To Protect My Honor

One Day IV

In the living room, I said, "If days were songs, most would be some stupid pop track from 1998. But today was the William Tell Overture. And we're about to have the finale, which is the only part anyone really knows."

"I like the William Tell  overture," said Victoria. 

"You know who composed it," I asked.

"William Tell, of course," said Nancy.

I looked at her, plainly conveying the phrase "you cannot be serious."

"William Tell wasn't a real person, silly. He was a Swiss folk hero who became the subject of the opera."

"That's who I thought he was," she said. "I wondered why he would be composing music."

Victoria then said, "No. Who composed it?"

"Gioacchino Rossini."

"You can't get more Italian than that," said Nancy. 

"What do you mean?"

"Well, his name sounds like a character in a movie or on TV that makes fun of Italians."

"Okay," I said. "I never thought of that."

"Just pointing it out."

It was now a quarter past six, and the day was still very bright and hot. Days remained long throughout the summer now that we were just north of the 45th parallel and also at one of the westernmost points in the Eastern time zone.

Victoria asked Nancy, no doubt inspired by our discussion of music, "Can I play your guitar?"

"If you can properly tune it, help yourself."

"Nancy," I said. "You've had that guitar for seven years. You can't figure out how to tune it?"

"No. I've screwed it up too badly."

Victoria left, to come back five minutes later with the tuned guitar. 

"Good as new," she said. "Nancy, do you want to sing as I play?"

"Milton can. He sings better than me."

"Can you?"

"It would be an honor," I said. "You know 'More Than Words?'"

"Yes. That's one of my favorites."

"Let's go."

Ivan stepped to the edge of the kitchen. 

"Sarah, Peter, Lewis, come quick. This is going to be good."

We waited to start, and they were soon all there. Victoria played the opening chords, and I knew exactly when to start:

Saying I love you is not the words I want to hear from you
It's not that I want you not to say, but if you only knew
How easy it would be to show me how you feel
More than words is all you have to do to make it real
Then you wouldn't have to say that you love me
'Cause I'd already know

What would you do if my heart was torn in two?
More than words to show you feel that your love for me is real
What would you say if I took those words away?
Then you couldn't make things new just by saying I love you

Victoria harmonized during the refrain, in the spirit of the original. During the interlude, I looked over at her, and we smiled at each other. I loved singing, and singing with someone else's accompaniment made me so happy.

Now that I've tried to talk to you and make you understand
All you have to do is close your eyes and just reach out your hands
And touch me, hold me close, don't ever let me go
More than words is all I needed you to show
Then you wouldn't have to say that you love me
'Cause I'd already know