Chapter 14

His phone started buzzing; the conference call was starting. He looked at his phone, then at Sophia, then at Maria."I have to take this call," he said. "But Maria, when you're finished working today, bring Sophia to my office. We're going to figure out how to make some things happen." He started to leave the room, then turned back. "Sophia, how would you feel about practicing on this piano sometimes?"Sophia's eyes went wide. "Sir?""This piano needs to be played; it's been silent too long. If you're going to be a professional musician, you need to practice on professional instruments.""I... I couldn't, sir. What if I damaged it?"Mr. Wellington smiled for the first time that day. "Kid, you just made this piano sound better than it has since the day I bought it. I think it's safe in your hands."As he walked away to take his phone call, Maria and Sophia stood in the beautiful living room, not sure what had just happened. The piano sat there, still gleaming in the afternoon sun, waiting for more music."Mama," Sophia whispered, "what do you think he wants to talk about?"Maria put her arm around her daughter. "I don't know, Mia, but I think our lives are about to change."For the rest of the afternoon, Maria worked faster than she had ever worked before: she cleaned every surface twice, vacuumed every carpet until it was perfect, and made sure every mirror was spotless. But her mind wasn't on her work; she kept thinking about Mr. Wellington's words: We need to talk.Sophia sat in the kitchen, but she couldn't focus on her book. Every few minutes, she would look toward the living room where the piano waited. She could still feel the smooth keys under her fingers; she could still hear the beautiful sound the piano had made. It was like waking up from a wonderful dream and then realizing it had been real.At 5:00, Maria finished her last task. She had cleaned the house perfectly, just like she did every Tuesday and Friday. But today felt different; today she was nervous about something other than just doing good work."Come on, Mia," she said to Sophia. "It's time."They walked through the house to Mr. Wellington's office. Maria had cleaned this room many times, but she had never sat down in it. It was a big room with dark wood furniture and walls covered with awards and photos of Mr. Wellington with important people. There was a huge desk with three computer monitors and stacks of papers.Mr. Wellington was sitting behind his desk, talking on the phone again. When he saw them, he held up one finger to let them know he would be done soon."No, no, no," he was saying into the phone. "The price is too high. We need to cut costs by at least 20%, or the deal is off." He listened for a moment. "I don't care what they say. 20% or we walk away."

Billionaire Asked His Black Maid's Daughter To Play Piano 'For FUN' But She Was A Gifted Musician

Cop Accuses Black Teen of Hara-ssing His Own Girlfriend — Bodycam Leads to $1M Lawsuit

Police Questioned a Black Boy Delivering Newspapers — Then His Uncle Showed an FBI Badge

A Lone Rancher Sheltered an Injured Apache Woman Overnight — At Dawn, the Entire Ridge Filled With Riders

A Cowboy Rode Into an Apache Marriage Ceremony Looking for His Horse — Then the Chief’s Daughter Pointed at Him

They Left a Young Widow to Die Beside the Santa Fe Trail — Then the Man She Once Blamed for Her Husband’s Death Found Her

News in the same category

Billionaire Asked His Black Maid's Daughter To Play Piano 'For FUN' But She Was A Gifted Musician