From the couch, Finn had completely abandoned any pretense of watching the game. He was just sitting there with an expression that was half pride and half something else I couldn't quite name. When he caught me looking he mouthed, “Thank you.”
I nodded and turned back to Jamie.
“Alright. Last thing for today. I want you to create your own pattern. Whatever feels right to you. There's no wrong answer.”
Jamie looked at me skeptically.“Really? Anything?”
“Anything. Music is about expressing what's inside you. So show me what that sounds like.”
He thought about it for a second, and then he started playing. It wasn't any pattern I'd taught him — it was chaotic and weird and somehow perfect. He was combining elements from everything we'd covered, mixing in his own timing, creating something that was entirely his.
Messy. Unpolished. Brilliant.
When he finished he looked up at me with nervous excitement.“Was that okay?”
“That was better than okay. That was yours. And that's the most important thing.”
Jamie grinned so wide I thought his face might split in half, and then he launched himself off the couch and hugged me without warning. I froze for a second, caught off guard, and then hugged him back because what else was I supposed to do.
When he pulled away he signed,“You're my favorite teacher ever.”
“I've only been your teacher for an hour,”I pointed out.
“Still my favorite,”he insisted.
From the couch, Finn was watching us with that same soft expression, and when our eyes met he gave me a small nod that felt like more than politeness. Like he could tell I actually gave a damn about his brother and wasn't just here for the paycheck.
The thing was, he was right. I'd come because I needed the money, but somewhere in the past hour I'd stopped thinking about rent and started thinking about how incredible it was to watch a kid discover he was genuinely good at something. Jamie was smart and funny and talented, and he deserved someone who saw that instead of just seeing a disability.
Music didn't require hearing. It required feeling. And anyone could feel if you gave them the right tools and the right encouragement.
By the time we finished,Finn’s grandfather had appeared from the hallway and thanked me profusely, promising to book another session soon.
“Tea?” he asked, already pulling mugs down from the cupboard. “Or are you one of those coffee-only people?”
“Tea's fine.” I sat down at the kitchen island and watched him move around the space with easy familiarity. “Jamie's great, by the way. He picked things up faster than most kids I've worked with.”
Finn's whole face softened when I mentioned Jamie. “Yeah, he's pretty amazing. Smart as hell, way funnier than he should be at his age, and stubborn enough to drive everyone insane.”
“Sounds like you're fond of him.”
“Understatement.” Finn set a mug of tea in front of me and leaned against the counter with his own. “He's basically the best thing in my life. Our parents don't really get it, but Gramps does, so Jamie spends most of his time here.”
There was an edge to his voice when he mentioned his parents. Not my business to ask about, but I filed it away anyway.
I took a sip of the tea and immediately regretted it. “What is this?”
Finn looked at his own mug and grimaced. “I think it's called 'Lavender Dreams' or some shit. Gramps buys the fancy stuff from that boutique place downtown. He thinks it's sophisticated.”
“It tastes like I'm drinking a candle.”
“Right?” Finn laughed and set his mug down like he was giving up on it entirely. “I keep telling him to just buy normal tea, but he's convinced that expensive equals better. Meanwhile we're over here choking down liquid potpourri.”
“Does he have any regular tea hidden somewhere, or are we committed to this floral disaster?”
Finn opened a cupboard and rummaged around, pulling out a box of plain black tea with a triumphant expression. “Found it. The good stuff. Hidden behind all the fancy garbage.”
“You're a hero.” I watched him dump out the lavender nightmare and start fresh. “I was genuinely concerned I was going to have to pretend to like that for the next twenty minutes.”
