Page 2 of The Night the Stars Went Dark

I made my way downstairs, and into the living room. Daddy was sitting in front of our baby grand, practicing. His fingers danced with great accuracy across the keys. The sweet melodyfilled our home, and Daddy seemed to be completely lost in the music. His eyes were closed, but he knew I was there. “Come sit,” he coaxed as he turned to look at me, still playing and completely unphased.

I crept closer, my bare feet padding on the hardwood. He stopped and patted a spot beside him as he scooched over on the bench. “Did you like that?” He folded the sheet music in front of him.

“It reminded me of summer.” I nodded thoughtfully.

“Summer.” He pursed his lips together in thought. “I can hear that too.”

“What was it?” I reached for the music. I was learning to read, but still struggled with some words.

“That was Mozart. It’s a bit much right now.” He smiled and set the sheet aside. “I was thinking we’d start here.” He placed a book on the piano stand. “Let me see your hands.” He waited patiently as I lifted my hands and held them over the keys. “Right here. Fingers here.” He positioned them. “This is G position. Press these fingers down together and you’ll get a concert G chord.” I tried. The notes kinda clashed together. “Make sure you’re hitting the keys at the same time.” I tried again, and this time he smiled. “Very good.” I repeated it myself as he opened the book to the first page. “You’re playing this note.” He pointed at the music. “Move your hands up a step, and you’ll play this one.” He demonstrated and then I copied. “Very good.”

“When can I learn a song?” I bounced on the bench. My legs weren’t quite long enough to reach the pedals, so the bench rocked with my movement.

“A song.” He tapped his chin. “Ok.” He placed my fingers over the keys. “Let’s use what you’ve been learning to play this.” He pointed to a piece that was only two lines long and urged me to try. I pressed the keys, sounding the first chord, then slowlymoved through the piece. The more I worked at it, the faster I got, and it started to sound like a song.

“I know this.” I grinned as I looked up at him. When I stopped looking at my hands, I made a mistake. I frowned as a sound I didn’t like came from the piano.

“Stay focused,” he encouraged. I took a deep breath and corrected myself to finish the song.

“That was the best version of Mary Had a Little Lamb that I’ve ever heard.” Mom stuck her head out of the kitchen.

“You’re just saying that because you’re my mommy.” I shook my head. “I need lots of practice. I wanna play like Daddy.” I smiled as I hit the last chord.

“You will, Penny Girl.” Dad hugged me before smiling over at my mom. “Practice lots, and you’ll be better than me someday.”

“You think I’ll ever be able to play Mozart?” I stood and rocked on my heels.

“Sure.” He winked as he closed the book I’d been using and set it off to the side. “We’ll practice some more tomorrow. I have to get ready for this weekend’s show.”

“K, Daddy. Love you.” I jumped into his arms, squeezing him around the neck before planting a kiss on his cheek. “I’m going to play upstairs.” I rushed away, leaving him laughing in my wake.

Shows made me happy. My daddy played for the Boston Symphony, and when he had a show, and it wasn’t a school night, I got to go. He always got Mommy and me front row seats, and he promised me when I got bigger we’d play together on stage.

“You think we could take a walk after dinner?” I mused as I scooped a blob of potatoes onto my spoon. I wasn’t very hungry, and it was nice out. The sun was setting, and the air was cooling down.

“That sounds nice.” Daddy smiled before placing his silverware on his plate. “Let me change into something a little more comfortable, and we’ll go around the block.” I clapped with excitement. I was a daddy’s girl and spending time together was one of my favorite things to do.

“You two have fun. I need to clean up some things for the evening, and then I want to relax.” Mom sighed as a yawn attempted to escape her.

“I’m finished. Can I be excused?” I wiped my mouth and waited. Daddy usually let me get up if I used my manners.

“Go ahead.” Mommy laughed. I stood, carried my plate into the kitchen, and then went to put on my shoes. I’d wait, not so patiently, for Daddy in the living room.

It seemed like forever before he came downstairs dressed in a pair of shorts and a tee. “You ready, Penny Girl?” Only my daddy and Mr. Vern called me Penny.

“Yep.” I hopped off the couch and bounced over. Daddy opened the front door and we left together hand in hand.

“It’s a nice night.” Daddy swung our joined hands between us. “You think Mommy would be upset if we walked a little farther and grabbed an ice cream?” He winked as he looked down at me.

“Nun uh.” I grinned up at him. When we got to the corner, instead of turning, we went down two more blocks. There was anice cream shop. It had a counter inside like an old fashioned soda shop. It smelled of sugar when you walked through the door. “Ooooh, can I get that?” I pointed to this ice cream that looked as if it contained every color of the rainbow.

“Sure, Penny Girl.” Daddy pointed at the ice cream. “We’ll take a cone of that, and then a vanilla.” Daddy and the man exchanged ice cream and money, and then he handed me my cone. We walked outside and sat in two of the chairs on the sidewalk.

“Do you hear the music?” Daddy closed his eyes.

“What music?” I was confused. There was music on the sound system in the ice cream shop, but out here it was just traffic and such.

“The city has its own music. Close your eyes and listen.” He waited for me to comply. “What do you hear?”

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