A tear escaped down Lily’s cheek. She wiped it away quickly.
“We’d practice for hours, but it never felt like work. She made it fun. She’d make up stories about the music. She’d say, ‘This part sounds like rain on a window,’ or, ‘This part sounds like birds singing in the morning.’ She taught me to feel the music, not just play it.”
Mrs. Patterson shifted uncomfortably against the wall.
“What happened?” Mr. Rodriguez asked gently.
“She got sick 2 years ago. Cancer.”
Lily’s voice cracked on the word.
“She fought really hard. But 6 months later, she was gone.”
“Oh, Lily.”
Mr. Rodriguez pulled a tissue from the box on his desk and handed it to her.
“After she died, everything fell apart. Dad tried to keep working, but the medical bills were so expensive. We had to sell our house. We sold almost everything we had, including the piano.”
Her voice broke completely now, and the tears came faster.