My Mom really did know best
The Piano Lesson
By Katey Quigley
Portage, Wisconsin
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My
hands were sweaty. I held my
piano book close. I had never been so nervous
in my entire seven years of life. My piano teacher had asked if I would play a
song before the school play, and the first performance was tonight.
I sure wish I hadn’t said yes, I
thought. What
if I lost my place on the sheet music? Or hit a bad note? What if anything at
all went wrong?
But Mom had urged me to do it. "You have
talent," she said. "You should share it." She waited with me at the back of the
auditorium. "I don’t feel good," I whispered. Mom squeezed my hand. The lights
dimmed, and I started to cry. She kissed my cheek and gently pushed me in the
direction of the piano. I slowly walked past rows of happy parents.
How can I play "Ode to Joy"?
I wondered. Joy was the last thing I felt. I felt like I was being sent to the
principal’s office.
I reached the piano and climbed onto the
bench. I opened the music. My teacher stood nearby, smiling encouragingly.
Okay. Here I go.
My finger hit the first note. There was no
sound. What was happening? I tried again. Nothing!
The only sounds were of feet scuffling
backstage, which were soon joined by my own pitiful sobs. I jumped off the piano
bench and ran to my mother’s open arms. She swooped me up and carried me to the
car.
I cried all the way home. Then Mom led me
into her bedroom. I knew what was coming. This was where we had all of our
talks. She crouched down so we were at eye level. "Katey, I’m very proud of
you," she said. "It’s okay that you didn’t play tonight."
I didn’t understand. Mom sat on the bed
and lifted me onto her lap. "What you did took a lot of guts. The important
thing is, you tried," she said. "That’s all that matters to me." She wrapped her
arms around me and held me tight.
I went to sleep feeling more loved than
anyone else in the world. Next day Mom told me my piano teacher had called. The
school piano was electric. No one had switched it on. They wouldn’t make that
mistake for the next performance. What a relief! That evening my mother glowed
with pride when I sat down to play. The hard part was trying. That was the
important thing. I could do that.
I put my hands on the keys. "Ode to Joy"
filled the auditorium with its sweet sound as if it rose all the way to the
angels in heaven.
My mother has since joined those angels. But the lesson
she taught me and the memory of her loving arms will stay with me forever.
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