London Harmony: Small Fry (14 page)

I hesitated and placed my hand on the pad as he explained, “That part of SmartCanvas v3.0 is for people with limited or no hearing.  The pad reacts to the music and different portions of your hand will  experience different parts of the music, from bass in your palm to voices in your fingers.”

Then he pointed at the large vertical canvas standing on the table in front of me and he had a satisfied smirk on his face.  “There is where you will be able to touch the faces of the artists as they sing.  That's her gift to you.  It is her love note to you, just like Brandye had used the original SmartCanvas as a love note for Robin Hartford.”

Touch the faces of the artists?  Love note.  I cut back a sob.  Why was I crying?  I wiped my face and he said, “Here we go.”

He hit something on an iPad and the big screen bloomed to life.  I had seen SmartCanvas before so I knew it was more than a computer monitor the very surface could morph to display the physical brush strokes of artwork for blind people to touch and feel the work of the masters.

I blinked and fought a smile when Fran's voice came from the display and I pulled my hand off the pad for a second when it reacted to her voice, bouncing up at my fingertips.  I put my hand back on it as I listened.  “Hello.  Welcome to SmartCanvas version three.  We hope you enjoy your venture into the world of music in an immersive experience like no other.  Feel free to touch the screen in front of you as the faces of the artists are displayed in a three-dimensional environment.”

I noted that on the keyboard in front of the unit, another pad had braille scrolling by as she spoke.  I almost sighed at her voice, I had missed her so much.  And it was starting to sound like I was wrong about her betrayal.  Had I royally fucked it all up?

A woman's face appeared on the screen and the canvas stretched a bit.  I had seen it at work before but it was more jagged, like needles poking the canvas from behind, but this was a lot smoother and it could duplicate brush strokes up to four or five millimeters deep, but the three dimensional image on this one was around three centimeters.  It looked like a mask pushing in from behind.

I couldn't help but grin, the woman had Fran's hairstyle and coupled with her voice I knew I was looking at her.  I tentatively placed a hand on the face and closed my eyes and felt her familiar curves.  This was definitely her.  Then I was surprised when her lips moved when she spoke again.  “Scroll through our growing collection of titles to experience the music like never before.”

I opened my eyes and blurted, “Bloody hell!”  Though her face didn't move on the screen, her lips did.  I felt her familiar smile.  This was so bloody amazing!  My mind was racing at a million kilometers a second.  What I was seeing had far more potential reach than this application.  Imagine what this could do for the telly or cinema.  A theater with a gigantic SmartCanvas for three-dimensional movies.

The woman I knew was Fran just smiled on the screen waiting.  Oh!  I scrolled the menu, there were only five songs available.  I glanced at June then blushed and looked down as I selected an unreleased J8 song called Now You See Me.  She snorted, and the voice of Fran said, “You have selected J8's, Now You See Me.  This title is in the pop genre with heavy...”  I was distracted from the description by a different woman's face appearing on the screen.  I reached out and brushed my fingers across it.  She had June's hairstyle.  I grinned and closed my eyes and felt her face.  She had cute rounded cheeks.  Now don't go telling her I said that you wanker.

I tuned Fran back in.  “...and enjoy.”

Then the face started speaking in June's voice and her lips moved as she spoke.  She even blinked occasionally so it didn't feel so unnatural.  “Hi!  This is J8 with Now You See Me!”  She gave a cheesy grin and the music started.

I could feel the way the music was organized in my other hand, it swooshed and swayed and I realized it was getting me to sway with the beat.  When June sang the amazing song about stepping out from behind a fog for the very first time, I cried.  I ran my fingers along the canvas, feeling what she looked like in a way I could remember.  More often than not I closed my eyes and just rested my hand on the face on the canvas as it sang.  I could feel her frown, and smile, and raise her chin up as the words became something inspirational.

When it was over, I could tell you that I had never experienced music like that before.  I felt I could truly feel the emotions that went into the music because I could feel them on her face.

Fran returned to the screen to prompt for another selection.  With a shaky hand, I selected Penny Franklin's ‘Yvette.’  By the end of it I was openly crying.  It had to be the most heartfelt song I had ever experienced.  I knew it before, but I could feel the strain on her face, the absolute sorrow at the loss of a light in the world, and the lines of determined hope and inspiration creasing her eyes at the end.  I could never appreciate fully the impact the music had on the people singing it until now.

When Fran came back on to prompt a selection, Tim switched the unit off.  With bleary eyes, I looked up at June, who was standing there watching me closely with her hands pressed together against her lips.  She said, “She loves you Natasha, and she would never do anything to hurt you.”

I shook my head. “I pushed her away.  I ruined everything.  She'd never take me back.”

Clara stood up from her chair and kicked off the high heels.  She took off her glasses and set them on the counter then reached up and shook out her hair.  I knew that style and the new posture and body language she was displaying suddenly.  Good lord... it was...  She clipped on Fran's studded leather bracelet and slipped on some shoes and stood in front of me.  I was just looking down in shame.  Her feet came into view with the smiley face drawn on her shoe.

Frannie said, “Oh, I think she might.”  That was such a dirty trick.  But I sobbed once.  She pulled me into a hug and I openly cried into her shoulder as she said, “I know I pressure you, but it is only because I am in love with you Tasha.  I'd do anything to help.”

She was in love with me?  I was such a git.  I nodded and tried to compose myself.  She ran the fingers of one hand through my hair.  Then her voice cracked when she said, “And I've missed you so much.”

I nodded and locked eyes with her I was happy that her face was the only one in my world at that moment as I whispered, “I'm in love with you too.”  Then she smiled and added, “This was such a dirty trick.”

She half chuckled, half cried as she said, “Us Yanks play to win.”  I was going to retort but decided against it and any other cognitive brain function as her lips met mine.  I could taste the salt of our tears.  Then I just held her as we both calmed and tried to get our breathing back to normal.  Which was hard with all the heat her body was generating.  I glanced down her form in Jen's suit appreciatively and cocked an eyebrow.

Fran slapped my shoulder playfully. “You are so bad Tash!”

I blushed and said, “Right back at you Allie.”

Then June spoke and startled us.  I had forgotten anyone else was there.  “Thank God.  Now maybe things can get back to normal around here.  No more mopey Small Fry.”  Then she looked at Tim as she shook her head and said, “Kids,”

The man didn't seem to fully get what was going on as he started telling me in a clinical voice.  “This is extremely rough, there is tons of work left to do before we have a commercially viable product.  So...”  There was a double smack as both June and Fran slapped his arms.  Then he grinned like a bloody git and said, “Oh, and congratulations you two.  I'm glad you opened your eyes.”

I didn't want Fran to let me go as we stood there.  Then I chastised her, “I'm still upset with you.”

She nodded and said, “And I'm still discomposed, perturbed and disquieted about this as well.  But I love your sorry ass.”  Then with comic timing added, “So there.”

June was rolling her eyes. “Oh dear lord, Tinman, we woke up thesaurus girl again!”

We all chuckled and June said, “Come on Small Fry, let's walk your girl home so Tim can get back to work.  I'm sure we are harshing his mellow.”

We followed her out as Fran asked, “Harshing his mellow?  Are we stuck in a Cheech and Chong movie and nobody told me?”

June simply said, “Shut up.”  And they grinned at each other then at me.

On the walk back to the Archives Fran explained again what June had said, she never told a soul.  And she punctuated the fact by pointing out as she said, “If I were embarrassed or thought you a charity case, I would have got June to hire you on as an intern at London Harmony.”  June nodded agreement.

Then Fran was back to herself like she was just wiping the slate clean and asked, “So how is the job search going anyway.”

I gave her a what I hoped was a cute “Grrr.”

She chuckled then we all stopped dead in our distraction at the front of the Archives when a familiar male voice said, “If all you needed was a job then... report for work after school Monday.  I can always use more work study students.  And unless I miss my guess, you've been helping Fran out on the pulls recently anyway.”

I blinked up at the man I knew well, in all the years I knew him, he never changed the way he dressed or his hairstyle.  His voice and body language were unique to the man too.  He always wanted me calling him... “Uncle Harold?”

He grinned as he unlocked the door for us to walk in.  “And maybe I can get my bloody attic back then.”

I blinked at the man.  “You... you knew?”

He chuckled and said basically what June had, “You young ones always think you are far smarter and sneakier than you really are.”  June chuckled at that and he cocked an eyebrow at her. “You're just as bad, you facilitator of delinquency.”  June lowered her eyes like we did, but she still grinned.  Then he said, “I've wanted to help you ever since Mrs. Reed passed away, God rest her soul.  But I hadn't a clue how.  So I let you think you were sneaky, staying up in the bloody attic.  I let you believe you were slick, but I felt better when you were where I could keep an eye on you.  Keep you safe.”

He grinned. “Then when this one...”  He indicated Fran.  “Didn't 'report' you to me after she had gone to the attic, I let you keep your conspiracy.”  Then he looked smug.  “Both of you, for all your smarts, forgot one thing.  The premises has CCTV cameras everywhere.”

He looked at us like we were misbehaving children. “I was just here locking the door.  You didn't close it all the way when you left earlier and the system texted me.”

I opened my mouth and he shook a finger at me.  “Don't argue.  Just show up to work on time Monday.”  And the man walked off down the lane, whistling a tune as we just stared at his back as he went.

June broke our silence. “That man... I like.”  We all chuckled in agreement.

Wait.  Bloody hell!  I had a job!  I blinked then looked at Fran and said in a low voice, in case it was all a joke the universe was playing on me, “I have a job.  Then I can get a place.  Maybe I can ask Paya for the paperwork agai....”  I was interrupted by a familiar manila envelope being thrust into my chest by a certain Fran who had a shit eating grin on her face.

I stood in the doorway which Uncle Harold had just opened for me.  Fran and June stood there smiling at me.  I bit my lower lip and reached out and yanked Frannie through the door and shut it behind her.  We broke out laughing at June's muffled voice, “Right then.  You're welcome girls.  Bye.”

Fran cocked her head at me with an inquisitive look on her face.  I didn't have time for that, I just grabbed her hand and headed toward the stacks in the most seductive voice I could manage,  “I 'really' missed you, now get upstairs.”  I wanted her out of that fabulous borrowed skirt suit, immediately.

She almost purred out as I led her to our private nest, “Yes ma'am.”  And like that, the most heart-rending chapter of my life came to a close.

Jen sat beside me in the chairs and said in that honey-thick voice of hers, “Zil.”  I gave her a toothy grin and leaned over and squid hugged her.  I glommed on maybe a fraction too long.  Feeling her warmth for a heartbeat too long like I always did.  Feeling the thrill of her soft cheek against mine.  I have always maintained to my friends that I was straight... ish.  Jen was my 'ish'.  My kryptonite.   The woman who got put the va in my voom.  She, unfortunately, didn't have any 'ish' in her.  I opened my eyes and put my smile back on my face and released her.

I said excitedly, “This is so amazing what Small Fry accomplished with Brandye, Tim, and London Harmony.”  I nervously straightened the plaid mini I was wearing and looked around to most of the  London Harmony staff and more superstars from so many different labels sitting in all the chairs along with press from around the world.  It is hard to believe that Small Fry will be starting her sophomore year in a couple of weeks now.  She is growing up too fast.

Mandy Fay Harris and Congresswoman Anabella West were the guests of honor at the unveiling.  I grinned over at them.  They were in an intense discussion with Small Fry, Natasha, Brandye Franklin and her wife, Robin Hartford.

I knew that Tasha, Anabella, and Robin were there to demonstrate the use of the unit, and testify to the experience of SmartCanvas v3.0 from the point of view of the three groups of people it was targeted at.  The deaf, blind and cognitive disorders that prevent a person from enjoying a fully immersed music experience.

The entire hall at London's Rock and Pop Museum was packed.  The curator came to the podium by the first of the new SmartCanvas units which were being unveiled in the first twenty locations today and spoke into the microphone as everyone settled, “Ladies and gentlemen, I am Doctor Kent Grey, curator of the London Rock and Pop Museum.  “It is with great honor and genuine...”

I tuned the man out and stopped breathing as Jen absently took my hand and laced our fingers as she looked on with great anticipation of the unveiling of our girl's accomplishment.  I smiled slowly as my heart sped up as I gave her hand a little squeeze, which she returned with the cutest smirk at the corner of her mouth.  Oh, dear lord, it was hot in that museum.  Grawl... I need another hug.

The End