Show description

He sat down on the piano stool, hands in his lap, eyes closed, his breathing deep and steady. Then he raised both hands and placed them on the keys, opened his bright blue eyes, and began playing a beautiful song, as different from the one-hand stranger as day is from night, but it made your insides ebb and swell with the story the music told. When he finished he was very still. ’’ We all smiled and nodded. Uncle Sid cleared his throat. ‘‘All right, Riley,’’ he said, ‘‘she’s all yours. ’’ Aunt Catherine and I were left in the capable hands of the Englishman, who took a red book from his valise and placed it on the piano.

After we cleaned up the mess in my bed, she turned to me and said, ‘‘Listen I Meet Me with Your Black Drawers On 37 and listen good! This is all natural. Tomorrow when you get up, you do everything you been doing. Make the bed, make the oatmeal, wash dishes, and since it’s Saturday, it’s your turn to scrub the kitchen. I don’t want to see frowns or grimaces or hear any groans. I don’t want anybody in this house to feel that you have a problem, ’cause you don’t.

Aunt Catherine meekly obeyed. He reached in his pocket and pulled out two pennies, placing them on the backs of Auntie’s hands. He then took her elbow and gently guided her up the five keys starting with C. She did it. The pennies didn’t move. Then she was told to come down the five notes. As she maneuvered her unruly fingers downward, off flew the pennies. Auntie struggled for an hour: up—fine, down—disaster. Mr. Riley never budged. ’’ ‘‘Fifty cents, Mr. Cox,’’ Mr. Riley sighed. He then put on his coat and hat and said to Auntie, ‘‘You must practice every day.