Birds of a Feather

The screens overhead in the waiting area announce the arrival of her flight. It is close to midnight. Rodrigo paces anxiously, wondering what could be wrong. Every few minutes, he glances over to the escalators, where hundreds of sleepy-eyed passengers descend to meet their loved ones, or for some, no one. And then he sees her. Her saddened, tear-swollen eyes gaze absently at the world around her.

"Hai-Lai!" he shouts with a wave, catching her attention, breaking her reverie. Her eyes meet his, and through the sadness, a small grin forms on her lips.

When they meet, they say nothing. He opens his arms to her, and she throws herself into his embrace. They hug in silence, neither one letting go for several minutes. He gently rubs her back, and she squeezes him tighter. Finally, Rodrigo is the first to release. He puts his hands on her shoulders and makes eye contact through her mildly disheveled hair.

"Hey, Hai-Lai, let's get your bag, okay?"

She wipes a tear from her face and nods. He takes her hand in his and leads them to the baggage claim, where they continue to stand without speaking. Rodrigo is patient. He knows she will tell him what is wrong. They just need to talk in private.

Outside, Rodrigo waves down a taxi. Once they are buckled, he gives the driver Gloria's address.

"That's not your address," Hailey says quietly. She gives him a puzzled look.

"Uh, no. It is not. I have been staying with Gloria since, well, you know...drum circle."

"We can't go to Gloria's! There has to be somewhere else," she said, sounding slightly desperate, like she is holding back more tears.

"Um... Um, okay. Um, what about your place, eh?"

Hailey shakes her head. "Lizzie and Bradford...they'll be home, and I can't face them just yet. They'll ask me so many questions, and I... I just really need to talk to you. Alone."

Rodrigo nods, understanding. "Um, excuse me, uh, driver? Um yes, could you please, uh, take us to a hotel?" he asks. He gives Hailey a shrug, asking for her approval. She closes her eyes and nods.

"Which one?" asks the driver over his shoulder.

Rodrigo waves his hand. "I don't know. Uh, whatever is closest, it doesn't matter.

Rodrigo sits on the foot of the bed, waiting for Hailey to finish her shower. He taps his feet, shakes his legs, and twiddles his thumbs. After the discussion of where to talk, she had been silent the rest of the car ride. She also didn't say a word when the hotel front desk attendant lamented that they only had a room with one queen sized bed available. Instead, she looked at Rodrigo, urging him to decide. He had never seen her like this, so he rented the room and drew her a bath once inside.

Her silence worries him. Something has happened, and he can't take any more suspense.

Hailey finally emerges from the bathroom, dressed in cotton shorts and an oversized T-shirt. She uses a towel to shake her hair until it is no longer dripping, and then wrings it gently. When she sits down next to Rodrigo, he decides he cannot handle the silence any longer.

"Ay, Hai-Lai, are you ever going to tell me what is wrong?"

She sighs and turns to look at him. His hazel eyes stare hard at hers, begging for an explanation to this sudden rendez-vous. Although his eyes show impatience, they also show kindness and concern.

"He lied," she says.

"What? Who?" Rodrigo's eyebrows knot in confusion. "Lied? About what?"

"Erik. Erik lied," Hailey explains sadly. "He didn't vote for our demands, he voted to reject them."

Rodrigo looks away. "Shit."

"I know."

"But...why would he do that?"

"Vote against the symphony or lie?"

"Both."

Hailey sighs and falls onto her back. Rodrigo follows suit, not taking his eyes off her.

"Maybe Gloria can tell you," she mutters.

Rodrigo sits up again. "Gloria?" He stares at the wall, puzzled, trying to fit the pieces together.

"Gloria," Hailey echoes.

"She voted against us?"

Hailey nods, and Rodrigo lies back down, his eyes now fixed on the ceiling. "Well, shit!"

Hailey rolls onto her side to face him. "I guess a lot of shit went down in that board meeting."

"How did you find out about it?"

"I walked into the room as one of his friends asked him, 'So how does it feel to be a future Chairman of the Board?'" Hailey explains. "I asked him what the guy meant, and then Erik got kind of panicky. I made him explain it all to me. He told me everything, about that article about the orchestra members, and then the one about Gloria and the money... I guess that hit Gloria where it hurts, and she voted against the symphony."

All this information, some of it he knew, but some of it... He had no idea about Gloria. He was staying with her, and he had no idea! She had been acting bashful around the house, but they both had busied themselves so as not to awkwardly run into each other.

"He also told me about your resignation deal with Biben."

Rodrigo's head snaps to face her. She's staring at him intensely, her brows furrowed, a hint of betrayal on her face.

"Hai-Lai..." he whispers.

"But I guess that deal wasn't enough to convince the board."

"I thought it would save the symphony."

She props herself up on an elbow. "Save us?" she exclaims angrily. "By leaving us?!"

He mirrors her pose, waving his free hand around as he explains, "No. No no no. I... I just... If I left, the Biben...he said... I told him I would leave if he promised to meet the demands. He told me it would be done. I thought...I thought it would be the easiest solution." He pauses, and she's still staring at him with that intensity that makes it hard for him to concentrate. Her incredulous expression disappears as he takes her hand in his. "Hai-Lai. This orchestra, they are like family. They are family. It was not an easy thin, you know... Going to Biben... Offering to leave..."

"I guess it doesn't matter now," she replies after a few moments of silence. Then, a smile forms on her face. "I guess you're stuck with us."

He lets out a nervous laugh and squeezes her hand. "Yeah, I guess I am."

They both lie down again, the tension relieved. He feels foolish for making the deal, and she for trusting a power-hungry rich kid. As they lie in the silence, their breathing syncs up, almost like they are meditating. He gently rubs her hand with his thumb, and she gives him a gentle squeeze in return.

"Is that why you left, uh...uh, where is it you where again?" he asks quietly.

She inhales sharply. On her exhale, she replies, "Montana. And yes, that's why I left."

"Well, that's as good a reason as any, right?"

Hailey can't help but laugh. "You know, I thought I would be escaping the drama while I was there. I thought I would get away from the lies and the blackmail and-"

"Blackmail? What blackmail?"

Hailey groans. "Shit." She covers her face with her hands. "Shit, shit, shit."

"Shit? Shit what? Hai-Lai..." He tries to peel her fingers away from her face. "Hai-Lai...tell me."

"Betty knows...about Mexico."

"Oh... Shit."

"Before the lock-down, she uh...she said if I didn't take the second oboe position in Iowa, she'd tell everyone about us."

"Iowa? Second oboe?"

Her hands drop from her face. She scrunches her nose when she looks at him. "Yeah...Iowa."

Rodrigo gives her a confused look. She continues, "One of her former students, which, by the way, she is screwing or using him as a barely dressed housemaid, I don't know! Well, he is the first-chair oboe, and they need to replace their second-chair, and Betty thinks it should be me so that I don't keep playing the shows that she wants to play but it's not like I told Lennox to shit on her oboe playing, I mean, really!"

She pauses to sigh. "I fucked up. I seriously fucked up. My stupid fucking drunk mouth, God. I..." she trails off.

Rodrigo reaches out to stroke her cheek. "You did not fuck up, Hai-Lai. A little mistake, yes. But look, it is not the end of the world."

"Really?"

"Really."

He pauses. Then, "Were you going to do it?"

"I don't know...I've worked so hard here in New York..."

"It is very far from here, yes?"

"Yeah."

"Hm."

They are quiet once more. Her hand crawls along the bed to reach his. They both turn their heads to face each other. Their eyes explore each other's face, both looking hurt, defeated, yet somehow hopeful despite all the shit going on. Rodrigo thinks she looks so beautiful, damp tendrils of her hair sticking to her face, her neck. She looks so lost, but she is on such a good path, he knows she must feel it deep inside. He looks tired, like he is still torn about what happened with Maestro Rivera, like he doesn't know if he has made the right choices or not. But still, she thinks, he is so passionate and he has so much to teach.

"Thank you for coming to get me," she whispers, breaking the silence. She gives his hand another squeeze.

"Of course, Hai-Lai. You know I would do anything for..." he stumbles on his thoughts. He would do anything for her, but can he say that to her? "...the orchestra. Anybody in it." Oh shit, he thinks, I've said the wrong thing. "I mean... It's because, you know... Because I..." he trails off, mentally kicking himself for not being able to say it.

"Because you love the orchestra?" Hailey offers with a smile.

Rodrigo cradles her cheek in his hand. Her skin is so soft, so smooth. He remembers Mexico, and the feeling of her hand on his chest. He recalls her words. Mexico was a fantasy. But here, in this hotel room, their faces slowly moving closer and closer, the memory of Mexico is realer than it has ever been.

"Yes," he breathes, their lips just centimeters apart. "Because I love the orchestra."