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"Did you find him?"
She shakes her head. "I tried to call him, but his number no longer exists." The muscles in her chin tremble. "He disappeared without an explanation." She wipes a falling tear from her cheek. "I thought he liked me."
I pull her against my side when her shoulders shake as she weeps. She sniffles against my shirt. It’s clear she had feelings for this Leo, so I’m content he’s gone. That boy doesn’t deserve my girl. When she's calm, my mind comes up with another burning question.
"How did you end up in this piano shop?" I whisper in her ear.
Samantha sits up straight, and her hands fidget with the ends of her ponytail.
"I like pianos," she mumbles. "So when I wandered through the city and saw this store, I stepped in."
"Show Cole what you were doing here, Sam," Alisha says in a soft tone
My daughter keeps staring at the floor. "I can’t. I promised Mom to keep it a secret."
My eyes dart to Alisha, who nudges her head, telling me to respond. I place my hands on Samantha’s knee and give it a gentle squeeze.
"Sam, your mother wouldn’t mind."
Her eyes meet mine. "No. Mom said it was better to wait until I was eighteen and legally an adult."
My mouth gets dry like a sandbox as my mind mulls over what she's saying.
Jessica, why did you... A light bulb flips on in my head.Could it be?
With my heart reciting in my throat, I ask. "Samantha, do you play the piano?"
At first, she doesn’t respond, but a few seconds later, she speaks. "I fell in love with piano music at a young age. After a year of begging Mom for lessons, she said yes. To pay for it she worked an extra job as a server at the strip club."
A knot forms in my stomach.
"A few weeks after I started, my tutor came to our house, asking my mother if I could take part in a big contest. My mom said no. She said if I wanted to continue, I had to promise her not to show outsiders my talent until I was eighteen."
With sweaty hand palms, I ask, "Sam, please, play something for me?"
"But..."
"It’s okay. I know why your mom said that, and I will explain it to you later. Please, play something."
She stands and walks to a piano in the corner. Meanwhile, Alisha takes a seat next to me and places her hand on my knee.
Sam lifts her hand and lets her fingers linger above the keys. Her eyes meet mine, and when I send her a reassuring nod, she refocuses her attention to the instrument. The moment the first tones soar through the air, I grab Alisha’s hand.
The melody she plays first is like vanilla pudding, sweet in their ordinary sort of way, but then the richness of the tones increase, and the piece becomes luxurious and warm. Memories of my father teaching me the more delicate art of piano playing swirl through me as I watch my daughter's hands glide over the keys like a professional.
Alisha's grip tightens, and the store owner resurfaces and watches the performance from a distance. The emotions and depth she’s able to bring into her playing are astounding. This part she plays is old but tricky, so the fact she performs it by memory shows her talent even more. When she presses the last key, I rise and make my way over to her. She stares at her hands while returning into the now after being unified with the part. I sit next to her and pull her into a tight embrace and whisper, "Breathtaking… I’m sorry you had to hide it."
Samantha furrows her brow. "Why are you sorry?"
"Because I’m the reason you had to hide your talent, and it isn’t fair." I readjust my sitting position, place my fingers on the keys, and play the first two lines of a piece I remember by heart. When I stop and glance sideways, Samantha’s irises resemble a swirling ocean.
"Y-You, play?"
"You inherit not only the physical Walker genes, but also the piano ones. You're the third generation of Walkers who can play this instrument."
Her mouth drops.
"Your grandfather and I played too. Like you, I started playing when I was young. But… I stopped." Her eyes tear up, and I pull her back into my embrace. "You never have to hide it anymore, Sam," I say, while placing a kiss on her forehead.
