Chapter 26: Rhapsody

The morning was bright and quiet when Richard woke up. The muted sound of a car passing made him wonder if it had snowed over night.

From the kitchen, he heard his dad answer the phone. He couldn't figure out who it was at first. When he heard him talking about music, he realized it was Sandra.

He considered getting up, but decided to wait for the phone to come to him. He checked his watch, surprised at the lateness of the hour. I guess I have to get up, he realized.

He made his way out to the kitchen.

"Hey," he said.

Vittorio turned around, laughing at something Sandra had said.

"Yes, that's how it is!" he said in Italian. "Here he is now. Ciao, Sandra."

Vittorio held out the phone for Richard.

"Do you want an espresso?" he asked as Richard took the receiver.

"Sure, thanks ... Hello?"

"Hi there! Sleeping in a bit, huh?"

"Yeah. It's snowing here. Guess I was tired."

"Did you have a good time with your friends last night?"

"I got home a little late, I guess. It was all right. We just hung out at Mitch's house and had some beers, caught up."

"Good. Glad you had fun."

"I can't talk long. I have to get to a job with my dad soon."

Vittorio held out a small cup for Richard. Richard nodded in thanks.

"Where are you going?"

"Same house we've been at all week. Hold on ... Mmm. Man, there's one thing I do miss when I'm back at school. Espresso."

"Did you just drink one?"

"Yeah, my dad made one for me. Just right, half cup. He has a really nice machine."

"Cool ... I wish I could come visit."

"Some time you will, I'm sure."

"Can we talk tonight?" Sandra asked.

"Um, I'll call you if I can. My piano teacher is having a holiday party tonight. I feel like I need to go and say hi for a while."

"Okay. Call me if you get a chance. If not, we'll talk tomorrow."

"Okay, that sounds good. I miss you a ton. This has been the longest week of my life," Richard said.

"I know, me too. And still two and a half more to go. Did your Aunt take off already?"

"Yeah, she left last night. She was different this trip. Much more relaxed. I think she laughed a few times, even."

"Oh, good. You really didn't seem like you were looking forward to seeing her."

"No, I wasn't. But she's mellowed out, it seems. She wanted to hear me play the piano all the time."

"Cool."

"Hopefully she'll stay like this when we're there this summer."

"Are you definitely going to Italy?"

"My parents are, for sure. They really want me to go, too."

"How long?"

"The usual, about a month."

"Nice."

"Yeah ... It would be a long time apart, though."

"I know," Sandra said.

"Would you be able to go?" Richard asked quietly, grinning.

"Me?" Sandra asked innocently, although Richard could tell she was waiting for it.

"Yeah. Wouldn't it be awesome if you and Emily came out!"

"It would be amazing! But a month? I don't know..."

"You could just come for part of the time."

"Oh, I don't know. It would cost a lot of money, too."

"Well, let's think of a way to make it work. A long time ago, I told you I would show you our place in Italy. Why not this summer?"

"Wow. I can't believe it. I'm not going to get excited about it, though," Sandra said, keeping her voice calm.

"Sounds like it's too late," Richard said grinning.

"Oh, you're right!" she cried out. "But it might not happen, I know."

"We'll see what we can do. I have to go. My dad's loading the truck."

"All right. I'll talk to you later or tomorrow. I love you!"

"Love you too, Sandra."

Richard hung up the phone and went to put on his work clothes, smiling to himself.

"If I go to Italy this summer, would it be okay to bring my friends that you met the other night?" Richard asked his dad, as they worked on one wall of the living room they were painting.

"Sandra and Emily?" Vittorio asked.

"Yes."

"Well, why not? We have plenty of room at the house."

"I don't know if they would be able to come. But I will ask them."

Vittorio regarded his son carefully for a moment. "Both of them?"

"Yes. I can't take just one of them. The other would kill me!" Richard said, laughing.

Vittorio nodded. "Eh, all right. But what if one is your girlfriend by this summer?"

Richard frowned at him for a moment. "It won't matter. We are all the best of friends."

Vittorio nodded. "Sandra is charming. She must sing beautifully."

"She does. You will hear them both play in April."

"Yes, we cannot wait."

Richard finished a section and put his roller down on the tray. He stretched his arms and fingers.

"You do not have to help me," Vittorio said, watching him stretch. "Do not strain your fingers."

"I want to help," Richard said.

"Take a break. This room is almost done, and I need to mix the paint for the dining room, so just sit and relax."

Richard did, watching his dad roll over the last unpainted patch on the wall. The tape playing a Beethoven Symphony finished, so Richard put in the familiar yellow cassette of Pollini's Etudes.

"Oh, now starts the serious music," Vittorio said, grinning.

"I'm learning a few of these for the recital," Richard said.

"Excellent. I have heard you practicing them."

"They're really difficult to play correctly."

"Does your teacher play the Etudes?"

Richard nodded. "Yes, she's amazing. She knows how to teach, too. It took a few months for me to figure out how to practice, but now things are going really well."

"That is good, Riccardo."

"I'll take the subway tonight," Richard said.

"You do not want to drive in?"

"No. I don't know how late I will be there. And it could be ugly with the snow."

Vittorio nodded in agreement. "That is fine with me."

"If things get difficult, I'll stay there, so don't worry."

"Just be safe. You are an adult now; you do not have to let us know where you are every minute," Vittorio said.

He stepped down from the ladder and scanned their work for any unevenness. Satisfied, he put his roller down.

"It looks good. Let's go clean these up, and then we will work on the dining room."

Richard helped him carry things out to the garage sink where they could wash the brushes easier.

"Here, let me wash. You sit and take a break now," Richard offered.

Vittorio considered protesting, and then he nodded. This wouldn't be as strenuous on his hands. Despite worrying about that, Vittorio was glad he was able to spend this time with his son.

Richard climbed out of the number six subway stop in the Murray Hill neighborhood around six-thirty. The air was chilly, and several inches of snow still clung to the sidewalks. Dirty piles of white adorned the curbs all around.

Richard walked a few blocks to his piano teacher's building. He pressed the button twice, and rubbed his hands as he waited. After a moment the door buzzed, and soon Richard had ridden the elevator to the third floor and was standing in front of Mr. Schatten's door.

For some reason he felt nervous. He wondered who would be present. Mr. Schatten and his wife, of course, and probably some of the older students he taught. I wonder if William will be here ... Or Arlene...

He knocked, and Mr. Schatten opened the door. Richard smiled broadly as they embraced.

"Richard! How great to see you!"

"You too, Mr. Schatten."

"Come on, you can call me by my first name now. Now that you're out in the world, playing! Come in, come in!"

His wife Marissa came out from the kitchen, dressed in a flowered apron. She greeted Richard warmly. Richard always found it funny to hug her, since she was under five feet tall. That didn't stop her from being principal cellist of the New York Philharmonic, though.

"Richard, welcome back! Now the party can begin!"

"I'm the last to arrive?" Richard asked.

"Yes, but don't worry, you're on time. Everyone else was early!" Marissa said, a look of exasperation crossing her face.

Richard was not surprised to hear strains of a Puccini opera floating through the apartment. He followed his hosts through the narrow corridors and into the smallish living room that was dominated by the large grand piano. Richard still couldn't believe that it had fit through the tight and awkward angles of the hallway. It had to have been built inside the apartment!

Richard recognized four of the six people seated on chairs and couches from his recital days. He was introduced to the two newer students.

In the doorway leading to the back room he stepped right into Arlene, who was walking out to the living room. She managed to keep her wine in her glass, despite its attempt to jump down her cleavage.

"Richard!" she exclaimed, staring at him.

"Hi, Arlene," he said, smiling despite his nervousness. She looks older ... Prettier, even.

"No one knew if you were going to make it down, with the snow and all," she said, smiling openly at him.

"I took the subway instead of driving."

"Oh, just like old times," she said warmly.

Richard felt slightly uncomfortable at her physical closeness and unfamiliar forwardness.

"I should say hi to William," he said, indicating towards the next room.

"Of course," Arlene agreed, and she stepped aside slightly to let him by.

"It's good to see you," Richard said awkwardly.

"You too."

Richard thought she looked taller and thinner. He glanced down as he squeezed by her, and noticed slimmer legs standing on tall heels. Her dress was not designed to hide very much, he thought. How strange...

Leaving her behind, he entered the music room, where shelves of LPs covered three walls from floor to ceiling. On the fourth wall, a pair of windows that opened to Thirty-third Street framed some artwork. A stereo took up one corner, and was playing Turandot.

He smiled and greeted William with a hug. William was a man in his mid-sixties who never quite had the physical technique to play the piano at anything more than a solid amateur level. Richard had always liked his musicality, however, and he was laid back and fun to talk to. He also had an enormous knowledge of music in general, and his music collection dwarfed the one they were sitting amidst at that moment.

A few other familiar faces in the room greeted him. He felt slightly like a celebrity, since everyone asked about his lessons with Mrs. Tertychnaya. He replied in vague terms. Mr. Schatten placed a full glass of red wine in his hand during one exchange.

Until dinner, he remained in the back room talking with William. He felt most comfortable starting the evening chatting with him. Despite the fact that they had only really spent time together at Mr. Schatten's parties, the student recitals, and a few gatherings at William's house, Richard always felt a kinship with the man. There was a mutual admiration that was never explicitly stated, but clear from the first time they talked in depth.

William had not done much of interest in the last four months, so Richard found himself talking the most, telling him all about his lessons and theory classes. William was pleased to hear of his plans for a recital, and Richard told him the proposed program.

"I actually know that Britten piece pretty well," William said. "I once heard Britten himself playing it with Peter Pears singing it. The man had a voice, I tell you!"

"That's really cool! The piece is interesting. It's hard to play the string parts on the piano, though," Richard said.

"Yes, I could see that. And you have a soprano singing it?"

"Yeah. It's pretty strange, I guess!" Richard admitted.

William smiled and shrugged. "Why that piece, might I ask?"

"I'm good friends with the horn player and the singer, and we wanted to play something together on the recital to close it out."

"Ah. Not too many pieces for horn, piano and voice."

Richard laughed. "No, you got that right. We had to fudge a little to even get the Serenade to fit."

"You should have picked friends who played different instruments," William joked.

"Yeah, that would have made things a lot easier," Richard answered. "From now on, I'm screening all my friends based on potential repertoire."

William laughed heartily. "It's good to see you, Richard. Will you play for us later?"

Richard shrugged. "I guess, if other people are playing. I'm not putting on a concert, though."

"You know we all always end up playing something," William said knowingly. "Not very well, though, since no one sits at the piano until..." William held up his almost empty wine glass and raised an amused brow.

"Yeah, I suppose that not much has changed in six months."

Richard looked at his glass.

"We should refill before we get dinner," he suggested.

They adjourned to the kitchen where the guests stood talking as they waited to serve themselves pasta and salad. Several times Richard found Arlene looking at him, and he felt a strange tingle. Something's different about her, he knew, unsure what he thought about that fact.

Richard spent dinner continuing his conversation with William about things musical.

"I'm glad to hear you are tackling the Etudes," William said.

"Well, some of them," Richard emphasized. "I'm not ready for the whole set."

"Perhaps. But you need to start somewhere. Many pianists have revisited the Etudes several times throughout their careers. Deep pieces, they are, for being so short. It's a shame your teacher never recorded them. She could have made a masterful recording of them. It's like they were written for her."

"I know. But..." Richard hesitated. If he went on, he knew what would have to follow.

But I've learned a lot from William... Richard thought it a good way to repay his friend.

"I found an old live recording of my teacher playing them in concert. Pretty amazing performance."

"A lost Tertychnaya recording of the Etudes? Are you fooling with me?" William said, perking up noticeably.

"Not lost. Just sitting on an archive shelf at the conservatory. A faculty recital from about fifteen years ago."

"What a treasure!" William burst out.

Richard could see the excitement in his eyes. He knew William was extremely fond of Irina's playing in general. William had admitted his jealousy when Richard had told him who he would be studying with at Wexford.

Richard leaned over conspiratorially. "If you promise to never let anyone else know where you got it from, I'll make you a copy," he said.

William sat back, and his eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Really? Can you do that?"

"Sure, it's no problem at all."

"Wow! Nary four months at the place and you already have godlike powers!"

"Oh no, nothing like that. I just work for the audio service, so I have access to the tapes, and the machines to copy them. It would be no problem. I already have a copy for myself."

William nodded vigorously and smiled like a little boy.

"At some point tonight, let me have your address, and I'll get it to you next month when I go back to school," Richard said, a warm feeling rushing through him at seeing William so pleased.

"It's going to be a long month of sleepless nights," William moaned. Then he straightened. "What other tapes are there?" he asked quietly.

Richard laughed. "Greedy, greedy!"

William relaxed and laughed with him. "I know, I know. I don't want to get you in trouble. But ... If you see anything else by her, or by Frank Walstone, I swear I'll put you in my will if you copy it for me."

Richard grinned. "All right. Just leave me something other than the bootleg recordings of my teacher when you die."

"Deal," William said, offering his hand.

Richard shook it, grinning.

"You'd think we were trading spy information," Richard said.

"In my world, this is just as good," William answered.

The party had been wilder than usual, for a Schatten affair. Richard had just finished a somewhat serious performance of his usual Liszt piece for the others, when Arlene slid onto the piano bench, to his right.

"Hello," she said simply. Richard could see the wine making her eyes dance. He assumed she saw the same in his.

"Time for more Liszt," she said, placing a music book on the piano.

Richard laughed when he saw what she opened it to. "Just like old times," he said, echoing her earlier comment.

At the first party they had both attended, they had played a four-hand version of the most famous Hungarian Rhapsody. It had been nearly disastrous, but it gave everyone a good laugh, including Richard and Arlene.

"Except you're on the left tonight," she said.

"Oh! So that's how it is!" Richard answered.

"I've learned some things at Juilliard," she said confidently.

Richard suddenly looked around, realizing the room had quieted. Everyone was watching them with a mix of expectancy and amusement. He was glad everyone else had drunk their share of wine, and generally seemed to be happy.

This time, the piece started much better than that first time. Richard, delegated to the easier Secundo part, grinned as he watched Arlene play her part with authority. Her playing has changed, that's for sure.

Richard knew that it was completely unfair to judge her on this piece, in this situation, and in his state of inebriation, but he quickly found himself missing her old touch on the keys. The phrasing and smoothness of her playing seemed to have been replaced by a bolder technique.

The piano filled the room as they plowed through the piece. Occasionally, Arlene took huge liberties with her tempo, and the audience laughed as Richard hung on to his notes, trying to follow her through the exaggerated changes.

More flair, Richard noted.

Suddenly, Arlene smiled at him mischievously. She then reached over and started playing Richard's right hand part, displacing his hand. Reacting quickly, he threw his right arm under her left, and took over her missing part, trying desperately to read the music from two pages now.

Then Arlene slipped a bare leg over his knee, and started sliding over to sit on his lap. The students whooped and whistled as the two of them exchanged hands one by one as she moved across him. Those standing by the end of the piano crowded towards the keyboard to watch, as they realized what was happening.

Richard swore he felt her wiggle her bottom against him when she was squarely on top of him. Before he could be sure, though, she continued sliding to his left.

A lot more flirt, Richard added to the mental list.

With an understandable number of mistakes in the playing, Arlene finally was seated on the bench again to Richard's left, and playing the Secundo. They had kept it together, though, and the moment matched a climactic return of the theme. Richard hammered it out as the onlookers went crazy with cheers and hoots. The piano threatened to overwhelm the room with sound.

The piece ended soon after, and the applause was loud and lengthy. Mr. Schatten grinned broadly, proud of his two ex-students, and amused at the trick. William was clapping and laughing richly from the couch where he had a clear view of the switch, particularly of the part happening under the keyboard.

Richard found himself staring down at Arlene's lap, where her black dress was almost completely shirking its duty of providing coverage. It was still partially draped over his trousers from the exchange of positions. He laughed to himself as he realized it covered more of his legs than hers.

Arlene caught him looking, smiled, and with one hand moved her dress ever so slightly lower on her naked thighs. It was absolutely an acknowledgement of his gaze, and in no way a show of modesty, Richard realized. He tore his eyes away and smiled at everyone as they continued to clap.

Arlene kissed him on the cheek, and then hopped up off the bench.

"Nice," she whispered in his ear, as the clapping gave way to laughter and talking again. She dispersed into the room.

"All right, who's next?" Mr. Schatten announced loudly, and everyone laughed, knowing that little would top that performance.

Richard stood up, his heart still pounding from the unique technique. The event had been undeniably arousing, but he still felt strange about how Arlene was acting. It was not the Arlene he had dated a year ago.

Despite the fact that many of the partiers congratulated him on the fun performance, he dismissed them quickly with vague thanks and managed to plop down on the couch next to William.

"You need more wine," William said immediately. He stood and offered a hand to Richard.

Richard followed him wearily into the kitchen, where William filled two cups he found in the cupboard. Richard had lost track of his glass among the seemingly dozens that now adorned most of the flat surfaces in the apartment.

William turned down the twisty hallway, had them grab their coats on the way, and then they emerged on a small balcony overlooking the street. A cab passed slowly, and then everything was quiet, for Manhattan at least.

"Cheers," William said, clinking Richard's cup against his.

"Cheers."

"That was interesting," he said, pulling out a cigar and lighting it.

"Yeah. Not rehearsed, I can tell you that much."

"You want one?" he asked, indicating the cigar. "I know you never have, but maybe you've picked up some good habits at school."

"No, thanks," Richard said.

"All right, suit yourself."

William puffed his cigar to life, and then turned to Richard, his cheeks rosy. "Been in touch with her lately?" he asked.

Richard shook his head. "Nah. We broke up long ago, you know," he said.

"I know. She's come to a few other parties in the last few months. She asks about you a lot."

"Really."

"She's changed," William said simply.

"Yeah, I noticed."

"Her playing has suffered, if you ask me. But that's what you get, when you pick a bad teacher."

"I guess."

"She chose a technician in Smith," William explained. "He was always an aberration at Juilliard. No feeling, no taste."

"She does seem to be playing stronger, but..."

"Yes, and it doesn't suit her at all," William said sadly. "I always felt she had exceptional touch on the keys. I'll be frank, Richard: she was better than you, when it came to phrasing and playing with singing tone."

"I agree," Richard said candidly. "I admired her playing for that reason too."

"Indeed. You know, it's interesting. You seem to have moved towards each other in your styles. I could tell from the Liszt — your solo Liszt, not the comedy act — that you have really benefitted a great deal from Tertychnaya's influence."

"That was a poor demonstration of what I've learned," Richard protested. "I've had my share of wine tonight."

"As have I," William said with a chuckle. "So we were both on the same playing field! But I could hear it. You've grown some subtlety, Richard, and it's wearing well."

"Thanks."

"Arlene has gone the other way, though. She's gained some technique, I'll admit, but it's cost her."

"She didn't play anything tonight to really show what she's learned. The comedy act was just that. Silly."

"I know you want to defend her," William acknowledged. "But you could tell, right?"

Richard shrugged, and then nodded. "All right, it crossed my mind," he admitted.

"She's played seriously at the other parties, and earlier in the night, before wine could be used as an excuse. It's gone downhill, I'm sad to say."

"That's too bad," Richard said honestly.

"Yes, it is. Come to think of it, she never drank more than a glass of wine at the other parties. Tonight, well..."

"I haven't been keeping track," Richard said.

"You don't really need to."

They stared out at the city for a while.

"What will you do?" William asked suddenly, with an amused tone in his voice.

"Huh?"

"She'll be looking for you before the night is over."

"Um ... What do you mean?"

"I saw at least as much as you did, of what was happening on that piano bench," William said, laughing a little. "Gave this old man a nice show, she did. But I won't complain. Now instead of thinking of Loony Tunes every time I hear that piece, I'll have a different bunny to picture."

"Oh, come on, William, grow up!" Richard said, rolling his eyes. "It was just a fun musical prank."

William laughed in earnest now. "All in the name of music, heh heh! They'll beat the altruism out of you yet. Have you found anyone at Wexford?"

Richard paused. For some reason, William was suddenly on his very short list of people whom he could trust with the truth of his relationship. "Can you keep a secret?"

"Of course," William said expectantly, grinning broadly as he puffed a smoke ring into the cold air.

"Two."

"Two what?" William asked, confused.

"I found two 'anyones'."

"Oh ... Naughty boy! That will get you into trouble quite fast, I'm afraid. Are they musicians?"

"Both in my class," Richard said.

William whistled and grinned, and checked his watch dramatically. "Then it's only a matter of hours now, before one will find out about the other one, and you'll have neither. The music world is tiny when it comes to matters of ... well, let's say, the heart. To be polite."

Richard paused for effect. "We're playing the Serenade together," he said simply.

William puffed on his cigar and looked at Richard with narrowed eyes. "Are you, now?"

Richard nodded, keeping his face straight.

William considered him for a long time, before speaking. "Interesting. I'd not have guessed. You fooled me," he said thoughtfully. "How goes it, then?" he asked, genuinely interested.

"So far, so good," Richard said.

"Ah, now he's clammed up!" William said, chuckling as he waved his cigar in the air.

Richard finally let out the laugh he'd been storing up. "What's to tell?" he asked innocently.

"Oh, what's to tell indeed! But I'll not pry. It's not the business of an old bachelor to interfere. Interesting as it sounds..."

"It's been a great first semester. Very interesting," Richard offered.

William leaned in. "And your horn player: he, or she?"

Richard looked at him for a moment, before realizing the answer wasn't necessarily obvious. "Emily and Sandra. They're great. Roommates. Makes things easier. Excellent musicians," Richard added.

"I'm sure it does," William said distantly.

He suddenly turned and looked into the apartment, and then got close to Richard's ear.

"What's one more, then?" he whispered cryptically, and then grinned impishly as he snuffed out his cigar in a plant and went back into the apartment.

Before Richard could follow, a shimmery black dress emerged onto the balcony.

"I thought you had left."

"No, just chatting with William. It's been a while," Richard said, suddenly feeling awkward at the unfavorable balance of time William had received for the evening.

"It has been a while," she agreed.

Richard waited, and the expected question came after some moments of silence.

"Why are you avoiding me?" she asked.

Richard mulled a thousand answers in his head, but couldn't settle on anything to say aloud.

"I wasn't trying to," he evaded.

"Richard, come on. You blew me off when you got here, and then disappeared after we played."

"William dragged me out here," he said. Definitely not the Arlene I dated, he thought.

"And chained you to the chair during dinner, too," she retorted, laughing a little. "Don't be afraid of me," she said softly. "I don't bite."

Richard looked at her face for the first time since she came out to the balcony.

"I'm not afraid of you," he said at last.

"Then what is it?" she asked.

Richard paused. "I'm just not sure what to make of you."

"Why?"

"You seem different."

Arlene laughed. "I am. So are you. You look really good."

Richard ignored the compliment, wanting to avoid talk of the physical. Otherwise he would have to admit she looked really good as well, and he found that to be a dangerous avenue at the moment. That can only lead to problems...

"How's Juilliard?" he asked.

"Great. Mr. Smith is amazing. He's taught me so much these last four months. Way more than I learned with Mr. Schatten in two years," she added in a whisper.

Richard nodded vaguely, feeling sad at hearing her words. "That's good. You played the Rhapsody really strongly," Richard added, giving her the best compliment he could without lying.

"Thanks. You weren't bad yourself. Sorry for that little detour towards the end," she said, grinning.