Once in a Lifetime Event for a International Has- Been Wannabe Piano Player

When you play an instrument (even if you play it poorly), and you see a really neat... Oh, let's say piano, you're fingers just itch to tickle the old ivories. My husband's fingers itch to play a bass, any bass he happens to lay his eyes on. When we were on vacation the piano bar was next to the buffet. Everyone seemed to congregate in the bar right before the buffet opened (like any of us were starving to death or wouldn't get enough to eat on the BUFFET). One evening we went down there to hang out while we waited for the buffet to open. My husband happened to notice that  it was suppose to have someone playing for a hour later in the evening. So later in the evening we meandered (we do a lot of meandering on vacation) down to the piano bar hoping to hear some beautiful piano music. The bar was packed  but there was no piano player. Occasionally someone would wonder (or maybe they meandered) over and play chopsticks (not really what we were looking for) My husband kept trying to get me to sit down and play even though

he knows how shy I am about playing, but he just would not let it go. Mind you the only thing I know how to play is hymns. But he wore me down and I sat at this beautiful white piano and with a frosted glass top and played "He Looked Beyond My Faults and Saw My Needs". I really am terribly shy about playing so I totally had to zone out just to keep my fingers on the keys. When I quit playing I slunk to my chair as people cheered and shouted for more.... Awe, how sweet is that (even given the fact that half of them were probably drunk)? My husband said  the packed room instantly became quiet when I began to play and I had a standing ovation when I finished.... Never

happened before, almost guaranteed never to happen again (unless I'm out of the country).  When I was chatting with a couple we met earlier, a lady came up and requested Sweet Caroline. I just smiled and said "I only know hymns."  It was a once in a lifetime event for a now international has-been wannabe piano player. Dang I wish I'd had a tip jar, I could have broke out in When The Saints Go Marching In or The Great Speckled Bird (personal inside joke on that one baby). I'll have to admit that it felt pretty good to play again (it's been almost 1 year since I've played at all) and I'll almost betcha my puppies will be hearing a lot more music coming from the front room very soon. They don't offer many accolades but I can put them into a deep lazy trance in a nanosecond which is better than any drunken applause I have ever had.  Yes, I'll be taking their requests.