08/22/07
The Piano
22. The Magical Hour
Four o'clock in the afternoon is the magical hour. Coffee break, maybe, but the magic has nothing to do with it. It's perhaps the shadows that the sun casts as it goes down in spring and fall. Or maybe the early darkness of winter. Sometimes even the brightness of summer, when the sun doesn't set until late at night.
Or maybe it has nothing to do with the sun. A rainy day brings in that same feeling of peace and satisfaction.
It's the hour the woman often closes her eyes for a few minutes and lets herself be transported to another time, another life. A life where she wore long dresses and spent her time embroidering or reading.
A life where she cradled her baby girl and lulled her to sleep.
Where the sound of the piano reigned in the house, as the pianist played her favorite pieces, every day at four in the afternoon.