Echoes of a Violin

Chapter 14: A Phrygian Sky

Neal slowed to a jog on his favorite trail along the Hudson River at Riverside Park. He'd already run for an hour. In the afternoon, he might go for a swim in the university pool. Then it would be back to work on the Braque painting.

The previous day, when he returned home he sat down at the piano and rehearsed a few numbers for Marmalade's. June was out. No one to hear his choice of music. As he sang, he thought about Richard's suggestion. Did he really want to expose his soul before a crowd of strangers? Instead he opted to do it in the quiet of June's music room, belting out "Warning Sign" by Coldplay and several other angst-ridden selections. He finished with an angry "Fake It" by Seether. With that out of his system, he was in a much better mood to enjoy the evening.

Marmalade's was a positive experience. Aidan and his girlfriend Keiko showed up at the club along with Michael, Angela's boyfriend. He was a bachelor these days since Angela was working on a field project in West Virginia.

Neal was suspicious that the others hadn't just chanced by, and when Henry and his boyfriend Eric arrived too, the setup was obvious. After dropping in on Neal at his studio, Richard must have rounded up the others for an intervention.

When he saw his friends at the club, Neal was relieved he'd already decided to dial back his lover's blues. He only sang one solo piece, a Muse version of "Feeling Good," aimed at reassuring everyone he was done with wallowing. The rest of the time he restricted himself to backup. Richard called Henry on stage to play. Of course, he insisted on showing off, singing Santana's "Oye Como Va" and jiving on stage.

Neal paused to sit on a bench and look at the river. The summer would pass quickly. The weekends shouldn't be too lonely. He'd have his paintings to work on. He could go to Marmalade's on Saturday nights. If he solved the mystery behind the Braque, events could move quickly. In six weeks, he, Peter, El, as well as most of the group would be in San Diego for Comic-Con where Aidan would present his video.

When his cell phone rang, Neal's first thought was that it was Fiona calling. After she moved to France, they used to talk every Sunday. Instead, it was another familiar voice and a welcome one.

"Did I catch you loafing on the terrace?" Sara asked.

"I'll do that later." Had she talked with Fiona? He should let her know to prevent any awkwardness. But before he could broach the subject, she beat him to it.

"Fiona called me to explain what happened. I'm so sorry things didn't work out."

"Thanks." Neal hesitated over how much more to say. He wasn't in the mood to make a joke.

"I hope you don't think I misled you," Sara said. "I honestly didn't realize her feelings were so conflicted."

"How could you? Fiona didn't know either." Sara had experienced a worse romantic disaster than him. Less than two months ago, she discovered her ex-boyfriend Bryan McKenzie had been playing her.

"We really should try to avoid emotional train wrecks in the future," she said. "Next time you spot me getting in the path of an oncoming locomotive, please shove me out of the way."

"Agreed. You do the same with me. Although, I have no intention of being anywhere near a train for a long time to come."

"You and me both. Dating's not the only thing in the world. We have our careers, friends, hobbies ..."

He watched the boats on the river and nodded. "Workouts are on my list. I was running in Riverside Park when you called."

"Highly recommended for exorcising frustrations. I've started a regimen too."

"You do realize that shopping doesn't count as a cardio workout?"

"That shows how little you know. I've taken shopping to new heights. Besides, I have other interests."