Chapter 5

  A low and crackly voice says, "You can call me Jo, I don't care. From what I understand you're Melody Goldman?"

   I nod. "Yep, but you can call me Mel or Melly. I don't care either."

   "Okay, 'Mel,' how are you?" he says opening a door and leading me into it.

   "I'm fine. And you?"

   "Pretty good, pretty good," he says and I hear him plop down on a seat. He pulls one out for me and helps me sit down in it. "From what I understand, you got into a car crash and damaged your brain, right?"

   "Yes sir," I say with a frown rubbing my irritating stitches.

    "Okay," he fiddles with his instrument, "It's my job to teach blind musicians, not to socialize. So, play me something."

   I nod at him and put my clarinet mouthpiece in my mouth. I position my fingers in what I would think to be the first Chromatic Scale fingering. I blow and quickly go to the next and then all the way up to C. Then back down.

   He claps when I finish. "Great! You must've memorized those notes and fingerings!"

   I nod. The Chromatic Scale was something I needed memorized for a grade when I was a newbie.

   "Now, let's see how good your memory is. Repeat back the five numbers I say. Okay? Okay. Twenty-five, sixteen, eight, thirteen, eighty-nine."

   "Twenty-five, sixteen, eight, thirteen, eighty-nine," I say pausing after each number to think.

   "Now I'll add a number. forty-seven."

   "Twenty-five, sixteen, eight, thirteen, eighty-nine, and forty-seven."

   "Good!" "Now..." This went on for a while. Eventually, I could remember fifty-four numbers.

   "Jo, we're marching now," Ms. Jerik states, "Do you think you could teach her how to do that?"

   He doesn't say anything. I guess he nodded because he takes my hand and soon I feel the warm summer air on my face and the breeze blows my hair out of my face.

   "Hey, Mel!" I hear Harmony call my name. I hear stomps and realizes she's running at me. I know when she's in front of me because she's panting obviously out of breath. "Guess what?"

   "What?"

   "I've gotten hotter since you went blind oh, and, you've gotten uglier!" she sneers and I slap her across the face glaring.

   "So, thanks for helping me up earlier," I say moving on from her friendly insult.

  "Anytime," she says and slaps me on the back a little to hard. The impact sends me flailing forward. I barely catch myself.

   "Harmony..." I say trying to keep my cool as I stand up and brush off my knees, elbows, and hands off. "What was that?"

   "Um.. Bye!" She says and I feel her whip past me. I barely graze her shoulder. Groaning, I continue being led by Jo.

    Me and Jo walk to the back of the field where no one is. "Okay, now, mark time. Hup, hup, ready go."

   I bend my knees in time with his clapping. "Now march eight! Hup, hup, ready march."

   I roll step with high toes for eight counts. "Mel, guess where you are?"

   "On the line?"

   "No, you're three feet in front of the line."

   He teaches me a consistent step size and the size step I should take for block band.

   After a while of practicing with him he allows me to do block band with the rest of the band. Afterwards Harmony talks with me. "Mel, that was, like, amazing! You are an excellent marcher! You almost always made it to the line and you were always in a line!" She exclaims. "Guess what that means?"

   "What?"

   "We have a chance at winning the state championship!" She grabs my hand and we squeal jumping up and down. Winning state is every band members dream.

   She guides me to the band room and helps me with my stuff. "Do you need a ride home?" She asks.

   "Oh, yeah." I say nodding.

   As I get in the car someone grabs my foot. I'm in a moment of panic for a second and realize it's just Jo when he begins talking. He says: "Practice tomorrow. At your house. I'll be there at half past noon."

   Before I can reply, I feel the speed bump and know that Harmony's mom has driven away.