My ex-wife’s death came during the years that Susan and I were going to the dance performances at the Kennedy Center. In retrospect, I came to believe that the money Susan paid for my piano came from her share of the funds from the sale of the family home after my ex-wife’s death. I concluded that Susan used part of her share of the house’s value to buy me the piano as a way to make up for the unfairness of the divorce outcome.
Today the piano has its own room, which I call the piano room, two stories high with multiple floor-to-ceiling windows on the eastern side of my house looking out on an open field. The room fills with morning sunshine, and the acoustics are ideal for a piano.
So music still plays an important role in my life, all these years later. I still play the piano several times a week—not daily, not enough time—and enjoy it as much as ever. It turns out that making music at the keyboard is an ideal way of taking a break from writing.
Tom Glenn, Writer 