The Day the Music Died

Mamaw and I shared a love of music as far back as I remember. She loved old country, golden oldies, and the music of the bygone eras. I loved all the genres especially classical. I started playing the violin because of her and I will be forever grateful. Music was a type of life force for us and now I have to find my way without her. A few weeks ago, I came home from school on a Friday expecting to go straight to violin practice. I entered the back door and threw my book bag on the floor. I fell over taking off my shoes on the mat in an effort to get my afternoon snack. Mom had messaged me earlier saying she made my favorite, peach cobbler! The smell had filled the whole house and I was salivating.

I bounded into the kitchen and prepared to squeeze my mom hello. I stopped cold in my tracks when I saw her leaning heavily on the kitchen table, eyes red rimmed, and a whole box of tissues next to her. “Mom?” I squeaked timidly. She looked up slowly at me as if just realizing I was there. Fresh tears welled up in her tired eyes and she grabbed me while saying, “Honey I am so sorry.” It took me a few minutes to finally work out the dreaded truth; my Mamaw had passed that morning. She had been in poor health the last couple weeks. Being as stubborn as she was, she refused to be placed in a ‘home’. Subsequently home healthcare came to her house to make sure she had everything she needed.

My body shook uncontrollably and I raised my hands to my face and found I had already started crying. Deep heaving sobs wracked my chest and my mom held me tightly. My father had passed away when I was three years old so it had just been us three musketeers against the world. Now I began to feel a gaping hole that was cold as ice in my heart. I peeled myself away from my mom and numbly glanced at the clock. We had twenty five minutes to get to my violin lesson if I was gonna make it. My mom followed my glance and she said she had already called my teacher. My arms felt like concrete weights and I had no idea if I could actually hold my instrument. My mom carefully guided me to my bedroom and tucked me into bed. I don’t remember her helping me into my pajamas or brushing my hair.

I awoke the next day to sunlight pouring in the window and birds sang sweet serenades. For a brief moment I forgot the tragic events of yesterday, till I glanced over to my memory board and saw a picture of me and Mamaw at her house. I guess you could call it a mansion, I just never thought of her as rich or anything snobbish. I grabbed my body pillow and sniffled into it for a good hour. I finally pulled myself up and out of bed and trudged down the hall to see my mom sitting amongst a small mountain of papers. She briefly glanced up and tried to smile for me. I kissed her head as she continued to speak into her cellphone. I grabbed a bowl, spoon, milk jug, and my favorite cereal. I plunked them all down on the dining table near her and poured a heaping bowl. “Get dressed after munchies, kiddo. The lawyer is gonna meet us at….(her voice cracked) Mamaw’s house for a reading of her final wishes.”

I gulped and nodded my head in agreement. I went back to my room and got dressed in my best. Blue pants, cream shirt, blue and grey checkered vest, and my favorite grey low top boots. I wanted to keep Mamaw’s tradition of dressing for success, especially on this day. I brushed my brown curls into a reasonable bun, applied minimal makeup, and met mom downstairs. We arrived at quarter to noon and were guided into the sitting parlor. Terence, the butler, was a kindly gentleman who was quiet and reserved. He tried to hide his red eyes and held his gloved hand near his face while we waited for the lawyer. I jumped in my chair when the doorbell rang and tried to slow my heart rate.

The lawyer sat down opposite us and opened a leather briefcase. He looked too stern and cold to have been associated with Mamaw. She knew a lot of people from traveling. He pulled out a sheaf of papers, an envelope, and a strange little black book. He informed us we were inheriting my Mamaw’s house, all monies collected from the sale of her other properties, and discovered she had paid off our current home. My mom buried her head in her hands and sobbed quietly. The lawyer respectfully waited until she gathered herself and continued by opening the envelope and handing me the little black book. It had a small clasp on the front with decorative designs etched along the edges.

As he opened the envelope my heart burst with sadness and gratitude. We had been barely making it for awhile with my mom’s income and she was too proud to ask for help. Mamaw had noticed and respected her independence, yet wanted to take care of us at the end. I realized the lawyer had been reading and caught the last part of the letter. “...for my beautiful, sweet granddaughter I leave my little black book. In it I have written life lessons I gathered and left a puzzle only you can solve. It will lead you to your own special inheritance from me, my sweet girl. I know you will use it wisely and it will enrich your life and the lives of all around you. Love to eternity, Mamaw.” He then handed me a small keychain that had the same design etched on it as the book.

I took the keychain with tears streaming down my face and held it to my chest with the book. My mom slipped her arm around me and held me while I cried. A little while later, I wiped my face with the tissues she handed me and opened the book. I flipped the pages skimming the very familiar handwriting until I reached the last entry made two days prior to her passing. It read simply: ‘The angels above strain to hear; the beauty you bring when you appear. Notes and letters, lines and frames; both are in common with this key chain. Pull the lever, press the scorching heat; once it’s open you’ll find life’s final treat. Take the gift dear angel, and don’t forget; the only thing worth losing in this life, is regret.’

We spent the rest of the day with Terence planning our new life together. I was relieved to see my mom preoccupied, if only for a moment. She worked so hard and this would decrease her stress a lot. Terence set up a moving company to pack up our house and get us settled here, while mom got her real estate friend on the phone. I meandered to my favorite room, the library. Mamaw and I spent many hours here reading and playing music together. I sat in her large, comfy desk chair to meditate and try to take in the past few hours.

I knew the first line of the puzzle was about me playing my violin. The next line was a little more veiled. I glanced at the keychain in my hand to study the design. There was the same one on the black book with some music notes and random letters. I looked closer at the swirls and saw they were tight little chains. I knew I had seen them before I just couldn’t put my finger on where. My mom called me down for dinner and I forgot about the chains until the following weekend.

I had locked myself in the library to study, when I noticed the chains. They decorated the valances on the windows! I thought back to the puzzle and how the phrase about notes and letters made sense in here. I went to the brass hold back on the wall where the chain was wrapped neatly. It was the closest thing to a lever I’d ever get in this room. As I pulled forward, it screeched to a halt at 90 degrees. Suddenly a wall panel dropped into a hidden slide and I had four pictures staring back at me! I screamed for my mom and Terence to come as quickly as they could!

Huffing and puffing they entered the room and gasped at what they saw. In one very quick breath, I explained everything that had transpired from my studying interruption. We read the puzzle out loud again to see if we could figure out the next step. The pictures were of a glacier, rainforest, desert, and mountain range. ‘Scorching heat’ was the next clue and we fell between the rainforest or the desert. We opted for the desert since temperatures in the rainforest are more humid. I pressed the picture, it sank back two inches, and the entire bookcase to my left swung inward! We peered into a small room with a case resting on a stand in the middle. As my eyes adjusted I froze; inside the case was a Stradivarius violin!

We all huddled together and cried at the gift she had left me. I took the next three hours explaining the significance of this legendary, nearly priceless instrument. Mom and Terence went to fix a quick supper while I dug around in my box of music and settled on my favorite sonata, Eccles for violin in G minor. We had the best pot roast dinner in memory and then for dessert, I brought out this precious treasure and played for the most special people in my life.

The End