A Taste of Candor

Chapter 31

~Tahlia.

Having made amends with Keene, I no longer felt quite so isolated as I once had. Once more, the option had opened to us, to go out and so fun things together and that we did. Some tensions remained between my mother and I, since she refused to fully apologize for her deception, but I now had Keene back. My situation had turned around quite a bit.

One matter did concern me, that being the fact I hadn't seen Declan perform with the band ever since Father left for war. I did have the idea to hunt down his telephone number I'd noted down back at Brewer's a while back and give him a call, but for the life of me, I couldn't find it. And since I had no idea where he lived either, I had effectively been cut off from him.

That was, until Keene informed me one day that he'd heard surprising news from a friend of a friend. Declan had apparently created an ensemble of his own, and they would be performing that very night at a place called Cozy's Cavern Tavern. No discussion was needed between Keene and I for us to agree on heading there to hear them play.

Needless to say, my excitement to see Declan's new band mingled with all sorts of questions on how he had come to that point to begin with. Why had he left the money and prestige behind to pursue a completely different path? Knowing him, I trusted the decision had been a profitable one, but the matter still perplexed me.

Not knowing what sort of atmosphere I'd find in Cozy's, I dressed in a comfortable medium between fancy and practical, and when Keene came to pick me up, I found he had done much the same.

A short drive later, we arrived at the place and made our way through a crooked door. The lighting inside struck me as rather dim, aside from the stage where intense lighting forced the eye to pay attention to the musicians above them rather than much going on around them. Keene and I passed a long bar counter and passed some tables on our way to the stage. A good deal of standing room awaited us in front of the stage, and there we placed ourselves, since neither of us were particularly interested in drinking or eating at the moment.

Sure enough, there stood Declan, playing a beautifully simple solo over a groovy bedrock provided by the pianist, guitarist, and drummer. Speaking of the pianist, if I weren't mistaken, he had been the same one recently replaced in our own family's band, and the drummer may very well have played for us at one time as well. The alto saxophonist, I recognized from the band who had played at Declan and I's first date. Only the older man on guitar didn't look familiar.

A drum roll ushered in the next chorus of Declan's solo, where he cycled through a series of blues licks, accompanied by a choppy riff from the alto that landed in the spaces between his phrases. The whole band seemed to be working like a well-oiled machine.

Next was an impressive drum solo, then the melody one more time, and they ended with a lick from the piano. I eagerly joined in the applause that immediately erupted from the onlookers around with me. Whatever Declan's reason for starting this band, I could thoroughly appreciate the decision now.

"Thank you all very much." Declan spoke into a microphone, addressing the audience. His eyes swept over those present until they landed on me, and a big grin crossed his face. "We appreciate all the support; that means a lot to us."

He took a few steps back toward the guitarist and whispered in his ear. The older man nodded vigorously and stepped with his instrument into the backstage area behind some curtains. Very soon after, he returned with a bass. Impressive he knew how to play both.

"The next tune we'd like to play for you all is an original composition of mine; we hope you enjoy it." Declan continued, "This piece is called 'Tahlia'."

My widened eyes met Declan's, and he seemed amused with my reaction, judging by the smirk on his face as he retreated to stand beside his alto player. He closed his eyes, began tapping his foot, and after a moment, he snapped his fingers at a steady tempo, cuing the bassist to start into the tune.

The tune Declan had written as my namesake started simply, just with a gentle rhythmic thrumming from the bass. The pitch slowly ascended and descended in a cyclical pattern four times before the piano and drums joined in, very subtly. A crescendoing trill from the piano that followed the pitches of the bass, and little more than an atmospheric hiss from the drums as he gently hit one of his cymbals.

And then Declan began playing the melody, a soulful series of notes that meshed perfectly with the contemplative atmosphere the other instruments had set up so far. Every phrase seemed to end in a different place than my ear anticipated, but it was always better than what I could have imagined in the first place.

Declan played the melody twice, and on his second time through, the alto player blew some graceful harmony that beautifully added to Declan's line without drawing undue attention to itself. Having such a gorgeous piece named after me was an honor indeed.

They did play three songs after "Tahlia", but my mind dwelled on that tune instead. Not only was it simply a piece of music I would have loved listening to in the first place, but the fact it had been written for and dedicated to me? Coming from Declan, such a gesture felt truly special.

The musicians began to disperse for intermission, and I immediately broke from Keene to meet Declan at the bottom of the stage's steps. An excited grin crossed my face as I greeted him, and with his usual understated demeanor, he returned the favor, clearly happy to see me as well.

"So..." I said, "How long have you been cooking up that piece? It was lovely!"

He laughed, setting his saxophone down on a stand beside the stage. "Thank you. I wrote that ... three days ago, actually. We decided we'd only unveil it to the world when you first came to see us."

"I—that's so sweet! You're too much, Declan; you really are."

"I'm guessing that's somewhat of a compliment."

I giggled. "I suppose so. Say, why haven't I seen you in the band, anyway?"

At that question, Declan's face darkened, and he glanced away momentarily. "They had to let me go, I guess. Something your mom decided on."

"My goodness, that's terrible!" Genuine anger must have glinted across my eyes. "She really would stop at nothing to keep us apart."

"Yeah ... but I'm not too eager to talk about that if you aren't. I'm just glad to have you here. Liking the band so far?"

I nodded vigorously. "Everything you guys play sounds wonderful together! I'm loving it."

"Good, good. If you didn't like it, we'd have to trash the whole production."

"No you wouldn't, silly." I retorted with a giggle.

"Well still, we'd need to change some things."

After what seemed to be a moment of hesitation, Declan reached over to lay a hand on my shoulder, which I just took as an opportunity to hug him. The scent of an earthy cologne hit my nose when I laid my head against his chest, and I smiled upon smelling it. Then came the warmth of his arms encircling me.

"Wow, I've missed you." he said in a quiet voice, the words hitting my ear in a way that sent shivers down my spine.

"You too." I whispered, "I need someone I can depend on to stick around with me."

"I think I can manage that."

"Are you sure?"

Declan laughed. "Sure as I can be."

Noting a certain look in his piercing blue eyes, I found myself moving on instinct. Raising up on my toes, I laid a kiss on Declan's cheek, a gesture that made him shudder. Then, turning his head just a bit, he returned the favor, but on my lips. A conflicting feeling of warmth and chills alike buzzed through my body as I returned his kiss, eyes closing in desire and passion. All too soon, he pulled away, and I met his gaze.

"Yeah..." Declan said, "I'm not leaving you any time soon." 

The End.