The little boy walked with his father down the street to the bookstore, talking about all the exciting things he had already read at preschool and all the things he wanted to read now. As they approached the book store, a soft melody flowed through the air, getting louder and louder with every step. The little boy stopped talking, trying to figure out where he had heard the song before.
As they got closer and closer to the sound of the noise, the boy remembered the melody, but couldn't remember the name. He looked around for the source of the music and found a young woman playing on the clarinet outside the store, her case open with a few dollar bills inside, weighed down by a small pack of wooden strips that the boy didn't recognize, but figured were for the clarinet. He tugged on his father's hand. "Daddy? Can I put a dollar in the nice lady's case?"
His father looked where he was pointing and nodded. "She is a lovely musician, isn't she? I daresay she's almost as good as your mother. Go ahead."
The boy grinned when his father passed him the dollar and he ran up to the woman, putting the dollar carefully under the wooden strips...reeds! That's what his mother called them. "What's that song you were playing?" he asked when she was done playing her piece.
"Oh! Um...Brahms' Clarinet Sonata No. 2 in E flat. Have you heard it before?"601Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdFur9RyqQN
"I daresay he has," the boy's father said, walking up behind him. "His mother plays in my orchestra and we played this song only last month. You are rather good, Miss...?"
"Strauss. Melody Strauss."
"Strauss...I believe you applied to join the orchestra's clarinet opening next month? I say your name among the audition tapes. I'll look it up later today, but if you're half as good as you were here, I imagine that you'll be a shoe-in for the job. No more playing on the streets as long as you're working with me. Take my card," the boy's father said, pulling a business card out of his pocket and handing it to her.
The boy looked up at the woman and smiled. "Daddy knows when he hears talent! He's the conductor of his own orchestra! That's how he met Mommy! If you play like that all the time, then I'm gonna get to hear lots more of your music!"
The woman beamed and nodded. "Thank you! That's so kind of you to say! Is there anything in particular you'd like to hear me play as you get to where you were going?"
The boy smiled. "It's almost Christmas, could you play a Christmas song?"
The woman laughed. "I sure can!" And with that, she took a breath and began to play It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.
The boy cheered as his father grabbed his hand again and started to walk away. The boy waved one hand goodbye at the woman before walking into the bookstore. "Daddy, will she be in your or-che-stra soon?"
"Maybe," his father said, looking back at the door. "She certainly has the talent for it, and it would be a shame for her to waste it. I'll see what I can do when I see her tape. Your mother will like her too, I'm sure."
"She's nice. I hope you let her play with everyone." The boy said, looking around at the books. "Oh! Daddy! They have Dr. Seuss!"
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