Music of Souls

She laughed and shook her head.

"What's so funny?"

"You are such an enigma, one minute all cocky and brash, the next formal and chivalrous."

Jackson grinned wickedly while unbuttoning her blouse. "And now I shall demonstrate my salacious side."

***

Elisabeth lay on her back gazing up at the ceiling. "Just being in this room makes one feel creative."

"Looking at you makes me feel creative."

She took his hand and kissed his palm. "You have magic in these hands."

"Not really, a hundred years of practice and you would play just as well."

"Never happen."

Jackson pulled her on top of him. "Let me be your Svengali. I'll have you playing Rachmaninov in a year."

"Ha, I think I'll leave the piano to you. Let's go make some popcorn. I need a snack."

He tightened his grip around her. "Nice try, Legs. We are not leaving this room until you sing."

"Fine, let's get this over with." They dressed and Elisabeth handed him the folder. "I tried to choose something you would be familiar with."

Jackson glanced at the sheet music then at her through dark lashes "This is a far cry from 'Happy Birthday'." She had selected "Pie Jesu" from Faure's Requiem, vocally, a very difficult piece. Jackson was quite familiar with it. In fact, the sheet music was unnecessary. To sing this, Elisabeth would have had to be classically trained, and she would need to sing the highest end of her range if she was indeed a mezzo-soprano. He suddenly felt worried for her. If this was beyond her abilities, it would sound ugly. He decided that even if she sounded like a cat in heat, he would gush over her with praise. "You ready?"

Elisabeth seemed to sense his unease. "You're making me nervous."

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to. Let's both take a breath and we'll start."

Jackson quickly realized he needn't have worried. Elisabeth's voice sang full and rich. She was in the middle of every pitch and fully supported each note. She displayed beautiful intonation and reached the Aflat5 without even a hint of shrillness, sounding like an angel. She was not merely singing; she was experiencing the music. Deep emotion flowed across her expression, causing Jackson's eyes to gloss over. He found her translation of the piece breathtaking. When she finished, he stood, held her and repeated her words softly, "Promise you'll sing for me often."

"Can I have my popcorn now?"