Playing by Heart by Anne Mateer Read Free Book Online Page A

but I didn’t want Blaze to get any ideas about enlisting before he finished school.
    Blaze shifted his weight, cleared his throat. Apparently this wasn’t a subject he wanted to address. He darted a glance back to the Feed and Seed, then to me. “Gotta go, Coach. Gotta get home before Pa thinks I’m slackin’.”
    I jerked my head toward the store. “Get your work done. I’ll see you Monday.”
    As Blaze dashed away, Ma handed me a package—brown paper tied up with twine. “Was that Archie Clifton’s boy?”
    â€œYes. Blaze Clifton. You remember.”
    â€œOne of your ball players.”
    â€œAnd one of my students.”
    She snorted. “What kind of person calls their child Blaze?”
    â€œIt’s his nickname, Ma. The kids at school call him that because he’s fast. Reed’s his given name.”
    She grunted. We reached the car in silence. Once I navigated us off Main Street, Ma seemed to relax.
    â€œA cantankerous old cuss.”
    I jerked the wheel in surprise, then straightened us out again. “Who?”
    â€œArchie Clifton.”
    My jaw tightened. I’d tussled with Blaze’s ornery dirt farmer of a father over his son’s need for a high school education since I’d started teaching at Dunn High School Blaze’s freshman year. But our battle in August had been the worst yet. Mr. Clifton had made it clear he valued his son for his physical labor, a hired hand without the necessity of letting go of a dollar. I’d purchased Blaze’s court shoes for the coming season myself since his father refused to part with the money.
    My hands gripped the steering wheel more tightly. “It’s amazing that the boy’s still in school, to be honest. But Blaze—Reed—will graduate this year.” And no one would be able to take his education away from him.
    â€œThen he’ll go scratch out a living with Archie, I suppose.”
    â€œI doubt it.” We rounded a corner. I waved at Mrs. Wayfair on her front porch, dreading the thought of her piano playingin the morning. Couldn’t Pastor Reynolds find some way to gently relieve her of her service?
    â€œSurely the boy won’t go to college.”
    I pulled myself back to our conversation. “No. I imagine he’ll join up.”
    Ma blew out a breath. “Maybe the teacher should take a lesson from his student.”
    Archie Clifton’s determination to sabotage his son’s education had nothing on Ma’s resolute belief that both of her sons must engage the enemy and atone for their father’s cowardice.

    â€œDo you think they’ve found a new pianist yet?” Ma asked as we walked to church the next morning. It was the first time she’d spoken to me since our conversation about Blaze enlisting. In spite of all my explanations, she still couldn’t accept my reason to stay in Dunn rather than go to war. She didn’t believe that Clay and I had forged our agreement because we loved her. Because we didn’t want her to live alone, working herself into an early grave.
    â€œI guess we’ll see. I haven’t heard of a new music teacher at school yet, though. Maybe Pastor Reynolds is waiting to get a two-for-one, like with Miss Delancey.”
    â€œHmph. That girl knew the songs well enough, but her mind was never where it was supposed to be in God’s house.”
    Or in the classroom. I grinned, in spite of myself. I’d had no idea Ma had seen through the woman as easily as I had.
    We slipped into our usual pew. I looked at my wristwatch. Right on time. But Mrs. Wayfair wasn’t at the piano. I twisted around. Pastor Reynolds stood at the door with Mrs. Wyatt and—
    Lula. Yes, that was her name. One corner of my mouth lifted.
    Pastor Reynolds asked Lula something, and she shook her head, hard and fast, the ribbons on her hat whipping every which way. Mrs. Wyatt nudged her forward a step.