That night, I closed the scores and took a deep breath as I finished the rehearsal. The musicians closed their music and readied their instruments to be put up.
“Are you all right?” Gail asked quietly as she stood and moved closer to me.
I nodded as I straightened the scores into a neat pile.
“No, you’re not. Want to go for a drink?” Gail asked.
I still stared down at the stack of scores.
“Let me close up my violin and we’re going.” Gail turned back to her stand as she loosened her bow. She turned and laid her music on top of my scores, put her violin in its case, closed and locked it, and picked it and all the music up.
Earl was also standing there now, a look of consternation on his face.
“Come on,” she said to me. She also looked at Earl. “We’re going out for a drink,” she told h
