As I emptied Greg’s apartment I was having to, for the first time in my life, say goodbye to someone with whom I have no romantic relationship and to whom I am not related.
Try explaining that to a client while you are falling apart and can’t do the work you need to do. They have no reference point for it and end up thinking that you are just screwing with them.
In any case, as I was having to decide a week or two ago exactly what I was going to do with the things that were important to him. I had promised him as he died that I would do things right and that I would try to make it all as right as I could.
When I said that to my mother she said “What the hell does that even MEAN?”. She was right, of course. Making things right is such a weird way of putting it. For me it has more to do with a lot of post-death apology than it has to do with any Platonic sense of Rightness.
In any case, the piano. I put the ad up and waited. No one bit. I wanted to see $300 out of it, but it wasn’t forthcoming…
Then out of the blue I get an email from a woman who wants it for her son. He is three and his father is a composer. There really was no better customer than that.
Greg had gotten the piano for his high school graduation and it just seemed right that his life-long passion should be passed down.
They came and picked up the piano and I was thrilled. The little boy was SO EXCITED. It was great. They sent me a video of him playing, but he was so excited that his dad played while he just hit every key.
So before they got there, I was feeling a little maudlin like I have been since the 8th of March, and so I recorded a video of me playing the piano. I am not very good. I only remember a few things here and there from childhood. But it will be nice to click on this link and see it on Youtube as long as they are around.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMU3wd9FMM0
And here is the video that she sent me the day they came and picked it up:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muSQJv3nH00
The piano held its tune pretty well through the move.
Ok. That is two posts in one day and I think I am done until tomorrow.
More Ebay fun awaits.
T