Twenty Finger Exercise

I never, ever, want to hear anyone make fun of my tiny car again. It may only be a Yaris, but last night we were able to fit an entire piano into it!
Obviously realising that I have great musical potential, Ross agreed that I could have my Chanukah present early. (That and the fact that he found a reasonably priced digital piano in Costco). So although his car is much larger than mine, mine has folding back seats, so we took it along and were successful in pushing it in. Ok, so there wasn't room for me, but I was quite happy to stay behind while Ross drove my car back and returned in his to collect me.
"Right," he said, when we returned home. "Where do you want it?"
"In my office," I said. "Upstairs."
Now you might think this idea was a little strange. But there were two reasons for this. Firstly, I wouldn't want anyone to see it and expect me to play for them and secondly, we never planned for a piano. Admitedly we still have ample space on the first floor (ground floor to you English), but I live in hope that when the rest of the furniture arrives there won't be.
Unfazed, Ross began unpacking the pieces and taking them up the stairs one at a time. Not so bad, until we realised the keys and lid were all one piece. One heavy piece.
There was only one thing for it. It may have been 9.30 p.m. with torrential rain falling, but I knocked on our long suffering neighbours' door. The ones who helped us pull our giant grill off the back of a lorry in the summer.
"Sorry to trouble you," I said. "But do you have someone big and strong in your house to help us? We want to carry a piano upstairs."
Janet raised her eyebrows.
"Er, my son is out and John is upstairs not feeling well," she said.
I couldn't hide my disappointment.
"But don't worry," she added brightly. "I'll help."
Janet is half my size and I felt really pathetic having to ask her. But she is super fit and helped Ross carry the piano up the stairs as if it were no heavier than a large envelope.
After that Ross (amazingly) was able to put everything together with the result that I now have a lovely digital piano to practise on.
Oh, I did discover one extra bonus. It has demo modes for all the different sounds it plays which sound fabulous. It's a bit like having your first ever driving lesson, then pressing a button on the dashboard and being able to conquer hair pin bends at 100 mph.
The fact that it is upstairs means when I have visitors I can sneak upstairs and switch it on and they'll think I'm brilliant! Unless they read this first, of course....