When You're In Love with a girl

Chapter 6, Mr. Berswick

The band director at our new school is so nice. He gave me the sheet music we're playing, and unlike at Greenheim Madison Middle and High School, it actually looks decently challenging. I think I will have fun practicing it. I recall that when I first walked into the band room, awkwardly holding nothing while my new band mates were running around assembling their instruments and warming up, the band director, Mr. Berswick, smiled and beckoned me in from the doorway.

"Hello, you must be the new student!" he exclaimed in a warm voice, not the booming kind but just the well-meaning kind. His eyes were brown and kind, and he was bald, except for a patch of stubble on the back of his head that he must not have known about.

I nodded, because of course a new adult, who you do not know the ways of, is intimidating.

There was a pause, during which he just kept smiling. "My name is Mr. Berswick... I'm the band director. What instrument do you play?"

There was something in his kind gaze and the feeling of warmth that emanated from him that made me let my guard down. "Alto saxophone," I whispered.

"Ah, we have many alto saxophones already," he said with a laugh but there was no disappointment in his eyes. Perhaps he was wondering what kind of girl would play alto saxophone.

I picked alto saxophone to play because of its lovely voice, rich like a human's many tones and its ability to play loud loud. It's like it's my voice of expression.

I can't speak well to voice my opinions and thoughts so my art and music is how I express myself. I just doubt people see what I want them to see.

"You can just sit on the side of the saxophone row, if you'd like," said Mr. Berswick. "We can choose your seat when I hear you play." Generally, I've noticed that the best players sit towards the ends, so I hope I will be able to hear the best players. He gave me the sheet music and I sat down at the end

Next to me was a girl with straight blonde hair and the loveliest eyes the color of cut glass. She held a nice alto saxophone in her arms and wore a Neotech neckstrap. I have the same one at home.

"Hello, are you the new kid?" asked the girl, in a deep voice quite unlike what I expected from such a femininely appearance.

"Yes," I said in what I hoped was a stately voice, because honestly when you're a girl playing the saxophone, which I believe to be a slightly sexual instrument, you can't be rowdy like the boys, or behave overly feminine. You have to walk the fine line between behaving boyishly and behaving like a girl. "I'm Alie."

I so desperately wanted to impress this new girl, for reasons I wasn't sure of... I still am not sure why. Perhaps it was because she, with her beautifully deep voice and her beautiful appearance greatly impressed me. She smiled. She has braces. "I'm Arya," she said, again in that lovely deep voice.

I love it when girls have deep voices. I wish my voice were that deep. When I'm more relaxed it goes deeper, but most of the time my high voice sounds like it belongs to a girly-girl. I can't take it sometimes.

"Where did you move from?" asked Arya.

"Uhm... Madison...." and for some dumb reason, I couldn't remember what my school in Madison was called! For some reason, talking to Arya made me very nervous. Oh yes! It was called Greenheim... Greenheim what? Arya was looking at me intently, likely wondering why I was looking so confused.

"Ah yes, I see," Arya saved me from my embarrassment. "Madison, yes, yes, I have a cousin who lives in Madison, yep. Madison, Wisconsin, we are talking about, right?"

"Yes, yes, I went to Greenheim School," I elaborated.

Just then Mr. Berswick bellowed, "Everyone, quiet down!" for the band room was quite loud at that moment, with everyone warming up and especially those percussionists in the background, banging their drums.... "A new student has joined us today." Mr. Berswick looked at me as if he expected me to wave my hand in the air and yell, "HEY Y'ALL I'M ALIE AND I'M NEW!"

I definitely did not do that. I shrunk in my chair as Arya glanced at me and then the whole saxophone section and then the trumpets and trombones and euphoniums and flutes and clarinets and even the percussionists glanced at me. I was about to say, "I'm Alie" but all that could come out of my mouth was a squeak, "Eek."

Arya frowned. Mr. Berswick tilted his head thoughtfully.

"Well, let's welcome her, her name is Alie, and let's all play a concert Bb scale." They went through their warm-up together and then began playing the pieces. As the band played, I was quite impressed. The band was much, much better than the band I had been in at Greenheim. As they played through the pieces, I grew more and more excited to go home and practice the pieces and play with the band at school the next day.

After the rehearsal ended, something in me changed. Something, I do not know what, possessed me, and I actually talked to Arya. "The Julian Worth-Marion band is so good," I remarked to her, feeling myself in quite a cheery mood.

Arya smiled politely. "I am glad you think so. I did not play so well today... I was playing on a new reed," she explained. Saxophone players play reeds, which vibrate to create sound. Reeds, when new, are more difficult to play until they soften up.

I nodded. I had nothing more to say, so I just awkwardly walked away to my next class.

*****

"Good news!" Mom says to me as I walk through the door, thoroughly tired from the walk home and the mental strain school gave me. And not really the academics, just dealing with people.

Dealing with people makes me cranky.

"Yeah?" I say.

"You can take private saxophone lessons! There is this one teacher who is listing for an extremely affordable price for students in this area of New York! Are you interested?" Mom is holding her camera on her shoulder and talking into it.

She swings it over to me. I don't think I look as presentable as her. Mom is wearing full on makeup and has blow-dried her hair.

It takes me some time to process her words. "YES! YES! YES!" I exclaim, which is totally out of character for me but oh my god, I have been wanting private saxophone lessons for a very long time, but Mom and Dad had always said that it was too expensive, and being in school band was good enough. And that buying my saxophone had cost enough (enough though it's a budget beginner's saxophone). "When would we have the lessons? And where?" I question.

"He said he offers lessons actually at Julian Worth-Marion's practice rooms, so that's where," Mom says, checking her phone. She scrolls. "He has a list of time slots. We'll have to see if you're available."

She stops the camera and sets it down, with a half-reluctant look on her face. "Okay, so..." she shows me the phone.

I check it out. I have no outside activities—my schedule is self-determined. I want to have my lesson as soon as possible, so I tell her Tuesday afternoons from 5pm to 5:30 is good.

"Okay," says Mom and she starts a new video on her camera, filming her noting it down on our family calendar, a big paper calendar that we hang on the wall. Most everything on there is related to Sam. I think these lessons are my first entry on the calendar this month, which is September. It's September 21st today, a Monday.

I grab an apple from the fruit basket in our kitchen and bring my backpack up to my room, my sanctuary and begin my homework, finishing in twenty minutes. Then I ready my saxophone and start practicing the new pieces.

Tomorrow will be a lot of fun... private lessons for the first time! And playing in a new band! And Arya, I want to know more about her....

Author's Note: Hello readers! I hope you enjoyed this longer chapter! Alie's tomorrow will be very fun in the next chapter... and just wait until you meet Tom in the next few! Thank you so much to all the voters and commenters. I appreciate your support very much. 😊

Please don't forget to vote! Voting helps the story be seen by more people. All comments, questions, and feedback are welcome! I reply and read all comments, but don't be worried, I don't bite.

-Tara