Becoming Hazel

She hesitated for a moment, and though the instrument before her could be described as more of a tin pan than a Steinway, she was here to show off her skills, not the piano. She began to play Chopin. “This is not a concert hall, Hazel.” “No, of course not.” She knew she needed to keep up the pace, whatever she could quickly play from memory. She cleared her throat, took a cleansing breath, and began the first strains of ‘Amazing Grace’ with great flourishes. “- nor a revival meeting.” “Excuse me, JB. It is clear I can play the piano. You have asked for someone who can read sheet music. Would you like to give me some music and I will play it for you?” “Well, welI, well. I wondered when you would ask for it. Such a sensible young woman,” laughed JB as she turned to a battered crate filled with scores that was sitting beside the piano. “Thanks for the performance, by the way. Beautiful technique and form.” Hazel thumbed through the stack of dog-eared, stained, marked-up music on the piano, and began to play them one after the other, in order. JB finally stopped her. “Quite good, quite good. You will need to memorize what to play where, of course.” “Oh, I already know some of that,” replied Hazel. “Like this is the sort of thing you might use in a chase,” and she demonstrated the music she had learned from the pianist in Kalamazoo. She also listed more ‘stock selections’ she knew, though she realized that JB might use other ones. “My, aren’t you the clever one! Stock music has been used for filler in the past. But the way of the future is going to be scores that are written specifically for the bigger films that are being produced. That is why we need pianists who can read music so that they can play the scores,” explained JB. “So, am I hired?” asked Hazel. “If you’re willing to sign a contract, yes. Can you start right away? We have a show in thirty minutes.” “I’d be delighted! But my, um, friend is waiting for me outside and I must tell him where I am.” Hazel blushed. “I will give him a free pass for this early show. Grab him and get ready to play. Nothing like trial by fire, but it’s not likely to be busy for the matinee so it’s a good time for you to get the feel of things.” Hazel rushed out of the theater to find Charlie, who was heading back toward the theater to see what was going on. “I got it, Charlie! She hired me!” cried Hazel. “If you come inside, you can see a movie for free and hear me perform!” Charlie wrapped his arms around Hazel and lifted her into the air, whirling her around like a child. “Put me down, Charlie,” giggled Hazel. “Everyone’s staring at us!” “I’m just so happy for you, sweetheart!” he said, and then clapped his huge hand over his mouth. “Oh, my. Is that alright to say?” Hazel blushed and turned her head away but looked back at him with a coy smile. “It’s lovely, Charlie. Your sweetheart? Dear me, that is a lot to contemplate. But now I must get back inside to sign a contract and talk to JB - I mean, Mrs. Parker - before the show. I am sure you can wait in the lobby. There will be a ticket waiting for you.” Hazel and JB sat down in the theater office with a simple contract that explained her pay rate - one dollar per show and eight shows per week. She would have to find a place to live, of course, but JB suggested a clean, respectable boarding house for ladies run by Mrs. Mae Templeton that was just around the corner and served dinner each night. “My only concern would be that young man of yours - well, he isn’t so young, is he?” ventured JB, lowering her voice in confidence. “What is going on between you two anyway?” “We ‘re just friends, JB. He’s a firefighter whom I met when I was taking a cure at Mineral Wells Spa. He’s on his way back to Austin soon.” Hazel dropped her eyes, obviously sad. “I know we’ve just met, Hazel, but let me give you some good advice: a woman should always have her own life. That is why I have a business, even if I do run it with my husband. But it is a man’s world, women must work harder to have a real place in it, and sometimes we end up doing things we never thought we would do.” “Like what?” asked Hazel. “Well, I stopped using my Christian name because people didn’t take me seriously.” JB paused for a moment. “My parents were in the theater - they did Shakespeare - and they named me Juliet Beatrice, two famous Shakespearean leading ladies. But who wants to do business with someone named Juliet? I’m an only child, and when I inherited money from my parents, I wanted to invest in a theater. My husband, God love him, has no business sense, but I do. I am the General Manager, and I go by Mrs. JB Parker, and sometimes just JB Parker in correspondence, so vendors and the banks will deal with me. My husband, Henry, is a wonderful projectionist and handyman. We each have our strengths, and we are a wonderful team.” “To tell the truth, JB, I am about to defy my father to take this job. He is arriving on the train from Oklahoma City on Friday and wants to take me back with him. It is true I am fond of Charlie, but I’ve only just met him. I have had the dream of being a pianist and being on my own for a long time,” admitted Hazel. “Do you think poorly of me?” “Of course not. I assume you are of age to make that decision?” “I’m eighteen last December,” stated Hazel firmly. “I know that’s only a few weeks ago, but I am of age.”