Chapter 33

Wilhelm led the three of us off and the orchestra followed. Over some refreshments Kelly announced that tomorrow afternoon was a full-dress rehearsal with the press attending, starting at three so that we could stay dressed for the Friday night performance, if we didn’t spill any drinks on our outfits.

I had to explain to Ali that this was a special way that Kelly worked with the media. “Tomorrow,” I said, “They’re allowed to take pictures and there’ll also be some other people associated with this orchestra as well.” Emily was also a newbie at this way of working so I told her that they’re just another audience.

Friday morning the rest of our crowd turned up. I had to explain that while Ali would be with them during the first half, she would be collected to be taken to a very special seat for the second half. We had a good lunch and then the three of us were picked up to go to the hall. Josie asked why Ali was going so early. I told her that we had organized a special dress for her to wear for when she is in her special seat. I know she was bemused by it, but I told her not to worry as all will be made clear tonight.

At the hall the three of us were stripped of our normal outfits and be-gowned. That, I think, is the right word for what we were put into. The three of us looked like true princesses once we had been made up. Yes, all three of us, Ali getting the treatment as well and looking wonderful. We had to take some pictures of her, and Kelly organized her own professional to take a shot of the three of us for future advertising.

We could hear the orchestra readying to go on stage and then the internal PA announced five minutes. I left Ali with Emily and went up to the wings as the rest of the orchestra went past me.

Wilhelm stood next to me.

“You know, Alicia is going to suck all the attention away from you and Emily?”

“I know that, but it will be nothing in comparison to the attention she’ll get as she gets older. Emily and I have already had the attention for a good four years already. We don’t begrudge Ali her first time in the limelight. Next year she’s going to have to start school and I think we may have to pull her kicking and screaming from a piano stool to get some ordinary learning.”

He chuckled, “Best of luck with that,” and then took my hand to lead me out to my piano.

The audience was pretty much the mix that I had seen before. The scribes, the photographers, the orchestra executives, and the various workers were joined by Algernon and his family. We breezed through the Warsaw, and I bowed to some applause before leaving the stage.

Wilhelm went back on with Emily and announced that it was her debut as a classical pianist and then they did the Mozart while I stood with Ali in the wing. She got a good bit of applause and then was led off to join us. Because of the time available there was no break and Wilhelm then led the three of us out to the stage, Emily and I to our pianos and Ali going to sit next to Antonio, who gave her a big smile when she joined him.

With our attendant turners beside us we both nodded to Wilhelm, and he raised his baton to get us going. The Mendelssohn was, I’ve said, hectic and the gowns, while sumptuous, were a little hot by the time we finished. We didn’t do an encore or add the small piano. That surprise was to be for tonight. The scribes and other attendees gave us a good round of applause as we were led off, Ali joining the orchestra as they left.

Both Emily and I spoke to Kelly about the hot gowns, and she organized them to be quickly reworked with much of the linings taken out while we changed into our day clothes. We mingled with the orchestra for a light meal, and some hydration.

Algernon and his family were introduced to Alicia, and he asked her how she enjoyed her birthday. She told him that it was even better than a Barbie Doll because it got better with every playing. I think he was a bit bewildered by that, but he would get the point tonight.

I took her out to the foyer where Jordan was waiting, and he looked stunned when he saw her. I told him that she was getting special birthday treatment and wouldn’t be wearing make-up when we got home. She looked up at me with a stern look, so I gave her a sly wink so that Jordan couldn’t see it. The stern look disappeared, and the smile came back.

“Don’t forget, someone will come to you and take Ali off to her special seat as soon as the break starts.” I gave him a kiss and then went back to see if our gowns had been air-conditioned.

Thankfully they were much lighter and much better to play in. Redressed and with make-up checked over we went and waited in the wings while the orchestra went on stage. You could hear the murmur of the audience. They applauded as the other players took their seats and then quietened as the Antonio played the middle C as they tuned.

When everybody was quiet Wilhelm led me out, sat me down and raised his baton after the unexpected long applause abated. We played the Warsaw to perfection and the crowd loved it. The applause called for an encore usually, but Richard led me off, only to take Emily’s hand to lead her on while the applause continued.

He got her sat and picked up his microphone and there was quiet while he announced her, and that it was her debut. They did the Mozart and then the crowd applauded. Some stood and that was the key for more to stand. Emily stood by her piano, bowed to the crowd, and then swept her hand to the orchestra who, with a nod from Wilhelm, stood and took a bow. She then sat down, the hall quietened, and she did her Chopin encore and was led off as the audience once more stood for her.

I gave her a hug in the wings.

She whispered. “Now I see why you do this. Bugger the pop world, this is being truly alive.”

In the break a girl from the admin brought Ali to us and we freshened up in the stars dressing room. All too soon we heard the five-minute announcement and went to the wings to wait with Wilhelm. When the orchestra had tuned up, he led the three of us out to our respective seats and then took to his podium. With our turners ready we nodded, and he got us going again. Three quarters of an hour later we finished, and the audience was on its feet as one.

Our turners had a pack of tissues each which were offered to us to mop our brows before we stood to acknowledge the applause. We both bowed and swept our arms to take in the orchestra and they all stood and bowed, even Ali, the minx. I then took the microphone, made sure it was on and joined Emily at the front of the stage, going through the procedure to get Ali down with us while the small piano and microphone was set up.

When I mentioned it was a gift for her fourth birthday some wag called “hip-hip” and she got three cheers. I could see my family in the first row looking as if we had all gone mad. I then passed the microphone to Emily who finished off the spiel and went to her piano seat while I got Ali comfortable, gave her a hug and went to sit in the extra seat, taking my violin as I sat down.

Antonio whispered. “Now we will see something to talk about.”

Ali looked out at the expectant faces. I expect that she winked at where Jordan and Josie were sitting and then started playing the Moonlight. You could have heard a pin drop as she played better than I had heard her before.

I thought that she had now taken in that one thing that turns a player into a performer. She had sensed the fact that there were a whole lot of people out there who were just listening to her and her alone, until the rest of us added our string accompaniment.

When the last notes died the place went mad. I could see most of the women in our party crying with joy and love. Ali stood and bowed to them and then turned to get us to stand and, when she turned back to the audience, Emily and I went and stood either side of her and bowed again before bringing the whole orchestra to its feet to bow as well.

Wilhelm led us off with the audience still on its feet.

“Well done, you three. This one will go down in the record books.”

He then turned us around to go back and acknowledge the audience once more, all three of us getting a posy of flowers.

We got the orchestra standing for a bow and then we left the stage again with the leader then taking the orchestra off as well.

Backstage was pure bedlam. The orchestra was totally wired after that and were jabbering away among themselves. Ali was suddenly very tired, and I didn’t blame her. Emily looked washed out as well. I remembered my first experiences and got someone to give her a big glass of water and a smaller one for Ali which they both drank down and then broke into grins.

“Good debut, Alicia,” said Emily. “I think there may be a few in the audience who would get you signed up tonight if they could.”

Ali giggled. “You too, Auntie Emily. I can’t wait until I can get to play longer pieces, but I don’t think I will go anywhere near that double. That looked so hard.”

Kelly came by. “Get changed and Geoffrey will collect Jordan and Ian and take you back to the hotel. The matinee is in normal outfits, so we don’t frighten the teachers.”

We went and changed, had our make-up removed properly and went to the artist entrance where the Rolls waited with Jordan and Ian in a conversation with Geoffrey. We all got in and he took us to the hotel where our room now had an added single made up for Ali. No nookie tonight, even if I could stay awake for it.

Ali and I had a shower and got into our nighties. Back in the bedroom Jordan was already in bed so I tucked Ali in. “Goodnight, my clever girl.”

She put her arms around my neck. “Thank you, Mommy. That’s the best I’ve ever felt. Nothing comes close. Goodnight.” She rested her head, closed her eyes and was out like a light. We could hold an orgy in the room without waking her up but, for once, I wasn’t telling Jordan that.

I snuggled in next to him. He held me.

“That was a wonderful experience for everyone. And you weren’t so bad yourself.”

“Shut up and let me sleep; I’ve two shows tomorrow and that double is very wearing.”

He chuckled and held me tighter while I faded into dreamland where I found myself sitting in an audience watching Alicia playing something very complicated and making it look easy. I made a mental note to try and remember the tune.

In the morning, I woke in an otherwise empty bed and then heard the shower going. Ali was still asleep, so I stretched out and flexed my muscles then stood, threw on a wrap, and went over to her bed. As I approached, she opened her eyes and looked at me, and we gazed at each other in wonder.

“Mommy; did yesterday really happen? I woke up in the night and it seemed like a dream I had.”

I put my hand on her cheek.

“Darling Alicia, it wasn’t a dream. It was a dream come true. You were magnificent, and you held the audience in the palm of your hand. You’re a natural performer. I think you made a few of our friends and relatives cry tears of joy last night.”

Jordan had come out of the bathroom. “I think there was no-one prouder, other than us, than Veronica. That was a real trick you two pulled there; I thought that Ali was only going to play in the rehearsal.”

I chuckled. “You don’t know how Kelly can be when she and Wilhelm see something too wonderful to keep bottled up. Last night was put together as a total surprise, even to us.”

Ali and I had another shower as we had both had a sweaty night and then got dressed in fancy dresses, considering that Jordan was in jeans.

“Mommy; why the good outfits?”

I kneeled so I could look her straight in the eyes.

“Alicia, my girl. Last night you had your debut as a fully-fledged concert pianist. When we walk out of this room you will find that there will be a lot of people who want to talk to you, and I don’t mean the family downstairs. Darling, I’m sure that the girls on reception already have a bunch of newspapers they want to give you. We are both concert pianists, so we dress to impress.”

She gave me a cheeky grin. “Does that mean I can go shopping when we get home?”

I smiled. “Of course, we can, if you don’t go wandering around the farm wearing the good things. Now, when we go downstairs there are a couple of special people who will want to smother you with kisses. One will be your Auntie Josie and the other will be your Auntie Vonnie who needs you to thank her for her teaching. I think that last night may have been the proudest moment of her life.”

When the three of us walked into the dining room our whole table stood and applauded as we approached. Jordan gave a bow and cried. “Thank you, kind friends, it was nothing.”

Josie laughed. “Out of the way, brother dear, I want to hug Ali,” and she knelt in front of Ali and wrapped her arms around her. I knew that she was now being the mother she should have been. I was sure she wanted to say “my child” but caught it in time.

As predicted Veronica was next in line. Ali thanked her for her teaching as she was being hugged. I was, by that time, being hugged by Josie who whispered. “Thank you for everything,” in my ear. One by one everyone, including Sharron and Carol, hugged Ali and told her how wonderful she was. Some even took the time to give me the same treatment.

Emily joined us and the round of hugs started again. As I had predicted, one of the ladies from reception came over with a small pile of pristine newspapers for Ali, our table already littered with well-thumbed pages.

I gave the papers to Jordan and asked him if he could take them up to the room, so they didn’t get messed up. One of my biggest regrets was not saving a clean copy of our first write-up although Mom still adds to her scrapbook.

At long last we were able to get something to eat. Ali certainly had the Grosse genes as she tucked into a full cooked breakfast, and I wasn’t far behind her. Her small frame would have expended a lot of energy last night and I had played for over an hour.

Allan had left the table to take a call and was away for a while. When he came back, he said, “Edie, Algernon wants to see you, Jordan, and Ali for lunch today. Jordan, you had better go and get something decent to put on. Geoffrey will pick you up at eleven and I’ll see you at the matinee.”

That put a stop to the two of us ordering seconds. As we sat, we started to get visits from other diners who wanted to let Ali know how much they appreciated her performance last night. A few even congratulated Emily and me!

I always carry a sharpie Texta in my bag and passed it to Ali so she could sign her autograph on some newspapers that were put in front of her. I did make sure that she lifted the page to make sure there was nothing underneath.

With the first request for an autograph, she looked at me and asked. “What do I put, Mommy?”

I smiled. “If you want to be a pop star, just scrawl Ali like you did on your CD. If you’re going all classical then you should start now by being Alicia Sanders or just Alicia.”

When we left the others and went up to our room she asked. “Mommy; does the excitement ever go?”

I smiled. “Sometimes, darling, it seems like a lot of hard work and then you’re back in a spotlight and you know why you do what you do. The excitement is the fuel that drives your creativity.”

She laughed. “I’ve decided that, for now, it’s better than chocolate. I’ll let you know when chocolate is king again.”

With Jordan now suitably dressed for lunch we went down to the lobby to wait for Geoffrey. We didn’t have to wait very long but everyone passing by gave us big smiles, especially those with a paper in their hand. I took the opportunity to get to see what the article said. It had the picture of the three of us that Kelly had taken and an obviously illicit phone shot of Ali on stage at the piano.

The article had a good review of the rest of the evening, but a good two thirds was devoted to the tiny girl with the huge talent and how the writer had never heard the Moonlight played with such feeling. His question at the end was how long before she graced another stage and whether she would be entering competitions.

That was something I had never considered for her. Competitions may have you out on stage and playing but it is behind the scenes that the damage happens. The kids are all right, it’s the other parents who have the snide remarks and put-downs. Ali had no need to enter a competition, she had the talent, and I had the connections to have her headlining when she felt she was ready.

Geoffrey came in and we got up and followed him back out to the car. He took us out to Algernon’s house, and I suddenly felt that it may be nice to have a mansion somewhere with a Rolls and driver to take me around. I wondered if Algernon had a fleet of cars, he certainly had the money, but I’d hardly ever seen him in one.

We were welcomed into the house by Jackson and taken to the main dining room. You would have thought that a house like this would scream for the Louise Fifteenth style, but it was more September the fifteenth; sleek, modern but very stylish. Fiona either had a very young designer, or else she had shouted down someone who wanted drapes and damask.

Algernon, Fiona, the two girls plus Wilhelm and Kelly, were waiting for us along with a youngish lady that I felt sure I had seen out in the audience on the Friday dress rehearsal. That made her either the media or connected to the orchestra. When we were introduced, I found out that she, Laura, was part of the administration, and was the organizer of the youth and student shows. This had come in as part of Algernon’s largess last year.

When we sat for lunch, Ali had a chair with extra cushions, so she was at the right height, and we then had something she had never eaten before, oysters. There was a choice of raw or Kilpatrick and I advised her to try the Kilpatrick first and showed her how they are eaten. She is a game girl but closed her eyes as she put it in her mouth.

Marianne Gregory © 2023