Goldilocks Forever

Chapter 34

Malibu, California

May 2006

"Excuse me," she repeated. Men and women shifted to let her pass without looking at her. She squeezed around them and breathed with relief when the crowd dissipated. She passed through a door to the rear of the ballroom and found herself in a hallway lined with artwork and small tables and pedestals holding more bouquets of flowers.

Anna found a set of French doors that opened to a patio. Strings of lights lit the trees and small lanterns hung from the patio roof. She drifted outdoors along a stone path into the garden. The breeze was cool, yet refreshing on her skin.

Others, mostly couples, had the same idea she did and strolled amongst the rows of green hedges, murmuring to each other. A small group of people gathered around a fire pit near the patio, laughing.

Anna walked amongst the rows of hedges and surveyed the fairytale garden as she ambled over a wooden bridge that spanned a lily-spotted koi pond. The water glowed with light, the waves from the fish creating a calming shimmer.

She stood on the bridge, watching the fish, breathing in the night air. In the back corner of the property, she spied a fountain against a backdrop of green walls. She made her way past the early blooms of a rose garden and came to the fountain's edge to look into its rippling waters. In the glow of its lights, she caught its copper sheen. Pennies.

She smiled. Some things never change. No matter how old, people couldn't resist making wishes. She sat on the edge of the fountain, draped her fingers into the water, and thought about her own wish.

I wish I can keep my dream. She recalled the various incarnations of her dream. First, it had been to play well at her recitals. Then it had been to win competitions. Then the dream expanded until it became playing with the world's best orchestras—no, being concertmaster of a great orchestra. She would further her training at Juilliard, and then travel the world with her violin, playing with a renowned orchestra, settling down to be concertmaster.

She soothed the ache she felt, the sense of displacement, of not belonging, by imagining the applause, the feel of her violin. The lights, the sounds.

A man in a black suit and black bowtie approached, wineglass in hand. His hair was slicked back and shone in the fairy lights that hung from the nearby tree. "May I sit there?" He pointed to a spot on the fountain's edge.

"Of course." She straightened and smiled.

He sat and sipped from his glass, looking off into the trees, the garden. "Beautiful evening, isn't it?"

"It is." Anna looked at him more closely. He appeared to be in his thirties, with dark eyes and black hair. The cut of his suit, however, made it seem like he'd stepped out of time. He belonged in the thirties or forties. He looked like a gentleman.

"These Celebrations become more elaborate every year." He spoke calmly, his voice somewhat raspy.

"It's my first one," Anna admitted. He didn't seem the type that would laugh at her age.

He lifted his eyebrows and raised his glass to her. "Welcome. I hope it's memorable for you." He sipped and swallowed, then held out his hand to her. "I'm Daniel."

"Anna." They shook hands.

"We're honored by your music tonight," he said, bowing his head to her. "Thank you for sharing it with us. It's quite a privilege to hear someone of your talent play such an extraordinary piece."

"Thank you." The praise soothed her.

"I almost didn't come tonight. I'm glad I did." He raised his glass to her again.