"Not at all, Mr. Carleton."
"Yes, well, very good – let's move on, then. There's this matter about the drummer and his haircut. Has that been resolved, Mr. Albertson?"
Albertson nodded. "Yes. Management was upheld by the union, and the decision to dock his pay for missed rehearsals until he got it cut was supported. It's all settled now."
"Who told him to get it cut in the first place?" Chumley asked.
"I did," Janice replied.
"What difference does it make?" Jannison asked, frowning at Chumley. "It was too long, and that's the end of it – it was down to his shoulders."
"Well, it seems to me as though we could all work together a lot better if we tried a little harder to get along with each other," Chumley said, then he looked down the table at Janice again. "You don't have any kind of history of emotional problems do you, Doctor Wycliffe? I've noticed that you have trouble getting along with people sometimes, and if we have to depend on you to take over in an emergency situation…"
"That's the most unfair Goddamned thing I've ever heard, and it's a hell of a shitty crack even for you," Christina exploded at him. "You know jack shit about a Goddamned symphony organization…"
"Here, here, here," Carleton said sternly, glancing at Christina and at frowning at Chumley. "That was completely uncalled for, Mr. Chumley, and the chair is capable of keeping the meeting in order, Ms. Barker. Now let's have no more of this…"
"May I speak, sir?" Janice asked coldly.
Carleton looked at her and nodded. "Why, certainly, Doctor Wycliffe…"
"In order to respond directly to Mr. Chumley's question and to satisfy any obligation I might have to the management of this organization, I will advise you that I do, in fact, have a history of emotional… difficulty. I was in a sanitarium in Berne for two years undergoing psychotherapy. However, I will add that this is the third position I have held since being discharged from the sanitarium, and my reasons for leaving the other two places had no association with emotional problems. Also, I discussed this matter at some length with Doctor Jannison before I took this position."
"That's right," Jannison snapped. "Doctor Wycliffe told me…"
"Well, why wasn't I informed?" Chumley asked in a snarl.
"Because it's none of your Goddamned business," Jannison shot back.
"Listen, I don't have to take this kind of…"
Carleton began rapping his pencil again. "Gentlemen, gentlemen, you'll please address your comments to…" He looked at Christina as she raised her hand for attention and plucked at his arm. "Yes, Ms. Barker?"
"I'd like to clear the air on this one," Christina said. "Doctor Wycliffe has found herself forced into an uncomfortable position, and I'd like to make my own feelings fundamentally clear. A so called 'history' of emotional problems is a word, and nothing more. Lots of people have psychiatric treatment, and there's no disgrace associated with a nervous breakdown. And I'm sure that the musicians at the meeting won't misunderstand me when I refer to the fact that musicians are creative, artistic people. They are exceptionally gifted people who are subjected to periods of great strain, and at the same time they are usually people of volatile, temperamental character because of the burden of creativity which is both a gift and a curse…"
She was coming forward in strong defense, and Janice felt a surge of warmth toward her. But at the same time she was dramatizing it almost to the point of being ridiculous, and Janice involuntarily chuckled as the amusement swelled up in her. Christina suddenly broke off as she heard the chuckle, and she looked at Janice in surprise. "I do beg your pardon, Ms. Barker," Janice said smiling. "If I might, Mr. Carleton… thank you. My particular misfortune had nothing to do with my profession, Ms. Barker, and I can assure you there are few people more stable than symphony musicians. We are basically scholars, with all that implies in terms of being dull and bookish… Eccentricity is left to opera performers, because it is more compatible with opera music and with the personalities involved." Christina was looking at her, her eyes blinking rapidly and her mouth open, and she closed her mouth and weakly returned Janice's smile. "As for my part, I am simply a working musician. The principal difference between me and a menial worker is basically a matter of education." On the edge of her vision she noticed that Albertson and Bailey seemed to be deriving amusement from what she was saying, and she stopped talking and looked at them, irritation swelling within her again.
"Yes, well," Carleton said, breaking the sudden silence. "I think we've about…"
"I'm not satisfied with this," Chumley growled. "I think the trustees should have more of a hand in the hiring of key personnel…"
"Selection of the assistant is in my contract," Jannison snapped. "And we're fortunate in having someone with Doctor Wycliffe's credentials. She could be the conductress at half of the major symphony organizations in the country, and they'd be both happy and lucky to get her."
"I'll go along with that," Christina snapped, glaring at Chumley, then she looked at Janice and gave her a smiling nod. "As I've said before, we're glad to have you here, Doctor Wycliffe."
"I agree," Carleton said firmly, nodding to her. "Doctor Wycliffe, the trustees formally express their confidence in you, and it'll be made a part of the record of this meeting. Now, let's see what else we have on the agenda here…"
The meeting finally dragged to a close, and the remaining quivers of her irritation gnawed at Janice as she left with Jannison and rode down in the elevator with him. She stood with him on the sidewalk outside the building and chatted with him for a few minutes about the afternoon rehearsal, then they parted and she walked around the corner to her car.
She was unlocking the car when she heard a voice calling her name, and she looked up; it was Christina, trotting toward her. She walked back around the car to the sidewalk to meet her.
"Hey, listen, Doctor Wycliffe, I just want to be sure you're not upset over that jackass Chumley and his bullshit."
"No, not at all, Ms. Barker. Things like that happen, I suppose."
"Yes, well, don't look for it again. Carleton kept him up there after the meeting, and I expect he's taking him apart. Say, you know, we really haven't got to know each other, have we? How about a cup of coffee?"
"Well, honestly, I'm quite busy. The meeting took somewhat longer than I'd anticipated, and I have several things to do before my class at the conservatory this afternoon…"
"How about this evening?"
"Well, I'd planned to pick up a copy of the Mahler score and go over it tonight, and I have… an appointment." She had started to mention the self defense class, and she cut it off.
Christina gave her a steady, twinkling smile. "Did anyone ever tell you? I'm hard to shake. How about before or after your appointment?"
Janice felt herself responding to the beautiful smile. "Well, I'll be home after eight."
"That'll fit my schedule very nicely. Shall I come over to your place?"
"If you like. I live at eighty-nine-twelve Woodbine Lane."
"About eight-thirty or so, then."
Janice nodded. "Yes, that'll be fine."
Christine turned away, still smiling. "See you tonight, then."
"Yes. Goodbye."
A couple of men turned to look at her as she walked toward the corner, and Janice looked at the natural, graceful motion of her hips as she walked. She turned at the corner and looked back, waving, and Janice returned her wave as she got into the car.