Page 24 of Play Me

“I didn’t know what to expect from ‘classical music mashed with rock’,” she continues, a look of confusion spreads now across her brow.

I can’t help but laugh. “I know, right? Who came up with that brilliant description?”

She seems to relax at my response, as if she was worried about offending me. “It just doesn’t seem like the right way to describe it.”

“How would you describe it?”

“I would...I don’t know,” she stops.

“No, it’s OK, it can’t be worse than ‘classical mashed rock’. It sounds like a side dish for an early bird special at the pub on a Thursday night.”

The sound of her unbridled laughter makes me want to repeat what I said, just to draw it out a little longer.

“Well, I’d go with something a little more elegant. Contemporary Chamber Rock maybe? It could tie in your style a little more elegantly than mashed potato rock classics or whatever it is now. So the contemporary would cover the modern music you do, and the concept of ‘chamber music’ in the description would suggest classical music too.”

I sigh. Of course she would get it.

“But anyway, whatever you call it – last night was...it was life affirming.”

I had heard it all before – all the words describing our performance, but that one was and I imagine, will always be, my favorite.

“It affirmed to me, that music is essential to beauty, to life,” she adds.

And in that moment I didn’t know whether to propose to her, or bend her over that piano and show her just how life affirming I could be.

“Ha, I even got the kids to warm up to a jam session playing “Bitter Sweet Symphony” and let them experiment with blending it with some Beethoven this afternoon.”

“And?”

“They loved it! They’ve already come up with a list of songs we could try mashing together in our next jam session.”

“NO! We don’t need any competition!”

“Well, you’ve got it, buster!”

We grin at each other. Connecting over this common passion.

And then it comes to me. I jump up a little, just on the spot, I’m so excited.

“Cadence? I have a proposition for you.”

“Sebastian, I already-...”

“No, hear me out. This has nothing to do with you and me, it’s actually a favor for the band.”

“Ok.”

“And the school.”

“I’m listening.”

“You know we’re here for a few months right?”

“No.”

“Well, we are, for about ten weeks. We’re here to work on the arrangements and record our next album.”

I wait for her to nod before continuing.