Deplanes, perform ... oops. Cut. I guess I better find out what you’re going to play next, hadn’t I.” She told him and he started over. “You’ve been listening to Fallon Deplanes perform Liszt’s La Campanella. I’m not sure my ears can listen that fast. How long have you been playing?”

“Since I was five. My parents saw me play on a toy piano and they bought an upright.”

“I understand this piano is a little bit nicer piano than the upright. What makes it so special?”

“The Bösendorfer has ninety-seven keys instead of eighty-eight so it has an entire extra octave and that’s nice. But what I really like about it is how rich it sounds. It’s the best sounding piano I’ve ever played on.”

“You’re obviously very talented. Do you ever get nervous?”

“No. I just play for my man and if he smiles, I’m happy.”

“Must be special. What’s next for you?”

“Well, I’m just a sophomore but when I graduate, I want to go to Thornton. That’s the music school at USC.”

“I think you’ll be ready for that by the time you graduate.” He turned to the camera. “I think the question is, will Thornton be ready for you. You can see this wonderful piano at Ocean Guitar Center in Costa Mesa. Now, let’s take a look at tomorrow’s forecast,” he said and nodded to the cameraman.

He shook Fallon’s hand and stood. “Thank you all for your patience. I appreciate you accommodating us. That segment should air tomorrow at both five and eleven if you want to see it. And now, I’m going to pack up and listen to the piece of music I just said I’d already heard. She says it’s fast.” Everyone applauded and he stepped away.

Artie stepped up and introduced the next piece. “Fallon’s going to play arguably the most difficult work for piano, Franz Liszt’s, La Campanella, or, The Little Bell. It’s all yours sweetheart.”

He stepped away and she dove in. I appreciated the piece even more the second time I heard it. Her hands flew over the keys, at one point her left hand hovered over her head as though it was anxious to get back in the game. Her right crossed over her left and her fingers flashed over the keys so fast I couldn’t believe it. I saw Doctor George, smiling and shaking his head. I was glad he stayed to hear that.

When she was finished, there was much louder applause than she’d heard before. She turned toward her audience and thanked them. “This is for you to see what this piano can do. Does anyone have anything in particular they’d like to hear?”

Someone passed Artie a card. He looked at it and handed it to Fallon. She looked at the card, then Artie. He pointed to a well-dressed man who smiled at her and nodded. The camera crew left and people crowded back in.

“This is a tough piece and I haven’t practiced it in a while. If I mess up, it’s me, not the piano,” she said and everyone laughed. “This is Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto number three. It’s long, so I’ll just play the opening movement.”

I had no idea what that meant but I must have been the only one. Everyone else whispered to each other and then settled in to listen. It was really beautiful but it seemed just as difficult as the piece by Liszt. I saw the man who’d requested it listening and watching intently. He moved toward me and I saw him watch Fallon work the pedals. He seemed to like what he saw. As the piece ended, everyone applauded. The man had moved back to Artie and whispered to him.

Artie addressed us, “Nelson Jadok is going to continue the piece, for your listening pleasure.”

He shook hands with Fallon and spoke to her briefly. She looked at Artie, he nodded and she slid off the bench and stepped back. Nelson Jadok knew how to play piano. He took over where Fallon had left off. I could tell that his style of playing was different. His hands were more animated and he moved his head a lot but he sounded every bit as talented as Fallon. Artie wasn’t expecting it but seemed very happy.

When Nelson Jadok finished the next section he stood, everyone applauded, and he announced to Artie and the rest of the audience that the piano was no longer available. It had just been sold. He pulled a checkbook out of his pocket and asked Artie to write it up. Artie happily went back to his office. Jadok, talked to Fallon for a few moments and then handed her something I couldn’t see. She sat back down and started to play B. Bumble and the Stingers. Boogie woogie filled the air and the crowd began to move. Meanwhile, Artie had brought the paperwork out, signed it and accepted a check.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Artie said when the song was over, “Thank you for coming out tonight. I hope you enjoyed the demonstration and the talent of Miss Fallon Deplanes. We’ll be open until nine and I’d be happy to answer your questions on any of our instruments. How ‘bout a hand for Miss Fallon,” and the audience responded.

She came to me and we hugged. “Win, win, girl,” I said. Artie sold his piano on the first night and you will be on the news for your audition tomorrow night. You can’t beat that,” I said.

“Yes, I can. Mr. Jadok just handed me a hundred for my effort. How cool is that? I want to thank him again. Come with me,” she said and I followed her through the crowd. She shook a lot of hands along the way. I spotted my parents and the Musketeers in the back and they seemed happy to wait.