Happy Birthday

Sitting alone at his kitchen table. The last of his friends had gone home. The party was fun, like many before. He picked up the silver fork from his yellow plate and began clinking it on his wine glass.

He popped the cork on a new bottle and filled his glass nearly to the rim. He began sipping, clinking and sipping. He was grinning and announcing the keys,"C sharp, B flat, A minor."

After three glasses of wine....his grin was wide and his heart was high. Life was good, as good as good gets. He was clinking away when he heard a sound in the basement. It sounded as if a key was struck on his old upright piano....a low key.

He sat still and silent. A higher note struck. Then the highest C note.

A chill rushed through his body as he quickly stood up and eased to the basement door. "Could it be someone from the party...hopefully so," he thought.

Gently taking hold of the door knob, turning slowly....hearing then...two notes in harmony. He pulled the door open quickly and shouted down into the darkness,"Who is there?"

Another note sounded and then the keys were raked slowly from low end to high end. He flipped the light on and rushed down the stairs. He was stunned at what he saw.

A beautiful young woman, wearing a simple blue dress was sitting on top of his piano. She was barefoot...looking down...playing the ivories with her toes. Her profile looked a little familiar but he knew that if he'd met a woman like her....he would definitely remember. Thoughts rushed through his mind,"She was not at the party....maybe a good friend left behind a birthday surprise....a very good friend."

Without looking up....she spoke softly,"Happy Birthday Robert Valentine." Robert grinned and said,"Um...thank you...and who may I ask, are you?" She raised her head, turned and looked at him. Her beautiful big blue eyes seemed to sparkle with their own light as she spoke,"I am the smiles, tears, kisses and hugs that you created."

Robert crossed his arms and leaned against the door jamb. He chuckled and said,"That's a pretty long name...do you mind if I ask why you are here...in my basement....sitting on my piano?"

She smiled, looked back down at the keys and said,"Will you play for me, Robert?" He uncrossed his arms...rubbed his hands on the sides of his jeans and said,"What would you like to hear?" He walked towards her as she said,"Make a song for me."

His eyes were locked into her eyes as he moved the bench in position to sit. She lifted her feet and wrapped her arms around her knees to hold her legs up. Robert gazed at her amazing form...every curve was perfect and her almost light-emitting skin was even soft to his eyes.

She spoke with a loving tone,"You play this time darling...I'll sing." Robert smiled, thinking she was a little crazy but he was a man who was game for any game that involved a stunning young lady.

He played a few warm up notes and then set his mind in a mode of creating. Looking up at her angelic face, made his fingers strike the keys with a feeling he'd never experienced before. It was if the keys were playing his fingers.

A wonderful melody filled the room as she sang the words,"Love me with lightning...love me with thunder....love me with rain.....love me with storms....storms of your soul...storms in the stars."

Suddenly...Robert stopped playing. He gently took her ankles in his hands. He kissed her knees and as his tears fell on her feet, he said with a trembling voice,"I know who you are...I held your hands when I was five years old...it was my birthday....I made a wish...I wished for you."

She gently placed her hands on his face and softly said,"You wished for a piano." Robert looked in her so kind eyes as the wall behind her disappeared. A galaxy of stars formed behind her and in an instant...he saw every soul that ever heard and were hearing his songs. He felt every feeling, every wonderful feeling. Even the sadness swirled into a destiny of hope and joy.

She smiled, took his hands in her hands and said,"Make love with me Robert Valentine."

Robert would think back on that night everyday of his life. Ecstasy was a mediocre word compared to what he had experienced with the beautiful young lady on his piano. It was a raging storm of thundering in the stars, chaotic music and lightning in every tender touch. Like an explosion of a galaxy...fire filled their souls and released a thousand heavens! Fading to a soft rain of tears...they fell asleep with her cradled in his arms.

She was gone in the morning when he woke. The only evidence she left behind was the faint smell of her perfume in the air of his basement studio and the blue dress...draped over his old upright piano.

Robert downed five cups of coffee that morning. He sat on his piano bench...staring at the dress, realizing it was just an old blue curtain he once had hanging behind his songwriting awards. He couldn't remember how it got there. "It must have been a dream...an alcohol enhanced dream" He whispered out loud to himself."

In anger...he flipped the curtain from the piano to the floor. He instantly saw red writing on a blank sheet music page that looked like it had been propped up beneath the curtain. The words were written with lipstick. He leaned forward and read,"Every storm I will love you, every gentle rain, I will kiss you, I will always hold your hands in the stars, Robert Valentine...always."

It was simply signed below:

"Piano"

Robert smiled.