"You're the dad. That's how you're supposed to feel."
He picked up the grocery bags. "What am I supposed to do with this?"
"What's in there?"
"Lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, green onions, more lettuce."
"Make a salad." Polly pointed to a cupboard door. "Behind that door you'll find a bowl big enough." She opened a lower cupboard door and took out a wooden cutting board, then found a knife and put them both in front of where he'd been standing. "Chop, chop, my social hero."
The sounds of feet running down the steps preceded Rebecca rushing into the kitchen. "Did we get the piano?"
Henry scowled at Polly.
"I told Andrea. She probably told Cilla. I didn't think."
"Oh," Rebecca said, her eyes wide. "That was the surprise. Sorry. I didn't put it together. Can I go see? Please?"
"Not yet," Polly said. "I don't want the boys getting wind of it until it's time to show them."
"I won't tell. I promise. Please? Please? I'm not going to be here that long tonight. Please?"
The side doorbell rang.
"Let Andrea and Kirk in," Polly said to Rebecca.
"I'll turn the burgers and call the kids inside. Maybe we do the piano reveal first," Henry said.
Polly nodded. "Then, I'll get the door. Rebecca, you go get Cassidy and Cilla."
"Yay." Rebecca nodded, bouncing on her feet before running for the steps.
Andrea stood at the back door with two pitchers. Both had a can of frozen concentrate in them. Kirk was standing beside her carrying another grocery bag.
"Come in," Polly said. She took the pitchers from Andrea, who in turn, took the bag from Kirk. "We're going to the living room to see the piano. I don't think the surprise will last through dinner. It sounds like the sooner we get the girls fed, the sooner they can get out of our hair."
"This is fun," Andrea said. "Dinner and entertainment. Not every household can offer that."
"Every night," Polly said. She opened the door to the foyer and turned to see Cassidy come into the kitchen. She'd been eating something sticky. "What have you gotten into?" Polly asked.
"I gave her a lollipop," Rebecca said. "I didn't think she could get it all over herself, but she did. We'll wash it off."
Henry and the kids all came in from the back and before Polly knew it, he was herding everyone to the living room. He was more excited about this than she was.
"We have a big surprise for you," Henry said, stopping in front of the living room doors. He smiled at Andrea and Kirk. "I'm glad you're here. It makes it all that much more fun."
"What is it?" Elijah asked, bouncing up and down on his toes. "Is it another dog?"
"No."
"Well, what?"
Polly smiled at her husband and together they opened the doors.
Elijah was the first one into the room. He ran over to the piano and stood in front of it. "I helped them do this. Why didn't you tell me it was here?"
"We wanted to surprise you," Polly said. "Are you surprised?"
"Yes!" He stroked the leather on the bench seat and carefully opened the keyboard cover.
"Play something," Cilla said, her tone reverent. That was the sensation that had fallen over the entire group. "Let's hear what this beautiful instrument sounds like."
"Go on, Jah," Noah said. "You play it first."
Elijah looked at Polly with concern written all over his face. "I don't know what to play."
"You've been practicing. Sure you do." If there was one thing she knew about the boy, he was a natural entertainer. He'd committed to learning two Chopin pieces this year and had been practicing and practicing. He was desperately working on an etude and Jeanie Dykstra, his piano teacher, told Polly that all she'd had to do was describe the passion Chopin had for the piece and Elijah understood. His fingers were still trying to wrap themselves around the intricate fingerings, but he understood the emotions of the piece. Jeanie didn't know everything Elijah had experienced in his life, but Polly did.
That wouldn't be the song he played next week. He wasn't quite ready. He sat down and played the opening notes of Debussy's Clair de Lune. A hush fell across the room. Even the kids seemed to hold their breath.
Andrea caught Polly's eye and mouthed, "Are you kidding?"
Years ago, when Polly had played the song, she managed to get all the notes, but she never felt the power of the melody that Elijah was transmitting. He was so young. On the outside, he was effervescent and energetic, but deep down inside the small boy's body, Elijah knew how to move every ounce of pain and joy, heartache and happiness, anger and love into the notes he played.
She felt tears drop from her cheek onto her t-shirt and brushed them away. When she looked at Henry, he was pushing back tears himself. This was their boy and they'd just given him the world.
As the final notes settled, Elijah sat back. It took a moment for everyone to regain their equilibrium and then the group took a collective breath. Cilla started clapping and the rest followed. Elijah nodded his head.
In that split second, Cassidy broke from Polly's side and rushed over to him. She put her hands on the piano, gazing at him with adoring eyes.
He took one look at her sticky fingers and yelled, "No, Cassidy. Get away! Get away from me. Look what you did. You ruined everything." Elijah gave her a little push and Cassidy fell on her bottom, tears flowing as she cried and wailed.
"Andrea," Polly said quietly. "Could you get the kids out of here? Henry?"
The adults started moving everyone out. Elijah saw what Polly was doing and got up from the bench. He tried to escape and she caught his arm. "No. You stay."
His eyes flashed in anger and his breathing picked up.
"What was that about?" Polly asked, bending over to help Cassidy stand up. "Why would you act that way?"
"Look at what she did!" he shouted, pointing at the keyboard. Red sticky streaks led from the keys down the frame of the piano. "How could she do that to my piano? Why is she even here?" He started sobbing. "She made such a mess of things."
"I'm sorry," Cassidy sobbed. "I'm sorry. Don't hate me."
"Why would you hurt my piano?"
"Elijah, hush," Polly said quietly. "Please, hush. Don't say anything more."
"But why did she have to do that?"
"She didn't do anything, and you know it," Polly said, holding on to him with one hand while holding Cassidy up with the other.
"She made a mess. This was my perfect piano and she made it ugly."
"The mess can be cleaned up, Elijah Sturtz, and you know it. Words you say in anger can never be taken back. Don't you ever forget that. And one other thing that I didn't think I needed to make clear. This is not your piano. This is our piano. It belongs to the whole family."
"But nobody will play it like I do."
Polly narrowed her eyes at him. "I think you are amazing and the performance you just gave was incredible. I understand that you opened your heart and poured every bit of your emotional energy into it. However, you need to learn to manage those emotions. Cassidy did not hurt the piano. You do not own this piano, nor do you have the right to act as if you do. And while you are a wonderful pianist, don't think for a minute that this piano won't be played by other wonderful musicians. You need to be as gracious and generous with your words and actions as Mr. Eslick and Mr. Fortney have been with you when you worked at the shop."
He frowned.
"Those two men are great pianists, aren't they?"
Elijah nodded.
"And they never said anything mean to you, even when you didn't know what you were doing. Did you ever play for them?"
"Yeah."
"Did they say nice things to you?"
"Of course."
"Even though they're better pianists than you?"
He dropped his head.
"That's right. You never treat anyone as less than yourself. That's not how we are raising any of you. You will always be kind, especially to your sister
and brothers. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Apologize to Cassidy."
"I'm sorry," he said.
"Look at her and apologize."
He took a big breath, rolled his eyes and before he could speak, Polly coughed. "Try again. No eye-rolling, no bad attitude. Apologize."
"I'm sorry," Elijah said, looking at Cassidy. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he dropped his head again.
"Do you know what's coming next?" Polly asked. She could hardly resist the grin that threatened her lips.
"Nooooo," he moaned. "Please don't."
"Oh yeah. Hug her and tell her you love her."
"But she's …"
"Don't even start with me. Everything can be cleaned up. Even you."
With an immense sigh, Elijah bent over and hugged his little sister. "I love you," he said quietly.
"I'm sorry," Cassidy said, clearly shaken at having been part of this little drama.
"Tell him you love him," Polly said. "He can't let go until you do."
Cassidy obeyed. "I love you."
"Okay. Now. How shall we handle the rest of this evening?"
Elijah shrugged. "I just want to go upstairs."
"I'm not surprised, but how about you take a deep breath, tell me you love me, and then we'll all go out and join the rest of the family for dinner."
"I don't want to."
"You don't want to tell me you love me or take a deep breath?"
He frowned at her. "I don't want to join people for dinner."
"Sure you do. I get that you're feeling embarrassed, but the sooner you face it, the sooner it will be okay. After dinner, you and I will come in and clean up the sticky mess and tomorrow morning, you'll clean your bathroom upstairs."
"I knew it," he said morosely. "I just knew it."
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
"Good stuff." Polly leaned back in her seat in Henry’s Thunderbird and closed her eyes.
"You okay?" he asked.
She reached out and took his hand. "Great. What are we doing tonight?"
"I told you it was a surprise."
"I can't know even now?"
"Not yet. I don't want to jinx it. You can't know until the very last second."
She opened her eyes, about to say something, then thought better of it, closed her eyes, and relaxed again. "You aren't going to make me do something physical, like rock climbing or kayaking, right?"
When she asked, Henry had told her to dress in jeans for their date tonight. Since he was taking the Thunderbird, that was a little surprising, but that was all he'd say.
"I promise. We aren't doing anything that will overtax you."
"That boy of ours is going to be something, isn't he?"
"Which one?"
She smiled. "I love you."
"You're talking about Elijah, aren't you?"
"Yeah. Henry, what would the world have missed out on if he'd never been rescued by Roy? What would have happened to that incredible talent if he'd gotten lost in the gangs of Chicago?"
"But he didn't."
"That amazes me and at the same time, it makes me so sad. How many other incredible minds and talents are lost because opportunities don't arrive in time? Roy can't find all of them."
Roy Dunston, a college friend of Henry's, lived in Chicago and worked as a lawyer. Each summer, he brought a group of kids, usually boys, to Bellingwood so they could experience a life that was outside of anything they'd ever known. When he brought Noah and Elijah to Bellingwood three years ago, he hadn't planned on them returning to live with Polly and Henry, but by Christmas, the boys moved in and everyone's lives changed.
He'd brought another group of eight boys and two girls with him this summer. They'd spent the week with Bellingwood families, astounded at the sights and sounds of rural life. In this day and age, there were still kids who had never seen a farm complete with livestock, immense equipment, and wide open fields. They worked hard alongside their host family members. They ate hearty meals and slept without the sounds of the city intruding on their dreams. Roy never intended for any of those kids to become farmers, but he did intend to show them that there was something more in the world than what they knew. Those memories would live inside them and shape their futures.
Henry squeezed her hand in response. There wasn't anything he could say.
"I don't want to scare him," Polly said.
"Who?"
"Elijah."
"How would you scare him?"
She let out a breath. "He can't waste this talent. I knew he was an excellent piano player, but Henry …" Her words trailed off.
"I know."
"He does that all the time. Did you know that? Only he uses headphones so we don't hear him." Polly opened her eyes to watch his face.
He frowned as he glanced at her. "He told you that?"
"I don't know if he thought it would get him out of trouble, or what, but yeah. The thing is, I don't know what to do about it. I hate that he has been sneaking around at night."
"Do you think his brother knows or does he wait until Noah is asleep?"
Last night, long after everyone had gone to bed, just as Polly was drifting off to sleep, she heard music. Henry sat up with her as they tried to figure out what they were hearing. Then she recognized one of the pieces Elijah was practicing. They went downstairs and found him at the grand piano, playing as if he were the only person in the house.
He'd been apologetic and told them that he hadn't had enough time to play it since it arrived. That was true. The evening had gone late with the Waters' and by the time they left, it was time to get everyone into bed. Polly had agreed that he could have a half hour with the new piano, but then he had to get some sleep. She should have been wary when he agreed so easily.
"Noah knows, but he's not about to tell on his brother."
"Good," Henry said with a smile.
"I almost wish the piano wasn't directly under Rebecca's room."
"She's a night owl. She was still awake."
"It's not just her. If the piano were on the other side of the house, none of us would have heard it. I don't hate the idea of him wanting to play so badly that he gets up in the middle of the night. I just wish I was still in the dark about it. Now I'm going to have to be a mom who ensures her son gets plenty of sleep."
He chuckled. "Has he been running into trouble at school?"
"Not yet, but he will. You can't be up in the middle of the night that often and stay awake during the day. He's only got so much stamina. I need to email his teacher on Monday and ask for sure. Then you and I need to sit down with him and have a talk."
"About what?"
"About priorities."
"School is a priority."
"I agree, and so is sleep. Elijah needs to tell us what is important to him." She shook her head. "Is he a prodigy?"
"That's so funny."
"What do you mean?"
"You. Me. Parents to a prodigy. It’s just plain ridiculous. I don't want to raise a prodigy. I want happy, normal, straight-forward kids. I don't even know how to think about something like that. Talk to Mrs. Dykstra before we make any decisions."
Polly nodded. "You're right. It's just that I want doors to open for him."
"We want all kinds of doors to open for our kids. I hate the idea of Elijah focusing so much on music and piano that he ignores everything else. He's a brilliant boy. What if he is the one to cure a major disease and we locked him up in practice rooms. Wouldn't that be as bad as leaving him in Chicago in the first place?"
"That's not fair," she said. "But I understand. Now is not the time to plan his future. I guess my goal is to get him to that future so he can make good choices."
"And if you have to stop him from sneaking down to play the piano so he gets enough sleep and keeps his grades up, then that's helping him learn good choices. Right?"
"I wish he could do it all."
"We live in a small town. He can do a lot here. Ma
ybe not everything, but we'll ensure that every possible opportunity is available to these kids. All of them." Henry pulled into the parking lot of Hickory Park BBQ.
"What are we doing here?" Polly asked in a panic. "You know my superstition about this place."
"Never fear. I ordered ahead. You sit here while I run in and get our dinner. I knew you'd worry, but we never get to eat this food. I have a plan and you're going to love it."
"So far, not loving it," she said. "I shouldn't even be in the parking lot."
He parked the car, leaned over and kissed her. "Listen to the radio. I'm leaving the keys. Look, you won't even have to put your feet on the ground. It's safe."
"Promise?"
"I promise."
"Humph," she said. "Proof is in the pudding."
"Yeah, never understood that one. I'll be back in a few minutes and quit worrying."
"Worrying, shmorrying," Polly muttered after he closed his door. "I never would have agreed to this if I'd known." Then she laughed at herself. When had she lost her practical, pragmatic mind? Thinking about one of her kids being a piano prodigy? Worrying about being haunted by a silly superstition? Her life was so much bigger than any one small event. She had friends and a huge family, a wonderful life and job. "Sometimes, Polly Giller, you are over-the-top brainless."
She was just thankful that tonight had worked out. It had been a long time since she and Henry had time by themselves. Rebecca and Cilla, along with five or six of their friends were at Kayla's place, watching movies or playing games or doing whatever kids did when they were together. The room Skylar, Heath and Henry renovated in the basement below the apartment at Sycamore Inn was the perfect place for kids to hang out. Stephanie was ecstatic that Kayla could entertain her friends.
Heath was spending the evening at Ella Evans' house with her family. He'd spent the afternoon helping her dad and brother, Barrett, rebuild a section of fence in their back yard. One of the crazy storms that had blown through this summer damaged it and they finally had time to get it fixed. Heath had been terrified of Ella's mom, Marnie. Polly had met Marnie years ago when she took Obiwan to Mark Ogden's office. The woman was as gentle and kind with animals as anyone Polly had ever known, but evidently, she had a reputation for being strong and firm when it came to human beings. After more than a year of dating their daughter, Heath was finally accepted as part of the family.
The Sounds of Home Page 13