Lessons in the art: Chapter 1
Rating: G
Summary: Mr. Reid was supposed to be nothing more than Serena Kyle's piano teacher...But every second she spends with him she is learning that he is so much more.
90 miles outside of Chicago
Can't stop driving,
I don't know why-
So many questions,
I need an answer,
Two years later
You're still on my mind.
Whatever happened to Amelia Earhart?
Who holds the stars up in the sky?
Is true love just once in a lifetime?
Did the captain, of the titanic cry?
Some day we'll know
If love can move a mountain
Some day we'll know
Why the sky is blue
Someday we'll know
Why I wasn't meant for you...
- New Radicals
Love must be sincere.
- Romans Chap: 12 Verse 9
It was a rainy autumn afternoon and she sat alone, in front of a large white grand piano. The rose tinted fingers of her slim right hand lazily ran up and down the smooth ivory keys. A light melody drifted gently to her ears. It was a simple tune. One her mother had taught her just before she had died. It was the only thing she had remembered from back then.
Her fingers slowly began to pick up their pace a little more and just as she was about to bring her left hand up to join her right one, she heard someone clear their throat in an effort to capture her attention. Affectively ending any further progression on her part. She looked up.
From her position- which was sitting on a small white piano bench- she could see her father standing a few feet in front of her piano with someone else standing behind him. Slowly rising from her seat she walked to her father and gave him a small peck on the cheek.
"Hello Father. I wasn't expecting to see you today. What brings you by?" she said sweetly while smiling up at him. Her father, known to everyone else primarily as Mr. Kyle secondarily as Kenneth, stood a rousing 6 ft 2 with perfectly grayed white hair and jade eyes.
He draped his arm around her shoulder and turned them both to face their guest as he told her. "Remember when we talked about you beginning your piano lessons again." She nodded her head affirmatively. "Well, I am here, to introduce you to your new piano teacher Mr. Reid." He said smilingly. She turned her to look over at their guest. Her eyes drifted over Mr. Reid who appeared to her, to be a very proper individual, he stood about the same height as her father, lean, with perfectly combed jet-black hair, and cobalt blue eyes. He wore silver oval shaped glasses and a finely pressed dark gray suit white shirt and navy blue tie. He had had a shiny metallic briefcase in tow.
"He came highly recommended." Turning to look at her he whispered, "And not very cheep might I add." Which earned a smile from her. Stepping aside making it possible for Mr. Reid and Serena to have a better look at one another he continued on.
"Starting today Mr. Reid will be providing you with piano lessons everyday after school until you are every bit as good as that Mozart guy." He said with a smile while looking at her. Turning back around and walking back to the door in which he came, he added, "... And if I start to see results, who knows, maybe I'll even allow you to go to that school you've been raving so badly about." She stared at his retreating figure wordlessly. Her mouth slightly agape, wondering if she had heard what she though she had just heard.
Unnoticed by her Mr. Reid had taken off his suit jacket and tie and had sat down at the piano bench. And as she stood there wondering again for the umpteenth time if she had heard her father correctly he was rolling up his sleeves and beginning to play. He began exactly where she had left off. Slowly drawing her attention back to him. She turned to face him. She watched as he sat at the white grand piano that stood atop of a glossy black marble floor and in front of a large sliding glass window that lead out onto the patio by the outdoor pool...the piano that was surrounded with calla lilies and snapdragons, sun catchers and wind chimes.
In the eighteen years she had lived in this house only two people had ever played that piano and now Mr. Reid would be the third she thought about the significance of that as she listen to him play.
He was in a word...perfect. His progression flowed through accurately never hitting a key for longer than needed nor did he ever forget to linger on a key, as needed either. She was entranced by his skill. And when the song was over part of her wished he would play it again. But he didn't.
Instead, he turned to look at her...seemingly expectant of something. And for the first time today she was suddenly very aware of her appearance. She was wearing a white button down shirt with a pair of cream-colored straight leg pants and white socks and sandals. Her wickedly curly flaxen white hair had been strewn up rather messily in a loose bun. And per usual, she hadn't any makeup on. She supposed she looked all right but she also knew that she wasn't any pre-Madonna. Normally she didn't care but with the way he looked at her she felt almost naked. It was the most awkward moment of silence she had ever experienced. That is, until she realized that he had only been waiting for her to join him on the bench, which she timidly did while, she blushed, furiously.
Once sitting on the bench next to him he finally spoke. "Go on." He said seemingly reservedly. She sat their puzzled for a minute. She had thought he had understood she didn't know how to play piano. After all that was what he was here for * to teach her how to*. But amazingly he still looked at her expectantly. She felt invalidated when she could do no more then bow her head in shame.
"Perhaps I am getting ahead of myself. Before your father and I walked in you had been playing the piece I just finished correct?"
She nodded her head affirmatively and waited for him to go on.
"I would like you to finish playing..."
He requested.
She sat up placed her slim fingers on the keys, took a deep breath and played two more bars of the song and then stopped. After a few seconds of silence she slowly said.
"I don't...I don't know the rest."
He raised his head and an eyebrow at her as she too slowly lifted her head to face him. Unshed tears apparent in her azure eyes, a few caught in her unusually long lashes
"My mother died before she could finish teaching me the song...I...I, don't know the rest."
She said pitifully.
He seemed undaunted. Slowly he scooted closer to her on the piano bench and leaned his head in next to her ear and replied,
"...well then, today you will."
***
Rating: G
Summary: Mr. Reid was supposed to be nothing more than Serena Kyle's piano teacher...But every second she spends with him she is learning that he is so much more.
90 miles outside of Chicago
Can't stop driving,
I don't know why-
So many questions,
I need an answer,
Two years later
You're still on my mind.
Whatever happened to Amelia Earhart?
Who holds the stars up in the sky?
Is true love just once in a lifetime?
Did the captain, of the titanic cry?
Some day we'll know
If love can move a mountain
Some day we'll know
Why the sky is blue
Someday we'll know
Why I wasn't meant for you...
- New Radicals
Love must be sincere.
- Romans Chap: 12 Verse 9
It was a rainy autumn afternoon and she sat alone, in front of a large white grand piano. The rose tinted fingers of her slim right hand lazily ran up and down the smooth ivory keys. A light melody drifted gently to her ears. It was a simple tune. One her mother had taught her just before she had died. It was the only thing she had remembered from back then.
Her fingers slowly began to pick up their pace a little more and just as she was about to bring her left hand up to join her right one, she heard someone clear their throat in an effort to capture her attention. Affectively ending any further progression on her part. She looked up.
From her position- which was sitting on a small white piano bench- she could see her father standing a few feet in front of her piano with someone else standing behind him. Slowly rising from her seat she walked to her father and gave him a small peck on the cheek.
"Hello Father. I wasn't expecting to see you today. What brings you by?" she said sweetly while smiling up at him. Her father, known to everyone else primarily as Mr. Kyle secondarily as Kenneth, stood a rousing 6 ft 2 with perfectly grayed white hair and jade eyes.
He draped his arm around her shoulder and turned them both to face their guest as he told her. "Remember when we talked about you beginning your piano lessons again." She nodded her head affirmatively. "Well, I am here, to introduce you to your new piano teacher Mr. Reid." He said smilingly. She turned her to look over at their guest. Her eyes drifted over Mr. Reid who appeared to her, to be a very proper individual, he stood about the same height as her father, lean, with perfectly combed jet-black hair, and cobalt blue eyes. He wore silver oval shaped glasses and a finely pressed dark gray suit white shirt and navy blue tie. He had had a shiny metallic briefcase in tow.
"He came highly recommended." Turning to look at her he whispered, "And not very cheep might I add." Which earned a smile from her. Stepping aside making it possible for Mr. Reid and Serena to have a better look at one another he continued on.
"Starting today Mr. Reid will be providing you with piano lessons everyday after school until you are every bit as good as that Mozart guy." He said with a smile while looking at her. Turning back around and walking back to the door in which he came, he added, "... And if I start to see results, who knows, maybe I'll even allow you to go to that school you've been raving so badly about." She stared at his retreating figure wordlessly. Her mouth slightly agape, wondering if she had heard what she though she had just heard.
Unnoticed by her Mr. Reid had taken off his suit jacket and tie and had sat down at the piano bench. And as she stood there wondering again for the umpteenth time if she had heard her father correctly he was rolling up his sleeves and beginning to play. He began exactly where she had left off. Slowly drawing her attention back to him. She turned to face him. She watched as he sat at the white grand piano that stood atop of a glossy black marble floor and in front of a large sliding glass window that lead out onto the patio by the outdoor pool...the piano that was surrounded with calla lilies and snapdragons, sun catchers and wind chimes.
In the eighteen years she had lived in this house only two people had ever played that piano and now Mr. Reid would be the third she thought about the significance of that as she listen to him play.
He was in a word...perfect. His progression flowed through accurately never hitting a key for longer than needed nor did he ever forget to linger on a key, as needed either. She was entranced by his skill. And when the song was over part of her wished he would play it again. But he didn't.
Instead, he turned to look at her...seemingly expectant of something. And for the first time today she was suddenly very aware of her appearance. She was wearing a white button down shirt with a pair of cream-colored straight leg pants and white socks and sandals. Her wickedly curly flaxen white hair had been strewn up rather messily in a loose bun. And per usual, she hadn't any makeup on. She supposed she looked all right but she also knew that she wasn't any pre-Madonna. Normally she didn't care but with the way he looked at her she felt almost naked. It was the most awkward moment of silence she had ever experienced. That is, until she realized that he had only been waiting for her to join him on the bench, which she timidly did while, she blushed, furiously.
Once sitting on the bench next to him he finally spoke. "Go on." He said seemingly reservedly. She sat their puzzled for a minute. She had thought he had understood she didn't know how to play piano. After all that was what he was here for * to teach her how to*. But amazingly he still looked at her expectantly. She felt invalidated when she could do no more then bow her head in shame.
"Perhaps I am getting ahead of myself. Before your father and I walked in you had been playing the piece I just finished correct?"
She nodded her head affirmatively and waited for him to go on.
"I would like you to finish playing..."
He requested.
She sat up placed her slim fingers on the keys, took a deep breath and played two more bars of the song and then stopped. After a few seconds of silence she slowly said.
"I don't...I don't know the rest."
He raised his head and an eyebrow at her as she too slowly lifted her head to face him. Unshed tears apparent in her azure eyes, a few caught in her unusually long lashes
"My mother died before she could finish teaching me the song...I...I, don't know the rest."
She said pitifully.
He seemed undaunted. Slowly he scooted closer to her on the piano bench and leaned his head in next to her ear and replied,
"...well then, today you will."
***