The New Cellist in Row Two

The New Cellist in Row Two

1On the first Monday in March, Ms. Okafor led a new girl into the music room. "Everyone, this is Lucia," she said. "She will sit with the cellos." Lucia carried a cello case covered in faded stickers from many different cities. She gave a small nod and looked down at the floor.

2Theo sat in the first cello chair. He had been the only cellist in the fourth-grade orchestra since September, and he liked having the whole section to himself. When Lucia sat down beside him, he slid his music stand a little to the left and said nothing.

3Ms. Okafor wrote the warm-up scale on the board and raised her baton. Lucia opened her case and tightened her bow with three quick turns. She played the whole scale with her eyes closed, and every note was smooth and even. Theo squeaked on the high notes, the way he usually did.

4"That was lovely, Lucia," Ms. Okafor said. Theo's ears turned red. He stared hard at his music and did not say a word for the rest of the warm-up.

5Next came the hard piece, a march with a fast part in the middle. Theo had practiced that part for two weeks, and it tangled his fingers every time. When the class reached the middle, Lucia's bow slowed down. She looked at the page, then at Theo's bow, then back at the page. Her notes came out late and scratchy.

6Theo noticed. He remembered his own first week of orchestra, when every page of music looked like a jumble of dots. He pulled his stand back so that it sat between their two chairs. "The middle part is tricky," he whispered. "Watch my bow. I'll count it out for you."

7After class, Lucia packed her cello slowly. "Thanks," she said. "At my last school, we learned every song by listening to it, not by reading it." Theo grinned. "Then maybe you can teach me how to play the high notes without squeaking," he said. "We can trade." Lucia laughed for the first time all day.