Being a musician, Brian collected instruments; but not for long. Just long enough to acquire the next better thing at which point the earlier "must-have" would be listed on Craig's List for sale. He thought to himself at times that it was kind of like a mania of sorts. To be totally and completely committed to obtaining "THAT PIANO", and then after buying it, when something better came into his sights, to abruptly become totally absorbed in getting the next one. He wondered to himself sometimes if he would ever truly be so satisfied with a piano he bought that he would never again lust for another.
'You would think,' he thought to himself with a laugh, 'that at forty five years of age, I could get my priorities straight.'
He shrugged to himself and continued to write the ad on his PC.
'For Sale: Used electric piano. Several acoustic and electric piano voices, organs, horns and others; effects bank; weighted keys so it feels just like a full sized acoustic piano. For more details e-mail the address below.'
He perused the wording for a moment and then uploaded it to the site; that done, he pushed it out of his mind and then went on with the rest of his day.
He was surprised when he returned from grocery shopping to see that his ad had already scored a hit. He opened the e-mail and read.
'It sounds like your piano is exactly what I've been looking for. When can I see it?'
He hit reply and wrote that anytime this weekend would be a good time and then sent it off. He was even more surprised when he got a response to it within minutes. In it, there was a phone number and a name, Rachel Williams. He went to his phone and dialed and the call was answered almost immediately.
"Hello," he heard a girl's voice say.
"Hi, is this Rachel?" he said.
"Yes, is this Brian?" she said excitedly. "Are you the one with the piano?"
'That's right I am."
"Oh I'd love to see it! Can I come over this afternoon?"
Brian thought for a moment and agreed. He gave her the address and she explained it might take her awhile to get there because she'd be taking the bus. He told her not to worry about it because he didn't have any concrete plans, so she should get there whenever she could. She sighed with relief and then hung up.
Brian went about his business, preparing a meal so he could eat and clean up before her arrival and changing into some casual shorts and a loose button-down shirt. It was hot and, although the AC was going full blast, there was still a lot of heat and humidity in his apartment.
He settled down to watch some TV and eventually got bored. He decided to play some computer games for awhile and was soon lost in his own world; so much so that he was surprised to hear a diffident knock on the door.
He turned off his game and then went to the door. Standing in the hall was a girl with brown hair pulled into a ponytail and glasses with dark brown rims; she looked to be in her early thirties. She had a full skirt on that reached to her shins and a small tank-top that was soaking wet from the heat outside. She was also carrying a button-down sweater over her arm and he guessed she had worn it to cover up the tank-top. She didn't look like the type to wear a small chemise like that in public, In fact, Brian's first impression when he looked at her could be summed up in one word; mousey. She had obviously underestimated the heat of the day before she left her own place.
"Come in," Brian said with a smile. "You must be Rachel."
She smiled shyly and stepped through the door. Her facial expression immediately changed from aggravation from the heat to relief as she felt the cooler air in the apartment. She smiled and sighed as she walked through to the living room and turned to Brian.
"Wow," she said, "I can't believe how hot it is outside!"
"I know," Brian said. "It is pretty warm out there. Can I offer you a drink? I have lemonade or I could make some coffee."
"Oh yes!" she said gratefully. "I'd love a hot coffee!"
Brian smiled and offered her a chair and then went to the kitchen to start the coffee machine up. After that he guided her to the piano in the music room.
"Well here it is!" he said with a flourish. "You can look at it and play it as much as you like while we wait for the coffee."
Rachel's eyes lit up and she touched the piano lightly with one hand, gently running her fingers almost the whole length of the keyboard and looking down at it lovingly. She sat down and tentatively played a soft chord; the sound of the piano made her smile and she began to play a piece that Brian recognized but didn't know the title of.
He watched her as she became more absorbed in her playing. She was studying the keys in front of her, her fingers fleeting lightly from one to another, her touch becoming more and more certain as she played. The sound of her playing eventually filled the entire apartment and, he knew, could probably be heard in the hall outside as well.
'The neighbors will know it's not me playing.' He thought to himself with a chuckle. 'She's much better than I ever will be!'
He went to prepare the coffee and listened as she continued to play. It was obvious that she loved music and was making the piano do things he had never been able to do. Brian was strictly what he liked to call "a banger", someone who hammered out chords while the rest of the band made it sound good.
After a long time she sat back and sighed heavily. She looked at Brian with a big smile, her eyes lighting up briefly, and then she blushed.
"I love it!" she said with feeling. "It sounds beautiful!"
Brian nodded and sat back to sip his coffee. She continued to look at him and Brian could sense there was something she was not telling him, at least not yet.
"You like it then?" he said.
"Oh yes, it's wonderful!" she said. "I have a small problem though."
Brian cocked his head to one side and tried not to let the internal grimace he was feeling show on his face.
"Oh?" he said blandly. "What kind of problem?"
She blushed again and frowned as she looked at the floor. She looked back up and but her bottom lip.
