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Wiping away his tears, Adam put down the book and realized that besides
the clicking of the metronome, everyone was quiet and still. Then he saw Charlie's
pained face and knew she had been watching him. He opened his mouth to explain, but
closed it again and remained silent.
After subduing his emotions, Adam went to Charlie's piano bench and took a seat beside
her. The famous musician placed his left hand on the keyboard, and began playing
one of Charlie's finger exercises. Without a word between them, Charlie joined him,
and together, they finished her lesson.
When it was done, Charlie leaned her head against Adam's shoulder and he placed a
loving arm around his wife.
"No more books, Adam."
Adam was quiet. Pleadingly, Charlie looked into his eyes, trying to extract this
promise from him.
"Charlie, I can't."
Biting her lip, Charlie struggled with the exercise that Dave had been trying to
teach her. It was complicated, and even though he had written it out for her on staff
paper, her fingers simply wouldn't go where she wanted them to. "What's the
use?" she finally cried.
Adam sighed heavily.
"I wish I'd never been tested for the AD gene," Charlie tried to gulp down
her sorrow. "It's better to not know."
"If I ask something of you," Adam ventured cautiously, "would you
agree to it, without knowing what it was first? Could you trust me enough to do that?"
Drying the moisture collecting in her eyes, Charlie nodded her head. "I trust
you," she whispered.
Adam squeezed his arm about her waist. "I'd like to make an appointment with
Peter Webber. I know you don't want to, but we need to see him, Charlie. He was your
Genetic Counselor, and already knows your case. I want to talk to him, and I'd like
you to come with me."
"I'll come."
"Thank you, Charlie." Adam pressed his lips to her temple. "I love
you." Then Adam put both hands on the keyboard, and began playing the first
part of the composition he had been writing for their duet. Right on cue, Dave joined
in, so that Charlie could hear what the piece would sound like with two pianos. It
was beautifully crafted music, and Charlie was stunned that Adam expected her to
be able to play the sounds that were coming from just one of the pianos. When it
suddenly came to an abrupt stop, Adam smiled sheepishly.
"I haven't finished it yet."
Charlie tenderly kissed Adam's cheek, and picked up on the failed exercise where
she had left off. It had been easy to grow weak at the knees when her heart was heavy.
But Adam's confidence that no matter what God had in store for them, would be bearable,
infected Charlie's heart and she took hold of courage once again. Adam's unfinished
composition had told her that, and she didn't need him to further remind her of God's
mercy; Adam had spoken through music, and Charlie had understood.
A few days later, Charlie sat down with Adam in Peter Webber's office. Adam had been
wise to get Charlie's promise to see Peter the way he had. The last time she had
seen her Genetic Counselor, a nurse was taking a blood sample for a test to see if
she had inherited the gene that causes Alzheimer's Disease. Now that she knew she
had, Charlie wasn't sure what Peter could tell them that they didn't already know.
Even though most people don't get AD through their genes, the Overholts belonged
to a small group of people that did, and Charlie's maiden name was Overholt. |
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