She scooted the piano bench closer to the piano, which made a screeching sound across the wooden planks of the stage floor. “Sorry.” She mumbled into the microphone, which was set way too loud. The suits and the bartender turned their attention toward her. She looked thoroughly nervous. I smiled at her and her face softened a bit. She leaned back and turned a dial on the sound system. “Better?” I nodded.
Tati yelled, “You got this, girl!”
“Okay, here’s a song I wrote, but it’s also your next clue, so pay attention, you guys.” Her nervous laugh echoed through the silent bar.
“Grace writes songs?” Brandon asked.
Tati and I both shushed him at the same time.
Grace played a long rhythmic introduction that sounded like typical jazz bar fare and then picked up the pace until a melody emerged. She could play any instrument so effortlessly; it was mesmerizing. Still, when she started to sing, we were all holding our breaths. No one had heard her really sing, but like everything else, she was a revelation.
Run to the place where your royals play, Your friends gather and we hide away.
In the open but unseen, How reckless those moments we have are, How precious.
Why don’t we run to the place where the children dance, Generals stand,
And we can wade to our knees in the summer . . .
When she was finished, we all stood up and clapped. “Bravo!” Tati yelled. The businessmen all clapped and shouted, “Great job!”
“Dude, that was pretty good. I didn’t even know she could play the piano,” Brandon said.
“She’s amazing,” I said quietly as I watched her step down from the stage. Tati nudged me in the arm and winked.
The bartender called Grace over. “You’re a million times better then most of the people who come in here on open mic night.” I pulled her into my arms, beaming down at her. She was looking up at me, smiling. Her face was beet red. I kissed her on the nose. “Washington Square Park?”
She laughed. “Was it that obvious?”
“Kind of. You suck at clues, but this is still fun. Shots before we go?”
The bartender poured us a round of whiskey shots, and then we bought hot dogs from a cart on our way to the park. We were severely drunk, and it was only one o’clock in the afternoon. I was afraid if we didn’t eat a lot more than hot dogs, I’d have to carry Grace back to the dorms by the time this was all over.
“I’m having fun. I’m glad you arranged this,” I told her. The truth was that Grace and I could have fun folding laundry, and Brandon and Tati were always up for whatever we had planned. It was just easy with the four of us.
Once we were in Washington Square Park, we sat together under our usual tree. Brandon lit a joint and all we all took turns passing it around. I laid my head in Grace’s lap. “I can’t think of a better way to spend a Wednesday.” I yawned.
“You know, Graceland used to do this for her brother and sisters back home.” Tati said.
“You did?” I looked up at her and smiled.
“Yeah, just to pass the time.” Grace said absently. “But, actually, this case is a little different.” She paused and drew in a deep breath. “I wanted to gather you all together and tell you that I got into grad school. I get to stay at NYU!” She threw up her arms in celebration.
“Oh my god!” I stood and picked her up, spinning her around. “I’m so happy for you!”
I noticed that Tati was quiet and Brandon seemed clueless. Grace noticed, too.
When I put her down, she turned to them. “Aren’t you guys happy for me?”
Tati shrugged. “I guess. Yeah, Grace I’m happy for you.” She stood up and grabbed her bag. “Listen, Brandon has a paper to write and I was going to meet with Pornsake about the summer thing.”
Something flitted across Grace’s expression. “So you’re officially going?”
“Well, you got into grad school. Why does that bother you?” Tati asked wryly.
“It doesn’t. We don’t even play the same instrument. What do I care?”
“Seems like you care a little. Not sure why, though. You’re the one who turned him down.”
“I didn’t exactly turn him down.”
“He bought you an eleven hundred dollar bow, Grace.”
“So?”
I scowled at Tati. “She’s going to grad school. That’s why she’s not going to Europe with Pornsake.”
“No, she’s waiting around for you, Matt. For when you come back to New York.”
“Tatiana!” Brandon scolded her.
“What? It’s true.”
“I’m going to grad school because I want an advanced degree. You can gallivant all over Europe with Pornsake for the next year and a half. I don’t care.”
Grace turned and stormed off toward the chess tables.
I turned to Tati, furious that she had ruined Grace’s big announcement and our afternoon. “I didn’t pressure Grace to stay, if that’s what you think.”
“You guys can’t be away from each other for a whole year, even though this traveling orchestra would be an insane opportunity and experience for her.”
I looked at Brandon and then back to Tati. “You think you two can be away from each other for that long?”
“We’re solid, Matt. Brandon and I can spend five minutes away from each other and not go crazy, unlike you guys.”
“If you guys are so solid, why don’t you marry him then?”