Chapter List

ne of the best things about visiting Fairweather Street on the way to school was the shortcut through Collins Park to get to the campus. Fortunately, Tree Shores High School was very close to Jessica’s junior high school, so she could use the exact same route. The back fence of Tree Shores’ immense athletic complex bordered the northern edge of Collins Park only a few blocks from the lake. Jessica ran to the end of Fairweather Street past the huge plaza fountain and topiary and turned to follow the tree-lined bike path that led to the far edge of the park.

Jessica had only paid scarce attention to the high school until now. She was aware of the grassy field and the buildings behind the chain link fence that bordered Collins Park, but today they had a bit more meaning for her. This was her school now, and the sight of it caused her to be just a little nervous. Compared to her junior high school, Tree Shores was enormous! There was a building for everything. Even the buildings had their own seperate buildings!

Then there was the clock tower. It was visible for blocks and a reminder of just how big the high school really was.

The people who go to Tree Shores are big and important and so much older than me, Jessica thought as the athletic field came into view. Sure enough, there was the clock tower. It was practically the symbol of the whole school. That and the huge painting of a lion’s face on the back wall of the gymnasium. It was the proud mascot of some 4,000 students and it was visible almost all the way to the fountain in the nearby park.

My school.

Just then, Jessica heard the clock chimes ring! It was eight o’clock!

She started running again, trailing her jacket behind her, and holding her saxophone case with both arms. She really didn’t want to be late to the first day of summer band rehearsals. It was the first day of her whole life in band!

She kept running towards the open gate near the end of the fence, hoping the closest building was the 100 building where her orientation paper said the band room was.

Jessica ran through the open gate along the fence into the large grassy athletic field. Across the field on the opposite side was a group of buildings, but Jessica couldn’t see any numbers on them. She ran across the field and hurried along one of the buildings until she reached a breezeway between two of them. She looked up and saw a huge metal number 400 on the wall above her. She was relieved she had found a number, but she wasn’t sure if that was going to help her much. She passed under several very large leafy green trees in the large planter that divided the breezeway into two sides.

Other than a few scattered cars, the parking lot visible at the other end of the breezeway was mostly empty. As she walked quickly, Jessica saw she was approaching a large concrete sign along the sidewalk.

Maybe it has the building numbers! Jessica thought. She hurried up to the sign to see. The sign was a very large block of chalk-colored stone set in a base of deep grayish-colored bricks and surrounded by low, well-tended plants and two small lights set in the ground in front of it. The sign read

TREE SHORES HIGH SCHOOL
Home of the Lions

Next to the sign was a path leading into another breezeway. There was another building a few yards away, but the side facing the sidewalk was covered by a very tall rectangular wall of leafy plants. Jessica hurried into the breezeway and saw that the building was facing away from the sidewalk and that the plants were covering its back wall.

On the opposite side of the path was a very large tree. Jessica glanced up and saw a white bird sitting on one of the branches for just a moment before it flew away, causing the leaves to rustle. Past the tree was what looked like the side of a large single-story building. Jessica ran along the wall of the building towards the front.

She still couldn’t see any numbers, but she did see a row of glass doors across the front of the building, at the top of a set of very wide cement stairs. On the side of the stairs closest to Jessica was a large cement planter containing several small and very well groomed trees. It was still early, and it was just a bit chilly for August, but Jessica knew it would get much hotter later that day.

Jessica noticed one of the glass doors. The one at the far end of the row was open just slightly. Jessica trotted up the stairs and walked towards the opening. She was a little apprehensive. It was dark inside. A small sign was taped to the inside of the glass to the left of the open door.

Summer Band Rehearsals Room 74

Underneath the block letters someone had written “Go Lions” with a green marker. Jessica looked around for a number on the building but couldn’t find one. She wished high school was more like junior high school.

I used to know where everything was, she thought. Now she wasn’t sure which building was which!

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Chapter List

olf’s Music Store was nearly as familiar to Jessica as her own front yard. She spent many a day haunting Mr. Wolf’s collection of manuscripts, dusty old music theory books from centuries ago, and of course the amazing collection of instruments he had accumulated from some 50 years as proprietor of the town’s only music shop.

He had managed to keep the family business going even after the passing of his beloved wife nearly ten years ago, but every summer there were rumors of him closing the music store and retiring. The many band members could have gone elsewhere for their supplies and repairs, but institutions like Wolf’s Music are not easily given up, especially when two of the regional powerhouses of musical performance dwelt nearby: the Tree Shores and Rockfield marching bands, specifically.

When the first rumors of Wolf’s closing began to circulate, a mighty wave of charity took hold of the students of both music programs and long-standing rivalries gave way to one of the most tremendous outpourings of good will in the town’s memory. Hundreds upon hundreds of students from both schools descended on the small shop and went to work. Walls were painted. The floor was replaced. New racks and display cases were installed, and the other Fairweather businesses all chipped in and commissioned the construction of a magnificent floor to ceiling bookcase at the far end of the store’s gallery for Mr. Wolf’s piano rolls, manuscripts and books.

In the interval of scarcely a month, an old man’s shop became the showpiece of the entire street, and with nearly a thousand student musicians between the two fine arts programs, including symphonic bands, orchestra and marching bands, there was no shortage of business. Some of the students who graduated stayed on as assistant managers and employees of the shop, since Mr. Wolf wasn’t able to do as much of the lifting and climbing as he used to.

Jessica ran first to the parlor door, but several music stands were blocking the door, so she ran to the front door, but the blind was pulled and the ‘CLOSED’ sign was up.

“Workshop!” Jessica exclaimed as she dashed around to the side alleyway. She heard the familiar sound of a metal hammer and saw the workshop door was open. She ran up and landed in the doorway on both feet at the same time.

“Hi, Mr. Wolf!”

The man looked up and over his half-framed glasses. He was holding a french horn bell in one hand and a small rounded hammer in the other. Wisps of gray hair surrounded his bald head, and his round face was that of a pleasant sage whose eyes still held the glimmer of wonder.

“Aha!” Mr. Wolf said. “Wait now, let me see. . .” He carefully put the bell and hammer down on the soft felt pad on his workbench and took off his glasses.

“Jackie. No, Jessie!” He let his fist fall into his open hand as Jessica beamed. “Now what did I do with that horn?” He slowly walked over to the wooden shelves next to the workbench and examined them. “Alto saxophone…” Of course, Jessica had spotted her case the moment she got to the doorway, but she would never rush Mr. Wolf. He was half the reason any of the kids’ instruments functioned at all on any given day. ‘Reverence’ would have only begun to describe how the band members felt about Mr. Wolf and his shop.

“Here we go,” he said, pulling the rounded black case down from the third shelf. “All set. Rebalanced the high ‘D,’ low ‘B’ and ‘B-flat’ keys, repadded and installed new springs and recorked the neck.”

“Ooh, goody,” Jessica said, placing the case on the bench and opening it. She expertly extracted the saxophone from the case, pulled the keyguard and installed the neck. She stood it upright and placed her fingers on the keys, looking around the side of the instrument as she worked all of them to test the action.

“The high ‘D’ is much better. It’s not clicking now, and it’s more even, huh?”

“Well, let’s see here…” Mr. Wolf pointed at the parts of the saxophone as he spoke. “Half of the cork on the rocker base was missing, and the other half had water damage,” Mr. Wolf said, putting his glasses back on and peering at the high-voice side keys. “Glued a new cork on it and tightened up the frame. Better than new.”

“It’s super neat!” Jessica listened to the “thup-thup-thup-thup-thup” sound of the keys closing as she closed them in cascades, then let them open over and over again. The sound was much crisper than before. “I love it when I get to overhaul my horn. It always sounds better then. Thanks Mr. Wolf! You’re the best!” Jessica took the saxophone apart and replaced the keyguard, then gently set it back in its case.

“Those pads might be a little leaky for a week or so, but they’ll break themselves in.” Mr. Wolf said, sitting down on the stool and picking up his french horn project again.

“It’s our first day! Gotta go to band practice! Bye Mr. Wolf! See you soon!” Jessica said as she hurried back up the alley, saxophone in tow. Mr. Wolf waved and adjusted his glasses as he turned his attention back to his work. Jessica heard the metal tapping again as she turned the corner back on to Fairweather Street.

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