Percy’s hands felt monstrous as his hands cradled the baby grand piano, it was like the one his fingertips danced on at Carnegie Hall. It played the same piece his fingers had evoked in the past, except this time they awoke melody in a winding motion. He wound the silver dial and held the plastic piano music box up to his ear as the imaginary ivories tickled his memory and pulled on his heart strings. When the music stopped he would start this process all over again.
She heard this from the other room and entered like a cool breeze.
“Is that what I think it is, isn’t that the song you danced to with Grace”
Percy’s lips remained silent but his eyes spoke volumes. There was something about Grace, he had fallen for her and had fallen from her, and was never quite able to pick himself up right since she left him, and his mind, with her memory tattooed on it.
“I’m talking to you Percy”
She was always talking but rarely said anything; her voice had become white noise in the background as the melody absorbed him. He remembered his first encounter with Grace. She was a music major at NYU and had come to see his recital at Carnegie Hall. She insisted on shaking the hand that could paint pictures through sound. How do you do’s were exchanged, hands touched, conversation sparked out of instant chemistry and continued over drinks where hands held. On their second date they saw the late showing of Love Story. Afterwards they had spoken of their love for American Cinema, and how they could relate to the characters in the movie. Grace thought Ali McGraw was pretty but Percy thought Grace was beautiful. They had wed three months later and their wedding was modest. They danced their first dance to the song Percy first played at his recital which coincidentally was the theme song to Love Story, his ears had always loved that piece, and as he held Grace and they swayed in the hall like poppies in a field on a wind kissed day, his heart finally understood it. Grace’s eyes overflowed with love for Percy as he held her, her heart beat so fast, he thought it might jump out of her chest.
“I’m leaving you Percy, it’s been on my mind for a while, and lately I doubt if I’m ever on your mind at all. I thought we could work through this but clearly we can’t. You only love her”
She spoke but to Percy her words were just static, he was trying to tune into a moment of Grace.
The door slammed. It echoed the sound of Grace hitting the dance floor on their wedding night.
Her heart stopped.
The music stopped.
Percy started it up again.
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