Song Searching

Miles found that he and Ramona arrived at work at the same time, despite going to different schools.

"Isn't your school closer to the restaurant than mine?" he once asked while opening the door for her per usual.

"I have to collect donations from the school every day."

Miles nodded, noticing the half-full duffle she was carrying along with her school bag.

"How are the donations coming?"

Ramona's eyes lit up. "Good, Linda says we may even have a surplus this year because so many people have donated."

"That sounds good. I'm sure the kids will appreciate the gifts."

Ramona nodded as they continued to the break room. She was about to ask Miles to join her for Christmas morning when they noticed Sierra sitting at the table, playing the song she normally hummed on a guitar.

"What's with the guitar?" asked Miles?

Sierra stopped playing to look up at the newcomers.

"Help me figure out my song. Maybe if the instrument version of the song sounds familiar, I can figure out where I heard it before."

"Makes sense, I guess," answered Miles.

Sierra nodded, looking back to her finger positioning on the guitar and adjusting it to begin again.

"Tell me if this sounds familiar?" she asked as she strummed the song.

Miles and Ramona shook their heads "no" before they went into the changing areas. Miles shrugged off his backpack, stuffing it into his locker before changing out of his school clothes and into his work uniform.

Interesting how Sierra could play guitar for a song she doesn't even know. But considering how the guitar was a standard instrument, maybe she knew guitar beforehand and had figured out the chords.

He was startled out of his thoughts by a loud noise coming from the break room. The noise sounded like pounding on the wall from outside. The gentle guitar stopped and the break room became silent. Miles continued exchanging his school pants to his work pants when a new loud sound permeated the small changing room. He opened the door to the changing room a little to see what was going on. It seemed that Ramona had the same idea because she opened the girls’ changing room door on the other side at the same time.

Sierra had set her guitar back in its case and was now using a saxophone to play the same song she had strummed on the guitar moments before.

"You know saxophone?" he called out above the noise. Sierra stopped and turned around to face him.

"I know a lot of instruments, or at least I learned a lot of instruments. I know the notes of the song, so I try them on various instruments. A friend let me borrow their saxophone for the day to try."

Sierra resumed playing, sounding like she had been playing the saxophone for years. Miles stayed at the door and listened as she continued to play. Surprisingly, the song on the saxophone was soothing, especially after a long day of school.

"I told you no loud noises in the restaurant," announced Cyrus from the doorway. "Break is over, Taft. Mori, Sonata. Finish getting dressed."

Miles immediately looked over to the girls’ changing room to see Ramona looking at him in her work shirt and skirt, an apron held in her hand. Realizing he had yet to put on his work shirt, he dove back into the men's changing room, hearing two doors slam a second apart from each other. Then Sierra's cackling as he finished changing.