From the Top

Management arrived early for the pottery class. In the next room, a man played the same five piano notes, stopped, and began again.

We sat on the bench and put our bag between our feet.

Five notes. A pause. Five notes.

We tapped our heel through the pause.

The notes went on.

At the next pause, we stopped. So did the piano.

The man looked round the door. “Could you keep doing that?”

“We’re waiting for pottery.”

“I’ve only got a little left.”

He left the door open. We began with our heel. He came in after it.

Someone unlocked the pottery room. We picked up our bag.

The man had reached a different part. His left hand kept going; his right hand waited above the keys.

We put our bag down and tapped.

This time he got to the end.

“That’s it,” he said. He lifted his hands.

Through the open door, we could see people putting on aprons.

We took our coat off and folded it over the bag.

“From the top?” we asked.

He put his hands back on the keys.

We counted him in.