Or he could stay at home, work on the woman on the precipice carving and deal with having Angelica close for another couple of weeks and practice saying goodbye so when the time came, he wouldn’t blow it.
The next morning Kirk had hardly finished his coffee when the phone rang. It was his grandfather.
“I’m coming in to see Angelica, we’re going to practice in Webb Francis’s music room. She has students coming this afternoon, so we’re going to claim mornings for our practice.”
“Good.”
“Let’s have lunch. She said you have an amazing sculpture you’re working on. Can an old man see it?”
“Anytime, you know that. If I’m in the studio, come on in. I might need to be interrupted to remember it’s lunchtime.”
His grandfather would spend hours with Angelica over the next weeks. If he could hear, if he could sing, he could have been the one volunteering for the festival, just to spend time with her. He envied his grandfather.
How pathetic was that.
The next week passed quickly. Kirk grew used to his grandfather coming to visit Angelica every morning. In the afternoon she had Teresa Ann and Sam over to practice. Kirk rarely saw her. Which, he tried to convince himself, was exactly what he wanted.
He took on another job helping a renovation with a family on the far side of town. It was exasperating work, with the other workers constantly trying his patience. Evenings he worked on his sculpture. In between, he stayed as far from home as he could.
Not seeing her every day didn’t diminish the yearning to be with her, however. Much as he hoped out of sight, out of mind would be the norm, it didn’t work that way.
Ten days after his grandfather began practicing with Angelica, Kirk rode over to the farm early to share breakfast with him.
“You’ve been busy,” Hiram said when they sat down to eat.
Kirk nodded.
“Angelica said she hadn’t seen you. She’s busy, too, of course, getting ready for the festival,” Hiram continued.
Kirk watched him a moment.
“Are you still singing?”
Hiram nodded.
“We’ve got it all squared away. You coming?”
Kirk nodded.
“Said I would. I’d like to hear you sing again. Those are good memories I had from when I was a kid.”
When he never thought of the future, never considered life wouldn’t go along as good as he’d had back then. For a moment he wished he could turn back the clock.
Yet, would he really do anything differently? He’d still serve his country in the military, still be partially deaf. Maybe he’d have let Angelica get off the bus and find her way.
No, that would never have happened. No use wishing for the past. It wouldn’t change a thing.
“Hope you can hear me well enough,” the old man said.
They rarely talked about Kirk’s lack of hearing, but his comment warmed Kirk. He hoped he could hear both Hiram andAngelica—enough to appreciate their skills. He knew he’d hear the applause when they finished.
“Jody Miller called a couple of days ago, asking me if you were off your feed or something.”
“Why would he call you? I’ve been working on a renovation project at his place.”
“I know, and he said you’re acting like a bear with a sore paw. Something eating at you?”
Kirk shrugged.
