Sighing, I stared down at my cellphone in dismay. Today is my day off and I am currently standing beside the piano gallery.
This morning, I received several text messages from my boss in an exchange about my health. It started off with him checking in on me. He wanted to make sure I was doing okay after the "incident" that occurred last night. After I assured him that I was doing fine, he told me that I needed to stay home for the next week.
This enraged me.
Do not get me wrong. Any other day or time I would be delighted to have the week off. In this case, this was unplanned. I have bills to pay. Not to mention, it was all his fault. Mr. Simmons is kind but not that kind. He is running a business, after all. The true reason Mr. Simmons is telling me to stay home for a week is because this morning, Don contacted him.
He said that after escorting me home, he began to worry further about my current state. He felt that it would be best for both me and the image of the restaurant to allow me to stay home and rest up. He did not want to appear to have a business that overworked their employees. With that being said, here I am stuck with a week off and no pay.
I can only assume that this means Don has something up his sleeve because there is no reason for him to do this. Whatever he has planned, I am equipped for. This morning I had made up my mind to cut all ties with him, even if it means leaving my current place of employment.
The man is dangerous. Last night I noticed the peril that dripped from his very pores. It was hard not to notice. The way he carried himself, the level of respect but also fear the men he was dining with held for him. It all warned me of the risks I may face if I continued to associate myself with him. Not to mention the lack of control I have around him. Yesterday, I may have started strong, but I obviously ended weakly. I could not fight him, and I still feel as if I cannot.
Overall, the next time I see him, I am going to tell him it is best that we leave the past in the past and move forward without seeing one another.
I powered down my phone once I realized that there was no arguing with Mr. Simmons, and I walked into the gallery. I was greeted by the usual employees there and I gave them a polite smile and a nod. I could see Mrs. Davis speaking with someone with her back towards me. I was completely taken over by relief as I looked around in search of a piano to occupy my time with.
At first, I was not going to leave the house today. I was going to stay in and get some cleaning done on my day off. Then I got the message demanding that I stay home. Despite it being for a different reason, I could not help but feel as if I were being punished. I mean yes – sure! I was having sex at work with my boss, but still! A week with no pay? So, with the stress of my morning and the epiphany I had of letting my personal God of Coitus go, I thought it would be a promising idea to come in and release some steam. Besides, there were a few songs that I wanted to try out.
I walked around the gallery, spying which set of ivories I wanted to play. Already, I could feel my heart lift along with the corners of my mouth. Tension melted off my shoulders as my middle finger caressed an A sharp.
Biting down on my lower lip, I sighed out deeply and raised my head. My eyes locked onto a pearlescent painted piano. I quickly walked over to it, a smile growing on my face as its beauty grew clearer in my beholding eyes. It was a model D-274 Steinway and Sons. Looking at it my blood ran cold in amazement. It had to of been a customized show piece because there was no way it was stock.
Quickly I moved to the seat and dropped my bag beside me. I stripped myself of my jacket, revealing my blue cardigan. My hands hovered over the keys, and I swallowed hard. I was almost too afraid to touch it, it was so beautiful.
My heart bounded in my ears, a drum to my adrenalin. My mouth ran dry, and my fingers twitched in earnest. My tongue darted across my lips, and I quickly pushed up my sleeves. Readjusting myself in my seat, I made sure to make myself comfortable.
I was going to be here for a while, this I knew.
I straightened my back, cracking a few things and sighing in relief. My eyes closed as I raised my chin. My index finger pressed down on a key, any key. Turns out it was an F sharp. As the note reverberated through the air, a shiver ran down my back. A frown creased my brows as the hairs upon my skin rose. I chose another at random. A D sharp. Goosebumps flushed over me. The sound was so strong and pure.
My head fell back, and I opened my eyes to find the ceiling. This was an excellent choice. I needed this.
I rotated my shoulders and prepared to play a selection. As my usual routine persists, the first two random keys aided me in choosing a song to play. I would hold the notes for five seconds each, allowing it to pull at the strings of my mind until a song fell through. Alas, it happened.
The song that I would play first on this beautiful instrument would be Twice by Little Dragon. But it would not be the only one. I was off today with many hours ahead of me and many intrusive thoughts that were ready to be set free.
I had a feeling that when I returned home, I would have to make a new list of songs to try out for my next visit.