09/22/2025
I WAS SURPRISED THAT MY BEST STUDENT REFUSED TO PERFORM IN THE SCHOOL CONTEST – UNTIL I SAW WHO HIS DAD WAS
I'm a school music teacher, and when I first met Jay, I'd barely been on the job a week. Working with kids felt like a real challenge — it wasn't easy, that's for sure. But then Jay sat down at the piano, and the symphony he played? It was like nothing I'd ever heard, especially from someone so young.
I stood there, completely mesmerized. How could he play so well with hardly any practice? This boy had an incredible gift. When I offered him private lessons, though, he hesitated and eventually declined. I'd noticed that he didn't eat lunch with the other kids and always kept to himself. It all started to make sense, so I decided to teach him anyway, without charging a thing.
Over the next few weeks, Jay and I played together almost every day. His progress was astonishing — he was mastering complex symphonies faster than I'd ever seen. I knew he was ready to perform, to share his talent with an audience. He agreed, and we started preparing for his debut.
But on the day of the performance, he disappeared. I searched high and low, finally finding him hiding behind the curtains, looking absolutely terrified. He whispered, "I have to go on… before my father sees me."
I was baffled. Why would his father stop him from playing? But then Jay's eyes widened, staring at something over my shoulder. I turned, and everything fell into place. I knew his father. I knew him very well.👇