Play It Again, Schroeder
It was the beginning of the end of summer for the kids on James St. They would all be entering seventh grade soon and the only two that seemed excited was Linus and Charlie Brown. Lucy Van Pelt had always been one for learning, but thought she knew quite a bit already. That August morning, she awoke at seven thirty sharp. Lucy pulled herself from bed, showered, pinned her jet black hair into a bun, and dressed in her signature blue dress. Down the steps she danced and ate her breakfest. Rerun and Linus were on the edge of an argument, so quickly Lucy ate her breakfast and decided to go outside.
Out into the warm morning she stepped. She took in the fresh scent of the Honey Suckle tree that grew right outside of Charlie Brown's house. Infact, she saw Sally and Charlie Brown gathered at the Honey Suckle Tree. Both of them were equally entertained and smiling at the tree and then at each other. That's when Sally noticed Lucy. Quickly she turned towards her and waved furiously.
"Good morning, Lucy!" She called, her bouncy blond hair moving about. "Charlie Brown and I awoke this morning and discovered the first blooming on the Honey Suckle tree! Please come and see!" Lucy rolled her eyes. The children of the Brown family were too easily amazed. Reluctantly, Lucy crossed from her yard to their yard and up to the Honey Suckle Tree. Sure enough, there were small pink blossoms on the trees branches. Sally giggled with delight and hopped back and forth. "Mother says by October we'll have Honey Suckles! Isn't that exciting?" Sally Brown's green eyes shown brightly as she looked between Lucy and Charlie Brown.
"It sure is." Charlie Brown agreed. Lucy said nothing, obviously unamused by the small blossoms. "Well, Lucy, did you maybe want to go play baseball?" Lucy shrugged and turned back for the sidewalk.
"Maybe later, Charlie Brown." Lucy called over her shoulder. "I'm late for opening my booth." That's when Charlie Brown snapped, as if suddenly remembering that.
"Oh yes! It's Saturday! I'll go get a nickel!" Charlie Brown disappeared into the house, leaving Sally to dig deep in the small pockets sewn onto her blue skirt. She withdrew a coin and smiled brightly.
"Oh, Lucille! It looks like I've got a nickel! I get to go before Charlie Brown this week!" Sally giggled with delight as Lucy switched the sign on her booth from out to in. Lucille silently sighed and seated herself behind the booth. Whenever she listened to Sally, she felt very fake. Sally Brown didn't seem to have any real problems. No boy troubles. Well, not any that she spoke of, but Lucy was sure that Sally was in love with Linus. She didn't seem to struggle with grades at school and she didn't seem deturbed by the undetermined future ahead of her. Sally seated herself at the chair by the booth and cleared her throat. At first, Sally only patted her hands on her lap and allowed her eyes to dart everywhere. The only thing she avoided was Lucy's intense stare.
"Sally, are you gonna ask me anything?" Lucy sat up impatiently. "I don't have all morning!" Sally seemed a little intimidated by Lucy's complaining, but nodded. Her eyes glazed over for a moment before she asked her next question.
"Lucy... did you hear the news?" Lucy's brow furrowed together in confusion. Sally pursed her lips as she thought harder about it. "The news about... Schroeder." That very name made Lucy's stomach drop out of her body. It made her heart rate increase and her breathing shallow. That blond boy, his locks so lucious and his eyes such a perfect dab of blue. Always in a striped shirt and a pair of Mary-Jane shoes. She'd seen him write in school and he wrote as graceful as he played the piano.
"What news about Schroeder?" Lucy asked shortly. "He's in his house right now, probably eating corn flakes. Why? What's going on, Sally Brown?" Sally gently set the nickel she fished from dress pocket onto the booth top. That usually signfied the end of the session. Lucy stood up, not even bothering to accept the shiny nickel from Sally. "Sally, what's wrong?" She now felt desperate. "Did something happen to Schroeder?"
"I apologize if I made you worry." Sally told her, walking back towards her house. She stopped for a moment and looked back at Lucy, who basically had steam coming out of her ears. Sally Brown opened her mouth, but suddenly a beautiful noise carried out onto the streets. It was sweet and graceful. It was Schroeder playing the piano. "I would go talk to Schroeder."
Lucy flipped the sign to out as soon as Charlie Brown came out of his house. Sally then explained everything to her older brother. Lucy dropped the nickel into her pocket so that Sally Brown couldn't come back and snatch the shiny silver coin. Lucy Van Pelt marched up the stairs to Schroeder's house. Her hand latched to the door knob and threw the door open. There was Schroeder, playing on the nice piano. It was the upgraded and large version of his toy piano his parents bought him when he was in kindergarten. Schroeder didn't even lift his head when Lucy entered. It was if he wasn't surprised Lucy Van Pelt was standing in his doorway.
Lucy closed the door and raced to Schroeder's side. She grasped his arm, causing his abrupt stop to the beautiful music. "Schroeder, what news? Is something wrong with you?" The questions began pouring out of Lucy's mouth as if she was a river. "Sally Brown said there were some news about you. I haven't heard any news. Are you okay?" The more questions she asked, the looser her grip got, until her lengthy arms drooped to her side. Schroeder's brilliant blue eyes scanned Lucy's face. They then lowered to his hands that rest faithfully on his piano keys. "Answer me!" Came Lucy's demanding side. The side that often made her say hurtful things.
"I guess it's happy news." Schroeder said, but the tone of his voice took away the meaning of the words. He looked back up at Lucy and shrugged innocently. "I got accepted into the Academy of Fine Arts for Gifted Children." Schroeder told her. Lucy instantly felt stupid.
"Oh." Was all Lucy said. "This is great, Schroeder. I guess with my great coaching, I finally rubbed off on you." Lucy borught her nose to the air with great dignity. "I'll be here to coach you all the way through your Smarty-Artsy Academy, Schroeder!" Schroeder brushed his blond hair from his face and pursed his lips.
"That's the other thing, Lucy." Schroeder said, breaking into Lucy's little moment. She curiously peered at Schroeder. "The school is in Maine." Lucy's brow furrowed together when she heard this. Maine? Had she heard right? That state up in the very North East corner of the United States? The one with the salty air, many rocks, and crying seagulls. Schroeder was moving to Maine? By the time Lucy had made her way back to reality, Schroeder had retreated to his room and was digging through his clean and organized desk. He pulled out his music folder.
"Schroeder, are you really moving to Maine?" Lucy asked, still standing beside his piano. She could see him through the bedroom doorway. He nodded absently as he began sorting through the many pages of music. Lucy couldn't help but feel anger bubble up in her veins. "That's very selfish of you, Schroeder!" Lucy called out to him. She could see him roll his eyes as his eyes darted across the pages of music. He let out a cluck with his tongue and continued working as Lucy stood by his piano, her fists clenched in fits of rage. "How could you just run off to some Fancy Academy and leave me behind?" Lucy continued ranting. "After everything I've done for you! You... you just run off like this? Schroeder! Are you even listening to me?"
It was obvious Schroeder was off in his own little world. His head was bobbing in time as he continued sorting through his music. Lucy felt like punching or kicking something. She climbed onto the creaky piano bench and tensed her fingers. She took in a sharp breath, anger flowing through her like adrenaline. She banged angrily on some keys for a few moments, then sighed. No wonder Schroeder did that when he was angry. Of course, when he did it, it sounded more clean and correct. Lucy had no idea what any of the keys even were. Lucy now crept over to the doorway to Schroeder's room. Piles and piles of music were everywhere. He looked up from his sorting, his blue eyes making Lucy's heart skip a beat.
"Lucille, if you're calm, then I can go back to my piano. You can listen if you like, you know, like old days." Lucy sighed. He'd gotten her. He knew her too well, from the time they were in school, to today. He must of known she was going to get angry, which is why he came to sort through his hundreds of piano pieces. Schroeder packed all the music away except for three pieces. Lucy then leaned against the piano while still pouting. She gazed through Schroeder's dim house, her eyes darting everywhere except to Schroeder. She heard the creak of the piano bench and Schroeder arranging sheets of music on his piano. He rarely ever played music with paper telling him the notes. It must of been a newer Beethoven piece that he stumbled upon when sorting through his music. Schroeder took in a deep breath and soon his fingers were gliding along the keys gracefully.
It was a song Lucy did not recgonize. She still leaned against the paino, her brow furrowed as she listened to the song. It had a sweet sound to it, as if there were happy bees and happy deer. The song was heart warming. The sound seemed to melt into your ears. It wasn't sappy or draggy. It was full of sincere emotion, as conveyed by the pianist. Schroeder continued on through the piece, his face at ease. Lucy could not stand not knowing the name of the song any longer. She wanted a copy of the song. Lucy wanted to be sure she could have this warming song with her when she felt down. She pushed away from the piano and turned to see the title of the first page of the piece. Her heart nearly stopped when she saw the title.
Written across the top in legible handwriting it said, 'Lucy's Song' by Schroeder. Lucy's Song. This heart warming song that made her feel fuzzy and free. The song that gave her the feeling of running through a field of daisies and laying under Charlie Brown's Honey Suckle Tree. The one song that put her at ease, as if put on a calming med. This song refreshed her mind and soul. It made her feel forgiving and like a whole different person. And here, the song was named after her. She could see each note written out in Schroeder's handwriting. Each note having a distinct line. Lucy tried to keep her emotions inside, but the more Schroeder played, the more she felt the strings come undone in her heart.
Lucy's eyes misted up as Schroeder played. She clenched her hands together in rage. This song was almost poetic. It was perfect in every single way. It perfectly defined Lucy without even using words. Finally, Schroeder struck the last note. Lucy's hands shook uncontrollably as tears brimmed the corner of her eyes. Schroeder looked a tad red along his smooth cheek bones as he sat as still as a statue on the piano bench. It felt like an eternity before either of them took a breath. Lucy drew in an uneven breath, the tears overflowing from her eyes.
"Schroeder..." She said in a quiet voice. It felt like someone had stuffed a brick down her throat. "Play it again." Lucy drew in another breath, trying her best to get back into control. Tears still rolling down her face, she managed to open her wind pipe a little. "I mean... play it again, Schroeder."
Lucy crossed to where Schroeder was sitting. She eased herself up onto the piano bench. She could hear Schroeder's pounding heart and see his shakey hands. Slowly, he lowered his fingers to the keys and Lucy got a front row view of Schroeder playing his piano as graceful as a dancer. Lucy slowly lowered her head to rest on Schroeder's shoulder, tears still running down her smooth cheeks. She stole a glance at Schroeder as best as she could from his shoulder. His eyes were glassy, too. He played with a straight face, playing up and down. He played the song as if it was a second instinct. Schroeder finished the song again for the second time and lowered his hands away from the piano. They just sat there in silence, Lucy's head gently lolled against Schroeder's strong shoulders.
"Play it again, Schroeder." She whispered very quietly. "Don't ever stop playing my song, alright?" Lucy scooted even closer to Schroeder, her head still resting on Schroeder's shoulder. "When you move to Maine, make sure this is all you play, okay? I don't ever want to be forgotten. Schroeder, are you listening to me?" Lucy sat up and looked at Schroeder. His eyes were locked forward on the sheets of music before him. "What's wrong, Schroeder?"
"I just realized..." He said, almost in a whisper, "this is the first song I've ever composed."
"And it's the best one you ever will." Lucy replied quietly. She scooted closer to him again, laying her head on his shoulder. It was beginning to feel natural. "Now," She said in a whisper, "play it again, Schroeder." Schroeder brought his shaky hands up to the keys and began up and down the piano again, not missing a note. That's when Lucy felt something wet land on her temple. She brought her hand up and felt it. It was warm, but felt almost like a raindrop. Lucy looked up to see Schroeder with tears running freely down his cheeks. "When you move to Maine," Lucy whispered quietly as Schroeder continued playing, "all you have to do is keep playing this song. If you truly composed it about me, then it means I'm with you through the song."
Then with a pounding heart and with feelings wiped across her sleeve, Lucy Van Pelt leaned forward and gently pressed her lips against Schroeder's cheek, which was damp with tears. Her first love, broke her heart in the sweetest way possible. Boy, was she lucky.