Chapter 35
You are cordially invited to Mei Lee’s violin recital
Charleston Music Hall
I stared at the invitation on my refrigerator door. It would be Mei’s first concert in over a year. Tonight was about Mei, and as a member of the Magnolia Nephalist Society, I would be there to cheer her on.
I ventured into Olla’s walk-in closet in search of a dress I remembered her wearing to a wedding one time.
She didn’t like to part with anything, so I knew it had to still be in there.
I stood in the middle and took a minute, my hands trailing over the clothes.
Eyes closed, I could almost imagine her standing right here with me.
I leaned my face into one of her button-down shirts and breathed in the faint scent of her perfume that still clung to the fabric.
I knew the time was fast approaching that I’d have to go through all this, considering my father chose not to and this was three years past due, but today wasn’t that day.
Straightening, I moved to the back where a section of outfits hung in garment bags, unzipping and rezipping until my eyes landed on lilac and cornflower blue.
The material crinkled as I pulled the gown out of the bag and inspected it.
It still looked as good as new. I removed the dry-cleaning receipt and tried it on, already knowing it would fit since my grandmother and I were the same size.
Shuffling out of the closet, I stood in front of her antique mirror and smoothed a hand down the front.
Even though the gown was long with Juliet sleeves, the chiffon material was light and airy.
My favorite part of the dress was the dark-purple velvet ribbon around the waist, which fancied it up.
Perfect for a violin performance, I’d hoped.
With that sorted, I carefully undressed and laid the gown on Olla’s bed, then moved to my room.
I managed to work my long hair into a soft updo and kept the makeup minimal but for the winged eyeliner, making my green eyes more vibrant than usual.
After I slipped the dress back on and wiggled my feet into a pair of strappy silver-heeled sandals, I felt much more in a festive mood.
I switched my wallet and keys, along with mints and light-pink lip gloss, from my slouchy bag to Olla’s sleek silver clutch. Channeling my grandmother’s genteel Southern manner, I headed out, making a quick stop at Trader Joe’s to pick up a beautiful bouquet of flowers for Mei.
Getting into the downtown area wasn’t so bad, surprising for a Saturday evening, so I arrived an entire thirty minutes early.
The theater was mostly empty, which I chalked up to my punctuality.
I sat in the fourth row near the middle to make sure I had a good view.
The only thing on the big stage was a violin case on a stand and some type of speaker with a foot pedal.
I should have studied up on this type of performance before today, but other things had consumed me lately.
“You’re early.”
I glanced over my shoulder and saw Gilbert making his way down the center aisle, a bouquet of flowers in his hands. Patsy and Jackée were right behind him. “I wanted a good seat.”
“Ain’t you all gussied up.” Gilbert nodded in approval.
“You are too.” I motioned toward his tan summer suit. “Everyone, for that matter. Jackée, you look like a million bucks.”
“Thanks, hon.” Jackée shimmied a bit, causing the light overhead to catch on the sparkly gold-and-black swirls of her strapless dress.
“But not as fabulous as our Patsy.” She nodded at Patsy, who wore what had to be the fanciest caftan I’d ever seen.
Royal blue silk with beading around the flowy sleeves.
Gold and diamond jewelry dressed it up even more.
Patsy winked at Jackée and they tapped hips before she took a seat beside me. “I’m so nervous for her.” Patsy looked through the program we were handed at the door. “This is a big step.”
Gilbert nodded. “Yeah, especially since she’s swore for months now that she’d never play again.”
Jackée leaned over Patsy and whispered to us as a few other people trickled in. “Nothing against our Mei, but I’m not into classical music.” She scrunched her nose, making the diamond stud in her nose catch the overhead lights.
Patsy rested her hand on Jackée’s arm and whispered, “It’s okay, suga’. I’m not crazy about sourdough, but we don’t have to tell Chris that. Same with Mei. She doesn’t have to know this isn’t our thing, we just need to be supportive.”
I looked at Patsy in a whole new light. Who didn’t like sourdough?
Axil walked up with Pearl clinging to his arm for support.
The elderly lady was a little unsteady on her feet lately and it seemed to worsen when Axil was near enough she could hold on to him.
He settled her in the seat at the end of our aisle, then he took the empty seat beside me.
Chris Evans and Bruno arrived shortly after.
“There was an accident just past the bridge. We both got stuck in it,” Bruno explained.
I glanced around and noticed more empty rows than not. I believed the place had close to a thousand seats but not even a hundred were occupied. “You think the accident is holding up this many guests?” I motioned behind us.
“No. Mei only wanted family and close friends here tonight,” Patsy said as the lights began to lower. “This is a test run to see if performing is something she wants to pursue again.”
“Oh. That makes sense.”
A tall guy walked past us carrying a gigantic arrangement of white roses and joined Mei’s parents up front. Gasping, I nudged Patsy’s arm. “I know that guy!”
“You do? Who is he?”
“His name is Bash and I’m pretty sure he’s Mei’s future husband. They met at the food festival in Somewhere.”
Jackée leaned around Patsy and said, “Aww . . . That is so sweet.”
Patsy studied Bash and hummed. “He’s mighty good-looking. Our girl has excellent taste. And how brave of her to invite him tonight. I’m so proud of her.”
“Me too,” I said with Jackée echoing my sentiments. Mei was twenty years old and had made more progress with getting her life together than most her age, even with the excessive drinking handicap she had overcome. Proud we were.
A tiny Mei Lee wearing a choir robe walked onto the stage, carrying a beautiful wooden violin. I expected someone to introduce her or maybe Mei say a few words before she began, but neither happened. She simply placed the bow against the strings and started playing.
I heard Axil sigh loudly, clearly not a fan of classical music either. I hadn’t listened to much in my life, but I didn’t mind the soothing music. Whatever song she played was bittersweet, the notes drawing out a longing inside me that made me weepy.
It was quite a long song and Axil fidgeted in the seat beside me, sighing frequently.
The song finally came to a slow end. Mei placed the violin on the vacant stand and flicked open the second case to reveal a metallic hot-pink violin with black accents. I didn’t know much about instruments but it looked like the Cadillac of violins.
Mei tapped the foot pedal, making a thumping beat swell throughout the theater.
Whipping off the robe, the demure young woman transformed into a showstopper.
She was wearing a fitted tuxedo jacket with tails over a striped T-shirt, black tulle ballerina-style skirt, fishnet stockings, and black combat boots.
She yanked the clip out of her hair, letting the tousled locks fall as they may, and the once-quiet audience roared to life at the same time the stage lights came to life in bursts of colors.
Not wasting any time, Mei settled the hot-pink violin under her chin and started plucking the strings to the beat of “Runaway” by OneRepublic, then she switched to using the bow. The song transitioned to “9 to 5” by the legendary Dolly Parton.
Axil did one of those earsplitting whistles, causing me to jump. Laughing, I joined in with everyone else, clapping to the beat as our heads bobbed.
Mei played other contemporary songs, some I didn’t know, but most I did.
“Used To Be Young” by Miley Cyrus. “Shotgun” by George Ezra.
“Dog Days Are Over” by Florence & The Machine.
That girl played her heart out! Dancing around, she seemed to be genuinely enjoying herself, thank goodness, because I couldn’t imagine a world without her sharing this extraordinary gift.
Too soon, Mei pressed the foot pedal to stop the accompaniment, transitioning into a soft rendition of “Fall into Me” by Forest Blakk.
“This is one of my favorite songs!” I whisper-yelled to Patsy.
Nodding, she just grinned, looking toward the stage proudly.
The song drew to a close, a perfect conclusion to the performance. After a moment of silence, we erupted into applause, everyone shooting to their feet.
Rosy-cheeked, Mei smiled and curtsied.
“Mei is a rock star!” Jackée shouted, doing a little shimmy with her hands in the air.
Bruno started chanting, “Encore! Encore!” And we all joined in, but Mei darted off the stage.
Stunned, the theater grew quiet.
As quickly as Mei disappeared, she reappeared, skipping to the middle of the stage. “Oh, all right.” She rolled her eyes, making us laugh. She fiddled with a small device, then tapped the foot pedal and the melody was easily recognizable. “Happy” by Pharrell Williams.
We all clapped along and danced in place—that song just beckoned you to—until the song transitioned into another. “Cheap Thrills” by Sia. She alternated from tapping the back of the violin like a drum, running the bow over the strings, to plucking the strings like a guitar.
Sadly, the song ended way too soon and Mei curtsied for one last time.
“My mind is blown. No wonder they call Mei a prodigy,” I said in awe.
“That girl ort to be in the New York Philharmonic,” Pearl added, straightening her giant purple glasses.