Unforgettable Melody - S01 E42

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Unforgettable Melody - S01 E42

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 42

As he walked out of symphony hall, Mike couldn’t help but have the same thoughts he had felt one week ago.

Nailed it!

“There’s the man!” called Darcy from her favorite courtyard bench.

Running up to her with his arms in the air, Mike channeled his inner Rocky Balboa, exclaiming, “Yo, Adrian! I did it!!!”

“So, how do you feel?” she asked with a laugh.

“Excellent. You guys really got me ready to go. Good thing too; Philip Smith was the third panelist.”

“Philip Smith?! Holy crap! Is he really as soft-spoken as he seems in his interviews?”

“Yep. Great guy, definitely my personal and professional hero,” Mike replied. “But hey, if I can ignore your antics, avoiding the intimidation of playing in front of the best trumpet player in the world is no biggie.”

Laughing with a smug look on her face, Darcy shot back, “What? He doesn’t have the rack I’ve got?”

“Not even close,” said Mike, comically gazing at Darcy’s bust.

“You got any plans for the evening? Wanna join me for dinner? I’ll gladly drive if you need to down a few beers.”

“Actually, I think my ride’s here now,” Mike said, looking over Darcy’s shoulder.

“Hey baby!” Melody called, walking across the courtyard toward them.

Stunned with a dumbfounded look on her face, Darcy could only ask, “And just who… is that?”

Grinning his trademark smartass smile, Mike replied, “My girlfriend. Come on, I want you to meet her.”

Meeting Melody at a nearby picnic table, she and Mike sat together across from Darcy. “Darcy, this is my girlfriend, Melody Roberts. Melody, Darcy White, the best bassoonist the city of Atlanta has ever seen!”

“Great to meet you!” Melody said, shaking Darcy’s hand across the table.

“You too,” Darcy replied, glancing at Mike. “Ok mister, what happened to ‘no contact of the female variety,’ huh?”

Shaking his head in exasperation, he responded, “Well, the truth is that Melody and I have been communicating for a couple of months now. I just wanted to keep things really close to the vest until I was certain of how serious things were, if you know what I mean. We met online, went on a couple of coffee dates…”

“Bullshit!” Darcy interrupted. “I know damn well you don’t drink coffee.”

“…Which is why I ordered a Coke! Anyhow, we have very similar personalities and interests, and last week, I officially asked her to be my girlfriend.”

Sitting silently for a minute, glancing back and forth between Mike and Melody, Darcy finally asked, “You guys are serious, aren’t you?”

Entwining his fingers with Melody’s, Mike simply replied, “We are.”

Smiling, Darcy continued, “Then in that case, you need to join us for dinner,” pointing at Melody.

“That’d be great! Gotta celebrate, after all. I just know he hit it out of the park,” Melody gushed.

“Speak of the devil, and he shall appear,” Mike mused, pointing to the exit to symphony hall. At the top of the steps, Jessica, Robert, and Philip were saying their goodbyes and shaking hands. Mike was sure he could hear them chatting about “making an excellent decision.”

“Wonder what that means?” Darcy asked with a sly grin.

As Jessica and Philip went their separate ways, Robert spotted Mike across the courtyard and began walking towards them.

“Could they have made a decision already?” Melody wondered.

“I suppose it’s possible,” Mike replied, “but that would be ridiculously fast.”

“Mr. Braxton, I want to thank you,” Robert said as he approached.

“Of course… but for what?” Mike inquired.

“For making our decision today extremely easy,” he replied with a chuckle. “Want to know the first words out of Philip’s mouth after you left the room? He said, ‘After that audition, I don’t think there’s any contest.’ Jessica and I happen to agree with him. We’ll draw up the official contract on Monday, but it is my pleasure to inform you that you ARE the new principal trumpet of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra!”

As Melody clapped excitedly and Darcy started a victory dance, Mike tried to remain as composed and professional as possible. “Thank you very much, Maestro. This means so much to me, and I can guarantee that you will not be disappointed,” he replied, his hands slightly trembling with excitement.

“Well, you’ve earned it,” Robert said, before turning to Darcy. “Fire drill, eh? Very creative, and clearly very effective. Nicely done.” Darcy beamed with pride in response.

Robert casually turned to Melody next. “I don’t believe we have been introduced. Mike?”

“Ah, yes… this is my girlfriend, Melody Roberts. Melody, this is Robert Spano, leader of the ASO, and the most BADASS conductor in the nation.”

“Second most badass, if you will. I never could overtake Gustavo Dudamel… Anyway, it’s a pleasure to meet you young lady. I do hope we will be seeing you at some of Mike’s upcoming performances,” he said with a wink.

“Most definitely,” Melody replied running her fingers through Mike’s hair. “I’m a sucker for musicians, after all.”

“Well, uh, Mike, unless you have any further questions for me, I’ll be heading home now. Enjoy your weekend, relax, and we’ll see you first thing Monday.”