Play By Heart (Chapter 1)

          It seemed that there were always pianos playing in Felecia Albright’s dreams. The pianos played softly and slowly, they played simultaneously and in perfect rhythm. In these reoccurring dreams the song was usually always the same; a yielding classical piece that swelled with sorrow and angst.
Early before school that morning, she tried remembering the song, fiddling at the keys of the old upright in her mother’s living room.
She couldn’t quite get it right. She could only recall bits and pieces, and hardly remembered the rhythm. Felecia was expert, mind you, in playing by ear.

         “Shouldn’t you be on your way to school?”
         Felecia’s mother called down.
She checked down at her watch and realized it was roughly seven-thirty already. Felecia pulled her shoulder-length hair into a bun, gave herself a once over in the mirror and slipped out the door.
She was running very late, and she still had a bus to catch.
Felecia rushed to the bus stop around the corner from her house. She checked her watched again and realized she missed the bus by just a minute. She had two alternatives. Her first would be walking to her best friend Shay’s for a ride.
          The only problem was Shay lived five blocks away and that would actually defeat the purpose. Her next alternative was to walk a few blocks down and wait for a different bus that was a much longer route.
With time running out, Felecia chose the latter. A detention was unavoidable by then.

          “Late Pass?” Ms. Krum questioned.
Felecia handed her the small slip of paper and walked to her desk in the back of the class. She sat directly across from Shay in Home Room, and the two of them normally passed notes in the morning.
          “What took you so long?” Shay asked, reclining in the seat of her chair.
“I lost track of time.” Felecia answered, sliding off her backpack. She searched the room for Kevin and let out a sigh of relief.
          “Your man’s not here today.”
No, Kevin Watters was not in class that day and Felecia Albright was very thankful this was so.
“I’m so glad.” Felecia responded. “After that last argument, I’m not sure I can face him.”
“Why do you two argue so much?” Shay whispered, glancing at an inquisitive Ms. Krum.
“He’s got problems.” Felecia answered.

          The bell rang loudly and clearly, and the students scattered to their lockers. Felecia said good-bye to Shay and headed to her own class. She was glad Kevin hadn’t shown up yet. She couldn’t manage him that morning.
          Felecia sleepily stumbled to her locker unlocked it and began loading her textbooks in her bag. Before she could finish and walk away to class, Kevin’s friend Anthony appeared at her side.
          “Can I talk to you for a second?”
          “Sorry, but I’ve got to get to class.”
He stopped her as she closed her locker. “Felecia, wait a minute.”
          She stepped around him and continued on her way to class, without a second glance. Anthony was the reason she and Kevin argued so much. He was always planting seeds in Kevin’s head, and what hurt the most is Kevin took Anthony’s word over hers ninety-nine percent of the time.
         Their relationship was really growing to be unhealthy. It felt like Kevin was becoming the reason behind all her stress and Felecia couldn’t figure out how to fix things. She and Kevin had been best friends for years, now she just felt awkward being around him. Felecia just didn’t know how to turn him away.

          “You sure look like a jovial bunch this morning!” Mr. Holcomb dryly declared. The class was barely awake enough to even comprehend his sarcasm. Mr. Holcomb’s government class was the equivalent of a sleeping pill, especially at eight o’clock in the morning.
         Mr. Holcomb never understood why anyone found the many facets of government to be so tiring. He pounced on the chance to explain the legislative branch, yet the kids couldn’t be anymore uninterested.
          Felecia did well in most of her subject but truly excelled in Mr. Holcomb’s class. She was great at writing papers, Mr. Holcomb even urged her to enter in an essay contest for scholarships that winter. Felecia was flattered but wasn’t as proud of her writing as she was of her skills in piano.
          She loved to play the piano; it was the only thing that really provided her solace. Felecia learned to play the piano on her own and picked up a little from her uncle. By the time she was seven she could play chords and piece together any melody she heard in her mind. Her mother loved that she had taken up music so early, and decided she’d put her in class to learn the basics.
          Felecia learned some but eventually stopped going to her classes. By then, she was so advanced in playing by ear, that she felt that learning to read music was unnecessary.
She had put off music theory for so long, but decided that she might as well begin class again. She also knew that learning how to read music sufficiently was the only way she’d be able to get into an Arts Academy. Felecia hoped she could catch on quickly.

          “Good Job, Felecia.” Mr. Holcomb handed her another A-plus report and continued to walk down the aisle. Felecia stuffed it in her bag, as the bell rang again. First period seemed to fly by when Mr. Holcomb gave notes. She’d normally just submerse herself in jotting down details, and blocking out everything he said. Felecia loved Mr. Holcomb’s class, but couldn’t bear his lectures.
         The day dragged on from thereafter, very slowly. Even so, Felecia was in a composed mood knowing that Kevin wasn’t there that day. She hadn’t seen him at all and was comforted by knowing this. She might as well have been on cloud nine on her way home from school.
         Shay didn’t have cheerleading practice that day, and offered to drive Felecia home. Felecia had stalled so long on getting her drive license that she was the only one of her friends without one. She just couldn’t see herself driving. She was so use to taking the bus.

          “Have you started those classes yet?” Shay questioned, as they drove towards Felecia’s house.
          “My mom said my first class will be this Friday.” She responded. “I’m really anxious.”
          “You are so talented.” Shay told her. “I wish I had all that talent.”
          “You’ve got attitude.”
Felecia meant this with all her heart. Shay wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. It was one quality that Felecia wished she possessed. “Plus, you can sing you’re heart out.”
          “You’re kidding,” Shay replied humbly.
         Shay knew she had pipes, but could be so shy in front of an audience. Felecia was the exact opposite. She loved the gratitude, and she loved the excitement.
          “Call me tonight.” Shay told her, as they approached Felecia’s house.
“Okay, Thanks for the ride.”
Felecia got out of the car, grabbed her bag and fished her house keys out the front pocket. She opened the door and was greeted by her cat Marshmallow. The cat snaked in between her legs and trotted off into the kitchen to her bowl.
          Felecia made her way there to feed Marshmallow, and pressed down the button on the blinking answering machine. She could barely hear the message over Marshmallow’s screeching.
          “…this is Settlement Music School… we’re just calling to confirm that Felecia’s class will be on Friday at four-thirty, and she’ll need a deposit of twenty dollars. Feel free to call… Thanks.”
         Felecia smiled as she thought about her first class. Suddenly this feeling of happiness was invaded by a distant feeling of apprehension. She was a little worried about what it might be like.
          “Hey Felecia, this is… this is Kev… I think we need to talk. When you get this… call me… please.”
         Felecia’s hand hovered over the phone for a second, and then she pulled back and decided she’d save herself the stress. She had nothing left for Kevin, and the more she thought about, she was glad it was that way.
          She pushed off her shoes, pulled off her backpack and made her way over to the upright piano in her living room. Something came over her whenever she caught sight of her piano. She felt like she was suddenly catapulted into another realm.
          She began to play Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, it was one her favorite songs because she had learned to play it by listening to her uncle as a child. She loved her uncle Drew so much because he had taught her everything she knew, not just about the piano but about life.
          The saddest thing that ever happened to her was losing her uncle Drew.
Felecia found it easy to cope with her father’s death because she barely knew him, but Uncle Drew was the closest thing to a father she had.
          Felecia believed that if he hadn’t of died, maybe her mother would’ve remarried. Her mother was never outright with her feelings about her uncle. Felecia figured that she felt a little ashamed about falling in love with her dead husband’s brother.
          It was the reason why her mother rarely ever let her mention Uncle Drew’s name when she was around. Felecia had always thought she was mortified of coming to terms with his death. She just didn’t want closure. It made her mother so much crankier. She knew when her mother was staring off in the distance that she was probably thinking of him. Sometimes Felecia felt like suggesting therapy, but she knew this would be pushing it. Her mother was too in denial to ever believe she needed therapy.
          Felecia began to play the melody to Donny Hathaway’s “Song for you”. It was her mother and father’s favorite song. Even then, her mother would sometimes play it on the record player. Through her mother she’d really learned to appreciate the classics. She loved Donny Hathaway and Stevie Wonder as much as she loved Brian McKnight and Alicia Keys. As much as Felecia loved classical music, she dreaded the thought of having to play it from sheet music, it needed so much precision.

          The phone rang, and Felecia rushed over and picked it up expecting to hear her mother on the other line, instead she heard the echo of Kevin’s voice through the receiver. “Hello… Hello…” Felecia listened to him repeatedly say hello, and slowly put the receiver back on the cradle.
          She was fine with completely erasing Kevin from her mind. He wasn’t in school for whatever reason that day, and it was the best thing that could’ve ever happen to her. She was seeing then that her world didn’t need to revolve around him, and if felt relaxing to let go.
          Marshmallow walked across the piano keys and a bizarre melody that sounded a little like that from Felecia’s dream drifted into her ears.
          “Do it again, Marshmallow.”
Felecia rushed over and played the notes, but they just didn’t sound the same. The melody was familiar yet so distant in her mind.

          ----- // -----
For a second consecutive day Felecia got some much needed work done, and she also finished the Physics project that had been worrying her all week. Kevin hadn’t shown up at school and hadn’t called her since. Felecia couldn’t have been in better spirits as she sat with Shay on her patio deck.
          “You look so much happier without him,” Shay commented, referring to Kevin.
         “I am.” Felecia answered, shuffling the cards that lay on the patio table. Shay urged her to deal her in.
          “Well, I’ve got news for you.” Shay’s smile gleamed as she spoke.
“You know how I started working at Shop N’ Bag, right?”
         Felecia nodded, and began passing out the cards between the two of them. “Deuces wild,” Shay yelled, before continuing. “Well, there’s this cutie I met named Jase, and today he finally came up to me.” She let out a squeal
         “He told me he liked me.” She paused a second and counted her cards. “I think we may have something going here.”
         Felecia was happy for her friend, but still a little disappointed her own relationship was over. There was a time when she and Kevin were crazy about one another. She often wondered what had happened to the magic.
         Shay noticed the blank expression on Felecia’s face. “Oh, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be…”
         “Don’t be sorry.” Felecia told her, picking up her cards. “I’m not.”
She looked down at the Queen of Hearts and was thankful that at least she wasn’t the only one who never really smiled. “I’m done.”
         “Done with what?”
         “I’m done with boys.”
Shay looked up amused. “Why?” She asked. “You’re talking crazy now.”
         “I’m serious.” Felecia told her smiling. “I’m focused on what’s important… music.”
         Felecia thought for a second, and realized this was a legitimate oath. She didn’t need anything hectic. She was too young to be stressed out.
         “I want a piano scholarship.”
         “Reach for the stars.” Shay told her in a sing-song voice. Felecia gave her a playful nudge.
         “Now, I want to know more about Jase.”
         “Well,” Shay began.


         By the time Felecia got home she was too tired to care what her mother would say. She stomped up to her room slipped off her book bag and fell stiff onto her bed. When she woke up it was one o’ clock in the morning, and she was still fully dressed in the clothes she worn to school that day, including her sneakers.
         Felecia stood up, kicked off her shoes and peeled off her clothes, suddenly wishing she had spent the night at Shays after all.
         “Mom, what are you doing up?”
Felecia wiped the sleep out of her eyes and glared at her mother’s stern face.
         “Why didn’t you call me and tell me where you were.”
         “Because,” Felecia was afraid she might answer with a sleep-induced truth. “My cell phone battery died,” she told her, remembering the concocted explanation she’d first came up with.
         “That’s why they made pay phones.” Her mother mumbled.
         “I don’t want you stumbling in this house anymore without me knowing your whereabouts.”
         “Okay, Mom.”
She walked passed her mother and went into the bathroom and shut the door. Her mother was always flipping out over her being gone, when she knew there was no other place she’d be but with Shay, or occasionally Kevin’s house.
         Felecia brushed her teeth in silence, it was uncomfortable silence. For weeks, the only reason her mother had spoken to her was when she'd reprimand her. Felecia wished for the days when she and her mother talked openly and frequently. Now it seemed like her mother was always working and when she came home she was too tired to talk. It was the reason Felecia preferred going over to Shay’s house after school.
         “Goodnight, Mom.”
Felecia passed her mother again, and she was quiet before responding back, “Goodnight.”

"Play By Heart (Chapter 2)"