A Song For Lisa (21 page)

“I know what you mean,” Jonathon laughed. “How are we going
to handle this? We can’t pretend to be strangers and never talk to each other.
I suggest that we be natural with each other and be discreet at public
appearances.”

“I agree. It’s childish to hide what I don’t want to hide,”
she said. “I was so proud of you, Jonathon.”

“Now you know how proud I am of a certain lady when I see
posters all over the campus about a concert next month.”

“I meant to tell you about that. We’re all so excited about
the violinist that’s scheduled to appear. One of the musicians in the orchestra
had played years ago with this Mister Taniguchi, and had nice things to say
about him. The agency that’s handling his bookings has already given us a
repertoire that he’ll perform. I’m familiar with the selections. It should be a
time to forget the war.” Lisa looked at Jonathon and saw a troubled look on his
face. “What’s wrong, Jon?”

“Nothing, I was just thinking how wonderful it is to see
your enthusiasm for a Japanese musician. I’d say that you’ve grown a lot, Lisa
Carter. Do you know how much I love you?”

“You’re going to make me cry right here in front of
everybody,” Lisa whispered. “Come to the house for supper tonight if you want.”

“Thanks for the invite. Just think I’ve been on campus for
only one day and I’ve already gotten two invitations for dinner.” Jon laughed
and continued, “Seriously though, I won’t be able to make it for dinner.
Instead could I bum a ride to Portsmouth tonight? My mother and Faith are
meeting me at Warren’s restaurant in Kittery. You and Terry could join us.
Faith has a week off from school and wants to spend it with me in Durham. I’m
thrilled about that.”

“You mean you need a ride to Kittery,” Lisa asked teasingly.

“Yes, but I refuse to beg,” he grinned. “I’ve got a surprise
to show you tonight.”

“Can Terry come?”

“Of course,” he answered, stepping close to her. “If you
don’t stop bugging me, I’m going to give you a hug and kiss right here.”

“In that case, I’ll cancel supper and meet you at your house
at five-thirty. Is that all right?”

“That’ll be fine, beautiful, I love you,” announced Jonathon
in a whisper and walked confidently away from her.

Lisa watched him with a happy heart. How nice it was to have
someone to share her life with. “I love you, Colonel Wright, more than you
think,” she whispered to herself and continued on her way.

Lisa pulled into Jonathon’s driveway at five-thirty on the
button. He was waiting on the porch for them and climbed into the front seat
with Terry between them.

“What’s your surprise?” she asked on the way to Kittery.

“I can’t tell you until later in the evening after Mother
leaves,” Jon answered with a smirk on his face.

Faith and Mrs. Wright were waiting in the parking lot at
Warren’s restaurant. Lisa enjoyed seeing Faith and Jon interact. They were
bonding more and more with each other and their joy was obvious. They went into
the restaurant, ordered lobsters and shrimp, and sat back to relax and enjoy
the evening.

Jonathon was sitting beside his mother and leaned over to
whisper something in her ear. She smiled at him. “That’s so nice. I’m glad for
you Jon, you should reward yourself more. I’ll be fine on the way back home.
Don’t worry about me. The Nash is running great. Faith has been looking forward
to this vacation for a long time. The two of you need to be together more.”

Lisa watched the exchange between mother and son and was
reminded of the concern a mother always has for her child, regardless of age.

An hour and a half later, Jonathon checked his watch and
announced that they had to be going. They said good-byes to Mrs. Wright and
watched her leave the parking lot and head north. Jonathon asked Lisa to drive
through the main street in Portsmouth on their way to Durham. After they left
the heart of the city proper, he asked Lisa to turn into the Studebaker
dealer’s lot.

Jonathon was all excited. “The surprise I have is that I
have ordered a brand new Studebaker Landcruiser sedan with an automatic
transmission and their new V/8 engine.”

“My, this is a surprise. I’m so glad for you,” she said
getting out of the car. “Is that it?” she pointed to a shiny new black cherry
sedan with a windshield visor.

“It sure is. I was hoping that I could pick it up without
you knowing and really surprise you,” exclaimed Jon. “It’s my first new car and
I’ve had this model in mind ever since you mentioned it to me, Lisa.”

They walked into the showroom and looked at several models
on display while Jonathon completed signing the paperwork. He came out of the
salesman’s office dangling the keys in his hand, smiling from ear to ear. They
went outside to his new vehicle. Faith and Terry opened all four doors to look
it over. The coachwork was beautiful. The wine colored seats were soft and
roomy. It smelled fresh and clean inside.

“Why don’t I take Faith and Terry with me and you can follow
behind us?” suggested Jonathon. “I’ll be driving a little slower for a while
until it’s broken in.”

“I can do that. It’s a beauty, Jon. I agree with your mom,
you deserve it and more,” Lisa exclaimed, placing an arm around him.

“The army sedan is strictly for official travel, so I needed
a car for personal use. I’m glad you like it. Now I can take my best girl out
on a date,” he whispered, lightly kissing her on the top of the head. “Okay
gang let’s mount up and head for home!” Terry and Faith climbed into the front
seat of the Studebaker “bulletnose.”

Jonathon sat behind the wheel, adjusted the seat and rear
view mirrors to suit him, and touched the starter button on the dash. The
powerful V/8 engine ran smooth and quiet. A feeling of contentment and pride
came over him as he placed the shift selector in “D” and drove his new car out
of the dealer’s lot onto the street.

Later that night, after Jonathon had shown Faith around
their new house and she had fallen asleep in her new bedroom, he thumbed
through his bundle of mail. It was his first mail delivery at the new address.
One letter with a Japanese postmark grabbed his attention. It was from Horio
Taniguchi. The letter had been to a dozen or so different addresses and was
dated six weeks ago! Jonathon sat at the kitchen table and read:

Tokyo, Japan

December 20, 1950

Dear Colonel Wright,

I’m
sending this letter to your old address in Tokyo. I know that you are no longer
there but am hoping that it will eventually find its way to you. My purpose in
writing is to inform you that I’ve been approached by a booking agency to do up
to nine concerts in the United States. My itinerary is enclosed.

It
has been my fond hope that you may be able to meet me somewhere at one of my
concert performances. I’m starting in Boston and New York. What I am really
hoping, Colonel, is that you will be able to supply me with the name and
address of the lady who answered my previous letter. When I read her reply I
had a warm feeling inside and it has been years since this old man has been so
profoundly touched.

I
pray that this finds you in good health and empowered to grant my request.
Thank you for your concern.

Respectfully yours,

Horio Taniguchi

All that night Jonathon tossed and turned, wondering what he
should do. He felt in his heart that Mister Taniguchi’s request was honorable
and that it might ease some of the pain that he had carried for years. Just how
it would affect Lisa was unpredictable. He could imagine an introduction going
either badly or extremely well, granting some element of closure for her. By
the time the sun spilled into his bedroom, he had made up his mind. If he was
going to be the instrument of their discovery of each other, it would have to
take place after the concert. He would have to time the meeting when it would
be “right.” Beyond that, he had no way of protecting Lisa from being hurt, and
that very real possibility bothered him.

Jonathon was relieved when the day of the concert arrived.
It was a warm sunny day for March. Some of the winter’s supply of snow had
already melted. He had volunteered to take Faith and Terry with him to his
house for the day while Lisa prepared for the concert and met with the
musicians for last minute changes and adjustments. Terry enjoyed being with
Jonathon. He was especially attracted to Faith who was patient and paid a lot
of attention to him.

Lisa had a long discussion with the conductor of the
orchestra, who told her that Mr. Taniguchi had requested a meeting with her, at
least for an hour, in the auditorium and with the same piano that she would play
at the concert. Lisa thought that sounded like a good idea and promised to be
there early for the meeting. Then, she went home to bathe and dress for the
occasion. She was a bundle of nerves and took a long relaxing bath before
getting dressed.

Lisa had played as an accompanist with several singers and
cello players, but very few violinists. She knew from experience that some
musicians could be very difficult to work with because they had inflated egos.
She was always aware that they were the main attraction, not her, and her job
was to help them make their performance better. It could be a difficult
juggling act, but over the years Lisa had handled the job with grace and
professionalism. If the two did not get along, there were numerous
opportunities to make either player look bad.

Lisa worried if she was good enough for the internationally
acclaimed Taniguchi, and she was nervous about their meeting. Lisa’s signature
dress was her teal gown with white lace circling her neck and throat. For this
particular concert, she had let her hair grow long so that it fell loose about
her shoulders. She pinned the fresh orchid from Jonathon on her gown and
checked her watch. The concert began at 7:00 PM with the doors opening at 6:00.
She wanted to be at the auditorium at least by 4:30, so she gathered her purse
and cape and left the house.

Theaters and auditoriums were lonely places when the lights
were dimmed and the seats were empty. Lisa entered through the stage entrance,
flipped on the main stage lights, and made her way to the piano. The overhead
lights made her auburn hair sparkle. The pearl necklace and diamond earrings
she wore were a parting gift from the director of the Boston Pops Orchestra.
They too glittered as she moved across the stage, sat at the piano, and ran
through some of the evening’s selections.

Unbeknownst to Lisa, a small figure of a man was sitting in
the front seat of the auditorium. He had been sitting in the dark trying to get
a feel for the people who would be in the audience. He watched Lisa come onto
the stage and sit at the piano. She was younger than he expected. He quickly
approached her.

Lisa saw him climbing the side steps to the stage. She rose
and turned to him. “I’m Lisa Carter. You must be Mister Taniguchi.”

“Yes, I’m Horio Taniguchi,” he proclaimed in English, bowing
to her. “It’s gracious of you to meet me.”

“I’m thrilled to have an opportunity to accompany you, sir.
I hope that you are satisfied with my playing. I’ll do everything in my power
to assist you in the performance. We’re honored to have you come so far so that
we can enjoy your music.”

“I’m pleased to hear that, Miss Carter. I agreed to do this
tour because I believe it is time to heal old wounds of war. The battered world
needs the soothing benefits of music, for it has a universal message all
peoples understand. I'd like to think that my tour will help to build bridges
that the terrible war has torn apart.”

“That’s a noble undertaking, Mr. Taniguchi. I support your
efforts,” Lisa said, surprised at how comfortable and at ease she felt in his
presence. “Our symphony orchestra is composed of a wide range of musicians.
Many are still students at the university. What they lack in experience or
professional skills, they make up with their passion and love of music.”

“Ah, who could ask for more!” he exclaimed with a smile.

“Our program tonight is heavy to Beethoven,” Lisa told him.
“The orchestra is doing portions of his sixth and ninth symphonies. I love
Beethoven. His compositions that describe a pastoral country life are
wonderful. He had the genius of filling his music with human emotions. They’re
my favorites.”

“I see that we have that in common, Lisa. May I call you
that? You may call me Mister T if you like. I understand that New Englanders
have lazy tongues.” Mister T smiled with her and began taking his violin out of
its case.

“Please, call me Lisa, Mister T,” she said happily. She had
a premonition that this was going to be a very special night!

He removed his violin from the case and gently plucked the
strings. He adjusted two of them and ran his nimble fingers up and down the
scale drawing the bow once across the strings in a slow steady movement. “Do
you mind if we try portions of Beethoven’s Sixth?”

“Whatever you request, Mister T. What a beautiful
instrument,” Lisa acknowledged. “Is it a Stradivarius?”

“You have keen eyes, Lisa. Yes, it’s an original
Stradivarius. The tone is superb. It was a gift from a beautiful Italian
violinist who had to stop playing because of rheumatism in his hands. Every
time I play I do so in his memory.”

“I think you are a very kind man, Mister T. I’m ready when
you are,” she announced. Lisa was never a nervous player. She had that rare
quality of being able to relax and focus on the music the minute she started to
play.

She normally had a soft touch on the keys, but when she
accompanied a soloist, her touch became even softer so as to not compete with
the soloist. For ten to fifteen minutes, Lisa and Mr. T went through several
pages of music. She had the gift of being able to fill in the breaks between
notes so that the soloist’s style sounded richer and more vibrant. Several
times Mister T intentionally deviated from the tempo and beat of the score just
to check on Lisa’s response. He nodded his head in approval when she followed him
instantly as if she were reading his mind. It was almost as if they were
playing as one!

When they finished the passage, Mister T laid his instrument
on the piano and applauded her. “Bravo Lisa bravo. You play with your heart.
I’m going to enjoy this performance tonight,” he exclaimed enthusiastically.

“Thank you,” she replied modestly.

“I have a suggestion, Lisa,” said Mister T. “I’ll depend on
your opinion, so be honest with me.”

“I promise to be honest with you.”

“Would it be appropriate, since we have a relatively
youthful audience, to do an encore on a lighter note, with some of the more
enduring popular songs?”

“I think the audience will love it. The orchestra is capable
of handling a wide variety of songs, even country music.”

“Some of your American country music is poignant and
beautiful in its simplicity,” noted Mister T. “I might even do an old fashioned
hoe-down for a grand finale.”

Lisa was drawn to his sincerity and humanity. In the few
minutes they had been together she had the privilege of seeing the human side
of the man and realized that it was the secret of his success as a master
musician. He was a genius at his craft and he had fun doing it!

Jonathon finished putting on his necktie and checked the
clock on his bedroom bureau. “Faith,” he hollered out the door. “We should be
leaving in a few minutes.”

“I’ll be ready, Daddy,” she answered.

When Jonathon came out of the bedroom into the living room,
he saw Terry sitting quietly on the couch looking at a comic book. “How are you
doing, Terry?” Jon kneeled down in front of him. “This is going to be an
exciting evening for all of us, especially your mom. Before we go to the
auditorium do you want something to eat or drink?”

“I’m still full with the sandwiches Faith fixed for us,” he
replied. He was a serious little boy. Over the past few months, Jonathon had
become attached to the child. He had good manners, which was a reflection of
growing up with his mother and he listened well when he was asked to do
something. He and Faith got along well. She was the big sister he never had.

“I’m all set,” announced Faith, entering the room and doing
a twirl in the center of the floor to show off her new teal dress.