Page 19 of Margot
Me: Yeah! I can’t wait!
My response was typed out with a straight face. Those exclamation points were lies.
“Who was that?” Lennox asked. I watched his strong hand screw on the top to his travel mug.
“Sarah. Evidently, there’s going to be someone from a magazine at rehearsal interviewing us. You know how I just love talking about myself,” I deadpanned. Lennox chuckled and pulled me close to him. I swear his proximity had the power to heal me every time. I just wished it would heal the deepest scars…the ones I couldn’t reach.
“They didn’t give you a heads up before today?”
“They did. It’s on my calendar. I just…forgot.” I shrugged my shoulders and laid my head on his chest. It was so hard and chiseled.
“Damn, I wish I knew about it earlier. I’ll make sure to do something nice for you when I get home though. Don’t worry, Sutton, you’ll kill it. You always do.”
“Thanks.” I looked up at him and wanted so badly to put my lips on his. I was frozen though. “Hey…can I have a kiss?” I asked him so quietly I didn’t know if he heard me or not.
“Always.” He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. It was such a slow and sweet kiss but it set me on fire from the inside out. If I was a better wife, I’d be able to tell him that. “I love you, Sutton. I’ll see you when I get home. Good luck with your rehearsal and interview.” He smiled once more before heading out of the door. The moment he was gone, my knees went weak.
My head started to throb and I couldn’t focus on anything other than Lennox. It was like he invaded every thought in my mind. I rubbed my temples and went into my bedroom to get dressed. Maybe that would take my mind off Lennox.
I vaguely remember picking out a black skirt and a white blouse and pulling my long hair back into a low ponytail. I was ready by the time my alarm went off though.
I drove to the Meyerhoff building, where we held our shows and parked. I took a moment to get myself together because once I got in there and had to talk to the interviewer, I’d turn into a ball of tangled words and sweaty palms.
When I was on stage in front of hundreds playing the piano, I was fine but conversations with people I didn’t know scared me. I shook my hands out and wiggled my fingers. Hopefully, I’d get to play for a while to relax before I had to be interviewed. Maybe I’d get out of the interview altogether.
I walked inside and the usual buzz from conversation met me. I hung my coat up and went straight to the rehearsal room where I found my piano.
“Hey, Sutton!” Sarah sat beside me like a ray of sunshine. My shoulders turned to wooden planks.
“Hi, Sarah. How’s it going?”
“Great. I’m just waiting for the interviewer to get here. Do I look nervous, because I feel like I’m going to throw up.” She forced a smile but I could definitely see the nerves jittering behind her blue eyes.
“You look nervous but you’ll be fine and please god, don’t throw up,” I laughed.
“We’ve known about this interview for weeks and I’m still not prepared.”
“Is the person going to interview us all individually or collectively or…” I looked to her for answers but she shrugged her shoulders. She was just as clueless as me. That did nothing to help my anxiety about the situation.
“Ugh,” I groaned. “Let me get some practice in before we have to rehearse together.” Luckily, nobody else was practicing on instruments so I wasn’t distracted. I got in a solid fifteen minutes before the concertmaster, Samuel Chu, came in and made announcements.
Most of them I didn’t pay attention to but my ears turned on the moment he mentioned the interviewer. “Charlie Munson fromBe More Music Magazinewill arrive shortly. He will interview all of our principal musicians. So Sarah, Kim, Martin, James, Sutton…” When I heard my name, I cringed inside. I knew I’d have to give an interview.
Once announcements were done and the chatter died down, we all went on stage and took our positions. At the concertmaster’s cue, we began. I lost myself in the notes as usual and before I knew it, we were being called to stop.
It was time for the interviews to begin.
I lurked around the auditorium seats where Samuel was giving his interview and I should have known better. I only wanted to hear what he was saying and get a feel for what I should be saying.
When Samuel looked at me, I froze to my spot. “Oh, and this woman right here, is Sutton English. She’s quite possibly the most talented pianist I’ve ever had the chance to work with. For her to be so young, she has incredible talent.” Just like that, I was the next person being interviewed.
“Well, let me interview this talented woman,” Charlie gave me a big, toothy grin as I sat beside Samuel. “Now, promise not to be nervous. I’m just going to ask you some quick questions and then I promise to let you go,” he chuckled.
I watched him flip over a page on his note pad then scribble down my name. “How old are you, Sutton?” He asked.
“I’m twenty-four,” I told him with a polite smile and nod. I saw Sarah watching me from the stage and I wanted to pull her over so I could have someone else beside me.
“Wow, you are young. When did you start playing the piano?”
