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broke my right arm.
 Holy shit! That was a serious injury for a musician,
especially a violinist.  But you should heal okay, right? Or do they
think it ll affect your playing?
 It looks like a clean break, but I suppose we ll see. Now he
sounded bummed. Well, fuck, I would ve been borderline suicidal.
Now Mom was giving me this  hang up the damn phone and
get back to work look. I got up and went out into the hall.  Is
there anything I can do?
 Actually, that s what I called about. The group s got some
engagements booked for the first couple weeks of December, but
now there s no violin. We wondered if you d mind sitting in.
For a few moments, I was so stunned I couldn t say anything.
 I-I m flattered by the invitation, but that s only three weeks off.
I m not sure I can be prepared in time. Yeah, I d learned the
Brahms in a day, but no fucking way was I putting myself through
that kind of stress again. Besides, that was just one concerto, not
an entire program of chamber music.
 You already know most of the pieces we play. We plan to
repeat the Four Seasons, and then there s some Mozart, Haydn and
Bach all exactly your cup of tea. The CD s selling quite well
through Wigmore Hall s website, by the way. In fact, the group
was hoping to do signings after the concerts.
Jesus. This was a bit overwhelming.  When do you need me?
 Ideally, no later than November twenty-ninth. The first
concert s at the Wigmore on December fourth. We d like to fit in
one or two extra rehearsals if possible, since this will be your first
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SONATA APPASSIONATA
time as an actual member of the group, rather than a guest artist.
The twenty-ninth was a Monday the Monday after
Thanksgiving. Oh, great. Getting on a plane that weekend would
be a ton of fun.
But still, the idea of working with the Idyllwild group again
was kind of exciting. I d enjoyed the quieter, more intimate energy
of performing with a small ensemble. They played baroque and
classical, music I truly loved. And besides, they d been kind
enough to help launch my tour. The least I could do was lend a
hand when they needed it.
 Okay, I said finally,  I ll do it. Give Dieter a call with all the
details, so he can get the contracts out to me. And email me a list
of the specific pieces, so I can start preparing.
 Thank you, Matt. Derek sounded as if he d been holding his
breath.  I know you must have better offers, and God knows we
can t pay you much, but 
 Don t worry about that. Just send me a plane ticket and book
me into a decent hotel, and I ll see you on the twenty-ninth.
 That sounds eminently fair. Thank you again.
The line clicked off.
Talk about a change in plans. Just thinking about everything I
had to get done before I left was starting to make me dizzy. I
leaned against the wall and stared down at my phone. Then I dialed
Aaron s number.
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SONATA APPASSIONATA
CHAPTER 8
Matt called to apologize for our latest fight, and I apologized
back. We both laughed about it and agreed to leave it in the past. I
hated being angry with him. I d had a fist-sized knot in my
stomach ever since I d left his house that night.
We also agreed to scale our visits back to once a week until our
lives calmed down a bit. With Matt s family obligations and
practicing schedule, and my frantic running around trying to
prepare for next term, we were both strapped for time. I d never
take two months off again if I could help it. It d probably take me
at least four to catch up.
He kept hinting around about some big surprise, but he
wouldn t give me any clues. I d have to wait until Thanksgiving.
Well, okay. Whatever it was, I m sure it d be worth it.
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SONATA APPASSIONATA
Thanksgiving afternoon I swung into Matt s driveway,
intending to park there. But it was already occupied by a sleek
black Escalade. Matt hadn t mentioned anything about replacing
his mother s van. Was this the surprise he d been hinting about?
Seemed odd he wouldn t just tell me about it.
I parked around the corner, then walked back quickly, charging
up the front stairs two at a time. I d reached the halfway point
when I glanced down and noticed a uniformed driver sitting behind
the huge SUV s wheel. Was someone else joining us for dinner?
Matt hadn t said anything about that either.
I stepped through the door to the sound of voices echoing from
the living room, laughing and chattering away in French. I
immediately recognized Matt and Carmela, but there was another
voice, too. One I d heard before. A man s voice, with a heavy
Russian accent.
And there sat Aleksandr Petrovsky on the far end of the couch
where I usually sat, regaling Carmela with a story that had her
doubled over in fits of giggling. Matt sat next to him, his blue eyes
riveted, obviously hanging on every fucking word.
Petrovsky took his time getting to the punch line, milking each
and every detail for all the attention he could hog. Of course, when
he finally got there, Matt and Carmela both roared. Petrovsky just [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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