the
ballroom.
She knew there would be a crowd of young
musicians, parents, and teachers milling around, but she hadn’t
expected the air of alarm and confusion. The hotel staff were deep
in discussion with furrowed brows, and some of the kids were just
sitting in the middle of the floor surrounded by instrument cases
and folders, looking lost.
Lana waved at Mel, who was standing by the
free popcorn dispenser in the midst of a small flock of students.
“Hey, what’s going on?”
“The roads got snowed in during rehearsal,”
Mel explained.
“Greeeeat.” Lana made a face.
“So I guess our choices are: lobby
restaurant, or lobby restaurant.” Mel smirked. “And then, of
course, there’s lobby restaurant.”
“Don’t forget the free popcorn!” said
Lana.
“Nah, that’s for the percussion
section.”
Robin emerged from the ballroom with Alexis
and Tyler close behind. “Chicken fingeeeeeeers,” she moaned in a
zombie voice, her hands out in front of her still holding her
clarinet case and folder.
“Change of plans,” said Lana. “We’re snowed
in.”
“You guys are totally welcome to join us in
the hotel restaurant,” said Mel.
“Anything, as long as it’s made of food,”
Robin moaned. “Oh, and we have to wait for Blanca and her mom.”
“Blanca Martinez? Flute?” Mel asked.
“Yeah, she’s like, practically my sister,”
said Robin. “She got piccolo in the concert band this year. And she
and her mom are rooming with us.”
“Rooming with the piccolo player,” said Mel,
“that’ll wake you up in the morning.”
As soon as Blanca and her mom materialized
from another ballroom, the three women led the group of teenagers
over to the lobby restaurant. Naturally, by this point, there was a
line, but the restaurant did its best to seat everybody—even if
they were shoved off in a corner near the bathroom.
“Can you believe this weather?” said Mrs.
Martinez after they gave the server their drink orders.
“Makes me glad we’re stuck in here all day
for three days anyway,” said Robin. “It’s all cozy.”
“What about the concert?” asked Blanca.
“Isn’t that in the convention center?”
“They’re connected,” said Robin. “There’s,
like, a thing. Like a connecty-thing. You didn’t see it last
year?”
“The weather wasn’t this fucked up last
year,” Tyler pointed out. “Oh, shit, I didn’t mean to curse, Ms.
Feinberg.”
Robin burst out laughing. “Did you even hear
what you just said?”
Lana couldn’t help smile herself, and Mel
definitely didn’t seem to care about the language.
“You know what, though?” Mel pointed out,
frowning. “The middle schoolers are out in that Holiday Inn three
miles down the road. They’re the ones who’ll be in real trouble if
they can’t clear the snow.”
“Oh, my God…” said Blanca.
“I would die . I
literally had nightmares I’d oversleep and miss getting here on
time this morning.”
“Then she practiced in Lana’s van,” said
Mrs. Martinez.
“Oh, boy,” smirked Mel.
Mrs. Martinez grinned. “They don’t tell you
when your daughter picks up the flute it comes with that shrill
little torture device!”
“How does everybody like
playing Pines of Rome ?” Mel asked the students.
“Whales!” squealed Alexis.
“It’s the whales
from Fantasia !”
said Blanca at the same time.
“I love the part at the end where the whales
fly,” said Robin, making flying-whale motions with her arms.
Mel met Lana’s glance with
amused eyes. “Before Disney did all that, it was supposed to be
about different places in Rome,” Mel explained. “When I hear you
guys playing I think about my trips there. It’s an amazing place,
with thousands of years of history, art, culture—all overlapping.
You could be standing between a building that’s two hundred years
old and columns that used to be part of another building that’s
two thousand .”
“So romantic!” Blanca’s eyes sparkled.
“Oh, man,
ballroom.
She knew there would be a crowd of young
musicians, parents, and teachers milling around, but she hadn’t
expected the air of alarm and confusion. The hotel staff were deep
in discussion with furrowed brows, and some of the kids were just
sitting in the middle of the floor surrounded by instrument cases
and folders, looking lost.
Lana waved at Mel, who was standing by the
free popcorn dispenser in the midst of a small flock of students.
“Hey, what’s going on?”
“The roads got snowed in during rehearsal,”
Mel explained.
“Greeeeat.” Lana made a face.
“So I guess our choices are: lobby
restaurant, or lobby restaurant.” Mel smirked. “And then, of
course, there’s lobby restaurant.”
“Don’t forget the free popcorn!” said
Lana.
“Nah, that’s for the percussion
section.”
Robin emerged from the ballroom with Alexis
and Tyler close behind. “Chicken fingeeeeeeers,” she moaned in a
zombie voice, her hands out in front of her still holding her
clarinet case and folder.
“Change of plans,” said Lana. “We’re snowed
in.”
“You guys are totally welcome to join us in
the hotel restaurant,” said Mel.
“Anything, as long as it’s made of food,”
Robin moaned. “Oh, and we have to wait for Blanca and her mom.”
“Blanca Martinez? Flute?” Mel asked.
“Yeah, she’s like, practically my sister,”
said Robin. “She got piccolo in the concert band this year. And she
and her mom are rooming with us.”
“Rooming with the piccolo player,” said Mel,
“that’ll wake you up in the morning.”
As soon as Blanca and her mom materialized
from another ballroom, the three women led the group of teenagers
over to the lobby restaurant. Naturally, by this point, there was a
line, but the restaurant did its best to seat everybody—even if
they were shoved off in a corner near the bathroom.
“Can you believe this weather?” said Mrs.
Martinez after they gave the server their drink orders.
“Makes me glad we’re stuck in here all day
for three days anyway,” said Robin. “It’s all cozy.”
“What about the concert?” asked Blanca.
“Isn’t that in the convention center?”
“They’re connected,” said Robin. “There’s,
like, a thing. Like a connecty-thing. You didn’t see it last
year?”
“The weather wasn’t this fucked up last
year,” Tyler pointed out. “Oh, shit, I didn’t mean to curse, Ms.
Feinberg.”
Robin burst out laughing. “Did you even hear
what you just said?”
Lana couldn’t help smile herself, and Mel
definitely didn’t seem to care about the language.
“You know what, though?” Mel pointed out,
frowning. “The middle schoolers are out in that Holiday Inn three
miles down the road. They’re the ones who’ll be in real trouble if
they can’t clear the snow.”
“Oh, my God…” said Blanca.
“I would die . I
literally had nightmares I’d oversleep and miss getting here on
time this morning.”
“Then she practiced in Lana’s van,” said
Mrs. Martinez.
“Oh, boy,” smirked Mel.
Mrs. Martinez grinned. “They don’t tell you
when your daughter picks up the flute it comes with that shrill
little torture device!”
“How does everybody like
playing Pines of Rome ?” Mel asked the students.
“Whales!” squealed Alexis.
“It’s the whales
from Fantasia !”
said Blanca at the same time.
“I love the part at the end where the whales
fly,” said Robin, making flying-whale motions with her arms.
Mel met Lana’s glance with
amused eyes. “Before Disney did all that, it was supposed to be
about different places in Rome,” Mel explained. “When I hear you
guys playing I think about my trips there. It’s an amazing place,
with thousands of years of history, art, culture—all overlapping.
You could be standing between a building that’s two hundred years
old and columns that used to be part of another building that’s
two thousand .”
“So romantic!” Blanca’s eyes sparkled.
“Oh, man,
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