Buttons and Bows by Amelia C. Adams

Author:Amelia C. Adams [Adams, Amelia C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-04-29T05:00:00+00:00

“I don’t feel as though I have your attention, Mr. Sorenson,” Mrs. Perry said, looking at him with narrowed eyes.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Perry. I admit, I’m rather all over the place today.” Justin flipped back to the start of the sheet music. “Shall we go again?”

“No, not yet.” Mrs. Perry rose from the piano and walked over to the window, where she flung the curtains wide. “It’s a beautiful day out there, and I feel we shouldn’t waste it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Follow me.”

Curious, Justin followed her into the kitchen and held the tray she put in his hands, which she then loaded with a jar of milk, some slices of bread and cheese, a little pot of jam, and two glasses. Then they exited through the back of the house, where a small table and two chairs had been set up.

“We’re going to sit here, breathe the fresh air, eat, and think of absolutely nothing for a few minutes,” she said. “We’re going to allow the simple goodness of life to wash through us and refresh us.”

Thinking of absolutely nothing sounded wonderful. Justin spread his slice of bread liberally with strawberry jam and sipped milk between each bite. “This reminds me of being about six years old and visiting my grandmother’s farm,” he said. “She had the most amazing garden, and she made jams and jellies and pickled things all summer long. I’d sit on her front porch with jam and bread, and she wouldn’t let me come back in the house until I’d washed all the stickiness off at the pump.”

Mrs. Perry smiled. “You see? Simple goodness. Your shoulders relaxed while you were telling me that memory—you’re much less tense now. I imagine you can feel the difference in your rib cage.”

Justin pulled in an experimental breath. “I do,” he said. “That’s much better.”

She nodded. “So, tell me—why are you so anxious today?”

“I’m rather anxious all the time,” he said, giving a small chuckle.

“I’ve noticed.” Her tone was wry. “What’s troubling you?”

Justin exhaled while he gathered his thoughts. “Well, at first I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to rehabilitate my voice and that you wouldn’t agree to work with me. Now I’m afraid that I’m not progressing as quickly as I should, and that all this expense and time will go to waste. Oh, and that I’ll disappoint my parents—that’s no small matter.”

Mrs. Perry looked at him curiously. “Do you enjoy worrying?”

He blinked. “No. Why would I enjoy worrying?”

She shrugged. “You seem to be rather good at it, and we tend to be good at things we do often. So I thought you must enjoy it, since you do it so much. Mr. Sorenson, your voice is being rehabilitated, and I am working with you. You’re progressing exactly as I hoped—please remember that you’ve only been here for a few days, and you mustn’t expect miracles overnight. Lastly, I’m not a parent, but I imagine that your parents are proud of you whether or not you can

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