“I'm so glad you accepted my invitation for an after‐concert drink,” I said, sitting down in the booth of my favorite pub.

“My pleasure,” said Dr. Richardson. “I'm sorry my wife couldn't come. She has an early morning.”

“I totally understand,” I said. “My girlfriend will be by in a little bit. She was at a girl's night out, but she wanted to meet you.”

“Girlfriend?” Dr. Richardson's eyebrows raised.

“Yes,” I replied. “My divorce was finalized months ago. I wasn't going to be a bachelor forever.”

“I keep forgetting that it's been over a year since I've seen you.”

“A lot has happened for sure,” I said. “I don't even know where to start.”

“I can say with all honesty that tonight's concert was one of the best I have heard the symphony play.”

“Yeah, our new maestro picked an epic lineup for our season finale.”

“Not to sound indelicate, but what happened to Maestro Fernando?” asked Dr. Richardson.

“Well …” I began. “The symphony implemented a number of new policies, and the culture shifted. A large number of them were the projects I instigated. It required Fernando to work more closely with the board and the orchestra committee, two things he didn't want to do. I held fast that his only job was to pick the music he wanted and be in charge of all things music. While this was part of his job, he didn't want to work with others or allow others to be a part of what he did. It was mutually agreed upon that at the end of last season, he would bow out gracefully.”

“Wow, that is fascinating,” Dr. Richardson said as he sipped his drink.

“I helped develop a search committee for his replacement. In the first half of the season, we tried out three different conductors. Both the audience and the orchestra voted on their favorite. Yang was hands down everyone's first choice.”

“I agree; he brings a lot of personality to the stage.”

“We are very fortunate to have found him. He's young and didn't have as much experience as the other two candidates, but he was the best by a long shot,” I said.

“Have there been any other changes?” Dr. Richardson asked.

“Yes, Sam retired earlier this year. We are still in the process of hiring someone, but I believe that we have some great candidates.”

“It sounds like you've been busy,” commented Dr. Richardson.

“I am, and I'm not at the same time,” I replied. “I have a number of projects going on, but I don't feel overwhelmed like I did last year. I am much more organized, and thanks to you, I have a skill set I can call upon.”

“I'm so glad to hear that.”

“This year, when I met with the board, I had a three‐year plan mapped out. They were very impressed and joked about where Jerry had gone. They couldn't believe I was the same person they had begun working with a year before.”

“You did the work,” Dr. Richardson said.

“Yeah, but I couldn't have done it without your help,” I replied. “An they've hired a new librarian to handle the music. She has already scanned all the music we currently own.”

“That's what you wanted. That's great.”

“You have no idea. When we get in parts now, we have a whole process of scanning and putting them in a folder by section. I send the parts to everyone, and if we have a sub or a new player, music is easy to find and send. I can do it right from my phone.”

“That sounds a lot easier.”

“It not only saves time, but it also saves money. We're missing a number of parts that have been lost over the years. Some of the music is old and brittle. We don't have to worry about that as much, and we've reduced the number of replacements we're paying for. We saved over a thousand dollars this year.”

“Wow, are you kidding?”

“No, and the musicians appreciate not having to wait for it in the mail. Also, if they forget their music at home, we can easily print out a new part.”

We ordered some snacks while we waited for my girlfriend to arrive.

“Shandra said she'll be here in ten minutes,” I said.

“I can't wait to meet her. In the meantime, can I ask how your family is doing?”

“Great, actually. Laura is getting married next month.”

“Really? That was quick.”

“I wish her all the happiness in the world. I really do. The kids are in counseling. This divorce hasn't been easy, and I felt they needed someone outside the family for them to talk to. Dr. Crowngold has been a godsend. He has really helped them cope.”

“That's good to hear.”

“Linda is thinking about college. I can't believe she's a junior now. Time flies. She takes her SATs next month. I'm sure she'll do well. Corey made all‐county orchestra this year.”

“Congrats,” he said. “You must be a proud papa.”

“You have no idea,” I laughed.

Shandra walked in, and my heart skipped. It did that a lot lately. I didn't want to rush things, but I had realized she was the love of my life and I couldn't imagine life without her. The kids adored her. She supported everything I was doing. She was a pediatric physician with her own practice. I had hit the jackpot.

“So nice to meet you, Shandra,” said Dr. Richardson as he stood to greet her.

“The pleasure is all mine. Jerry talks about you all the time,” Shandra said as she settled in.

“None of it is true,” Dr. Richardson said with a sly smile. “I was framed.”

We all laughed.

“You know … you are responsible for our meeting,” she said.

“I am?”

“Yes. I got to the Laughing Brew every morning, and I saw you two talking a number of times. I was attracted to Jerry, but I saw his wedding ring, so I never approached. Then one morning, Jerry was there alone, with no ring.”

“Can you believe she asked me out?” I said.

“Are you telling this story, or am I?” she laughed.

“Oh … you do it … you do a much better job.”

“Thank you,” she said. “I sat down, and we started talking. I didn't have much time, but I promised to continue the next morning. This happened a couple of times until he finally got the hint.”

I grinned.

“He said, ‘Instead of talking tomorrow, how about we have dinner tonight?”

“Wow, you are a smooth talker,” Dr. Richardson said. “So subtle.”

“It turns out she was also a symphony patron. She sat on the opposite side of the auditorium, so she didn't ever really see me play. And by the way, you missed the best concert of the season,” I said.

“I know … I know,” she replied. “I promised Angie we would go out and totally forgot it was a concert night.”

“You are forgiven,” I said, and she kissed me briefly on the lips. There was the heart skip again. We talked for another hour, and finally Dr. Richardson said he had to go.

“It was so nice finally meeting you,” Shandra said.

“Likewise,” Dr. Richardson said. “You need to keep ahold of this one. Jerry is an extraordinary man, and any girl would be lucky to have him.”

“Oh, I intend to,” Shandra said, and I felt myself blushing.

I thought about all of the things I had accomplished in the past year and all the changes that had occurred. Last year, I felt trapped and a little hopeless. Now, I felt anything was possible.