Mom and Dad Playing In Church (Part 1 of 1)

My mom and dad both played the violin, in fact, that’s how my dad made his first move with my mom right before they started to date. Dad invited Mom over to play violin duets. They both found that they played their violins harmoniously together. Pretty soon he had her listening to his new fangled radio and record player called a stereo that he had built himself and the romantic records he had in his possession. Shortly after that they were engaged and then, a few months later, they got married. They were often asked to play violin duets in church. They also played for talent shows, funerals and fund raisers, but mostly on Sunday in church.
One Sunday, they were playing an interlude between two people’s talks. We usually sat very close to the front so they could move quickly up to the piano and be ready to start. They and their pianist went up to the front and tuned up. After a moment or so, Mom and Dad began.
It always sounded the same – very good. The people in the ward just loved the music they made. On this occasion they were playing their own arrangement of a well known Mormon hymn. I was in charge of holding the baby of the family, Lisa. She was almost two years old by this time. She became restless and wanted to go up and be with Mom and Dad. I tried holding her, but she wiggled so much and finally broke away from me. She ran up to the front where Mom and Dad were standing. She stood right under my dad with outstretched arms, wanting to be picked up.
By this time I was out of my seat and walking up to get Lisa. What else could I do? I’ll bet my mom and dad could have died when they saw another one of the kids coming to the front during their musical number. I ducked down a bit, thinking that no one would see me, and I grabbed Lisa with a swift jolt. She resisted my efforts and she shrieked to get free.
My dad, realizing that she made less trouble when she was there by herself, tried speaking to me and playing the violin at the same time. As he moved his bow back and forth and placed his fingers carefully on the strings, he said to me in ventriloquist fashion, “Let her stay up here, Billy. Let her stay!”
Well, I was already there and I was so embarrassed. I just grabbed Lisa up and carried her out to a special room for parents with babies called the “cry room.” Needless to say, from then on, my parents made sure we sat far away from the front on days they had to play in church.