She kissed him goodbye knowing he wouldn't remember her tomorrow, or. really, any of the days to follow. The dementia had fully taken over, and even hope was on borrowed time. 74 years of life that was simple and sweet. Not too many meet the love of their life at 16, and get to build that dream together. Watching and cheering each other on, while life acts as a rubber band that stretches them apart just to snap them back together. Ava watched as Milo faded away; they had stretched their rubber band as far as it could go these days. The looks on their faces were as they just ended a beautiful blind date. Only, she would be the only one to remember. How do you become a stranger to the only person that has ever cared for the real you? The feeling of his lips pressed against hers – She can still remember that warm day in September after the homecoming dance on the corner where her parents met. It wasn't until then when she realized what a fairytale she actually lived. 


She wanted to call the kids but was far too late, plus their daughter would be devastated to know the new drugs she got him only seemed to be working until they weren't. The side effects of this one seem to hit harder than the others. One minute he was there, and the next day he wasn't. 


Known as the sun down disease, Milo lived in daylight savings time, and while Ava was aware of that, she couldn't get real Milo out of her mind. Determined to see him like that just one more time, Ava began doing a little research online for exercises she could try to rejog Milo's memories. 


It was in that instant she remembered who she used to be – Ava Gerronteed Wright – she was always known for her amazing pipes. She had sung with the best of them, though now it had been over 20 years. Ava took a deep breath and called the first vocal coach she saw online, Skyhigh notes. Ava set the appointment, and then called spins for seniors to set up a ride, and a week later she arrived. “ Shoo be do do” was the melody that played as she walked through the door, in front of her stood a lengthy girl with a bright smile and locs. 


“Welcome to SkyHigh Notes, I’m Skylar you must be Ms. Wright?” 

“Mrs. Wright,” Ava corrected. “Yes, little ma’am I am, but I came here for singing lessons not modeling lessons hunny. Wit dem legs you got, I know you aint sangin’ nuthin,” Ava giggled.

Skylar laughed, not expecting that for a greeting. “Well yes ma’am, I've been singing for quite a while,” Skylar replied. 

“And you think yoooooou bout to teach me something Ms. Skylar? Are you even 21?” 

Skylar was still laughing until she heard,

“Well I guess it did say the first lesson is free.”

Slightly offended, Skylar replied “well, you can call me Sky.”


She led Ava down to a room, inside was a beautiful black Steinway & Sons baby grand piano with gold trim. The room was perfectly lit by sunlight, and in the corner were 2 standing microphones. 


Sky began asking questions, “SO what show are you preparing for?”

Still looking around the room at the pictures on the wall Ava was taken aback. She asked, “How did you get these pictures?”

Sky began to speak, “They are –”

And all at once, Ava seemed extremely upset. “HOW DID YOU GET THESE PICTURES,” she exclaimed.

Sky unexpectedly yelled back, “THEY ARE MY GREAT GRANDMOTHERS!” Sky took a breath and immediately apologized, “I’m sorry Mrs. Ava, I-I mean Mrs. Wright, I didn't mean to yell.”

“Who the HELL IS YOUR GREAT GRANDMOTHER Ms. Skylar?”

“Shirley Primm,” Sky replied.

Ava said quickly, “Awe naw that non-sangin heffa. I knew yo lil, young ass couldn’t sang shi–”

Sky stopped Ava before she could finish her sentence, “YOU NEED TO GET OUT OF MY SCHOOL!” 

“You’re kicking out a paying customer?”

“NO, THE FIRST LESSON IS FREE, REMEMBER?”


Once Ava left, Sky grabbed her phone to call her mom forgetting that her mother is battling early onset Alzheimer's and that she might not get a straight answer,so she hung up. The phone rang right back, but she didn't answer. Skylar was upset and not really sure why, other than the insults made towards Granny Shirely. Was she more upset at the reaction Ava had to the pictures that have always had funny, crazy, beautiful memories attached to them? Unable to work with questions swirling around like the cone on the ice cream truck that had just driven by, Sky cancelled her lessons for the remainder of the day, so she could catch her mom before the sun faded.


Sky’s phone rang as she was arriving at her mothers home. She went to silence it, but she read the name Ava Wright on the screen, and since the school was closed, the call forwarded to Skylar’s cell phone.


“Hello Skylar, it's Ava Wright. I was just calling to apologize for the way I acted, but I also wanted you to know that I will not be coming back there. I can't be associated with snake-like people, I stopped that a long time ago.”

”Mrs. Wright I’m not sure–”

“Anything Shirley Primm created doesn't belong around me. Goodbye,” she hung up the phone.


Still flabbergasted, Skylar had no idea what was going on, and Granny Shirley passed just a few weeks before. How ironic, Skylar was just thinking how much they looked alike. Who was this Ava and what ties did she have? Skylar got out of the car to be met at the door by her mother’s caretaker, Keisha. She was an over eager achiever with a squeaky voice that means well but has waaaay too much pep

“OMG, Skylar I’m so happy you stopped by! Your mother is having a great day. She just mentioned she missed a call from you.” 

“Yea, I called by accident, but– wait, she's having a great day?” 

“Yes she was hoping to see you and then here you are. The universe hit the mark today, huh?

Skylar walked in hoping to see what Keisha had been seeing all day. “Hey Ma, What you doin?”

With a pencil in one hand, a guitar in her lap and a notebook on the coffee tray in front of her, she replied, “I gotta write this poem. I'm speaking at a convention and I have nothing for these people. Well nothing new anyway and you know I hate to show up with old shit. What you doin Skylar?”

Her head sank for a moment. She thought she beat the clock but just as normal, the drive over gave her too much time to coast and think. “I was just stopping by to ask you something. I mean ask how you doin? I mean see how you’re doin.”

Her mom replied, “Always tongue tied, have you finished any of them songs yet? Or how many kids, excuse me, students you got over at that school now?”

Skylar was hopeful, “Hey Ma do you know a lady named Ava Wright?”

“NO. why you ask me that?”

“I met her today, and she wasn’t happy when I mentioned Granny Shirley’s name. I was just wondering if you knew why that could be?”

“Awe momma always had women hating on her. She was sooooo beautiful with an amazing voice and career. I'm sure Ezra was just a fan that got her man stolen.”

“Ava not Erza momma, Ava Wright.”

“Ava Brown, you don' t know who you talkin’ about her last name aint Wright. It’s Brown. Well unless it's a different Ava, but my name is Ashley, so who is Ava?”

And just like that, it was over. The sun was setting, and her mom’s mind was settling in for the night. Was Ava Wright Ava Brown?


Heading home, Skylar couldn't get the resemblance of the two women out of her mind nor the fact that her mom said Ava Brown. Sitting in the driveway, one of Skylar's favorite adult traits, she googled Ava Brown. She was met with a list of 32,432 different ones. She then narrowed down the search by adding their hometown of Dixon,Tennessee. Although now everyone was living in New York, she couldn't help but wonder if she could get lucky. 


Ava woke up the next morning feeling like she got hit by a storm. She cried all night long, her body felt paralyzed remembering that she had heard a name that she hadn't heard in over 50 years. Determined to get that mess off her mind, she rolled over and opened her phone and the search was back on for a new vocal coach. Mystical Music was next on the list and the appointment was set. Ava again called Spins for Seniors to make sure she had a ride. Arriving 15 minutes early, Ava noticed a dozen children entering the building. All of a sudden, she felt so inexperienced like she was the senior citizen and not the seasoned vocalist that once sang with Whitney Houston and Anita Baker. Heck she hosted game nights with LL Cool J, but that was a different time and music had moved on. 


As Ava got out of the car and headed toward the entrance, she couldn't help but to have Skylar on her mind. As she went for the handle, the door swung open and startled her a little, just in time to remind her where she was and why she was there.


“ALL OF THIS IS FOR MILO,” she said to herself just before she greeted the lady behind the desk. 

“Welcome to Mystical Music, I’m Grace. Do you have an appointment with someone today?”

“Why yes ma’am. I am Ava Wright and I have a vocal lesson with Karissa I believe is her name.”

Checking the schedule, Grace confirmed Ava's lesson and showed her to the room Karissa was in.

Karissa (fresh out of a break up) greeted Mrs. Wright with low energy, “hey how you doin? I'm Karissa, and I'll be your instructor for today.”

Ava, stunned by Karissa's energy, tried to add some livelihood in the room, “Well I'm Ava, Ava Wright! I’m just thrilled to be here. I've decided I can sing my husband back to me, and you gon’ help me do it!”

“Sing what ole’ lady? You crazy. How old are you anyway,” Karissa mumbled, not so low under her breath.

“I’ll be 91 this November, thanks for askin’”

“Sorry, what are you here to sing?”

“I Believe In You and Me by Whitney Houston. Where is your piano?”

“My main instrument is a guitar. I only dabble in piano.”

“Well get to dabblin’ cause I don't like singing over no guitar. That's Shirely, why er’body so worried about Shirley all of a sudden?”

“Lady, I don't know who Shirley is. Do you know where you at?”

“I just told you I'm here for you to help warm my ol’ vocal chords back up so I can sing my husband back to me.”

“Oh yeah…that.”

“Do we have a problem Karissa?”

“Nah we good”

“You have a terrible attitude,” Ava said, standing right there in Karissa's face.

And before Karissa could fix her mouth to say anything Ava was out the door. 


Cussin and fussin all the way back to the car, Ava was beginning to think her plan wasn't going to come together. Was that the last time she was going to see her Milo forever? With a head full of questions and a gut full of passion, Ava decided to pick the phone up and call Skylar back when she felt her phone vibrating; SkyHigh Notes lit up across the screen.

Ava answered with a nervous “Hello.”

Sky, not knowing if this is the right thing to do, said, “Mrs. Wright I do apologize for our encounter yesterday, I…” Sky paused. She really didn't know what she was apologizing for, but she knew that she needed to help Ava. “Look I just really want to help you, and I..we - we can even use another room in the school, I just really want to help you, I... hello…”

Ava shocked and very caught off guard, “Ms. Skylar, you aint got nuthin to apologize fo’. I was the one who over reacted to some old pictures, and you and those long legs just got in the middle. I apologize. I was just bout to call and see if you would still be willin to help me. I’m glad you made it easy on me.”

“Well you won't be sayin that much longer. When would you like to set up your first appointment?”

“Um..what do you have available?”

“I have tomorrow afternoon, and I also have an opening in about an hour.”

“I will see you in about an hour then,” Ava hung up the phone with a smile in her voice and her heart. 


Spins for seniors arrived, and Ava added SkyHigh Notes as a stop before heading home. Since she had a little time, she walked for a coffee nearby to waste time. Only she got lost in it, flooded with memories of her and Shirley singing together – her sister who she hadn’t seen in over 50 years. The last memory they shared was Ava packing up and moving out of the 2 bedroom apartment they shared in Queens. Two brown girls with a suitcase full of songs and between them, they could play every instrument from orchestra to a band. They planned to start out as singer/songwriters who would eventually own a music label. Ava hummed a song she would have swore she didn't know the words to, but the melody just flowed on out. She giggled and then was startled by the sound of her phone vibrating against the table.

“Hello, Mrs. Wright, it’s Skylar. Were you still coming? You are 10 minutes late.”

“Oh my, I am just across the street having coffee. I must have lost track of time. I'm so sorry.”

“ A’ight well I'm here.” 

Ava gathered her things and walked back across the street. “SHoo be do do”

“Skylar, I have no idea how I lost track of time like that. I am truly sorry.”

“It’s fine, let's just get started. Oh I never found out what song you wanted to sing…”

“I Believe In You and Me by Whitney Houston. That was always one of my favorites when we sang together.”

“You sang with Whitney Houston?”

“Hunny, I sang with all of them – Whitney Houston, Anita Baker, Mariah Carey, Joe, Tank – ALL OF THEM,” she said out loud and proud with a smile on her face. 

Skylar, wanting to ask about Granny Shirley, “ Well alright then, lets get started.”

The ladies did some vocal warm ups, and Ava was as rusty as she thought, which was crazy because Sky was impressed by almost every single note. 

“I know that I can find that note. I just haven’t been using this thing for singing a lot lately, well in about 20 years he-”

Skylar gave Ava some exercises and vocal tips for the next lesson. 

Ava, noticing the time, realized that she had missed the Spins for Seniors

‘Shoot me in the foot, I done missed my ride. Let me call these fools back and tell them they left me.”

“I can take you home if you don't mind.”

“Are you sure I don't want you to do nothing special for me.”

“No ma’am it’s fine……..