What?!
“I taught him as a child,” she explains. “One of the best students I ever had… smart, polite, sweet as pie.”
I glance over at the piano. Of course.
“It’s such a shame what happened to his family,” she goes on. “You know what happened right?”
I nod. “Yes. He’s told me everything.”
“So you know they were headed to his piano recital?”
I nod again silently.
“I was so heartbroken for him. I reached out to him more than once, but he closed the door on piano for good. Ever since, I’ve taken some responsibility for what happened. I was his teacher after all. I was the one who encouraged him to participate in the recitals. He had such raw talent. He always placed first.”
I reach for her hand, and take it in mine. “Oh… Judy. You shouldn’t blame yourself. You were his teacher. You were doing your job. You were nurturing his talent. You did nothing wrong. If you want to blame someone, blame the drunk driver who hit them.”
She’s tearing up now, and I feel absolutely awful for unwillingly dredging up these painful memories. “What have I done now? We were having such a great time.”
She wipes a tear off of her cheek, and smiles at me. “I understand why you might be hesitating where he’s concerned,” she says. “But trust me when I tell you he has a good heart. If he plays around, it’s just to escape his life. He now has to take care of his father, knowing he’s the reason he’s paralyzed. His father used to be so full of life, and now apparently he’s holed up in his huge mansion.”
“Colton asked me if I’d like to meet him,” I tell her. “But that was before…”
“Interesting,” she says. “Are you planning to?”
I shrug. “I don’t know.”
“Colton always reminded me of his mother, such a nice disposition, such a good heart,” she goes on, and I ache, thinking about Colton’s mom. “And his father seemed like a nice man too.”
“Well, I don’t think I’m going to meet him,” I tell her. “This thing with Colton is stupid. I don’t want to compete with all those other women,” I finally admit. “I have no desire to live in aThe Bachelorepisode.”
She laughs. “I do love that show.”
I’m slack-jawed. “I can’t believe you watch that.”
She smiles. “A gal needs to keep herself entertained, and I’ve always loved drama.”
I shake my head. “Well, you should be me right now then.”
“Oh, what I wouldn’t give to be you right now,” she says. “You’re young and beautiful, and you have your whole life ahead of you. And the handsome Colton Rossi is clearly infatuated with you.”
I ponder her words. I came here feeling sorry for myself, but I’ll leave wondering if I’m just being a big baby.
