The Gift of Goodbye

by Kleven, M. Kay

  Sure. Sounds like fun. When is it?

  This Friday night at nine o’clock. Can you make it?

  It’s on my calendar. Thanks for inviting me to my first big concert in New York.

  I’ll knock three times around seven o’clock. We wouldn’t want to miss the opening band.

  See you Friday at seven, Mr. Reporter Man.

  Funny, Miss Piano Girl.

  Then, before I could put the phone down, it started to ring. Oh no, my mother. As I was about to say hello, I heard her say. . .

  “Anna Louise Armstrong, you get on a plane from your fancy New York and get home here to Kansas for your sister’s wedding.”

  “Glad you called, Mom. I was going to call Charlotte to say I can’t make it home for her big day. I know she’s excited. And she should be. But, I won’t be there.”

  “You certainly will be, young lady.”

  “No, Mother, I won’t be.”

  “Here, talk to your father.” The next voice I heard was my dad’s.

  “Anna Louise. What’s so important you can’t come home for your sister’s wedding?”

  “Dad, I just can’t. I work on Saturdays and I wouldn’t be able to take a week off to come home ahead of the wedding. Charlotte doesn’t need me. I’ll send her a nice gift in my place.”

  “Is there anything I could say to change your mind? I miss you and Mara rushing in and out of the house these days.”

  “I miss you, too, Dad. I just need more time away from Mom. I hope you understand. I love my job and I’m taking piano lessons now.”

  “You are? You’ve wanted to do that for a long time.” His voice seemed to smile back at me. “I’m so proud of you, sweetheart.”

  “Thanks, Dad.” I replied “Someday you’ll have to come listen to me play.

  “I’ll be there. Will I get a front-row seat?”

  “You sure will. Please explain to Mom the best you can about the wedding. I love you.”

  “It’ll be okay. I love you, too. Bye.”

  “Bye, Dad.”

  Now I was sad. I missed my dad and even my brother, Grant, a little bit. Grant was the athlete in the family and he was good at whatever sport he played. He had dark hair like Dad and me and already towered over my five-foot-seven inches. Playing soccer was Grant’s favorite thing to do, but he also played football and basketball for the Wisteria Wizards. Mom and Charlotte were like two peas in a pod. Dad and Grant were the macho males in the family. Then, there was me: the misfit. That was okay because now I was doing the things I loved, and Mom couldn’t hurt me anymore.

  ~ ~ ~

  The air was electric as Chase escorted me into Madison Square Garden for the concert of a lifetime. Everyone was screaming and shouting as the opening band, Electric Lights, came on stage to perform. Colored lights were flashing all over the place. I hung on tight to Chase’s arm.

  “You’ll be okay now,” Chase said as he smiled over at me. “Raise your arms in the air like this and start rocking with the band.”

  “It’s crazy loud in here, Chase.” I tried raising my arms in the air, and sure enough, I could do it. “Hey, look at me.”

  “Now start rocking to the music.” Chase stood behind me and placed his hands around my waist so I could feel how he was moving back and forth. “Relax into it, Anna Louise. That’s it, you’re getting the hang of it.”

  Before long, I was rocking and rolling right along with Chase and the rest of the crowd. Then, as Bruno Mars and his band, The Hooligans, appeared on stage, I went crazy right along with the rest of the crowd. Bruno took my heart away, the band rocked, and the show created an incredible electricity, but above all, the intensity of the music deserved every decibel that bounced off the walls of the arena. The unbelievable excitement in the building, as Bruno performed each and every song, made me press my hands over my heart. It was amazing!

  “Watch, Anna Louise,” Chase shouted in my ear. “Bruno is going to play the piano.”

  “I’m watching, Chase. Thank you for bringing me here.” I put my arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek. “Bruno rocks!”

  “I kind of thought you might like him.” Chase laughed. “He’s almost as talented as you are.”

  “Thanks, but I could never perform like Bruno does. And I bet you’re just as good at your job as Bruno is at his.”

  “Maybe someday we’ll both be as good as Bruno is right now.”

  “Amen to that.” I put my arms in the air and started rocking right into Chase.

  After the show, Chase took me to a place where concert goers hang out. It was loud and raucous in there, but everyone was having a good time, even me from a small town in Kansas. I smiled over at Chase as he handed me my usual diet soda, then we toasted the concert and clinked our glasses together. I slowly sipped away at my drink while watching a table of young people become more and more intoxicated, remembering how hard I had tried not to cry whenever my mother would hit me one more time for good measure. I had vowed over and over again I would never be like her, and I wouldn’t. Chase and I tried to talk over the crowd noise, but to little avail. Finally, he smiled and said, "Let’s hail a cab back to the Blue Sky and call it a night.”

  “Let’s,” I replied. “Think I used up all of my energy at the concert.”

  Chase walked me to my door, then pulled me close and kissed me gently on the lips. “Hope you enjoyed the concert tonight.”

  “More than you could ever know.” I blinked back a tear. “Thanks, Chase, for an exciting and electrifying night.”

  Chapter 4

  I sat up and stretched the next morning, thinking about the fantastic time I’d had at the concert the night before. Reaching for my cell phone, I looked at the time. Shocked, I quickly jumped out of bed. Eleven o’clock. It couldn’t be. After hearing I was going to a Bruno Mars concert in Madison Square Garden on Friday night, Mr. Cutler had given me Saturday off. Told me to sleep in. He and Thomas would mind the store. I thanked him with a good-natured hug and a kiss on the cheek. He smiled from ear to ear.

  My big plans for the day included cleaning up my apartment, then going out to do some shopping. When I pulled back the sagging, green brocade drapes in my small, drab living room, the sun shone bright even though the days had begun to cool and the leaves had started to turn from summer into fall. A perfect day for shopping.

  Suddenly, as I stepped out of the shower and pulled on my robe, I heard shouting as someone came racing up the steps toward my apartment. When the voice yelled out again, I knew it was Chase. Then, a loud knock sounded on my door. “Anna Louise, please open your door. There are bombs going off close to the Emporium. I have to go, but I wanted you to know.”

  He knocked again, even harder, as I rushed to open the door. “Oh my goodness, Chase, I need to get to the store. You go. I’ll be okay.”

  “Are you sure? I don’t know when I’ll be back or see you next. Take care of yourself.” He gave me a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek.

  “I will. You too.”

  I swiftly dried my hair, pulled on jeans and a sweater, and grabbed a bottle of water, then flew out the door and down the stairs in record time, hitting the street in full stride. I had to get to Mr. Cutler and Thomas. I could hear explosions going off and witnessed clouds of smoke rising into the air as I turned the corner near the Emporium. I didn’t want to look around, but I couldn’t help but see tens if not hundreds of pedestrians lying around in different stages of pain. Some may have even been dead, I didn’t know. My mouth became dry and my heart pounded.

  I let out a scream when I caught a glimpse of Mr. Cutler lying there on the sidewalk in front of the Emporium with his eyes closed and a gash to his head. Then I caught sight of Thomas wounded at his father’s side.

  As I knelt down next to Thomas, he said, “I’ve called 9-1
-1. They’re on their way. Can you get me up?” Because Thomas was favoring his left side, I put my shoulder under his right arm and lifted him up until he was able to navigate his way to his feet.

  “I think the ribs on my left side may be broken. It’s hard to breathe,” Thomas gasped. “I hear the ambulances now. Please hurry and flag one of them down. Pop still has a faint pulse, but he’s bleeding badly.”

  Scared, I ran out into the street and flagged down the first ambulance I could. “We need you,” I shouted. “Mr. Cutler from the Emporium has been struck in the head with a piece of flying shrapnel.” I motioned for them to follow me.

  The ambulance screeched to a halt next to Mr. Cutler. A team of emergency workers then raced around to the back, opened the doors, and urgently removed a gurney. Without missing a beat, they lifted Mr. Cutler up off the sidewalk and onto the gurney, then swiftly transferred him into the ambulance.

  I noticed Thomas was still holding his left side. “You go with your father in the ambulance. I’ll take care of the store the best I can.”

  “It could be a while,” Thomas acknowledged as he walked toward the back of the ambulance. “I’m going to call my family now, but I’d be forever grateful if you could stay at the store today. I doubt there will be anyone around, except the police, with all of the chaos going on out here in the streets, but at least someone would be there to watch over the store. Thank you, Anna Louise.”

  “I’ll be here no matter how long it takes. I pray Mr. Cutler will survive.”

  “Me too. I don’t know what I’d do without him, but it looks like you and I will be running the Emporium for a while. Think we can do it?” Thomas said.

  “I’ll do anything. I owe Mr. Cutler so much,” I squeaked out. “You’d better get those ribs taken care of. See you later.”

  Walking toward the front door, I saw for the first time the damage that had been done to the Emporium. The door hung on its hinges. I couldn’t pull it shut. I’d have to call someone and call them soon. Debris lay everywhere inside the store. A few of the pianos had been destroyed and a number of others were scratched and scarred. I walked through the store, picking up as many pieces as I could, then I dialed Thomas’s cell phone.

  “How are you?” I said as he answered in a sad voice. “Sorry to call, but who should I have fix the front door so I can lock it tonight?”

  “Call Nate Morris. His number is on Pop’s desk. He’ll come help you with whatever you need.”

  “I hate to tell you this, but a few of the pianos are in shambles and others are all scratched up.”

  “It’ll be okay, Anna Louise. I’m waiting to have my ribs wrapped and my cuts attended to. They had to rush Pop into surgery to even have a chance at saving his life. He’s probably going to have a traumatic brain injury from the bomb hitting him in the head as he walked out the front door of the Emporium to meet a couple of old friends for lunch.” Thomas’s voice began to break up. “I opened the front door for Pop, and just as he stepped out, one of the bombs exploded, hitting him in the head and whirling me out the door. It breaks my heart that my father took the brunt of the bomb. I sure hope the police catch the crazy people who caused all of this pain and destruction.”

  “Give me a call when you can,” I said, trying not to cry, knowing Thomas was near tears himself.

  “Will do. After my wife, Pop and the store are at the top of my contact list, then your phone number.”

  We both hung up with heavy hearts.

  I needed to stay busy, so I searched for a broom and dust pan to sweep up the debris scattered all over the wooden floor. After a while, the showroom began to look a little bit like its old self, but what about the pianos? How could this have happened to such a wonderful man and his business?

  While waiting for Nate to arrive, I walked over to what had been the Emporium’s front window and gazed out, thinking how suddenly everything had changed. I could still hear police and ambulance sirens going off all around the Emporium. The devastation on the street was still too much for me to look at, so I turned away. I knew Chase, who prided himself in reporting the latest news for the New York Times, would be in the middle of it, observing things that would probably leave a mark on him forever. I sent up a little prayer for each and everyone involved in yet another senseless massacre.

  My cell phone rang. I glanced at caller ID, then answered. “Hi, Chase.”

  “Anna. It’s wild out here, but I wanted to be sure you were all right.”

  Relieved to hear his voice, I replied, “I’m all right. I’m at the Emporium. It’s been crazy. A bomb blew up near Mr. Cutler and Thomas. Thomas has a few broken ribs on his left side, along with some cuts and scratches, but Mr. Cutler is in surgery. He was hit in the head when one of the bombs exploded.” I took a deep breath. “You called me Anna. I like it. But, how are you doing?”

  “I like Anna, too. I’m doing okay, but sad to say there are probably twenty dead folks lying out here on the street. I’ve never seen a dead body before, say anything about twenty of them.” He let out a sigh, then continued. “I’ve talked to several of the injured who have each told me their stories. I’ll be writing about them. The perpetrators of the bombings have escaped for now, but I know the cops will catch them soon. I want to be around when they do. Stay safe, and I’ll see you back at the Blue Sky as soon as I can break away.”

  “You stay safe, too. See you soon.” As the call ended, I found myself concerned that Chase might be getting too close to the scene for his own good. Seeing dead bodies like that had to be heart-wrenching.

  ~ ~ ~

  By five o’clock, the front door was back on its hinges, so on my way out I locked both doors, front and back. As I slowly walked past the yellow police tape surrounding the bombing site, I put my head down. My heart weighed heavy for Thomas and Mr. Cutler. But I knew Thomas would call me as soon as he had any information regarding his father.

  I didn’t hear anything more Saturday night, so on Sunday morning I dressed and made my way down to the Emporium. The area around the store was quiet as I approached, but the yellow tape and blood stains still remained wherever the bombs had gone off, striking people who had been out enjoying a day of sightseeing and shopping near the Emporium.

  Mr. Cutler lived above the store, so normally on Sunday he would’ve walked to an early church service nearby, then, as the clock struck ten, he and Thomas would’ve opened up the store for the day. At five o’clock, as the day wound down, he would’ve joined Thomas in the SUV to share the evening meal with Thomas and his family. But not today.

  Just as I unlocked the back door, I heard the phone ringing. Hurrying inside, I picked up the phone. “Piano Emporium,” I answered.

  “I hope you’re sitting down, Anna Louise,” Thomas said in a faint and gargled voice. “I have bad news. Pop died. They did all they could, but the shrapnel cut too deep and he’d lost too much blood by the time we arrived at the hospital.”

  Shocked, I said, “I’m so sorry, Thomas. My heart is breaking. Mr. Cutler was the finest man I’d ever met. I’m so glad I had him in my life for as long as I did. I loved him from the first day I met him.” Trying hard not to cry, I asked, “Is there anything I can do?”

  “I had a feeling you’d be at the store this morning,” Thomas replied. “Knowing you’re there would make my father happy. He loved you, too. If you could watch the store for a few days, that would really help me a lot.”

  “Of course, I’ll be here,” I said. “Please, let me know what your plans are. I want to be there.”

  “I’ll be in touch as soon as I know more,” Thomas said, his voice cracking. “We’ll close the store on the day of the funeral so we can all be together with him one last time.”

  “Thanks for sharing your father with me, Thomas. He was an amazing man.”

  “Thank you, Anna Louise. Talk to you la
ter. Bye.”

  “Bye, Thomas. I’ll be praying for you and your family.”

  I needed a shoulder to cry on so I reached for my cell phone to call Chase, but before I could dial his number, my phone rang. Caller ID said it was my mother. Both sadness and anger flowed through me at the same time. The man who had hired me to work in his piano store when I first arrived in New York and who sponsored me for a scholarship so I could take piano lessons had just died, and my mother was calling me.

  Thank you, Mom, for making it easy for me to leave Kansas so I could meet a man like Mr. Cutler and his son, Thomas, but today I just can’t talk to you. My heart is too sad.

  My phone rang a few more times, and then I could tell she’d left me a voicemail. I’d listen to what she had to say later, a lot later, if at all. What could she want now that her darling daughter Charlotte would soon be married in what would be Wisteria’s biggest gala of the year?

  Now I could dial Chase.

  “This is Chase Monroe.”

  “Chase. Mr. Cutler died.” The words stuck in my throat. I didn’t want to believe he would never glance up from his computer and smile at me again when I came in the back door each morning.

  “Oh no, Anna Louise. I’m so sorry.” Chase sounded sad. “Is there anything I can do? I’m at the newspaper, but I could come home right away.”

  “I’m at the Emporium, but I’ll be going back to my place in a few hours,” I replied, holding back tears.

  “Meet you there. You can tell me the details then.”

  “Thanks, Chase. That would mean a lot to me. Bye.”

  Around six o’clock, three knocks came on my door. When I opened the door, I stared at Chase for a minute, then said, “You look tired, like you haven’t slept for a while. Come on in.”

  “I haven’t, but it’s good to see you. How are things with Thomas and his family?”