The Gallery by Barbara Steiner
Author:Barbara Steiner
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781497611290
Publisher: Open Road Media
nine
HER INSTINCTS WERE right. Johnny was upset. His mother was glad to let LaDonna in. âI hope you can talk him into practicing. Heâs not very good company right now.â Mrs. Blair smiled and pointed towards the next room. LaDonna thought she was probably used to Johnnyâs moods, but she seemed concerned about him as well.
Johnny spoke as soon as he saw LaDonna, as if he was really saying, go away, donât bug me about this. âI canât go back up there, LaDonna. I keep thinking about that room, about Katherine.â Johnny sat staring out the family room picture window at the rain that had started gently falling, the rain that was predicted to turn to snow by night. A flock of small birds, knowing the weather was changing, fed frantically at the bird feeder. Flames danced as fire crackled in the fireplace.
âYou have to, Johnny. You need that piano. This one just isnât the same.â La Donna indicated the old-fashioned upright that Johnny had started playing on when he was five. She fingered a few keys. The instrument had a lovely tone, but nothing like the baby grand in the practice room.
She sat on the bench for a few minutes, keeping Johnny company in his misery. Maybe she had the solution.
âIâll go with you. Iâll stay in the room and listen to you practice.â
âYou donât want to do that. Youâll get bored. Iâd worry about you being there, getting bored.â Johnny splayed the fingers of both hands, long slender fingers, and looked at them as if they held the answer to his dilemma.
LaDonna knew that after about five minutes Johnny wouldnât worry about her. He wouldnât know she was there. âI never get bored with your music, Johnny. But if I do, Iâll tell you. We can go get that pizza I promised.â
Johnny thought about that for a time. Finally he stood up. âOkay. Iâm going nuts sitting around here.â
Now Mrs. Blair worried about them getting wet. She insisted they take two umbrellas and that LaDonna borrow her raincoat.
Outside, lowering her umbrella and sharing Johnnyâs, LaDonna laughed. âI donât know if I could take that much mothering. Iâm so used to being independent.â
âShe means well.â Johnny put his arm around LaDonnaâs waist to keep them together under the ribbed taffeta. LaDonna felt warm inside and out and as cozy as she had in the family room.
âShe wants her baby to stay well for his recitals,â she teased. âAre you playing in May?â Her plan was to distract him from everything except his music.
âYes, and Iâm nowhere near ready.â
âYou will be. You always are.â They splashed in puddles until they climbed Seventeenth Street hill where water ran towards them in small rivers. âIâm painting again, Johnny. Good stuff. But Eric Hunter thinks itâs not my work.â
âThat phony. Heâs probably envious. You realize we havenât seen any of his paintings. Or one sculpture. Whatever he does. You know how you feel about what youâre doing. Ignore anything he says.â
âI will. But I didnât like his saying this isnât my work or that Iâve copied something.
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