Page 109 of A Convenient Secret
Zach hits the last notes, and Lily claps. “This was really good. I’m so proud of you, young man.”
“I agree, it was really good,” I say.
“Dad.” Zach scrambles to stand up, his eyes wide.
“You’re home early.” Lily moves to stand in front of Zach. Not covering him, but clearly getting ready to protect him.
I want to kiss the hell out of her for that.
But does she really think he needs protecting? From me?
“It was amazing, buddy. I didn’t know you played. Who taught you?” I cross the room and sit on the vacated piano bench, patting it for him to sit as well.
In the periphery, I see Lily pulling at her sleeves, stepping back, and then returning to stay close.
“Lily taught me. Are you mad?” Zach looks at me, the initial guilt in his eyes gone, replaced by a challenge.
“I’m not mad that you are this good at playing thepiano. It’s extraordinary that you managed this at such a young age, and in such a short time.”
His face lights up, but then he remembers the circumstances, and his shoulders sag. “But you’re mad I skipped the practice.”
“I’m not mad at you, Zach. But we will need to address your training absence with your coach. Why don’t you go to your room while I talk to Lily, and when Zoya comes home we’ll go for sushi.”
His eyes widen with excitement. “But it’s not a sushi night.”
Don’t I know it? “We can still go.” I ruffle his hair.
“Cool.” He gives me a quick hug and leaves.
I stand up, and Lily steps back. Is she afraid of me?
“Dad,” Zach calls from the stairs, “don’t be mad at Lily. She really is an excellent piano teacher.”
“Good to know.” I wait for him to turn the corner before I look back at her.
There is fire in her eyes. “Before you talk to him about his responsibility to his team, or not giving up, please hear me out.”
I fold my arms. “I’m listening.”
She jerks her head, blinking a few times like she didn’t expect me to let her talk. Then she squares her shoulders. She is still pulling at her sleeves, though.
“He is really good, and he enjoys it… Unlike soccer. I don’t think his talent and interest should be ignored… And why does he have to play soccer? Is it some sort of stereotypical, macho thing? Because I think—”
“Stop blabbering, because I will take you over my knee.”
Her eyes widen. “You heard him play.”
“Yes, I did, and I agree he’s really good. But he is my son, and you decided that going behind my back and skipping his soccer practice is a good thing. You should have talked to me.”
“And you would have said that soccer is on the schedule, and it’s responsible to do it.”
“It is responsible to finish what you started.”
“I agree. And it’s also healthy and responsible to accept when it’s time to let something go. To make room for something new. Let me ask you, is this really about him being responsible and acting with integrity toward the team, or is it about your convenience? You drew up his schedule to fit yours, and the idea of changing it is unacceptable to you.”
I step closer to her, crowding her. Her back hits the piano. “You know nothing about the past six years when I was trying to figure out how to do this.”
“I can only imagine how hard that was, and it will be for a while, but sticking to your set routine sometimes makes you miss other things in life. You needpredictability, I get it. But life is not always predictable.”
