Page 76 of Share with Me

“I know it’s small, but it’s thriving.” Ivan snapped shut the violin case. He pointed to a wall of glass doors behind which were music stands and an upright piano. “This used to be one giant room, but I walled it off over there. That’s sort of semi-soundproof.”

“That’s where you teach violin.”

Ivan nodded. “All day long, year round, except Thanksgiving and Christmas. Our Christmas break is longer because I can’t juggle all these SISO performances and rehearsals and teach violin at the same time.”

“SISO keeps you busy this time of year.”

“Through New Year’s Eve.” Ivan plucked a flyer off a cork-board on the wall. “Here are all our performances if you want to come and listen. Some are open to the public. Some are private soirees.”

Brinley took the paper from him, read it, then folded and pocketed it. “Do you have many students?”

“Enough to keep me busy though some of them are not coming back after the Christmas break. I’ll have to try to get new students in the spring or for next year.”

“Not coming back?”

“Violin isn’t the easiest instrument to learn. They hear me and they want to play like that. It takes years to get there and sometimes people, especially kids, lose their patience.”

“I used to hear Grandpa Brooks on his Strad.”

“The Lord Sterling Strad? The one that’s now in a safe place where nobody can play it?”

“I know what you said. Musical instruments are not meant to be locked in vaults.”

She was listening!

Brinley nodded. “I think when the SISO Museum of Musical Instruments is done, I’ll loan some of them to it. What do you think?”

“Some? How many Strads do you have?”

Brinley didn’t say. “Grandpa would have traded them all—except the Lord Sterling—for the Damaris Brooks.”

Wow. She is so outside my league.

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