Sweet, Sweet Music

by Diane Collier

  Sweet, Sweet, Music

  Diane Collier

  Copyright 2012

  Copyright © 2012 Diane Collier - All rights reserved.

  This Kindle book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited.

  Jacob Schwartz, a 34 year old pianist, sat joyfully playing the serene tunes of Chopin, Mozart, and Bach, something he did daily, while his beautiful wife Rosie cooked zestfully in the kitchen.

  It seemed routine, but the two of them were fashioned high in their careers and spent little time planning a family. Rosie might have wanted kids, but she loved her chef and at the top of her career; at the age of 28; she wasn’t about to slow down. Children would wait. Still, they did have the cat.

  Jacob’s and his life partner Rosie Matthews never married. Both had come from wrecked homes and their commitment to remain paperless was mutual.

  It had become a sort of ritual for them each day. Rosie, who was an esteemed executive chef, cooked the most delicious gourmet food within 100 miles. Jacob loved it! The very best and savory food was like an aphrodisiac for him. Especially when she would prepare him one of his favorites like the puffed éclairs, filled with whipped creamed and coated in dark chocolate, mm mm mm!

  Rosie filled the penthouse with the aroma of fine cooking while Jacob entertained the chef with a collection of the finest piano music. As Jacob sat devoted to each note, a sudden crash alarmed his music to a hault.

  “What the hell!?” he cried out. “Rosie, what’ you drop?”

  There was no response.

  “Rosie?” he called again. “Is everything alright?”

  When Jacob still didn’t hear a response, a terrible gut wrenching feeling began rise in the pit of his stomach as he walked towards the kitchen. Immediately he spotted the splatter of sauce all over the cupboards and the side of the stainless steel refrigerator.

  “Rosie?” Jacob’s throat gripped with eery anticipation as he prepared for the unthinkable.

  Suddenly he saw her legs lying parallel on the floor. She wasn’t moving. “Rosie!” he screamed, rushing to his lover’s side. “Rosie! Oh God No!” he quickly pulled the cell phone from his pocket and dialed 911. “Please send someone, my wife has fallen, I need help. Send an Ambulance. I know CPR and I am beginning it now!”

  He placed the phone upon the floor beside him he immediately began CPR, begging Rosie to return to him with each compression on her delicate frame. Rosie’s eyes were slightly open and were already graying over. Her lips were turning blue. Still, convinced he could save his lover, Jacob continued with the CPR until the EMS team arrived. Eight and a half full minutes of agonizing grief overwhelmed Jacob, but the adrenalin kept him moving.

  The EMS arrived on scene and could see it was too late, but without hesitation, they proceeded through the immediate motions. Pulling the paddles from their gear, they ripped her blouse from her body and quickly applied the gel. With the “clear!” command, the team stood back and administered a single shock. When that didn’t work, they administered the second.

  Everything seemed to move in a muffled and slow mode way and it wasn’t until the coroner said “Sir, I’m sorry” said the coroner, who arrived a short time later. “Mr. Jacob…”

  “It’s not Mr. Jacob. It’s Jacob! Jacob Schwartz!”

  “I’m sorry Mr. Schwartz, but I am afraid there is nothing we can do. The lady is gone…”

  “She not just some lady…she’s my wife! My lover!” he cried in despair. “She can’t be gone!”

  The pain was excruciating and the whole thing was surreal. Jacob’s love for music, died with Rosie.

  #

  Jacob went through the motions of burying his partner, but it just didn’t seem real. He walked in a daze. But at no time had he chosen to sit at his piano. For 30 years he played it and now the thought of playing made him nauseous.

  Jacob loved Rosie without question and new without a doubt that Rosie loved him too. Partners in every way. Esteemed in their professions and adored by their friends. Despite their being gay, nobody thought of them as anything but a wonderful couple. And now, it was gone.

  Jacob sat for days in darkness always with a bottle of Jack Daniels for company. He worked hard to wash away the image that haunted his mind. Seeing his loved one dead had cut him deeply. He’d thought of joining Rosie. He could do it. He had a 44. He had some great pain killers in the cabinet. He had the booze. He lived 20 floors above the street below. He could do it. He wanted to do it, but something kept him from doing it.

  “Don’t do it Jacob” he’d hear the voice of his deceased love encouraging him to smile again. “Death will not save you. You must live. I will be here when your time comes. Live Jacob. Live.”

  He was able to resist the suicidal urge, but the need for more Jack drew him out into the night. Late and dark, he stumbled down the road to the nearest Rosie’s for another bottle of whisky.

  His usual appearance was sharp and clean. He was always well dressed. Always looked, smelled, and acted like a million dollars lined his pockets. For the most part, that was true. His medical profession, as a cosmetic surgeon, had line his pockets quite well. And as for Rosie’s fine income as a five star executive chef, they were far from the world of poverty.

  Now, with Rosie gone, the insurance policy thickened Jacob’ pockets all the more. A two million dollar policy was granted to Jacob with Rosie’s untimely death.

  But for Jacob, the money meant nothing now. He had nobody to share it with. Here at age 34, he had fallen apart. His 20 years of joy and bliss with his partner had come to an abrupt end and Jacob’ heart was crushed.

  He sat upon a bench in the park and began to gulp down the Jack Daniels, his killer of choice, as if it were a simple glass of lemonade. He no longer felt the sizzling burn as it passed through his throat and into his blood stream. He was trying to escape the pain as far and fast as he could.

  The air was cold and brisk. The winter chill was setting in, but the booze buzz had numbed the pain so much so, that he didn’t even notice that the wind chill had dropped to 28˚F. Normally dressed in the sleekest attire possible, vainly ensuring his appearance, it now appeared he didn’t care. He sat in a pair of old tattered sweats and a loose fitting T. The shirt was untucked, and his hair was messed up. He hadn’t shaved in days. He looked like one of the hobos on the street.

  As the clock rolled over to midnight, he sat utterly still. He’d been sitting there for hours like that and one of the snoopy residents called the police, out of concern. Unaware of his surroundings, the mounted officer approached.

  Not even the clip clop of the horse’s feet initiated a response from Jacob’.

  “Hey buddy!” said the cop.

  Jacob’ was startled and immediately jumped to his feet with surprise. “Holy shit!” he shouted. Then seeing it was a police officer he took a breath. “Dag nab it officer, you scared the shit out of me!”

  The cop remained unmoved.

  “Listen buddy, you need to find shelter somewhere. It’s cold out here. We don’t need you hobos dying in our parks.

  “Officer, I am not a hobo!” he stated. “I’m a surgeon.”

  “Right, and I’m the first lady” retorted the officer.

  “Shit officer. I am Doctor Jacob Schwartz of the Willington Clinic” he groaned. “Do I look like a…” Suddenly Jacob realized how ragged he looked. “I guess I do look like a hobo.”

  “Well, doctor or not, the temperatures are going to plummet further and I do not want to find a corpse out here in the morning. I suggest you take it indoors.”

  “I will officer.”

  Pulling himself together, Jacob’ began strolling
back home. The officer, unsure of his mental state, continued to follow curiously. He followed him until Jacob’ finally strolled into a 24 hour diner. He watched as Jacob’ strolled back to a booth and sat down in a thump.

  “There goes one disturbed man” the officer said to her burly gelding. Officer Johnson was young, but keenly eager. Normally, she would have left and continued with her rounds, but she stood there for a time and watched as the disheveled surgeon sipped on his some coffee. “I should just walk away, but this man looks troubled Benny.”

  Johnson climbed off the horse and said “Wait here Benny.”

  She secured the four legged officer and entered the diner shop curiously. She looked at the waitress and then down at the scruffy doctor. “Has he ordered anything but the coffee?”

  “No. He hasn’t said a word since he ordered the coffee. He just keeps staring at the booth across from him” she replied.

  The officer thanked the waitress and then walked over to the booth and said “May I sit down?”

  Jacob’ shrugged, barely looking up. “You following me?”

  “Yes. But only out of concern, that’s all” she replied.

  “I’m not your concern officer. I never hurt anyone.”

  “I expect that’s true” she said. “So, you’re really are a doctor, huh?”

  He nodded, unenthused. “Eight years now” he replied.

  “That’s great. Really great. But you don’t look like a doctor at all” Johnson said.

  “Guess I don’t. Been a hard couple of weeks” he replied.

  “I see…want to talk about it?”

  “I don’t know…” he shrugged.

  “It can’t hurt…can it?”

  The doctor took a reluctant sip of his coffee and then began to tell his tale “I just buried the love of my life” he said, choking back the tears he’d been suppressing for days.

  “Oh shit, I am soooo sorry doctor. She must have been young.”

  “Yes…she was” he said with emphasis. “Fluke heart attack…and I fucking missed it! I’m a bloody doctor and couldn’t save her life!”

  “I see…” Johnson took pity upon him. “I can’t imagine how you feel…but I am sorry for your hurt.”

  Barely able to move through the pain,the doctor reluctantly looked up at the officer. Getting his first facial look. She was very pretty. Beautiful brown eyes and hair neatly braided under her official winter hat. Her Latin features were fascinatingly appealing. He wanted to kick himself for noticing. Pulling his thoughts back to his misery, he continued…

  “Please forgive me…I am not much company tonight.”

  “I understand” she said. “I will let you be…” She prepared to leave, but was compelled to say one thing more. “Please, Doctor….please find a purpose to go on. I don’t expect your wife would have wanted to see you living like this… Think about it…okay?” She turned and then returned to her awaiting partner. Then the officer mounted her steed and rode away.

  Jacob’ watched as the officer left and then shook his head. “You know something….” He said himself. “She was right. Rosie wouldn’t want me to live this way. She’d want me to carry on, productively.” Then looking himself over, he shook his head in disbelief. “Shit Jacob’ what have you done to yourself?”

  “Sir?” asked the tiny waitress. “Will there be anything else?”

  “You know what, I think I will have something more…” he replied. “I will take a double stack of pancakes and syrup please.”

  “With sausage?”

  “Of course!”

  #

  The doctor indulged in a massive plate of carbs and calories and then went home to bed. Then after a good night’s sleep, he got up, feeling like a newer man. He even ran on the treadmill for 40 minutes, ate a bowl of yogurt and granola, and washed it down with a coffee. Then he took a much needed shower, shaved that scruff from his face, and freshened up in every way.

  Then going to the walk-in closet, he picked out his dress pants and shirt—based on Rosie’s favorites and then attached the dark purple tie to the ensemble and left for the clinic.

  As he walked in to the clinic, his staff marveled as he walked through the door. The doctor, who’d been grieving for weeks, was back to himself and they immediately recognized it. Not pressing the issue with him, they simply greeted the doctor and carried on with their daily duties.

  Part way through the day, an attractive woman entered the clinic and asked to speak with Dr. Schwartz. Reluctant at first, one of the assistants sought the doctor’s approval. Busy as he was, he was curious and agreed.

  “The doctor will see you in his office, ma’am. Come with me…” the nurse lead the pretty woman into a well decorated office. “Wait here…”

  The walls were the framed with the doctor’s credentials and a lovely framed Monet painting hung upon the wall. One large shelf area was cluttered with medical books and molds of human anatomy.

  When the doctor opened the door, he found the young woman standing at the window, looking at a picture of Rosie. “Can I help you?” Jacob asked curiously.

  At first he didn’t recognize the woman, but noted her attractiveness. She was a fine, beautiful Latin woman, in her late 20’s. She stood tall and confident. Her long brown hair flowed eloquently over her shoulders and framed her delicate young breasts. Something in her smile and the glimmer in her eyes sparked familiarity, yet he couldn’t put his finger on it.

  “Aw, so you are the doctor here!” he said happily.

  “Umm, yes…why do you ask?”

  “We met last night…?”

  “We did?” the doctor scratched his head, whirling past the hangover to recall it. “I’m sorry, but I don’t remember much about last night.”

  “It’s no wonder. That bottle of Jack D was nearly gone when I saw you in the park” she said.

  Suddenly a flood of memories flashed through his mind like a picture book. “Aw yes!” he said. “The officer, right?”

  “Johnson…” she said. “My name is Amanda Johnson. My friends call me A.J…and yes, I am an officer here in Oakland.”

  “With a horse…right?”

  “Benny. He’s my partner and confidant. I can tell him anything and he never tells another soul!”

  “Except for maybe a good looking mare, huh?” Jacob said teasingly.

  “Ha, ha, ha…” she snickered. “Right…I imagine if they could tell stories our equestrian staff members would have buckets full of gossip.”

  “So, what can I do for you Officer?” he asked. “I didn’t break any laws last night…did I?”

  “No, no…you’re fine.”

  Then the doctor recalled visiting A.J. in the diner.

  “Oh yeah, the diner. You were there too, weren’t you?”

  “Yes, that was me.”

  “Oh, then I owe you a big thank you. Whatever you said, and I only remember it a bit, snapped me out of my misery.”

  “I take it this was your wife?” Johnson asked, holding up a photo.

  Jacob sighed sadly. “Yes…she was the greatest! Many years of something wonderful…”

  “I’m certain you will cherish every memory…” said Johnson. “What did she do?”

  “She was the finest damn chef in the city! Five star dining extravaganza at the West Oyster”

  “I see” Johnson said. “Well, if she was cooking West Oyster, I doubt I ate there. Not on my policeman’s salary.”

  “She was a great cook. You’d have loved her soufflés, her lasagna, and mmm, what I wouldn’t do for another taste of her duck a l’orange! It was superb!”

  “Wow, that is five star!” Johnson said. “I am lucky to dine at Denny’s most of the time.”

  Jacob smiled. “So, what was it you wanted to see me about?”

  “Well, after leaving you last night, I got to wondering about you... Wondering if you were okay... Don’t know, something about your misery spoke to my heart. Sounds silly, I know” she began to look embarrassed.

/>   “No. That’s not silly at all. Actually, it’s quite nice that you went so far to check up on me. Beyond the call of duty I’d say” said Jacob. “Is this something you do often?”

  “Sometimes. With the younger crowd. I often check in on the young people who are trying to make it in this world..” she admitted. “It’s not easy for kids these days…”

  “That’s commendable, but I am not a kid on the street.”

  “No…I know” said Johnson. “Guess my interest just got the better of me when I realized you were hurting so...”

  “That’s really sweet of you officer.”

  “Please….if you like…you can call me A.J.” he said.

  “Okay, A.J.”

  “I know you are still suffering from your loss and honestly I too am not ready to ‘date again’ since William died…”

  “Wait a minute, you’re widowed too?”

  “Only recently” he said. “I was on duty when it happened. He was a cop too. Shot down right in front of me... I felt sick that I couldn’t help him.”

  “I know that feeling. I am sorry to hear about your loss A.J.” Jacob said compassionately.

  “It hasn’t been easy. My family wanted me to move back home…wallow in pity there, but a colleague…named Benny listened until I’d said all I needed to and then …. Well…I moved on…” she said.

  “I see…”

  “Still have sad and lonely days, but doing better every day…”

  “I guess there will be days like that for me too…”

  A.J. nodded empathetically. “It won’t be easy. But perhaps a friend, dealing with the same feelings…might be good, huh?”

  “I can related…”

  “A few officers have tried to ‘help’... but…”

  “How long ago was it?”

  “Six months...but it’s still pretty fresh at times.”

  “I expect that’s how it will be for a while.”

  “Maybe our commonality in loss drew me here…I don’t know…”

  “Feeling isolated are you?”

  “Sometimes...” she admitted, shrugging her shoulders awkwardly…”I know this is all new to you and perhaps it’s a little too early for you…but I thought maybe we could get together for a coffee or something?”