Curing His Love Allergy

Chapter 3 - The New Piano

Waking up in a new bed was horrible, but what was even worse was waking up to a night terror. I kept having the same dream over and over again. I ran downstairs to grab some milk so I could continue my good night's rest.

The milk was nice, but it wasn't enough to lull me into a slumber. My mind drifted back to my friends in the country and how I treated them after my mom died. It was just so hard to face them, knowing they too had memories of my mom and me. They would also want to talk about it, and that was something I really did not want to do.

My mind continued to race and overthink until I fell asleep at around six in the morning.

When I woke up, I saw that my dad left me a note on my bedside table before he left for work with instructions on how to go about my day and not just wallow in bed. It read:

'Tiara, Please do not stay in bed the whole day. I left my card so that you could go to the music store and pick out an instrument. I'm supporting your dreams to Juilliard. Make your music and enjoy your life while you still can.'

Love, Dad :)

I smiled at the note. I checked the clock on the wall and saw that I really overslept. It was like 2:00 in the afternoon. I had to find out where this store was and make dinner for myself and Dad.

I took a quick shower and put on some decent clothes. I then proceeded to look on the internet for the nearest music store. I saw it was just fifteen minutes away at the nearest mall. It was called 'World of Sound'. After getting on the bus, I found my way to the music mart and saw some beautiful pianos. They were all decked out in a myriad of colors, ranging from black to pink. After checking out the pianos, I headed straight toward the acoustic guitars, but I didn't see any that suited me. I didn't choose the instruments; they chose me.

An employee came and said, "I see you have been here for quite some time now. How about I assist you with what you're looking for? Just tell me what kind of instrument you would like."

"I would have loved a guitar, but the pianos are calling to me."

"Very well then, a piano it is. How about this mahogany brown one? You seem to love it; your um... your eyes... they lit up when you saw it." I looked upon the piano. It took my breath away, my eyes were enchanted. I'm wondering how I didn't see it before when I was searching. As if he read my mind, he said, "These pianos haven't been cleared for sale yet, but I could talk to my boss and clear it for you. It just suits you."

I looked at the price tag for the piano and gasped. It was totally within my price range, and I would still have money left over. I paid, and just as I was giving them my information for the delivery, I saw someone knocking on the glass outside the window of the store.

I recognized the breathtaking face immediately. It was France, my neighbor. He came inside the store and greeted me. "Hi, I see you're buying a piano. Didn't know you played."

"That is because you don't know me at all," I said, and he winced.

"How brutally honest you are, but you're right." He had this nice European accent, had me hooked on every word. "How about I get to know you then?" he continued.

I was hesitant, and in the mental debate I had, he lost. I decided to go home and cook my dinner without any interruptions. I replied to him, "Sorry, I have boxes to unpack, so maybe another time."

"I'll hold that to you. You owe me a day out." I just nodded, knowing I'm not going anywhere with him anytime soon.

I proceeded to fill out the form after he left.

...

I woke up to my alarm blaring. This was the first night I actually had a good night's sleep. Today was the day my piano was coming. I couldn't wait to play it.

I brushed my teeth and changed into my clothes for the day, realizing that I needed to buy more clothes, but I figured I would just buy some before going to school.

I ran down the stairs and greeted my dad, wondering why he was home at this time. It was 10 in the morning.

"Dad, why are you here?"

"I work from home two days a week. Don't you listen when I talk?"

"I just didn't hear, that's all... do you want some breakfast? I'm about to make some pancakes."

"Sure."

I busied myself in the kitchen, humming along to Ariana Grande's "Positions". I made the batter and readied the frying pan to make my pancakes. I added milk to the oil to make it extra nice. After making the pancakes, my dad came into the dining room, then we sat around the table eating our breakfast.

"Sweetie, last night when I got home you were asleep, right? I hope you ate dinner," he said in a somewhat caring voice.

"Yeah, I did."

"You got my note to buy the instrument?" he asked.

"Yeah, Dad, I found the perfect piano. It is mahogany brown and it will be delivered today, so you'll see it and marvel at its beauty."

Our conversation flowed easily, and we chatted and laughed.

After breakfast, I went upstairs and turned to my mirror. My black, curly, thick hair framed my heart-shaped face and accentuated my brown complexion. Nobody has ever given me crap about my skin tone, which I'm grateful for. I know I am extremely beautiful, but every time I look at myself, I'm reminded of my mom. People say I looked just like her, and I'm constantly reminded of that. God, I miss her so much.

I was about to start crying when I heard the doorbell ring. It was the delivery boys with my new piano.

I rushed to the door as I knew Dad was in his study, working. When I opened the door, the guy said, "Sign here, and here, and here." I complied, then invited him and his coworker inside to set up my piano. When I was moving to close the door, I heard Mrs. Williams calling out to me.

"Tiara, good afternoon. How are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you. And how are you?"

"I'm fine too. France said he saw you at the mall yesterday. Why don't you come over for lunch in an hour and we'll talk all about it." I nodded, knowing declining was not an option as she wouldn't give up until she got her way.

"Great, I'll see you soon!" She sounded so excited; I could tell she was a naturally happy person.

The delivery guys placed my new piano over in the corner of the living room, right where I instructed them. It was beautiful, but before I could play, I remembered I had to have lunch with Mrs. Williams.

. . . END OF CHAPTER 3

4o