Angelie and Reuben ran into Jimmy's house excitedly. Angelie was eagerly anticipating today's piano lesson. Plus, Reuben was also here, and she always wondered how he behaved outside of the school setting.
"Okay," began Jimmy, "Reuben, I'm going to be busy tutoring Angelie piano. Actually," Jimmy paused, "instead of me teaching you Angie, you're going to teach me."
Angelie's eyes opened wide. Mr. Corsa knew that she wanted to be a teacher. She was happy that he was giving her the chance to be the teacher today. She thought about Reuben, though. She thought about how bored he might be.
"Mr. Corsa?" Angelie asked.
"Yes, Ms. Pitter?"
"Instead of me teaching you, can I teach Reuben instead?" Angelie questioned.
Jimmy thought about it. The more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea. He looked at Reuben and responded, "Of course, you may: that is, if Reuben doesn't mind."
"I don't mind, Uncle Jimmy" Reuben said quickly. Jimmy laughed.
"Okay then, Miss Pitter, you've got yourself a student! Now, the first thing we have to do is figure out how much he knows about music and piano."
"Well, I know solfege...yeah, that's it" Reuben said.
"Jimmy, I'm gonna need a whiteboard and some markers, S.T.A.T.!" Angelie ordered.
"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!" Jimmy saluted and went to his recreational room to retrieve the things she requested. When Jimmy returned, Angelie grabbed the materials, propped them up on a nearby easel, and immediately got to teaching. Jimmy sat, amazed and amused as she explained note values and rhythms to Reuben. Half an hour in, she called for a lunch break, as Jimmy usually did halfway into his lessons. As Jimmy made sandwiches for the kids, Angelie and Reuben talked about music.
"Why are you learning piano?" Reuben asked.
"Mom said the better you understand music, the more you pay attention to life's details" Angelie explained. "Art is all about details and interpretation, she always says. So she gave me a week to decide what art form I want to be good at. I chose music. She said, 'Choose an instrument.' I chose piano."
Just then, Jimmy gave the two kids their sandwiches, and they both said, "Thank you!"
"No offense, but your mom sounds annoying" Reuben said to Angelie.
"Reuben, that's not nice!" Jimmy corrected him.
"It's okay, Mr. Corsa" Angelie responded. "She can be, sometimes. She's a little crazy about the things she loves to do. I think all artists are like that, though. I mean, I guess all people kinda are, but artists definitely are."
Reuben nodded in understanding. His mom is pretty crazy about food: growing food, cooking food, tasting food...just anything dealing with food. He never really considered his mom an artist until that very moment.
"I guess my mom's an artist, then" Reuben thought aloud.
"Cool! What kind of artist?" Angelie asked.
"Uh...a food artist" he replied.
"You mean like a chef! Really? That's awesome. You must always have good food."
"When we have food" Reuben thought, but decided against saying that aloud. He just shrugged.
"What do you like to do?" Angelie questioned. Good question, he thought. Honestly, he never had much time for himself to indulge in hobbies. Ever since his father left, him and his mother, have been struggling to fill the void. Reuben took out the trash, tended to the front and back yards, washed and dried the laundry, and sometimes did his homework. His mom paid for the house, car, school, and groceries. She cooked and cleaned the house. She went to work part-time at that community diner. When she came home (if she came home), she searched for scholarships so she could go to graduate school to obtain a master's degree in business and management. The days she didn't go straight home from working at the diner, she babysat wealthy kids of various ages. Since Reuben didn't get along with a lot of kids, he often stayed in the company of Uncle Jimmy, who helped Reuben with the chores when he could.
Long story short, he usually had very little time to spare.
However, there was one thing that Reuben did do to stay sane, and that was write. He wrote about his feelings of anger, worry, and exhaustion. At times, he would write stories of his mom getting married to Uncle Jimmy and moving into Jimmy's awesome house that was five times better than the house they lived in. Sometimes, he wrote letters to his dad that he'd never give him in person. Sometimes, he wrote about the few good things he had going for him in his life. He used to write about this girl he had a crush on in 2nd grade, but she didn't like him back. After that, he would write about how stupid girls were and how his mom is the most beautiful person in the world for not giving up on the family. He usually just wrote about how she just needed to hurry up and marry Jimmy Corsa.
"I guess I like to write" Reuben finally said. Angelie smiled and said, "Cool. Maybe you can show me your stuff sometime. Okay, lunch break is over! Now, how many quarter notes are in a whole note?"
