As they were finishing lunch on Sunday, Miranda lightly clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. "The past nine days have been about as calm as you'd expect from a hailstorm happening at the same time as a tornado. Even though we have everything sorted out for when Danica goes back to school tomorrow, there's no way it won't be stressful for everyone, not just her. So... I decided that everyone was due for something pleasant and relaxing. That being the case..."
Mimi poked her head in from the hallway door and announced, "Everything is in readiness Madame."
"Thank you Mimi." Miranda stood and gestured toward the door. "Well then, shall we all go?"
Nobody moved. "Go where?" asked Robert.
"Oh, that. To the family parlor of course. Everyone, if you please." She was smiling, but the tone of voice she used was the one that everyone had long ago learned meant that she was not making a request but giving an order.
By now, not even Danica expected an explanation, so off they went, with Danica walking between Stavros and Consuela. They each had an arm around her waist, and her arms were around their shoulders. As her balance was still awful, and her strength not much better, they were carrying about 80% of her weight.
When they arrived, they found Akane Fukui and her daughter Rebecca already there. After the usual greetings, all took a seat. As there were more than the usual number of people present, it somehow worked out that Stavros, Danica, and Consuela shared a love seat meant for two, with Danica in the middle.
Akane wondered why Consuela had arranged to sit so there was about 15 cm of space to her right, thus crowding the other two children together. Seeing barely concealed smiles on the faces of the other adults in the room, she decided to withhold her question until she could get Miranda alone. Whatever was going on promised to be interesting.
As Akane was thinking, Miranda stood and gestured for Rebecca to also stand. "Rebecca here has granted us some of her time today. What with school and her music lessons, I expect that she rarely has time for herself any more. That being the case, I must express my gratitude."
She bowed slightly and then sat down, while continuing to look attentively at Rebecca who immediately bowed back.
"Ah, yes. Uh... Thank you Mrs. Donetti. It's no problem at all. To be truthful you're actually helping me. One of my recent assignments was to perform in front of a small audience of people who were not also students, so when Mother told me of your request, well, I was thrilled."
Danica looked at Stavros, and then Consuela. Seeing puzzlement she looked at everyone else and found that all of them other than Miranda and Mimi also had no idea of what was going on.
All their questions were soon answered when Rebecca pulled a case out from behind a chair and removed a violin. Seeing it resulted in smiles on everyone's faces, except for Danica's. She'd never seen one before.
Her confusion cleared as Rebecca began her performance. From that point on there was silence punctuated only by the sounds of someone occasionally shifting position.
When Rebecca finished, about 20 minutes later, Stavros barely was able to stop Danica from tumbling off the love seat. She'd gradually been leaning further and further forward and had finally lost her balance. The others hadn't noticed as they too had been enraptured by Rebecca's playing.
Her near fall caught the attention of everyone in the room, but, while they were looking at her, Danica's attention was full on Rebecca and she didn't notice. "Uh. Miss Rebecca? I'm sorry, but I haven't heard your last name yet. I'm Danica Karongo. If you would, please, tell me, can that be played in a sitting position?"
"Certainly. Most of the time, it is. While it's customary to stand while giving a solo performance, it's only that, customary. There is no requirement to do so."
Seeing Miranda vacate her chair and gesture toward it, Rebecca sat and played a short piece, after which she looked at Danica and smiled.
Danica's eyes were glowing. "How wonderful. While you were playing, I became certain that there are indeed angels on the earth, and that the sound made by your instrument must be very like their songs. Please tell me, what is your instrument called?"
"Oh. It's called a 'violin'. I'm told that similar instruments have been around for several hundred years, but its current form is due to a remarkable craftsman in Cremona by the name of Andrea Amati. I wish I could personally let him know how much I appreciate his work, but I did send him a letter thanking him."
While Becca was speaking, Danica glanced around the room and saw that everyone was looking at her. As soon as Becca finished, Danica bowed, and stammered, "Everyone, I'm so, so sorry that I spoke out of turn. Please accept my most abject apologies for not allowing my elders to speak first."
Sara smiled warmly and replied, "Think nothing of it. Besides, I think that what you said pretty much expressed what all of us would like to say, yes?"
As she looked around the room, her question was answered by nods from everyone. "So you see Danica, this time, you spoke for all of us, though you are right that, in other circumstances, you should restrain yourself, especially should you be in public."
Bowing her compliance, Danica then hid her embarrassment by bringing her hands to her face.
Akane crossed the room and patted Danica on the head. "Don't fret so much child. I've been telling Becca for over a year that she's become remarkably good, but she never truly believed me. I can't blame her though. Parents frequently have too high an opinion of their children's talents."
Turning to Rebecca she added, "Though in this case it looks like I was spot on, wouldn't you say?"
Seeing her daughter blushing with pleasure, Akane turned back to Danica. "I'm Akane Fukui. Sara's sisters, whom I understand you met briefly, are married to my son Jason. Kaho is my daughter."
Turning to face the room in general, she said, "Well, it's time for us to go. Becca needs to get some rest. After dinner, she'll be playing for the family for the first time."
"WHAT?!"
"I told everyone that if you did well here today, you'd play for them later." She mock glared at Rebecca. "You aren't going to tell me that you'll play for friends but not for your family, are you?"
"No, no, no, NO! NO, I'd never do something like that Mother. Of course I'll play for them tonight. Let's be on our way, yes..." She hurriedly, but carefully, put her violin in its case and headed for the door.
"Well, see you all later. Toodles!" With that, Akane also left, followed by Mimi. It wouldn't do for her to let herself out.
As they were leaving, Danica said, to no one in particular, possibly only to herself, as it was nearly a whisper, "At home in Soba, there were many who played the Rebab, but it usually has only two or three strings and doesn't have nearly the range of Miss Rebecca's violin. Still, hearing the rebab was a most pleasant experience. I dearly wish I'd been able to study it, but only men play."
No one responded, so perhaps nobody had heard her.
----------------
Ptica paused the replay and loudly pounded a paperweight on her desk upon hearing mutterings, in multiple languages, of words to the equivalent of "That poor girl."
. "Oh, please! If anyone truly believes that the others didn't hear her, I'm sure that Flower Arranging II still has openings. Now shut up and listen."
-----------------
After the children had gone to bed that evening the adults met in Miranda's office. Paolo started the conversation, "I'm pretty sure she wasn't hinting. She wasn't, was she?"
"After teaching her for the past week and change, I call tell you this for sure. She's not the subtle type. If she has something to say, she'll say it. If not, she keeps her mouth shut."
Sara looked at Miranda and grinned. "That's why you want to eventually recruit her for your informant team, right?"
Miranda said nothing, but grinned in return.
It was Robert who made the decision easy for everyone. "This falls in my area of expertise, so I'll deal with it. Decent quality, used violins are readily available at tolerable prices. One of our customers at First Merchant's owns an instrument store, and it's fairly close by. I'll meander over after work some time this week, check out the instruments, and inquire about a good, patient teacher. The last thing that poor girl needs now is more stress from an instructor who's a martinet. I'll also make sure that the teacher is female. Danica should be more comfortable that way, and it will reinforce the idea that you don't have to be male to be good."
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
There was nodding all around, then everyone went off to finish whatever tasks they'd planned on previously. Fortunately, even Miranda had caught up with her work, temporarily, and was able to get to bed at a reasonable hour.
------------------------
About the same time at the Karongo home:
"They're WHAT?!!" Danica's father Faizan fell back into the chair behind him after nearly having fainted upon hearing the news.
Aseel, his older brother, nodded firmly to confirm his previous statement. "There is no doubt. Robert Donetti is the senior partner of the most prominent bank in The City, and it is also one of the most well known in Italy. They're also filthy rich. Our Danica's misfortune may turn into a blessing for all of us."
Miriam, who still had her hands on her cheeks from reacting to the news, asked, "What in the world are you talking about?"
Aseel ticked things off on his fingers, "First, we owe them a great debt of gratitude for all the care they've provided, not just for Danica, but also for arranging for Dr. Kastner to see my brother and nephews. Normally nobody sees him without waiting a month or more. He's the most respected doctor in The City."
Miriam's hands fell in her lap, and she looked as if she might faint.
"Secondly, it is not right that such a debt remain unpaid. Were we to do nothing, there would be much criticism in our community regarding our unseemly conduct.
"Third, we have the chance to gain a great deal when we repay that debt."
Faizan had regained his senses by then. "What in the world are you talking about?"
"Little brother, we need to show the Donetti family how much we value both Danica and their assistance. The last thing in the entire world that they need is money. I suspect that they could buy a third of The City were they so inclined. Giving them payment for their care of my niece could even be considered an insult.
"So what do we do?" He immediately answered his own question, "We give them something that they will value yet would never be able to buy."
After so saying he stood up straight, raised his right hand, and with a little twist of his wrist, pointed his index finger at the ceiling.
"Big brother, you look silly like that."
Aseel grinned down at his brother. "Maybe so, but it felt so good to do it!"
After they'd all laughed, Faizan got down to business. "So, what are you plotting?"
"Who me? Plotting?"
Seeing Faizan's stern look, he laughed once, then continued, "Well, of course I am, but this time in a good way. I don't get into nearly as much mischief now as I did when we were boys."
Seeing Zaynab's skeptical look, he cleared his throat and hurried on, "There are more than 20 silversmith families in The City. Of those, about 12 produce work for the lower and middle classes. Of the remaining eight, there are three that stand out from the rest."
He gave Faizan a serious look. "I and my sons produce work that is, almost, as good as theirs. However, YOU are better than any of them."
Faizan looked shocked, while Miriam's expression could only be described as proud.
"So, what we do for the Donetti's is this. You are to give your best work to them. And, yes, I do mean that teapot you just finished. It is exquisite. As I said before, we must give them something unique, and there is nowhere in the entire city where they could buy its equal, and probably nowhere in Italy where a similar design exists.
"It will be ample repayment of our debt. If they have any taste at all, they will treasure it, and, God forgive me for being greedy, when their friends see it and hear who made it, our business is sure to prosper even more than it does now."
Nodding at the other's expressions of comprehension, he added, "By the time word has spread, and I expect it will take two or three months before the orders are more than you and your sons can handle by yourselves, the rest of us will have improved our skills substantially."
Looking askance at Aseel, Faizan asked, "And what miracle is going to allow that to happen so quickly?"
"How could it not? The best teacher in the world will be instructing us. Right Master Faizan?"
-----------------
On Thursday afternoon, Miriam arrived with both Faizan and their imam. As she did the first time, Miranda answered the door. Miriam had sent a letter asking permission for the others to accompany her, so Miranda and family were prepared. The guests were escorted to the family parlor, tea was served, and the usual small talk was used to allow everyone to get comfortable. Miranda did her very best not to look at the box Faizan had set on the floor by his feet.
Most of her attention was on the imam, who was the most important person in the room. She explained what had been done to provide adequate religious structure for Danica, after which he inspected the prayer room, discussed the dietary practices of the family, and was then escorted to the conservatory where Danica was waiting for him. They were seated in an alcove that afforded them privacy while they spoke, but Mimi was visible by the door, thus providing an appropriate chaperone.
After listening to his instructions and answering questions for a time, Danica decided that she liked him. He was definitely a somewhat stern man, but there was an occasional twinkle in his eye as well. When he seemed to be finished with what he'd intended to say, Danica asked, "Excuse me please, but I have a questions that is weighing upon me."
"Oh, so. And, pray tell, what might that be Miss Karongo?"
She the proceeded to explain how Paolo usually accompanied her and his mother for evening prayer, and then added on what he'd said about why he joined them. Once she'd finished, the imam leaned back in his chair and stared at, or perhaps through, the glass at the top of the conservatory.
After several minutes, he returned his attention to Danica, who was by then exceedingly nervous. She was afraid that she might be in a great deal of trouble for considering the ideas of a Christian, and a priest at that.
The imam's gaze was most solemn, but then it appeared that he couldn't hold it in any longer and began to snicker, then finally to laugh out loud. Of all the scenarios Danica had considered, this was far from being one of them.
Once he'd managed to control his laughter and had blotted his eyes, he explained, "I think that the leaders of almost every religion here in The City have heard of young Paolo Donetti. Many consider him to be a bad influence. After all, he insists on preaching tolerance of those of different religions. It's not just the Catholics who are irritated with him either.
"My personal suspicion is that, if it were not that BOTH archbishops in The CIty have expressed their full confidence in him, in public, some of the more hidebound religious leaders, and not just Christians, might have called for him to be defrocked. After all, teaching that those whose beliefs are different from yours are still human beings who deserve love and respect is definitely something only a radical would do... Or so they say."
He gently took Danica's hands in his and gazed into her eyes as he added, "Every day I pray that this world will someday be entirely filled by people like him. So... To answer your question. No, I see absolutely no problem with what he has suggested to you.
"However, should you continue to discuss religious concepts with him, please also discuss what he has said with me afterwards. I expect that I'll drop by every few weeks to have a chat with you about your concerns and questions. At worst, I will instruct you as to how the Prophet's teachings differ from Paolo's Christian ideas and explain why we believe as we do. At best, well, maybe I'll learn something as well."
So saying, he stood, brushed off his trousers, and said his goodbyes.
Miranda came and escorted him to the door. Even Danica couldn't hear the details of a conversation that far away, especially as it was around the corner from where she was sitting. However, she could tell that both were relaxed and seemed comfortable as they chatted.
------------
While Danica and the imam were having their discussion, Miranda had been conversing with Danica's parents. She'd opened the conversation by expressing her delight at having come to know Danica and how happy she was that Danica was helping her in her library, which she admitted had still been mostly disorganized in spite of the cleaning she'd undertaken two years earlier.
Danica's parents expressed their gratitude for all the help the Donettis were giving their family, finally saying that such aid was priceless and could never be measured.
It was then that Faizan picked up the box he brought with him. "Your actions, which, as you told my wife at your first meeting, are clearly based on the teachings of the Prophet, are still far beyond what most would do. Danica means the world to us. We have discussed the situation, and our options, and have decided that, well, we, uh..."
Miriam looked at him with a frustrated expression, which softened to a gentle smile. Turning to Miranda, she said, "My husband isn't much of a talker. Some days he hardly talks at all."
After shrugging her shoulders, she added, "It took him three days to come up with what you just heard. Actually I'm rather proud of the effort he put into it."
By then he was staring at his shoes and refused to look up.
"That being said, we know how much work you've put in in taking care of her. We also know that the last thing you need from us is money, so we decided that the best thing for us to do was to trade work for work, so to speak."
She chuckled, "I'm not much better with words than he is, to tell the truth. So, anyway, here. We want you to have this. Faizan worked on this off and on for a good part of our trip."
So saying, she handed the box to Miranda with a self-satisfied grin. She hadn't stuttered even once.
Manda received the box with both hands, set it on her lap, slowly lifted the lid, then froze. Finally, she moved, though it was just her eyes rapidly shifting back and forth from the object in the box, to Faizan, then back again.
Eventually she set the lid beside her on the settee and looked at Miriam. "May I pick it up?"
"Of course you can you silly goose. It's yours. You can do whatever you want with it." Miriam winced when she'd finished speaking. She hoped that Miranda hadn't been offended.
Slowly, and extremely carefully, Miranda slid her hands into the box and lifted out what was inside. What was revealed was a silver teapot, but one unlike any she'd ever seen before.
The handle looked to be of leadwood. It was carved as the figure of a leaping leopard, with its hind legs pushing off from the base of the pot, and its front legs touching the upper part. Its head was slightly raised, and its mouth was open, as if it were snarling. On each side of the pot there were engravings of several running antelope, seemingly fleeing the leopard.
Miranda looked it over, first from one side, then the other, and, finally the bottom and inside. By then both Miriam and Faizan were watching with trepidation. Had she seen some sort of flaw in the workmanship? Otherwise, why would she have spent so long examining it?
At last, Miranda gently put it back in the box and replaced the lid. She looked up at the others, smiled, and said softly, "Never, in my entire life, have I received such a marvelous gift. I shall remember this moment for the rest of my life."
Faizan and Miriam let out the breath they'd beejn holding. There truly wasn't anything to say, so they nodded and smiled back.