Phoebe's Performance

Maestro

Chapter 23

He refuses to play the three handed duet with me. I'm slightly miffed because it's an incredible idea but he is my boss. However he does agree to meeting Maestro and I swallow my pride and arrange a lesson.

I drive the brown bomb and we're outside the London Symphony Orchestra. For whatever reason my hip feels like it's aching and I'm not sure whether I'll be able to walk. It's probably nerves as I step apprehensively toward the building. My guts clench and sick crawls up my throat. All these symptoms are familiar to one of my typical phantom throws.

"I have to just get it together for a few seconds," I whisper and glance at him. His shoulders are hunched. I don't know who's more nervous, Otto or me. I haven't seen Maestro for an age, not since he gave me the walking cane and we had an argument about me using my emotions in my piano. "So we'll probably run into a few people."

"Fan-frigging-tastic," Otto replies. Otto's head darts round, he's wearing a long sleeved jacket to hide his injury "You okay? You're all pale."

"Just nervous." My stomach flips. "Actually I'm petrified I haven't been able to come anywhere near here since the accident."

"Was this where your audition was supposed to be?"

I nod my head and inhale a few sharp breaths. "If I hadn't asked them to drive me...if I had never had wanted to audition...if I –"

Otto squeezes my shoulder. "It's not your fault Phoebe." His good arm rubs me behind the back.

"I know. I know. I know." My voice is quite shrill.

"They'd want you here Phoebe. The orchestra was your life as was piano."

"You're right. Let's push on," I say firmly and with those words I push the back entrance door of the orchestra open. "No turning back now."

Emotions wave through my body and I feel Otto's palm reach for mine. "I was supposed to play Mozart you know," I say. "Maestro loves Mozart." I clench Otto's hand tightly as we walk into the boughs of the theatre.

I imagine what would have happened if there hadn't have been an accident. What would mum and dad have thought if I'd gotten the soloist gig? What would they have wanted for me?

I push the thoughts aside and focus on the lack of noise in the theatre. It's quiet. I think we're not going to see anyone we run straight into Veronica. And I've known Veronica for an age because we both learned piano from Maestro. She's now his assistant and I hope she doesn't remember speaking to me on the phone.

"Phoebe?" She glances at Otto and then at me. Otto drops my hand and I wonder if Veronica noticed. The rumour mill in the classical world is fast. "So you're finally coming back to the piano?"

"Yeah, it was time." I try to walk past her toward Maestro's room.

"I don't think you should just go in there. I'm the conductor's assistant so I should announce you."

"Come on Veronica, I've been here hundreds of times. I don't need announcement."

"And he's expecting us," Otto says.

Again Veronica glances at Otto. "And you are?" She obviously doesn't recognise Otto, much to his pleasure.

"I'm Phoebe's boyfriend, just here for moral support." Veronica's eyes almost pop out of her head and her gaze scans Otto up and down. He looks quite spiffy in his sports coat and shirt.

"Right. Right," Veronica replies. "I'd heard you and Ben broke up."

Maestro did mention that on the phone when I spoke to him last.