“Marcus,” Jessica said into the phone. “It’s just one night. You can do this for just one night.”

“Jessica,” Marcus complained. “I’m a Rock & Roll performer, not classical music. I went along with it during the summer for the shock and awe Cindy was bringing to the performance. Been there, done that, and now it’s time to move on. I have no intention of being known on a national stage as a classical piano player. Since there is no way the Tri-City Symphony Orchestra is going to let me do a Rock & Roll performance, that means there is no way I am going to do this.”

“Come on Marcus. They want all of us to perform the piece I wrote during the summer. That means we need you.”

“Sorry Jessica, a Symphony Orchestra performance just isn’t my thing. It’s bad for my rep.”

“Marcus, you’re better than me on the piano, and that is saying something. You can do things other than hard rock. Elvis did gospel music, Little Richard did a lot of Christian music, and Boy George was all over the place with the type of music he played. You can be a Rock & Roll performer and still play the classical music in a symphony orchestra. Come on Marcus. Do it for Cindy and Sammie. They’re little kids who won’t understand you saying no, just so you can maintain an image. During the summer you said they were like your little sisters. Do it for your little sisters, Marcus.”

“Jessica! You know I will be there to support the two of them, but that does not mean I have to be playing the piano in a symphony orchestra,” Marcus stated. “I’ve gotta go Jessica. I have a date to get ready for. I don’t know what to tell you, but . . . I also don’t want to hurt Sammie and Cindy. I just don’t know. Tell you what, I’ll make a deal with you. If I can do a song or two with my electric guitar, then I’ll agree to do one piece on the piano.”

Jessica looked at her phone after Marcus hung up. This was a problem. Marcus was right, they wanted a symphony orchestra Christmas performance, not some rock & roll performance. Putting her phone down on her desk, she headed for the kitchen for a snack to eat.

“Chocolate Chip cookies?” Jessica’s mom asked. “It couldn’t have gone that bad.”

“Marcus does not want to play on the piano,” Jessica said as she put the cookie package on the counter and got out some milk. “I got him to finally agree to play my piece in the performance, but he put a condition on it that he knew would never be met. He wants to perform a piece on his electric guitar. They’re a symphony orchestra, they’ll never agree to that.”

Jessica’s mom smiled at that, “Have you ever heard of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra?”

Jessica scrunched her eyebrows together, and slowly shook her head back and forth, “No.”

After eating a few cookies, the two of them headed to the living room to watch some Trans-Siberian Orchestra performances on YouTube.

“I bet Cindy and Sammie would love to do that,” Jessica commented. “It reminds me of a rock version of that Celtic thing they played at camp. Some of those Trans-Siberian Orchestra performances were Christmas songs. Do you think the Tri-City Symphony Orchestra would let Marcus do something like that? I could easily see Marcus, Sammie, and me all rocking out doing one of those Christmas songs.”

“Let’s call them to find out,” Jessica’s Mom gave her daughter a hug before getting up to find her phone. “What was the name of that conductor that called us?”

“Mr. Frances,” Jessica said. “At camp, they called him the silent judge.”