Light From Uncommon Stars(29)

“She always plays just a hair sharp,” Miss Satomi added.

“D-did I mess up?”

“No, no … you did fine,” the woman said. “It’s a little snug, but it’s good and level. If you like it there, I’ll place it there again. In fact … it’ll probably stay in place after I remove the strings and bridge.”

Lucy smiled. The kid had very good hands. And a great ear. In fact, if she weren’t studying with the Queen of Hell, Lucy might have offered her a job. And so far, this repair looked pretty simple. All the instrument needed was a basic— But then, Lucy paused.

The bridge did not move.

She glanced at Katrina, who was now staring at her shoes, then at Shizuka Satomi, who shook her head slowly.

So this was why they had needed her help.

The bridge … was glued to the spruce? This was crazy. The repair costs alone would be more than what the instrument was worth.

But it was Shizuka Satomi asking.

And besides …

Lucy had been in this shop since she was a child. She had seen students sneer at worthy violins without a proper pedigree. She had seen them treat fifty-thousand-dollar instruments like servants, or toys.

This student was giving her violin nothing but love.

“I’ll need time,” Lucy finally said.

“No rush. She can play any one of mine for now.”

Lucy looked up, startled by what that implied, then returned to the violin in front of her.

“Okay. Obviously, we’ll need a new bridge. Aubert?”

“Milo Stamm. Premium,” said Shizuka.

“Y-yes. We can order that.” Of course. Lucy remembered—Auberts were fine professional bridges, but Stamm was a Satomi trademark.

“Then again, if you think Despiau would be better, by all means use one. Yifeng preferred the 10A—the one with three trees.”

And yes. “Yifeng” was Yifeng Brian Zheng.

“And strings? Dominants?” Lucy regretted saying that the moment it left her lips. Of course. Dominants were fine for most people, but Shizuka Satomi was not most people.

Shizuka looked as if she had just smelled something unpleasant.

“For this violin, Evah Pirazzis. I want a little bit of attitude. The regular Pirazzis would be fine … though the E might be a little bright. Maybe a gold E. What do you think, Katrina? Shall we add a gold E?”

Katrina shrugged. How was this even happening?

“I’ll put them on, if possible.” Lucy examined the violin carefully. “Evah Pirazzis carry a … higher tension, so sometimes … they can be a bit much for a student violin.” She checked the construction and quality of the wood. Good and good.

“Evah Pirazzis will be fine,” she declared. “Anything else?”

“Katrina?” Miss Satomi asked. “Is there anything else you’d like to check?”

“C-can you help—” Katrina blurted before stopping herself.

“Help?” Lucy asked.

“Katrina?”

“Nothing,” Katrina mumbled.

Why had Katrina even opened her mouth? She hadn’t even told Miss Satomi that she’d moved the sound post, let alone why. She didn’t know how to explain it, anyway.

Miss Satomi put her hand on Katrina’s shoulder.

“She’s going to take the best care of your violin.”

“I promise,” Lucy said.

The doorbell jingled and then they were gone.

I promise.

What could have possessed her to say such a thing? And the expression on that student’s face as she left …

Lucy Matía slumped on her stool. But a violin—and a promise—were now resting in her hands.

What she had not told Shizuka Satomi was that she had already canceled requests from Aoi Miyazawa. What she had not told Shizuka Satomi was that she had already sent a note to their oldest clients that for now, they should find other shops.

Yes, her grandfather had said that she had the “hands of a Matía.” But her grandfather had said other things, as well. As did her father. Things her brothers were unable to hear. Things that she had never been told.

For MATíA & SONS, the sign said.

And though she was a Matía, she was not a son.



* * *



“Katrina? You see over there?” As they drove, Shizuka pointed at a small storefront.

“It used to be Iris Salon. That’s where an old lady used to cut my hair.”

“Oh.”

“So much has changed. When I was young, most of these signs in the area were in Spanish. That nail salon used to be Angel’s Upholstery. And the kitchen supply store used to be Super Videos, and before that, there was an old man who repaired shoes.”

“Oh.”

Well, that attempt failed. So much for “chatting about the neighborhood.” That was fine. But soon Shizuka had to find a way to relate to the girl and gain her trust. No matter how brilliant Katrina proved to be, she would need to be trained.

Even Paganini had to practice. In fact, the more remarkable the student, the more relentless and difficult the process. One does not cut a diamond by being gentle, and Katrina, with her uncultivated skills and history of abuse, had a uniquely difficult path ahead. The girl would be pressured, hammered, honed, and polished.