Teaching kids was also another passion of hers, but again, she liked to do other crazy things, like singing. Every now and then, she’d go to the karaoke bar where they knew her and the barman, Ben, was more than happy to help her onto the stage to sing.
With no requests, she put her fingers to the keys and began to play another tune. Some of the songs she played were classics and others she’d created herself, or even putting modern spins on old classics.
She just loved music, and without seeing the keys, she’d been able to get lost in the sounds, the vibrations the noise made.
After playing three more songs, it was time for her break.
Tanya, the waitress who helped her, walked her off stage and slid her into her private booth. Tanya placed her hand around the bottle of water, and she smiled to the other woman.
When she first started working at Angelo’s, Tanya had been very mean to her. The other woman thought she was here to take her place but had soon realized she was only here to play music. Belle rarely talked to any of the staff.
Belle actually believed she made the other staff nervous with her eyes, the fact she couldn’t see.
Opening the cap of the bottle, she heard the snap of the lid, letting her know it was a fresh one.
Taking a drink, she became very aware of the fact she wasn’t alone.
This was her booth. The steps she’d counted to make it here told her it was, and yet someone was there.
She didn’t show she knew they were there. It was only a feeling she wasn’t alone. Her heart began to race, and she wondered if the other person could hear it.
“Who are you?” she asked.
The chuckle she recognized but couldn’t place it. Where had she heard that sound before?
“After you told me you worked here, I just had to come and see you.”
“Diego?” she asked.
“You remembered my name.”
“I happen to like the name. It’s one of my favorites.”
“You have favorite names?”
“Of course. I love the names Sasha and Leonardo. I like names. I even love the name Tanya. The waitress who brought me here is Tanya. Were you here from the beginning?” she asked.
Why would Tanya leave her alone without telling her there was a man sitting here?
“I was.”
“How did you get to sit in my private booth?”
“You don’t like the company?”
“I don’t mind the company. It’s actually rather nice.” Most often on break, she was alone. She didn’t mind being alone, but there were times it was incredibly lonely. It was those times that scared her because she was more tempted than ever before to leave and go back and live with her dad. She knew he wouldn’t mind, but this wasn’t about depending on her parent. This was about her trying to find her place in this new world. A world that didn’t have them as security blankets.
“I have a lot of friends. I knew you played here and I wanted the chance to speak to you, and now I have it.”
“Do you always get what you want?” she asked with a smile.
“Always.”
There was something in his tone that sent a thrill down her spine. She couldn’t help but smile at the sheer confidence of him.
“Well, is there a reason you wanted to come and sit with me?”
“Let’s call it a hunch. I’m curious, what made you decide to work at this restaurant?”
“Have I done something wrong?” she asked.
“Of course not.”
“Oh, well, I was sitting in a coffee shop one morning. Melanie had gone to the bathroom. The woman that was with me the other night.”
“Does she have a habit of leaving you?” he asked.
“Oh, no, not usually.” She had been pretty pissed with Melanie for leaving her at the club, but her friend had assured her she would have returned once she finished with her date. Belle knew it was all bullshit, but she refused to be drawn into any kind of conflict. It didn’t sit well with her, arguments, and she had no interest in starting a fight over something so trivial like being left alone.
She didn’t want to keep fighting with her friend, and she certainly didn’t want to rely completely on anyone. She needed to consider getting a guide dog. It was something she had put off. She had a guide dog when she was really young, and when he’d passed, she’d mourned him for months. Her love and connection to him had been so strong, it had hurt her too much to even consider replacing him.
It was probably silly of her to think like that, but she did.
“So, you? Coffee shop?” Diego said.
“Yes, of course. I heard these two women talking about advertisements, and this place was mentioned. One of them said why not go for the piano player wanted, and the other complained she didn’t have a clue how to play. When they left, I got Melanie to tell me what the job was for. I phoned up, explained my situation, they asked me to come in for a test show, and the rest is history. I have to get the waitress to help me to my seat and back to the piano, but for the most part, it has been amazing.”