"Good morning, my children. My name is Mr. Dayton and I'll be your band director today." smiled the teacher. "We have two new band geeks in our midst as of today, Iris Preble and Dalilah Bacheller. Ladies, will you stand and let us know which on of you is which?" Dolly, my best friend, stood in the percussion section.
"Hi. I'm Dalilah or Dolly or whatever."
My turn. "I'm Iris, no nicknames." I shrugged and sat back down on my piano's bench.
Dolly and I go back a long way. We first met as Brownies in 1st grade. My mom was the leader of our Girl Scout troop; her mom was the main helper. We've stuck together ever since.
Over in the flute section, Tiffani Bordeaux sneered. "Fresh meat." She said to the stands of flutists around her, who cackle appraisingly.
"Nice to meet you ladies." Said Mr. Dayton. "Today, we'll be starting new music, one of Scott Joplin's most famous songs, 'The Entertainer'." He passed music the first stand in every section. I received mine from the chap at the piano next to mine. "Welcome to Allen. I'm Sam Clouse. Don't take offense from the 'band geek' comment. Around here, it's a compliment."
I took the music. "None taken." I grinned. I ran my fingers over the smooth keys of the baby grand piano, playing a few bars of Beethoven's "Fur Elise" softly to get the feel of the piano. When everyone had their music, Mr. Dayton counted off, and began to play. I was instantaneously lost in the rhythm. As quickly as it began, I was jerked from my haven.
"Stop, stop, stop. We're not playing together. Trombones and pianos, you're ahead of the rest of us. You need to listen. With that in mind, let's take it from the top.