Chapter 1

Aspen- age 6

It was a warm spring day. My mom was waiting when I came outside. Cherrywood Academy wasn't air conditioned, so I'd rolled my sleeves up.

"Did you have a nice day?" Mom smiled down at me.

"It was ok." I kicked at the sidewalk, scuffing my Mary Janes at the same time. "It's hot. Can we get a drink on the way home?" I batted my eyes as I tried to look innocently up at my mother.

"I suppose." She laughed lightly as she reached for my backpack.

"Can we go to the park?" I added.

"Not today. Your father had plans for another lesson this afternoon." I wasn't sure how I felt about this yet. I'd been begging my dad to teach me to play the piano for as long as I could remember. My mom always told me I learned to dance before I could walk. It's harder than it looks though, and my daddy is really good.

"Let's get that drink, and then we'll see about what the afternoon holds." Mom reached for my hand. We'd reached the crosswalk, and while I knew to stop, she still insisted on holding my hand.

I skipped along, wiping sweat from my forehead every couple of steps until we reached Vern's corner store. Vern and his wife had run the small corner store since before I was born. They had the best lemonade in Boston, or at least I thought they did. Sometimes, Mr. Vern would give me a piece of candy just for smiling. I didn't know my grandparents, so he was the closest thing I had to a grandpa.

"Afternoon, Miss Penny." He smiled as I rushed inside. The cool air was such a drastic change, I shivered.

"Mr. Vern. I'm learning to play the piano," I boasted. This was my new accomplishment, even if all I was learning were scales.

"That's wonderful. Did you come here for a sweet treat?" He handed me a piece of caramel. I grinned even wider as I tucked the candy into the pocket of my jumper.

"Mommy says I can have a lemonade since it's hot out." Mom appeared behind me and set the bottle on the counter. After paying, she handed it to me.

"Well, you have a nice day." Vern waved as we turned to leave.

"You save that candy for later," Mom warned as I sipped from the glass bottle.

"You saw that?" I frowned. I never knew that she knew.

"I see everything." She gave me a stern look before laughing lightly.

"I'll save it," I promised as I enjoyed my cool treat. School would be out soon for summer break, and I knew our trips along this route would lessen.

When we arrived home, I rushed inside, tossing the lemonade bottle in the trash, and racing up the stairs to my room. I quickly stripped out of my uniform and into some play clothes. After my lesson, I was going to try and convince my dad to take me to the park.

I made my way downstairs, and into the living room. Daddy was sitting in front of our baby grand, practicing. His fingers danced with great accuracy across the keys. The sweet melody filled our home, and Daddy seemed to be completely lost in the music. His eyes were closed, but he knew I was there. "Come sit," he coaxed as he turned to look at me, still playing and completely unphased.

I crept closer, my bare feet padding on the hardwood. He stopped and patted a spot beside him as he scooched over on the bench. "Did you like that?" He folded the sheet music in front of him.

"It reminded me of summer." I nodded thoughtfully.

"Summer." He pursed his lips together in thought. "I can hear that too."

"What was it?" I reached for the music. I was learning to read, but still struggled with some words.

"That was Mozart. It's a bit much right now." He smiled and set the sheet aside. "I was thinking we'd start here." He placed a book on the piano stand. "Let me see your hands." He waited patiently as I lifted my hands and held them over the keys. "Right here. Fingers here." He positioned them. "This is G position. Press these fingers down together and you'll get a concert G chord." I tried. The notes kinda clashed together. "Make sure you're hitting the keys at the same time." I tried again, and this time he smiled. "Very good." I repeated it myself as he opened the book to the first page. "You're playing this note." He pointed at the music. "Move your hands up a step, and you'll play this one." He demonstrated and then I copied. "Very good."

"When can I learn a song?" I bounced on the bench. My legs weren't quite long enough to reach the pedals, so the bench rocked with my movement.

"A song." He tapped his chin. "Ok." He placed my fingers over the keys. "Let's use what you've been learning to play this." He pointed to a piece that was only two lines long and urged me to try. I pressed the keys, sounding the first chord, then slowly moved through the piece. The more I worked at it, the faster I got, and it started to sound like a song.

"I know this." I grinned as I looked up at him. When I stopped looking at my hands, I made a mistake. I frowned as a sound I didn't like came from the piano.

"Stay focused," he encouraged. I took a deep breath and corrected myself to finish the song.

"That was the best version of Mary Had a Little Lamb that I've ever heard." Mom stuck her head out of the kitchen.

"You're just saying that because you're my mommy." I shook my head. "I need lots of practice. I wanna play like Daddy." I smiled as I hit the last chord.

"You will, Penny Girl." Dad hugged me before smiling over at my mom. "Practice lots, and you'll be better than me someday."

"You think I'll ever be able to play Mozart?" I stood and rocked on my heels.

"Sure." He winked as he closed the book I'd been using and set it off to the side. "We'll practice some more tomorrow. I have to get ready for this weekend's show."

"K, Daddy. Love you." I jumped into his arms, squeezing him around the neck before planting a kiss on his cheek. "I'm going to play upstairs." I rushed away, leaving him laughing in my wake.

Shows made me happy. My daddy played for the Boston Symphony, and when he had a show, and it wasn't a school night, I got to go. He always got Mommy and me front row seats, and he promised me when I got bigger we'd play together on stage.

"You think we could take a walk after dinner?" I mused as I scooped a blob of potatoes onto my spoon. I wasn't very hungry, and it was nice out. The sun was setting, and the air was cooling down.

"That sounds nice." Daddy smiled before placing his silverware on his plate. "Let me change into something a little more comfortable, and we'll go around the block." I clapped with excitement. I was a daddy's girl and spending time together was one of my favorite things to do.

"You two have fun. I need to clean up some things for the evening, and then I want to relax." Mom sighed as a yawn attempted to escape her.

"I'm finished. Can I be excused?" I wiped my mouth and waited. Daddy usually let me get up if I used my manners.

"Go ahead." Mommy laughed. I stood, carried my plate into the kitchen, and then went to put on my shoes. I'd wait, not so patiently, for Daddy in the living room.

It seemed like forever before he came downstairs dressed in a pair of shorts and a tee. "You ready, Penny Girl?" Only my daddy and Mr. Vern called me Penny.

"Yep." I hopped off the couch and bounced over. Daddy opened the front door and we left together hand in hand.

"It's a nice night." Daddy swung our joined hands between us. "You think Mommy would be upset if we walked a little farther and grabbed an ice cream?" He winked as he looked down at me.

"Nun uh." I grinned up at him. When we got to the corner, instead of turning, we went down two more blocks. There was an ice cream shop. It had a counter inside like an old fashioned soda shop. It smelled of sugar when you walked through the door. "Ooooh, can I get that?" I pointed to this ice cream that looked as if it contained every color of the rainbow.

"Sure, Penny Girl." Daddy pointed at the ice cream. "We'll take a cone of that, and then a vanilla." Daddy and the man exchanged ice cream and money, and then he handed me my cone. We walked outside and sat in two of the chairs on the sidewalk.

"Do you hear the music?" Daddy closed his eyes.

"What music?" I was confused. There was music on the sound system in the ice cream shop, but out here it was just traffic and such.

"The city has its own music. Close your eyes and listen." He waited for me to comply. "What do you hear?"

"Horns." I nodded, proud of myself.

"What else?"

I listened. I wanted to be right. "Crickets. Leaves rustling in the trees." I paused. "I can hear water from the drains in the road."

"See? Music." Dad patted my knee, and I opened my eyes. "There's always music, you just have to listen for it." He smiled softly as I licked at my cone.

"I like the music you play better." I grinned as I watched Daddy stand up.

"Sometimes I do too, but I always like to listen to what's around me. Come on. Mommy's going to worry if we don't get home soon." He held his hand out for me to take.

We walked back the way we came, and I licked away at my cone. The sounds of the city seemed clearer, and I started trying to hear different sounds. I wanted to appreciate it like Daddy did. I wanted the city to play for me like it did my dad.