PIANO LESSONS

Sister Taylor was our church piano lady.

She was so good

with her glissandos

and staccatos

and riffs

that you couldn't help but feel like singing

the minute she laid her fingers on the keys.



She offered to teach me

and Mom jumped at the chance

because she said I could be a back-up piano lady

for the church.



Sister Taylor's house was green

and cool

and it had plants hanging from windows

and hooks

and curtain rods

and sitting on shelves

and on windowsills.


I was amazed.

I had never been in a house that had plants in it

before.


I didn't know plants could grow inside.



Sister Taylor mostly talked to me

on that first lesson

which was good because my mind was on plants.


As soon as the hour was up

I ran home and got a chipped teacup

out of the cupboard

and ran outside to find a plant

to dig up.


I put the plant

into the teacup

and watered it well

and put it in mine and the boys

bedroom

on the windowsill.


It didn't even live until my next piano lesson.



So I wasted a lot of time during Lesson Two

talking about how to grow plants

in the house.


Lessons Three through Fifteen came and went.

I learned chords.

I learned to play hymns

but it was a struggle.


I wanted to know the names of plants

and I wanted to play with Dusty the cat.


Sister Taylor was so patient.

But even she had her limits.



She talked to Mom.


"Look at her fingers, Sister Naomi,

they are so long and slender.

And she has a feel for the music.

Why, she could be a concert pianist


If I could just get her to buckle down."


Mom had a long talk with me.

She said I was missing out on a good opportunity

and that I was hurting Sister Taylor's feelings

by not paying attention.



So I buckled down and did real good.

I was Sister Taylor's best student.

I performed at her recital

playing "Curious Story"

and curtseying to the loud

applause.


For a while

I daydreamed about being a concert pianist.

I saw myself in a white flowing robe

floating to the piano

lifting my arms so that my robe fell away

revealing my long slender white fingers.


The hall was cavernous

dark

filled with adoring fans

gazing up at my celestial whiteness.



But in my heart I knew the truth.

I didn't have what it took

to buckle down

and become anything special.


There was just so much to do

and to see

and to talk about

and to try



and piano lessons took too long

and they were so much work

practicing at the church

glissandos

staccatos

riffs


that Mom and Sister Taylor

had to be satisfied

with me just being the back-up pianist

for our church.



Sister Taylor got me a lovely wide-leafed plant

that she said would live under almost any conditions

for my birthday.






Music playing:The Entertainer

This page contains copyrighted material

Story taken from my actual diaries

Go to Page 40

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