A Soul's Caress: Breathe

Music Lessons

The next morning Zayne awoke from the most peaceful sleep he had had in months. The nightmares that had been haunting him were banished by pleasant dreams of the detective. He could still feel Bodie's hand in his, still feel the detective's warmth against his body.

For the first time in a long time, Zayne didn't feel like he was alone. The knowledge that Bodie liked being with him had him grinning like a fool as he laid in bed. Knowing that he trusted the detective completely had him singing in the shower, his heart lighter than it had been in years.

It felt good. He felt good. After dressing in his favorite pair of basketball shorts and a light blue t-shirt, he ate a cold piece of pizza from his mostly empty fridge and walked out of his apartment.

Even though the day was just beginning, the late July heat was already unbearable. The high humidity only made it worse, turning the concrete jungle into a tropical rainforest. Zayne grunted as he stepped out of his apartment building's lobby, the thick air making it difficult to breathe. He took his time walking the two miles to the local music shop he taught at. To stay hydrated, he made sure he took sips of water from his bottle every few blocks.

As he opened the door to MacIntyre's Music Store, a tiny bell announced his arrival with its fairy-like tinkling. Shivers led to goosebumps as the artificial cold air landed on his sweat covered skin like a bucket of ice water.

He had been teaching here for over ten years now. It was in a low-income part of the city where people had to struggle to make ends meet let alone pay for music lessons for their kids. Zayne's lessons were free to anyone who wanted them no matter their race, age, or background. Music had no restrictions. His parents taught him that. The owners of the shop had been friends of his mom and dad and allowed Zayne to use one of their studios rent free. It had been their way to honor the memory of his parents and give back to the community.

All morning long he tried to keep his mind focused on the students that came and went but thoughts of the handsome detective constantly distracted him. Bodie's face kept staring back at him, his voice whispering in his ears. By the time midafternoon arrived, Zayne was a giddy mess.

His last student of the day showed up fifteen minutes late. She was an older woman who had lost a dare with her daughter. This was only her third lesson but Zayne was quickly realizing just how difficult it was to teach someone who did not want to learn. He had promised to teach her a Taylor Swift song to satisfy the punishment deemed appropriate by her daughter thinking it would be simple. It was always easier to teach someone a song they already knew. However, this student was proving that theory to be a load of crap.

Mrs. Wallace came and sat at the upright oak colored piano. She smiled kindly as she always did and settled herself on the bench.

"Thanks again, Mr. Matthews. I really appreciate this. I'm sorry I'm not a fast learner. But I promise to keep coming back until I learn it."

Her eyes held something Zayne could not quite place and it made him feel...uncomfortable.

"Uh, that's okay, Mrs. Wallace. We're actually going to try something new today to see if it helps."

Sitting on the chair next to the bench, he pointed to the familiar black and white keys in front of her.

"I taped the corresponding letters to their keys so you could see AND hear them as you play. Sometimes, people are visual learners while others are auditory ones. Personally, I'm an auditory learner. I can remember things I hear better than ones I read or see. I feel you're a visual learner and so we're going to see if this makes it easier for you."

Mrs. Wallace grinned wider. "I certainly do like to look at things."

Zayne cringed internally. This just might be the longest half hour lesson of the day. The music for the song was Level 1 and written for beginners. The notes were large, the melody and rhythm extremely simple.

"Have you been practicing?" he asked her.

"Oh yes, yes."

"Good. Then show me what you've learned so far."

Mrs. Wallace took a deep breath and placed her fingers above the keys. Hesitantly, she began tapping them in order of the music. Her eyes shifted up and down frantically as she tried to play it perfectly but wrong notes rang out often. When she finished, she gave an exaggerated pout.

"Sorry, I guess I'm just a little nervous with you sitting there watching me."

Zayne smiled kindly, trying to put her at ease. "It's fine. Let's break it down into smaller parts. I'm going to ask you to learn one line at a time until you can play it perfectly ten times in a row. Once you can do that, you can move on to the next line and practice it the same way. When you've learned that one, put the two together and play them without any mistakes ten times. Just repeat until you've learned the song. Understand?"

She nodded enthusiastically.

"Good. Let's begin where the lyrics start. Don't worry about the intro for now. You'll play the notes very slowly and I'll sing them. That way, we activate both forms of learning. Got it?"

"Uh huh."

With each key she struck, Zayne sang the letter of the note and pointed to it on the page.

"D-B-A-G...D-D-B-A-G..."

Instantly, the blood in Zayne's veins turned to ice, his heart frozen mid-beat. His body shook violently. Bile rose and threatened to rob him of his morning's breakfast. Images of the photos from yesterday shuffled through his mind. His breaths came quick and uneven. Everything around him became muted and blurry.

"Mr. Matthews? Are you okay?" Mrs. Wallace asked.

Zayne didn't hear her. He stood and stumbled to the door of the tiny room. His hand turned the metal knob and flung the door open, banging it forcefully against the wall. With staggered steps, he raced out of the shop and down the street towards the police station which was more than a mile away.

He cursed not having his car but parking in the city during a weekday was expensive and a pain in the ass. His sneakers pounded the pavement, his arms pumping to move him faster. When he finally leapt up the front steps of the precinct building, his clothes were drenched in sweat. All eyes were on him but he didn't care. He barreled through the doors and immediately started looking for the captain or Detective Porter. Neither one was at their desk and his agitation skyrocketed.

"Where are they?" he snapped at the nearest officer.

The poor unsuspecting man pointed towards the rear interrogation room. Zayne nodded once and took off, weaving his way amongst the cubby offices. Papers flew off unoccupied desks as he tried to stay on his feet. Staff jumped out of his way to avoid being knocked to the ground.

He was familiar with police protocol and knew it was inappropriate to interrupt an interrogation. But that wasn't going to stop him. Nothing would right now.

Zayne banged on the door. It was so loud the two men behind it jumped out of their chairs along with the suspect chained to the table. Captain Harris was the first one to reach the door.

"What the hell! Who...?"

"Zayne?" Detective Porter said leaving his seat and striding towards the pale and sweaty man standing in the doorway.

"I-I know...what..." Zayne panted.

He was having trouble catching his breath. Even though he ran at least four times a week, today's high heat and thick air had sapped all his energy from him. He could feel the sweat soaking through his clothes that were now stuck to his body. His body temperature was still rising at an alarming rate and he felt like his skin was on fire.

"The letters...I know...I know what they...they are."

"Every problem has a solution; it may sometimes just need another perspective." - Katherine Russell