—by Betsy Scott Chapman, Boyerstown, Pa.

It was the perfect venue. A beautiful old Pennsylvania stone farmhouse turned bed and breakfast, with a reported million-dollar overhaul. There was a sweeping staircase for the bride to descend and a pathway that led to a gazebo nestled next to a babbling brook. The harpist was settled off to the side, in the shade next to a beautiful old stone barn. The owners had thought of every detail, except for one: cats.

Every stone barn needs a mouser, but one cat begets others. In this case I counted six felines. To be fair, as I set up I didn’t notice any mice, so the cats were clearly doing their job. However, they likely smelled my cats on my harp case or on me and they quickly became pretty interested in what I was doing. As I bustled around getting ready they kept an eye on me from a distance, but as I tuned and settled down to warm up they came closer.

My harp teacher didn’t play outdoor weddings. I was about to find out one reason why. The guests arrived, everybody settled down, and we waited for the bride. And waited. Now the cats were getting interested in the proceedings. One cat decided that my left foot was the place to be, and settled right in as it rested on the C pedal.

Now at this time I had just started playing weddings, and all I knew how to do was play what was on the page, so as the bride and her father started down the staircase, I knew that sooner or later that C pedal had to move. The moment of truth arrived: I moved my foot and the cat clawed, jumped off my foot, and ran. I screamed and jumped up. The bride and her father stopped as everybody turned to look at me, but of course by that time the cat was nowhere to be seen. I quickly composed myself, started playing again, and the wedding went on. Everything else proceeded without a hitch.

At the end of the ceremony the father of the bride handed me my check, but didn’t look at me or say anything. I’ve never packed so fast! I was never hired at that venue again until it changed owners. The new owners have solved the cat problem, and apparently never heard this story (hopefully they don’t read it here). Now, 15 years later, I can laugh. I’d like to think I could handle the situation with more aplomb, but who knows? At least now I would know enough to improvise and just skip that C-sharp! •