In the Rain Read Online Free PDF Page A

women or none at all. Freaking clueless."
    He
laughed.
    "What?"
    "You
still sensor yourself. It's okay to say fuck. I don't mind."
    "I
didn't realize I was censoring."
    "You
are."
    "Well,
fuck."
    "There
you go!"
    Good
God, you have an amazing smile. We might not have
talked much at all in the last twelve years, but I still felt comfortable
around him. In fact, I could fall into easy conversation with him more than
anyone else. After spending most of junior high and high school playing music
together, there was a lot I could work with, but where to start?
    I
inspected the shirt he'd lent me and figured it was as good a conversation
starter as any. "Transcendence orchestra?"
    His
face lit up and I could've sworn his smile reached from ear to ear. "My
pride and joy."
    I
blinked. "You still play?"
    "And
more." He straightened his posture and, oh my God, he puffed out his
chest. "I conduct it."
    "Y-you
what? Seriously?"
    His
smiled broadened. "Yup. I've been conducting for..." He frowned. "Eight
years now. You seem surprised."
    I
shook my head. "No. I mean, I am, but..how the hell do you get into
something like that?"
    "Purely
by chance, and maybe a bit of luck." He rolled his head from one side to
the other, likely trying to get rid of whatever kinks were in his neck. "During
my early years of college, I decided to work on a double major for music
performance and business. And when I wasn't studying, I was desperately trying
to find some way locally to play in a group—work my way up to the big
leagues, you know?" He sighed. "Anyway, all the groups back then were
purely orchestra related, and while it is called Transcendence orchestra, it's
more like rock
mixed with broadways and a pinch of the classics. So, when I could find what I
was looking for, I decided to start a small group on my own. Ended up
requesting some time in the old band room at West. One string quartet eventually
turned into two, and once word-of-mouth spread, I realized I was spending more
time awake writing music and scheduling rehearsals than doing homework. Been
doing this ever since."
    "Did
you finish school?"
    "I
did, but only after
I got my Masters, then I took up classes on marketing, accounting and whatever
else I thought we'd need."
    "Wow.
So, if you're a conductor, does that mean
you stopped playing your violin?"
    "I
play as much as anyone else. The violin, cello, and just about
every other stringed instrument. It comes with the territory anyway. Or rather,
I think it does. It helps to know as many of the instruments as I can. That
way, if someone is out of tune, I can give them an idea of what I want and not
lose something important because of poor communication on my part."
    "I
guess that means
playing for the Philadelphia Orchestra is out. It's all you talked about in
high school."
    "Me?
What about you? I wasn't the only prodigy
in school you know? You promised to join me as their first violinist, remember?"
    I
nodded and reached for my mug of hot chocolate, grimacing when I realized it
had gotten cold. I set it on the table and sat back. "Man, I'd almost forgotten—"
    "Forgot?"
Thayre blurted out. "Christ, Moyra, what's happened to you? If memory
serves me well, we couldn't pry your fingers off your violin long enough for
you to eat lunch."
    The we was Thayre and five of our other friends who played at the time.
    "So,
do you still play at least?" Thayre asked a moment later. "Or did you
stop as soon as we got out of school like everyone
else?"
    "Not
everyone," I said, giving him a pointed look.
    "Okay,
but besides myself and Collin, everyone else either dropped out of the program
altogether or picked some other field because it was easier. "
    I
bowed my head. "I did play."
    "But
you don't anymore? What happened to your scholarships?"
    I
couldn't bring myself to meet his gaze. All through school, it was like we
were neck-and-neck when it came to music. If I got stuck on transitions or
phases, I asked Thayre, and the same thing went for