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Show CHAPTER TWENTY Ever since the night of the coneert at the hospital, Mother had practiced every morning, waking me with the sounds of scales and etudes, the workhorses of music, Mother called them. She played things I had not heard before, pieces she was preparing for another concert at the hospital. That Saturday morning, the day after Andrew came, I lay in bed as usual, listening until Mother stopped playing. I heard her talking to Father who left later on Saturday for the hospital. He usually only stayed half a day, just to check on the bad cases. They were in the kitchen when I came in, Father eating one of Mother's muffins and Mother drinking coffee from her blue cup. "Morning, love," Father said. "Hello, Annie." I kissed them both and then yawned, hugely. Father chuckled. "Keeping late nights?" "Yes, I'm tired." "You'd better start going to bed earlier. School starts in two weeks." Mother poured more coffee for Father and brought me a bowl of peaches. I made a face and plopped down in my chair. School. The summer was over before I was ready for it to be. The days were already tinged with the sense of ending, of doing things for the last time. Mother sat down and pushed my hair back from my forehead. "Annie, can you entertain yourself today? I'm going out to the hospital for a bit." "Are you going to play some more? I thought that wasn't for a while." |