Priya was fourteen and already the drummer in the school jazz band when she joined. She said she wanted to play something where nobody counted for her.
Her kit stayed at the township fire hall, where her mother volunteered on the auxiliary. The band rehearsed there on Tuesday nights, between the bingo setup and the training drill. Practice ended when the siren went.
She played a practice pad at home in her bedroom with the door shut. Her parents have told the archive they could tell what kind of day she had from the tempo.
Now. Cardiologist in Philadelphia. Listens to rhythms for a living.