Music to His Ears

Almost two weeks ago, Son #2 went with his dad to the music store in town.  The bass clarinet he's been playing was not getting good sound out of some of the keys.  Even though it's a school district rental, my husband decided to shell out $100 to have it serviced.  It's the only one the elementary school has, and my son didn't want to be without it for too long because he's working on a piece for his competition in March.  

They dropped it off on a Thursday after school.  The owner of the music store said it needed a complete overhaul and some work on a few keys.  Well, I got a call on Saturday morning to alert me that it was ready to be picked up.  I was very surprised that it was finished so quickly.  I went over to get it, and the owner explained that the instrument was in pretty bad shape, and he did considerably more work than what he asked us to pay.  I thanked him very much for that, and for having it ready so my son could use it for part of the weekend and have it for school on Monday morning.  He said he had all that in mind when he worked on it the day before.  He also confided that the district doesn't use him for repairs; instead they go to someone whose prices are lower.  Hey, if he was trying to hook us as future customers, it worked at least for the time being.

When my son began to play his repaired instrument, it certainly did not sound like the same bass clarinet.  What a beautiful sound!  We were all impressed.  He told me he wanted to call "Mr. Frank" at the music store to say thanks, which I thought was super cool and mature for a ten year old.  Anyway, today he finally got around to doing that.  He got Mr. Frank on the phone, identified himself, and explained why he was calling.  I only heard one end of the conversation, but Mr. Frank was obviously very touched and appreciative.  I'll bet he doesn't get many thank you calls, and hardly any from kids.

Afterwards, my son asked me if he had performed a mitzvah by making the call.  (Mitzvah is a Hebrew word which, in practical terms, refers to an unsolicited act of kindness.  The Hebrew school teachers encourage the kids to perform them in their daily lives.)  I told my son that I guessed that Mr. Frank was so pleased that he would probably go home and tell his family all about it at the dinner table, and he would probably tell all his friends about the smart, mature ten year old kid who put a smile on his face today.  Son #2 was pretty pleased with himself too. And the mom is feeling proud right about now...