Restoring Harmony Read Online Free PDF Page B

clothes, though, because we never did find him, and you couldn’t exactly miss that jacket. His wife had mysteriously moved to a different seat too.
    “Sorry,” said the conductor, rubbing his temples. “Just one of those things. I have to get back to work now.”
    “Okay . . . thanks.”
    He left me standing in the corridor of the train. What was going to happen to me now? I had messed up this whole trip. I’d gotten Tyler into trouble, and maybe Poppy too. No one had stamped my passport, so I probably could get arrested any second if someone asked to see it. I had trusted a stranger with all my money and been robbed. What if I got to Gresham and couldn’t find my grandpa? What if not only had my grandma passed away from the stroke, but my grandpa had died of grief? Old people did that. Especially ones who had been married for a long time.
    As far as I could see, I only had one choice. Dad had made me bring the Solar Fone for emergencies, but it was so old and the battery so decrepit that it only held a charge that lasted about thirty seconds. There was no guarantee it would recharge again, either. Each time seemed like the last. He said to use it if I had to, but I’d really only brought it for one reason: to call when I arrived and let my family know about my grandparents. Instead, I was going to have to use it now to call Dad and admit how stupid I’d been.
    “There you are,” Jane said, coming into the corridor.
    I rubbed my eyes like I was just tired, so she wouldn’t notice the tears.
    “Come here. I have a surprise for you.” I followed her back, and everyone turned in their seats to look at me and smile. “We took up a collection,” Jane said, handing me a wad of bills.
    “Oh, no . . . ,” I told everyone. “I can’t-”
    “You were the one playing the violin in the bathroom, right?” a bald man asked me.
    “Fiddle. Yeah, that was me.” I could feel the blush creep up my face. Had they heard me even out in the waiting room? Probably. Fiddles were loud!
    “Well, open up your case, then, and play us a waltz. If you can’t take the money, you might as well earn it.”
    “You don’t think I’ll get in trouble, do you?” I asked.
    He said, “We’ll protect you. Just play!”
    I’d never performed for money before, but the idea was a lot more appealing than charity.
    “Okay,” I said when I finally got Jewels somewhat in tune. “Here’s the ‘Peekaboo Waltz . ’ ”
    The train lurched, and I braced myself against the arm of one of the seats. With the first slide of my bow across the string, my body relaxed into the music. I closed my eyes and leaned into the sway, the notes ringing throughout the train car.
    One, two, three, one, two, three. . . . In my mind I saw my friends and family waltzing in the community hall, couples whirling, bodies close, smiles and dreamy expressions across their faces. Up and down went my bow, smooth as silk, even with the movement of the train. In fact, it was as if the music and the train melded together.
    I drew out the last note, long and clear, and everyone clapped, snapping me back to reality. “How about a little ‘Whiskey Before Breakfast’?” I asked.
    When they all cheered, I looked up at my audience for the first time. Across the aisle was a young, rosy-cheeked mother with a toddler whose hands she was holding while he tried to stand on the seat. And an older couple sat up front. They looked exactly like their shaggy gray lapdog, which the man held in his arms. Behind them, crowding into the aisle and even kneeling on seats to get a better view of me, were men and women, dusty with travel. Worry lines creased their foreheads even though they were smiling, and they all looked hot and tired.
    I dove into the tune with quick, short strokes, my fingers flying. Some people started clapping along and despite my sore feet, I couldn’t keep my toes from tapping with the rhythm. One tune flew off my bow after another, and I was starting to think that