London Harmony: Water Gypsy (6 page)

The next day I felt like I was riding the waxing and buffing machine like a runaway bronco in the offices and the loos. We would have to stay late tonight to do the hallways and the two classrooms. Whoever invented these bloody machines didn't have smaller women in mind to operate them did they? Paya and I would switch off every few minutes, it was strenuous work.

She had stopped and looked at me with a touch of concern, and said, “You look tired Tabs. Are you getting enough sleep? Did you have dinner?”

I grinned at her concern and bumped her out from behind the torture contraption and grabbed the handle and started the beast up. “I was just up late on my lessons, 'mum'.” I hoped she didn't notice I hadn't addressed the dinner question, but I had got so caught up in my studies. I ate two apples for breakfast to make up for it.

She smirked smugly at the mum comment then shook her head as she moved the cord from my path on the semi-runaway buffer. “You sound like a student.”

I scrunched up my face and cocked an eyebrow at her and promptly slipped and fell on my bum as the machine glided away and stopped. We both laughed as I stood and chuckled. “I don't know what I am. The entire situation is so confusing.”

She shook her head and took control of the rebellious machine again as she said, “Have you thought of, you know, asking her?”

I corralled the cord as she went along. I shrugged and replied, “She's so... intimidating, and I find it hard to speak to her.”

She barked out a squeaky surprised laugh and said through a cocky smile, “And, you're hot for teacher.”

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath then exhaled quickly and said under my breath as I opened my eyes. “And, I'm hot for teacher.”

Paya squinted and prompted, “What was that?”

She knew damn well what I said. I whipped the cord causing a wave to travel up the cord to the buffer, it smacking her bum along the way as I said, “Not a thing, back to work you.”

She said imperiously as the machine almost pulled her into a wall. “A bloody slave driver is what you are woman!” I gave her another cord whack to the bum earning me a squeak and a giggle from my bestie.

At lunch, Paya put the back of her hand to her brow dramatically then laughed and rolled her eyes as she headed to the break room while I hustled the opposite direction to my stockroom. The lesson in the other room, today was all theory and no singing. Boooo. It was still a fascinating listen as I split my attention between that and my book. I took a moment to reflect on the fact that I had learned more about music in the past week than what I learned in secondary school and on my own.

I looked at the time on my mobile and stood, tea was almost over. I stacked my things on the shelf next to me and smoothed down my uniform dress. Quickly ran my fingers through my short hair to give it a little body then waited.

I had to stop the smile from blooming on my face when a minute later the door opened and the light flickered on. I took a moment to take her in, just how many of those spectacular single color professional dresses did the woman own?

She was wearing a tangerine dress with a matching wide fabric hairband and kitten heels. Another one of those white pantsuit coats over it. Her makeup was slightly less understated today and played with her color choice of the day with hints of darker oranges, and her lips were a creamy satin sheen that had so much depth. I stopped myself from staring at them and licking my own.

She appeared to be similarly appraising me. A maid. I crossed my arms over my chest, wanting to shrink away in the drab uniform. Then I swear I caught a glimmer of concern in her face, it was so subtle and quick that I may have imagined it, and her face became stern and professional. “You have no formal training?” I shook my head and she hid a smile behind her hand before she straightened back up and snapped, “First lesson please.”

She tilted her head up almost imperiously, but I caught the slight movement as she cocked her head slightly to listen intently as her eyes squinted almost imperceptibly. If I hadn't been so mesmerized by her face at the time, I would have missed it. Slowly, that serene look spread across her face as I progressed and the tiniest of smiles I don't think she realized she was doing.

Her fingers, more accurate than a metronome, tapped at her hip. Her eyebrow raising and falling with the two difficult transitions. I was close to perfect on the first one. It could use more work, and I nailed the second transition and the smile at the corner of her lips spread just a tiny bit more as she closed her eyes and listened to the last of the passage.

When I was done, she straightened up and smoothed her dress over her shapely hips and said, “Passable. Continue to work on the first transition. It was sloppy.” I felt like I had cocked up and not pleased her. I'd make sure to get it right the next time. Wait, I had been working my bum off and she was criticizing?

Before I could finish the thought, she asked, “And the other?” She tilted her head slightly in a cute manner. I fought a smile for thinking anything this terrifying woman did was cute. A tiny voice in my head mocked me, “But it was.”

I swapped out the music and grimaced at this one. It was designed to punish the singer, to force irregular breathing patterns in order to follow most of the bridge and even refrain. I wondered what type of sadistic person could come up with something which was obvious that nobody could accomplish. I rubbed my thumb over her mother's name on the sheet music. Oh yeah, maybe her.

I took a couple conditioning breaths and started. The instructor's voice in the next room silenced. I stumbled through two-thirds of it but had been able to slip into the groove, concentrating on my lungs, diaphragm and projection. I was smiling as I just felt it all clicking, right up until I stumbled into a more taxing grouping. I finished and just shrugged at the woman.

I couldn't read anything in her face. She seemed to be going over something in her head. The silence stretched on and I started fidgeting and wringing my fingers as the lesson next door started up again. She nodded once and said, “That was abysmal, you need to apply yourself more like you did in the first lesson. This will help you accomplish the first lesson and the successive ones more quickly. Breath control will either make or break you. Take it more seriously.”

She was berating me! I... she... I broke, letting some of my temper and confusion through. “I don't understand what we are doing here. I'm trying to please you, but you keep belittling my singing. I'm not a student here I'm just attempting to do my job. Now I'm trying to sing these impossible lessons to earn your favor and I don't bloody know why!”

I felt a tear on my cheek, great now I was embarrassing myself even more. I hadn't even seen her take the two steps to me, and her hot hand was on my cheek, I caught a hint of the floral scent of her shampoo. I wanted so much to lean into her touch as she wiped the tear away with her thumb.

Then like a spirit she was gone, walking out the door saying over her shoulder, “We'll pick this up again tomorrow. Constrict rather than broaden your diaphragm on the fourth measure.” Then I was standing alone, angry, confused, sad, and... happy, almost aroused from her touch. I placed my fingers on my cheek where her hand had rested.

I shook my head as I gathered my things, knowing I would, I would practice more for her tonight. Why did I always want the women I could never have? The only way I could get her to acknowledge me was to try to do these impossible lessons. I was such a bloody muppet.

I stepped into the hall chastising myself, then the blood drained from my face realizing I had snapped at my employer. Paya's dragon lady. I may have pushed too far this time. I closed the door behind me then gently banged my head on the door with my eyes closed muttering, “Stupid, stupid, stupid.”

I heard the click of a door and looked up. Mrs. McClellan. Was half walking half sneaking down the hall to me she grinned and scrunched her head down to her shoulders, like she was being sneaky? I had to smile at the woman. She looped her arm in mine and pulled me down the hall away from her daughter's office. “Walk with me love.”

I tilted my head at her and asked carefully, “Doctor McClellan?”

She winced. “None of that nonsense, please Tabitha, call me Marjorie or Marj.”

She pulled me into the break room as Paya was walking out to clock in. My friend cocked an eyebrow and I just shrugged. She gave a concerned look then darted off toward the time clock as ummm, Marj, guided me to one of the six little lunch tables in the room to sit.

She scrunched up her face as she grabbed one of my hands between both of hers, then she tilted her head like she was looking for the words. She nodded to herself then said, “You have to forgive Teri, she's just lost in her own world. She can't believe she found a prodigy. She's over the moon and not sure what to do. You have her second and third guessing herself. She gushes on about such a cute little thing having such a huge voice.”

Cute little thing? Teresa thought I was cute? Wait, what? Prodigy? I said, “I don't know what you're on about a prodigy. I can barely do the lessons she's giving me. I don't know why she's even doing it. Does she pity me? Is it charity? Let's help out the poor maid.”

She sighed and let go of my hand with one of her hands and pushed her frosted chocolate brown hair out of her face and over her shoulder. I noted she had the same light dusting of freckles on her face as her infuriating daughter. She chuckled.“Charity? No. Oh dear one, you don't realize your gift do you?”

I squinted at her in confusion. She looked over at my things and let go of my hand and grabbed the book written by her. “Those lessons...” She flipped through the book and placed a finger between some pages then continued back to the torture devices designed to suck the will to live out of any singer that I was working on. “...that she has you working on...” She trailed off as I looked at the evil breathing exercise. She flipped the book open a couple chapters earlier where she had her finger. Then stabbed the page with a finger. 'Master's Techniques, For Ten Year Masters Level Vocalists.' I blinked.

She continued, “You have no formal training dear one, each of those lessons takes a master months to perfect. There is a bare handful of vocalists that can accomplish them. Yet in days, you have almost perfected one and are well on the way to accomplishing the next. You are a musical prodigy Tabitha. And my dear daughter has been happier the past few days than she has been in years. She won't stop babbling about you.”

She reinforced, “You have taught yourself what takes years, if not a decade or more, of rigorous classical training to accomplish. And even then most fail. You are Teresa's miracle. You understand? So please don't think ill of her, this is something new she doesn't understand and is a little exuberant about.”

My lips quirked up at that. The ice queen babbled about me? She thought of me as her miracle? I glanced at the woman and blushed a little, nodded then looked down at my hands, and fidgeted.

She smiled at me and gave my hand a squeeze then stood. “I have to get back to the class.”

I nodded up at her and she smiled and went back into the hall. I thought for a moment then my eyes snapped wide as I saw the clock on the wall. Bloody hell! I was late clocking back in! I ran out and down the hall to the time clock.

Paya was standing there next to our cleaning equipment with a grin on her face. I looked at my card and I was already punched in, just in time it seems. She shrugged with a grin and said, “I figured if you weren't sacked, I'd better save you from being so.”

I smiled and replied through a cheesy toothy grin, “I loves me some sweet caramel.”

She walked away with a smug and smiling look on her face, saying, “As you should Tabs, as you should.” I chased down the hall after her, dragging the bucking beast of a buffer.

At the end of the double shift, every muscle ached but we had successfully moved all the furniture, waxed the floors in the classrooms and hallway then moved all of the furniture back. It was dark out when we exited. I had noted that the light was still on in Teresa's office when we exited through the alley door and Paya locked it.

I voiced the observation as a familiar silver truck idled down the alleyway toward us, “The headmistress was still there.”

My Indian friend said, “She has to set the alarms after we leave. She is always there before we arrive in the morning and is the last person to leave.” We slid into the bench seat in the truck and buckled up.

I smiled for reasons I didn't know. Then I said to our chauffeur, “Hey Harry,” He insisted that neither of us takes the coaches this late at night, too many unsavories around.

He brought a finger to his forehead in a mini salute and asked my bestie, “Where to milady?”

She smiled and looked at me. “See? I got this one all trained up.” Then she grabbed his free hand and laced their fingers. She shot me an evil squinty glare. “Since I know for a fact that this one here only had half of an apple for supper, the nearest drive-thru if you would sweetie.”

I tried to argue, “Hey now...” She held up a finger and her squint deepened and I hung my head in mock shame. “Yes ma'am.”

She bobbled her head in a silly manner with a cute grin as she said, “There's a good girl. I'm not saving for a new flat so it's my treat. I'm not going to let you wither away to nothing because you're afraid to spend lolly on food.”