The Billionaire Band Director

Chapter 11

Landry

            Landry was waiting for Josefina.  He was excited.  He had never taught a Josefina at George I Academy, although there had been more than one Josephine.  He was hopeful that having a Josefina in his class would bring something new to the community.  In Landry’s opinion, the community was desperately in need of something new.  Everyone in the town had started to seem the same to Landry.  They dressed the same way.  They talked the same way.  They had the same interests.  If anyone had any sense of individuality, they worked hard to suppress it. 

            Still, Landry stayed hopeful.  With every new student he met, he looked for a spark of genuine passion.  For music. For creativity.  For anything, really.  Most of the students Landry taught were only in his class to put violin or clarinet on their college applications.  Some of them were talented.  Very talented.  Landry enjoyed teaching them and watching their talent grow, even if he knew that he would enjoy it more if it had seemed like the students enjoyed it too.  

            Landry had been looking forward to meeting Josefina since the appointment had been made.  He arrived to the rehearsal room early to arrange all the instruments.  He knew he would not need to try more than one instrument.  He usually knew immediately what instrument would be the best fit for each student.  And, when he didn’t know, the loa Fabien would show up and tell him.

            Landry had been visited by loa spirits his whole life, but Fabien was the only one who he saw on any regular basis.  Fabien loved music.  Most loa had better things to do with their time and preferred to stay in Louisiana or the Caribbean, where they felt more at home.  But, since there were not many people left who could still see the loa, and very few of them who were so involved in music, Fabien spent a lot of time with Landry.  Fabien had done everything within his power to keep Landry focused on music and available for Fabien’s own musical entertainment at all times, but it had been unnecessary.  Landry would have devoted his life to music with or without spiritual help. 

            Fabien had visited Landry the night before the appointment with Josefina.  He knew Landry was looking forward to the meeting and couldn’t help but tease about it.

            “Well gardes don!” cried Fabien.  “Izza bout time lil’ Landry got excited about something.  Other than that chere bebe at Starbucks”

            Landry laughed it off, but they both knew Fabien was right.  The woman had certainly been something new in the town.  He was sure of it.  He would have noticed a face like that.   She had given him hope.  Landry liked hope.  He looked for things to give him hope everywhere he could.  Something about the woman made Landry feel that she was not like the rest of the town.  Her clothes were clearly not designer labels.  Her hair and makeup looked perfectly natural.  And, when she spilled coffee all over him, she seemed genuinely mortified.  Most women in the town would have blamed him for standing too close or sneaking up on them, and they would not have been wrong about it.  Landry had felt drawn to the woman as soon as she walked into the coffee shop.  She had smiled at him, he was sure of that, and before he could stop himself his feet had taken him to her side without him having told them to do so.  Other women in the town would have yelled at him for being in their way.  They would have taken one look at his worn old clothes and considered him to be inferior.  They would not have apologized and tried to make things right.  Landry liked the new woman’s reaction to the accident.  He liked the feeling of hope she gave him.

            Landry could hide nothing from Fabien.  Sure, he could have banished him, but short of that there was no stopping Fabien from knowing what Landry was doing.  Fabien knew Landry spent the next few days finding excuses to go into the town, hoping to see the woman.  Landry was thrilled when he saw her the very next day walking in to a chic restaurant where he was getting take out.  He was a little surprised that she was going to that particular restaurant.  It was high end and fashionable, the kind of place where people went to be seen.  That’s why Landry always got take out.  He loved their food, but he did not want to be seen.  Still, he was happy to be seen there by her.  He was even happier that she seemed happy to see him too.  It gave him another rush of hope.  Landry was addicted to hope.

            Landry could not believe his luck when he saw her for a third day in a row.  He’d thought about approaching her when she walked into the pizza parlor, but she was with someone and he did not want to seem like a creeper.  He ate his pizza and drank his beer at the bar, sneaking occasional glances her way.  He did not want to be caught staring at her, but if she wanted to stare at him he wouldn’t mind.  She seemed excited about something.  Landry liked that.  Most of the women in the town seemed to hide their genuine excitement, if they had any at all, and instead opted for gaudy displays of exaggerated excitement if and only if it was socially acceptable for the occasion.  Landry couldn’t help himself.  He ordered her a drink, and sent it along with a note.  Then, before she could get the wrong idea and think he was coming on to her, he ran out of the restaurant.

            Landry had not seen her again.  He found a reason to go in to the town every day, but if she was there she was well hidden.  He decided she was probably just visiting and had left.  It was summer, and New Kensington Falls was a beautiful place to visit.  Landry still found little excuses to go into town and keep an eye out for her, but he told himself that she was gone.  He did, of course, allow himself to keep a little bit of hope.  Landry really loved hope.

            So Landry focused his hope on Josefina.  He knew he was probably setting unreasonably high expectations for the meeting.  After all, there was another name attached to the appointment: Martha James.  That was a classic New Kensington Falls name if he’d ever heard one.  Other than Mary Kensington, the headmistress whose family had founded the town, there was no one whose name was as intrinsically linked to the town as the James family.  He did not recognize the name Martha specifically as belonging to that family, but it was an old family that probably had several Marthas in it.  He noted that the appointment said Martha James, guardian.  That interested him.  Was Martha an elderly spinster who had adopted a young Latina girl? 

            Landry decided not to think too much about Martha James.  He had nothing against the James family.  They had donated so much to the school, including the performing arts center.  They just didn’t incite hope in him the way the promise of a new musician did.  So Landry set up his rehearsal room.  Maybe he would let Josefina try a few instruments, even though he knew that he would ultimately decide what she would play. 

        Landry was still considering this when the door opened, and SHE walked in.  The girl of his dreams.  Recent dreams, at least.  He hadn’t always dreamed of girls spilling hot coffee on him, but that had changed.  Now, he dreamed of her, spilling her coffee on his shirt, pulling the stained shirt over his head, licking the hot coffee off his chest…

        Was this Martha James?

        There was a young girl next to her.  The girl was probably about fourteen years old, which made sense because Josefina was a freshman.  The girl had shiny black hair and copper skin.  Yes, he thought, that looks like a Josefina.  So this goddess, the coffee-spilling beacon of hope, must be Martha.

        “Martha?” asked Landry.  “Martha James?”

        Landry usually suppressed his Cajun accent.  It only came out when he spent too much time with Fabien or when he was caught off guard.  Every time he had been around Martha James, he had been caught off guard.  With his accent, “Martha” came out as something between “Marta” and “Marda.” 

        Martha had looked as surprised at him, but when he said her name her expression melted into a smile.  Landry melted too, on the inside. 

        “Hello, Mr. LeBlanc,” she said.

        Landry was drowning in hope.