THE POSTER (Mr. Berswick's P.O.V.)
He wakes up. Blinking the sleepiness from his eyes, he rolls over and stands up. He scratches himself where he needs to be scratched.
The curtains need to be opened; he opens the curtains. It is a nice day. The sun is out and shining. The gloomy October weather has really been weighing down on him lately. The nice weather is a welcome change.
"ALBERT, BREAKFAST!" his wife calls from the kitchen.
"COMING, STELLA!"
She really is a wonderful wife, he thinks. "You make just the best food," he murmurs.
"It's your turn tomorrow," Stella says drily.
Albert, or as he often called himself, Bert, takes out his iPhone and checks his emails while eating the pancakes. One of his students has emailed him, saying, "Dear Mr. Berswick, I think I lost my copy of Dragon Ride. Could you possibly print me another copy?" Ah, life is so nice on weekends... work is not an immediate concern.
Stella suddenly snatches the phone from him. "Albert, mealtime is family time. No phones," she reprimanded him.
"You're not my mother," he says. "Speaking of mothers, would you ever considerr..."
Stella looks sharp. "How many times have I said? I'm not interested in having children, ever. The protection will never come off!"
He laughs and drowns a pancake in syrup. "Anyway, I have a NYMIA meeting at ten this morning."
****
Bert begins walking to the meeting host's house. NYMIA stands for New York (city) Music Instructors Association. Taylor Harmon, the music director of the New York Philharmonic, was the one who had the idea for group meetings of music teachers in New York City. The monthly meetings are always hosted at his house, near Central Park.
Bert rings the doorbell. Harmon opens the door himself. "Hello, Bert," he greets him urbanely. "How are you doing?"
They exchange pleasantries as they walk to the meeting table in Harmon's house. "There's actually some news I have for the group...." says Harmon.
Bert sits down at the wooden table, polished to perfection and with many embellishments and intricate carvings on the legs. A bright, polished glass chandelier with sparkling gold accents casts a warm light over them. Harmon's obvious higherness of class sometimes makes Bert uncomfortable, but Harmon never treats him or his associates condescendingly.
"Thank you for joining us, Bert," says Harmon after Bert settles down a bit and catches up with the other teachers. Bert nods.
"So, I recently received some news—a bit out of my normal musical tastes, but as some of you all are band teachers, I thought you would be interested..." After this preamble, Bert looks at Harmon with interest. "So, there is a Queen contest—by that I mean a contest in which kids under the age of eighteen play a piece from the band Queen. The reward for the winners is a private meeting with Brian May and Roger Taylor, and free admission to a Queen concert of Queen and Adam Lambert."
"Is the concert judged by grade level?" asks Melissa, a middle-aged brunette band teacher for some other school. Bert can't remember much about Melissa other than that she teaches band too.
"Yes," says Harmon.
Other people continue to politely ask questions and others began to talk excitedly among themselves, but Bert doesn't care; he is in his own world. After the meeting ends, Bert walks out, his head in a haze as he thinks about Harmon's news.
Bert has a picture in his eyes. A group of talented ninth-grade saxophones... he knows exactly who he has in mind. He himself is a saxophone player, and has always liked the saxophone over the other instruments. He smiles pleasantly and unlocks the door to his apartment.
Author's Note: Hello reader! A shorter chapter, but this is a bonus update after all. Wait for Saturday's update! I would like to thank you so much for continuing to stick with me! All your wonderful comments have been great encouragement.
I would like to remind you guys to vote for this chapter! Voting helps the story's ranking, helping it be seen by more people.
I welcome all of your comments, questions, and feedback! I read and respond to all of them!
-Tara
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