[cl] 34. Tune
[Set in the verse with no name. pianoman_jr and lawyerlarry are used with permission and love.]
Bela had never really taken to piano lessons like she was supposed to. She learned-you can’t have them with that frequency and not-but she was never really in love with it. Not the way Larry was. To her it was just another useful skill to have that would help her on a con. That didn’t, however, stop her from poking at a piano when she happened to find one.
She was at Larry’s because there was some legal paperwork she needed to take care of, and she wasn’t expecting anyone else to be home. She tapped a few of the keys in a soft tune that became a slightly discordant sound when she heard a voice behind her.
“Do you play?”
She turned around and saw the teenage boy standing there, looking a little sleepy but mostly aware of what was going on. She gave him a small smile, before shrugging. “Not really. I took lessons when I was a little girl, but I never really took to it.”
“Oh,” he nodded, before moving closer and sitting down at the bench. Bela moved to the side to give him room to play. “You have the musicality, at least.”
“I have no idea what that means,” she smirked, before leaning on the edge of the piano. She listened to him play for a moment before resting her chin in her hand. “You must be Sam.”
He looked up at her again, before nodding. “Yeah. You a friend of my dad’s?”
“And a client. Bela,” she nodded. “He asked for me to come over and sign some paperwork.”
“Didn’t know my dad had any friends.”
“A few. We’re far between, but we like to show our faces every once in a while,” she teased, before watching him. “He talks about you a lot, you know.”
“He does?”
“Mmm-he’s happy to have you here.”
Sam was quiet for a moment, just looking around her as he spoke. “He’s got a weird way of showing it.”
“Most fathers do, I suppose,” she said with a shrug. “I wouldn’t know. But I will say you’re lucky. He loves you very much.”
“Love isn’t always enough, though,” he pointed out.
“True, but it’s more than a lot of people ever get,” she said with a sigh. “Consider it a gift. And he can only do so much himself. These kinds of relationships do go both ways.”
“Bela, I think-” Larry came into the room, and stopped when he spotted his son sitting at the piano. “Oh, good. You’re up.”
“Yeah. Heard the piano-wanted to see who was here.”
Larry nodded, before handing the paperwork over to Bela. “Just need your signature and you’re good to go.”
“Thank you,” she said softly, before signing where he indicated and handing the paperwork back to him. “It was nice meeting you, Sam.”
“Yeah,” Sam nodded as he watched Larry walk her out towards the door. “Nice meeting you too.”
495 words
Bela had never really taken to piano lessons like she was supposed to. She learned-you can’t have them with that frequency and not-but she was never really in love with it. Not the way Larry was. To her it was just another useful skill to have that would help her on a con. That didn’t, however, stop her from poking at a piano when she happened to find one.
She was at Larry’s because there was some legal paperwork she needed to take care of, and she wasn’t expecting anyone else to be home. She tapped a few of the keys in a soft tune that became a slightly discordant sound when she heard a voice behind her.
“Do you play?”
She turned around and saw the teenage boy standing there, looking a little sleepy but mostly aware of what was going on. She gave him a small smile, before shrugging. “Not really. I took lessons when I was a little girl, but I never really took to it.”
“Oh,” he nodded, before moving closer and sitting down at the bench. Bela moved to the side to give him room to play. “You have the musicality, at least.”
“I have no idea what that means,” she smirked, before leaning on the edge of the piano. She listened to him play for a moment before resting her chin in her hand. “You must be Sam.”
He looked up at her again, before nodding. “Yeah. You a friend of my dad’s?”
“And a client. Bela,” she nodded. “He asked for me to come over and sign some paperwork.”
“Didn’t know my dad had any friends.”
“A few. We’re far between, but we like to show our faces every once in a while,” she teased, before watching him. “He talks about you a lot, you know.”
“He does?”
“Mmm-he’s happy to have you here.”
Sam was quiet for a moment, just looking around her as he spoke. “He’s got a weird way of showing it.”
“Most fathers do, I suppose,” she said with a shrug. “I wouldn’t know. But I will say you’re lucky. He loves you very much.”
“Love isn’t always enough, though,” he pointed out.
“True, but it’s more than a lot of people ever get,” she said with a sigh. “Consider it a gift. And he can only do so much himself. These kinds of relationships do go both ways.”
“Bela, I think-” Larry came into the room, and stopped when he spotted his son sitting at the piano. “Oh, good. You’re up.”
“Yeah. Heard the piano-wanted to see who was here.”
Larry nodded, before handing the paperwork over to Bela. “Just need your signature and you’re good to go.”
“Thank you,” she said softly, before signing where he indicated and handing the paperwork back to him. “It was nice meeting you, Sam.”
“Yeah,” Sam nodded as he watched Larry walk her out towards the door. “Nice meeting you too.”
495 words