Monica arrived at the concert hall the next evening at promptly 6:00. She
retrieved her violin from the back seat of Tess's car, which her mentor had
unenthusiastically let her borrow, and walked up the steps that would lead
her into the building. Once she got into the auditorium, she realized that
she wasn't the first person there. Dana was already on stage, practicing.
Monica crept into the house quietly and sat down. Dana's back was
partially to the angel, so the young woman didn't even notice her presence
as she continued to play. From what the Monica was hearing, she didn't
think that the piece was something that an orchestra would play, so she
guessed that Dana was just practicing for fun. As the young woman finished
playing, Monica clapped her hands together softly. "That was beautiful,"
Monica told her.
Dana turned around with a start and then relaxed, "Monica! You startled me.I didn't hear you come in. Have you been here long?"
Monica shook her head, "No, I just got here. I wanted to get here early, but I guess I'm a little too early." She rose from her seat and walked up the steps to the stage where Dana was sitting.
"Not really," Dana replied, looking at her watch. "The others should start getting here any minute now. I work around here, so it's silly to drive all the way home and then all the way back here for rehearsal. I get here about 5:00 or so, and then I have at least an hour to myself." She smiled, "It's silly, but I love playing on this stage, even if nobody's listening."
"So you don't live around here then?"
"No, I live about 25 minutes from here. I can't stand living in the city," she said, giggling. "Granted, Springfield isn't really much of a city, but during the week the traffic is terrible. What about you, do you live here?"
Monica hesitated for a moment before saying, "I actually just got into town, so I don't exactly have a permanent place to stay. I stayed with my friends last night, but I'm going to start looking for a place." Monica knew what Dana's next remark would most likely be. She had overheard the young woman mentioning to Kevin the previous day that she was going to start looking for a roommate. The angel figured becoming that roommate would be the best way to stay close to her assignment.
Dana's face lit up, and Monica knew her idea worked. "You know what?" Dana said, "This might sound a bit forward, but I'm actually looking for a roommate. I have a house of my own, but I'm looking for someone to share the expenses with me."
"That sounds great!" Monica said, smiling broadly.
"Really? Well, rehearsal is over at 9:00 tonight, so if you want to get a cup of coffee or something afterwards, we can make arrangements for you to see the house. Monica nodded as she and Dana looked towards the auditorium doors to see some of the other orchestra members coming in, chatting amongst themselves as they walked towards the stage. "C'mon, and I'll introduce you to everyone," Dana said, rising and placing her instrument in the case next to her chair. Monica followed Dana down the stairs leading offstage, and the angel spent the next fifteen minutes being ushered around by Dana to meet the other members of the Springfield Philharmonic. The angel also saw that the other new members of the orchestra were being led around by their new stand partners, and she was happy to find out the group was so friendly.
6:30 rolled around, and the orchestra members took their seats, Monica and Dana occupying the first stand, directly to Kevin's left as the conductor stepped onto the platform. "Before we get started tonight, I would just like to take the chance to welcome our new members. Be sure to make them feel like we're happy to have them, and please brass players, try not to scare them off." Several of the named brass players threw comments of mock hurt Kevin's way. Monica smiled at the remark. She definitely felt welcome, and she could tell by the looks on some of the other new members' faces that they felt the same way. Kevin picked up his baton and opened one of the scores sitting on the music stand in front of him. "Ok, let's start tonight with Scheherazade, I want to run Dana's solos tonight, and then we'll do the Beethoven, the Rossini, and if we have time we'll look at the Rite of Spring." He waited as the musicians pulled the correct music from their folders and put it in order, and then he brought his black and white baton up and began the rehearsal.
* * * * * *
"So who got you interested in the violin?" Monica asked Dana. The two women had retreated to a favorite coffee shop of Dana's after rehearsal had ended. They had been sitting at a table in the quiet café for the last hour, having coffee and pie, and discussing everything from the night's rehearsal to the area Dana's house was in.
"Actually, I have no earthly idea," Dana was saying. "Neither of my parents were musical."
"Were?" Monica asked.
"Yeah. My father died before I graduated from Julliard, and my mother died of cancer last year." She tucked a strand of straight blond hair behind her ear, and Monica caught a spark of sadness in her clear blue eyes.
Monica's face fell into an expression of sympathy, "I'm sorry."
"It's ok," Dana replied.
"Did they ever get to see you perform professionally?" Monica inquired.
Dana nodded, "Yes they did. They were both there on the night I played for the first time as a professional. I was 18, and I played as a guest soloist right here in Springfield, with the philharmonic. Kevin was the conductor then too, and he offered me first chair because his current concertmaster was retiring. I took the job, and I've been here ever since. which is kind of funny to me because the whole time I played as a child, I never thought I'd be any good at violin." The two shared a quiet laugh.
"That's incredible to get that seat as such a young age," Monica commented.
"Well, I never really cared much about my seat. I mean, first chair is nice and all, but I just love to play. I'd probably do it on a street corner if I had to," Dana said, giggling as her delicate hands toyed with the handle on her mug.
"I can see that," Monica said. "You play with more passion than anyone I've ever seen."
Dana smiled and blushed slightly, "Thank you. That's really nice of you to say." Monica smiled back at her, and they chatted some more and finished their coffee. About a half hour later, Dana looked at her watch. "Geez, it's almost 11:00!" She exclaimed. "I guess we should go before they throw us out. Why don't you come out to the house tomorrow afternoon, around 3:00? If you like the place, we can get your things moved in tomorrow evening so we won't have to fool with it on Wednesday, before rehearsal."
Monica nodded, "That sounds good." The two dropped some money on the table to pay for their checks and a tip for the waitress, and exited the café, bidding each other goodnight before going to their cars. As Monica walked over to Tess's car, she wondered what was going to happen to Dana. Also hanging in the back of the young angel's mind was a vague feeling of foreboding, one that she couldn't shake or explain.
Dana turned around with a start and then relaxed, "Monica! You startled me.I didn't hear you come in. Have you been here long?"
Monica shook her head, "No, I just got here. I wanted to get here early, but I guess I'm a little too early." She rose from her seat and walked up the steps to the stage where Dana was sitting.
"Not really," Dana replied, looking at her watch. "The others should start getting here any minute now. I work around here, so it's silly to drive all the way home and then all the way back here for rehearsal. I get here about 5:00 or so, and then I have at least an hour to myself." She smiled, "It's silly, but I love playing on this stage, even if nobody's listening."
"So you don't live around here then?"
"No, I live about 25 minutes from here. I can't stand living in the city," she said, giggling. "Granted, Springfield isn't really much of a city, but during the week the traffic is terrible. What about you, do you live here?"
Monica hesitated for a moment before saying, "I actually just got into town, so I don't exactly have a permanent place to stay. I stayed with my friends last night, but I'm going to start looking for a place." Monica knew what Dana's next remark would most likely be. She had overheard the young woman mentioning to Kevin the previous day that she was going to start looking for a roommate. The angel figured becoming that roommate would be the best way to stay close to her assignment.
Dana's face lit up, and Monica knew her idea worked. "You know what?" Dana said, "This might sound a bit forward, but I'm actually looking for a roommate. I have a house of my own, but I'm looking for someone to share the expenses with me."
"That sounds great!" Monica said, smiling broadly.
"Really? Well, rehearsal is over at 9:00 tonight, so if you want to get a cup of coffee or something afterwards, we can make arrangements for you to see the house. Monica nodded as she and Dana looked towards the auditorium doors to see some of the other orchestra members coming in, chatting amongst themselves as they walked towards the stage. "C'mon, and I'll introduce you to everyone," Dana said, rising and placing her instrument in the case next to her chair. Monica followed Dana down the stairs leading offstage, and the angel spent the next fifteen minutes being ushered around by Dana to meet the other members of the Springfield Philharmonic. The angel also saw that the other new members of the orchestra were being led around by their new stand partners, and she was happy to find out the group was so friendly.
6:30 rolled around, and the orchestra members took their seats, Monica and Dana occupying the first stand, directly to Kevin's left as the conductor stepped onto the platform. "Before we get started tonight, I would just like to take the chance to welcome our new members. Be sure to make them feel like we're happy to have them, and please brass players, try not to scare them off." Several of the named brass players threw comments of mock hurt Kevin's way. Monica smiled at the remark. She definitely felt welcome, and she could tell by the looks on some of the other new members' faces that they felt the same way. Kevin picked up his baton and opened one of the scores sitting on the music stand in front of him. "Ok, let's start tonight with Scheherazade, I want to run Dana's solos tonight, and then we'll do the Beethoven, the Rossini, and if we have time we'll look at the Rite of Spring." He waited as the musicians pulled the correct music from their folders and put it in order, and then he brought his black and white baton up and began the rehearsal.
* * * * * *
"So who got you interested in the violin?" Monica asked Dana. The two women had retreated to a favorite coffee shop of Dana's after rehearsal had ended. They had been sitting at a table in the quiet café for the last hour, having coffee and pie, and discussing everything from the night's rehearsal to the area Dana's house was in.
"Actually, I have no earthly idea," Dana was saying. "Neither of my parents were musical."
"Were?" Monica asked.
"Yeah. My father died before I graduated from Julliard, and my mother died of cancer last year." She tucked a strand of straight blond hair behind her ear, and Monica caught a spark of sadness in her clear blue eyes.
Monica's face fell into an expression of sympathy, "I'm sorry."
"It's ok," Dana replied.
"Did they ever get to see you perform professionally?" Monica inquired.
Dana nodded, "Yes they did. They were both there on the night I played for the first time as a professional. I was 18, and I played as a guest soloist right here in Springfield, with the philharmonic. Kevin was the conductor then too, and he offered me first chair because his current concertmaster was retiring. I took the job, and I've been here ever since. which is kind of funny to me because the whole time I played as a child, I never thought I'd be any good at violin." The two shared a quiet laugh.
"That's incredible to get that seat as such a young age," Monica commented.
"Well, I never really cared much about my seat. I mean, first chair is nice and all, but I just love to play. I'd probably do it on a street corner if I had to," Dana said, giggling as her delicate hands toyed with the handle on her mug.
"I can see that," Monica said. "You play with more passion than anyone I've ever seen."
Dana smiled and blushed slightly, "Thank you. That's really nice of you to say." Monica smiled back at her, and they chatted some more and finished their coffee. About a half hour later, Dana looked at her watch. "Geez, it's almost 11:00!" She exclaimed. "I guess we should go before they throw us out. Why don't you come out to the house tomorrow afternoon, around 3:00? If you like the place, we can get your things moved in tomorrow evening so we won't have to fool with it on Wednesday, before rehearsal."
Monica nodded, "That sounds good." The two dropped some money on the table to pay for their checks and a tip for the waitress, and exited the café, bidding each other goodnight before going to their cars. As Monica walked over to Tess's car, she wondered what was going to happen to Dana. Also hanging in the back of the young angel's mind was a vague feeling of foreboding, one that she couldn't shake or explain.