Piano Bar

    It was another slow night at the Piano bar. With the rising cases in the Covid-19 Pandemic no one was going out to a small businesses like this one. The owner of the bar, Phil, was trying so hard to stay open and in business because it's all he knew. He felt bad cutting my hours and knew how I was struggling but I still had my consistent Saturdays and I was thankful he didn't fire me. I had to wear my mask while I played the Piano. I felt a little silly because the few people that did come into the bar didn't even come up to request for songs anymore. I just would make a playlist and stick to that all night. 

    Like a robot, I mindlessly played songs. My fingers had their own soul and moved willingly. My mind shut off. I just slowly would breath hot air into my mask and my eyes would wander the room but I wasn't looking at anything specific. I was on auto pilot while I my hands danced on the keys, like a dancer on stage. 

"Excuse me." 

A small slightly muffled voice snapped me out of auto pilot.  I look up to see these big brown eyes staring at me. I could only see her eyes because she was wearing a mask too. It had small apples on them. 

"I'm sorry if I startled you. I was wondering if you could play Satie's Gymnopedie's No. 1." Her voice was soft. She was standing a little awkward by my Piano. Trying to keep a safe distance.  I nodded. 

"Oh, Thank you! It's my favorite!" She twirled away quickly back to her hightop table. 

I did a quick glance around the room and it was only her, an old regular that sits at the bar just to get drunk and a couple in the very back corner. They looked like they were on a date. Probably frustrated with the lack of things open and found whatever place they could to get out of the house.

I paused briefly to take a sip of water before starting the requested song. I haven't played this song in a long time. 

I started playing the first couple of notes letting muscle memory take over. 

The young girl shuffled a few seats away from an area and started moving to the music. She was petit and she swayed back and forth a little before starting to step around and twirl lightly around chairs. She looked like she might have done ballet and she was practicing a routine she knew. It was a dark bar but the way the random spotlights around hit her hair as she moved to each note so gently. I was strangely jealous of how confident she was to do this in a small Piano bar during a pandemic. 

I was captivated by her. I suddenly imagined that she was probably a young dancer in New York. I was imaging she loved to dance and this song is what got her through the days when her feet were about to fall off completely. But oh! did she love to dance. Maybe she had to stop due to a sick relative and she skipped too many rehearsals. Or her studies at school got too intense for her. I bet her favorite color is yellow. She probably volunteers at animal shelters and cries at seeing beautiful sunsets. I was really was curious about this strange, tiny girl. 

With the last finishing notes of the song, I scan the room for her. I guess she had to leave in a hurry...

and with disappointment lingering in my body, 

Suddenly I realized, I fell in love at the Piano bar.