Tempo Change by Barbara Hall

Author:Barbara Hall [Hall, Barbara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-375-89523-4
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2009-08-17T16:00:00+00:00

Day Four

WHEN BAD THINGS HAPPEN, THE HARDEST THING TO BELIEVE is that the machinery of life just keeps going. Everything I did made me feel guilty and strange, from brushing my teeth to watching television. It bothered me enough to say some version of it out loud to my mother.

“It was like that when your father left,” she said. “I couldn’t understand the whole idea of the sun rising and setting, let alone going to the grocery store or washing the dishes.”

“How did it change?”

“It just does, slowly, over time.”

I looked at her because she was sort of saying what everyone was afraid to say. That Viv might very well be dead. That with every day that passed, she was more likely to be dead. The rescue workers, when interviewed on TV, said they were still optimistic and that it was entirely possible for a young person to still be alive and well. She could be eating vegetation and drinking snow and there were lots of places for shelter.

We were still on winter break. Ella and Gigi and I got together the first two days but that made things worse because it just reminded us of who was missing. Then I just stayed in the house and watched the news and ate junk. Ed the Guitar Guy tried to coax me out of my worry with some music, showing me new guitar licks, and I allowed myself to get sucked in because it did give me some relief, a reasonable distraction.

But then things would happen, like getting e-mail and letters from Coachella, telling us the rules and guidelines and asking us to submit our set list for our upcoming show. They were pleased to have the Fringers join them and could we please submit the full names and addresses of all the band members and what instruments they played so they could post it on their Web site.

I went ahead with the plans because not doing it felt like saying she wouldn’t be around for it. But it was hard to handle all the feelings that came up. Because I did feel disappointed that we might not make it. And then I felt horrible about that.

Then the e-mail. That made things almost unbearable.

My father had written back. It was waiting for me that Christmas night, when I got back from the Angeles Forest.

Hey, Rock Princess,

This is exciting news. It coincides with a fit of island fever. I’ve been thinking about revisiting the other society and this is the perfect occasion for it. If you’re serious, put me on the guest list. Maybe you could even get me backstage. Send me the dates. Love and congrats. D.

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