Lexi Holds It Together

Last week was stressful.  We had to endure hours upon hours of Lexi at the piano practising Deck the Halls in preparation for the Children’s Musical Evening in the Village only for the Music Teacher to forget her.  There were forty kids in the room, some as young as three banging on drums, symbols and triangles and many were misbehaving.  This is the Delcroize or some such method of teaching music which as far as I can see basically means Do What the F*** You Like but Lexi likes her piano teacher so we stick with her.  I had fortified myself with a glass of Harveys just before going as I had  already sat through an hour of Lexi and 15 ballerinas in Tutus with their over-ambitious parents at the Dance Show so I was feeling, as I had hoped, nicely sleepy and emitting goodwill vibes.  That was until one moronic three year old would not let go of the drum.  It was charming for the first minute.

Pianist after pianist played their Christmas renderings and I could see that Lexi, was getting fidgety in her pink satin dress with the bow thinking Surely it’s me now? Now? Now? For heavens sake Now?!  (She’s a chip off the old block).  Bored and eager to get it over with, she started marking the notes with her fingers on the floor (that’s the perfectionist gene from Mr. Jules).  Every recorder had been blown into shrilly, every Christmas song known to man in French, German and English had been sung and yet Lexi had still to play.  When the teacher started to distribute presents and the parents were getting up to go I mustered all my mummy indignation and bellowed:

“Madame!  Madame!  Vous avez oublié Alexia!”  (You’ve forgotten Alexia Miss!) I tried to omit the “you moron” tone from my voice but unfortunately it just escaped.

Red faces all around, but none as red as Alexia’s.  The children were reluctantly prized away from the trunk of goodies amidst much screaming and scuffling as Lexi tiptoed to the piano.  My heart went out to her but with a ramrod straight back she played…perfectly.  The Swiss public, always fair-play, gave her a loud clap punctuated by several “bravos”. 

Tomorrow it is the singsong at the village church.  The children are invited to sing with our very own Choeur des Hommes (male voice choir).  It will be all snot and bright eyes.  To make up for the “erreur” the music teacher has asked Alexia if she would like to play.  She declined.  Only joking.  She’s eight she has yet to learn about retaliation.