Semblance Read Free

who recommended your talents to us.”
    There was a familiarity to Calisto’s face but I couldn’t recall ever meeting her before. Would she be offended if I didn’t have a clue who she was? I couldn’t possibly pretend to know her. My abilities to tell a lie were as proficient as a hole-punched condom.
    “I’m honoured,” I said, extending my hand out. I figured a good old-fashioned handshake was a safe way to start things off.
    Calisto grinned, rose from her seat and returned the handshake. She had a firm grip.
    “I’m a big fan of your music,” Calisto said, gesturing for me to sit in the empty seat at her table.
    I sat down.
    Seeing that we were both settled in, Abraham gave us a polite nod. “Well if there’s nothing else needed of me, I’ll help the others with the cleanup.”
    “You do realize that’s what hired help is for,” Calisto said. “You should sit back and relax once in a while.”
    Abraham smiled. “Believe it or not, I find doing dishes quite soothing.”
    “You’re the poorest rich man I know,” Calisto said.
    “Wealth is not measured by one’s assets, but rather one’s reverence,” Abraham said. “Do those words sound familiar?”
    “How could they not?” Calisto smiled. “I’ve always been daddy’s little girl. You know that.”
    Abraham bowed politely and then headed back to the kitchen, leaving me alone with my mysterious fan.
    “Some wine?” Calisto asked, gesturing to the half-filled bottle on the table. “It’s a vintage 82 Bordeaux. You’ll love it.”
    “I can’t really say I’m a wine connoisseur,” I replied. “Something so expensive might go to waste on my primitive taste buds.”
    “Nonsense,” Calisto said as she poured some of the rosy liquid into an empty wine glass on the table. “It’s a travesty for a single girl to drink alone. You’re obliged to have a drink with me.”
    I grabbed the glass, shrugged, and took a healthy swig, downing it like I would a beer. It probably wasn’t the proper wine-drinking etiquette seeing as how my chugging display caused Calisto to start giggling.
    “You’re supposed to appreciate the wine, not inhale it like tequila shots,” she said.
    “Sorry,” I muttered. I felt her judging me, which was item number two on the list of things that vexed me.
    “Don’t worry about it,” she said. “Maybe all the wine snobs are fools and don’t even know it. Who has the right to determine how one enjoys alcoholic beverages anyways? To tell you the truth, I never had the palate for wines either. All vintages taste the same to me.” Calisto stared at her glass, shrugged her shoulders and said, “Fuck it, why not?” She downed the rest of her wine in a single gulp.
    “Fuck traditions,” she laughed, slamming the glass down on the table when she finished. “Someone always ends up breaking it anyways.”
    I liked her already.
    “You probably have a lot of questions for me,” Calisto said, pouring another glass.
    “I sure do,” I replied.
    “You probably want to know how I heard of you and your brilliant piano skills.”
    “Yes.”
    “And why I suggested for you to play at the China White tonight.”
    “Yup.”
    “And maybe who I am, besides this lonely girl sitting at this table downing a whole bottle of wine by herself.”
    “Of course.”
    “Well too bad,” Calisto laughed. “None of that matters. What does matter is if you want to make some more money.”
    “Like another gig here?” I asked.
    “Not exactly,” Calisto said. She glanced around the room, making sure no one else was listening in on our conversation. “What if I told you that I’m looking for a pianist for just one night at a very exclusive party?”
    “Sounds pretty intriguing,” I replied.
    “When I say exclusive, I mean that no one else can know about it. I’m talking cloak and dagger secrecy here,” Calisto said. “Can I trust you not to say a word of this to anyone else?”
    “Say a word of what?” I played along.