Piano Keys

Ella was on the verge of tears. He was nowhere. Not at home, or the conservatory, or school, or anywhere they’d ever been together. It was his birthday, but nobody knew where he was. His parents were looking as well; as were the few friends he had besides Ella. Yet, after hours of searching no one had any idea of where he could’ve gone. They’d called his phone hundreds of times but he refused to pick up. It was sickening for Ella, who hated the feeling of helplessness. She had to do something. She drove down the highway to the last place she thought to check. It was one of their favorite spots; this little café just off the first exit of the highway. They used to go eat there sometimes after spending hours at the conservatory. It was nearby and quaint enough for her taste that they frequented it often. When she arrived, he was nowhere to be found, and she approached the counter.

“Have you seen a guy, about my age, brown hair, blue eyes, tall, around here in the past few hours?”

“There’s been a few guys who fit that description, but one left a note here.”

“Could I see it?” her voice jumped an octave in her excitement. She might’ve found her answer.

“Wait…are you Ella?” The other worker chirped in.

“Yeah! Why did he mention me!?”

“The letter’s for you. He sounded pretty sad, but told me that if you came looking we should give you this letter.” She passed the paper over the counter so Ella could read it. It read:

Dearest Ella,
If you read this, then you must be looking for me. So then, you know I’m gone. Don’t come looking, just stay home. It’s better this way. I need to get out of here and be on my own. I can’t be your sidekick my entire life and I’m an adult now. As of this moment, I’m not sure where I’m going. All I know is I’m heading west and not turning back. I won’t be answering my phone for a few months, until I get settled wherever I end up. Don’t try and contact me. There’s no point. You need to be here and I need to leave.
Play beautifully. (As if you’re capable of anything less.)
For what it’s worth, I love you.
Forever Yours,
Ryan

It hit her then. Ryan was really gone. And he wasn’t coming back. She rushed out of the café and jumped straight into her car. He wasn’t doing this. She wouldn’t let him. It has started to drizzle and she put on the windshield wipers as she pulled out of the parking lot. It was pouring by the time she got home and she entered the house soaking wet and cold from the rain. She had to pack and had to pack quickly before he could get too far. What did she need? Clothes. Money. Laptop. That should be all. Her head was spinning as she ran from corner to corner of her childhood bedroom. For some reason she had the feeling she’d be gone for a while. After all, she didn’t exactly know where she was going or why she felt so desperate to find Ryan. Just a few moments later she was ready to go. She’d taken her concert earnings from her father’s top drawer and left a note by the refrigerator. Ella looked around her house one last time, tempted to tell it ‘goodbye’. But she’d be back. At least that’s what she told herself. She’d be back and Ryan would come home. It wouldn’t take more than a couple of days. Yet something tugged at her that told her she’d be gone for long. Twisting the doorknob, she stepped out of this place where she’d lived for over seventeen years. Her mind told her just to go back inside, but she’d made her decision. The door fell closed behind her, releasing a sigh of air onto her back. This was it. And she had to find him.

Ella pressed on the button and unlocked the cherry red Lexus her parents had bought for her on her sixteenth birthday. Her seat was cold and she tensed her back against it. This was crazy. Ryan was gone and there was no way she could find him. No way. This was crazy. But she found herself starting her engine and pulling away from her old brick house on Elm Street. It was dark in the distance and she knew a storm would soon cover all of her small suburban town. She passed by places she’d spent time in frequently over the span of her life. On her left she saw Mrs. Watson pushing her newborn baby in a stroller down the road; on her right was Ryan's house. She was quickly approaching her conservatory and it hit her. She was leaving the piano behind. Her foot almost braked in the middle of the road but she pressed onward. Ella could not remember the last time she’d taken more than a day away from the baby grand that sat in the living room or the concert grand the conservatory kept backstage. Her fingers began twitching with the nervousness of not being used. When she thought about it, though, what would piano be without him? She may not have been able to remember more than a day without the piano; she couldn’t imagine the piano without Ryan. They were one and the same.