Story within a Ballad

The man that everyone at the bar came to listen to went home that one Saturday night. He couldn’t help thinking about what his friends at the bar had asked him. They had asked what he was doing, showing off his amazing talent there, only at an old bar. At the time of the comment, he had though that they had just asked it as a sort of joke and a compliment at the same time. He knew what they had meant. That he should be performing someplace bigger, better than a bar filled only with people doubtful about their lives as an audience. They all knew that he was a miraculous musician and that he could even play for Broadway shows if he wanted to. But instead somehow, he had ended up at a bar in a small town. He had never really thought about this before, but now that he was, he couldn’t help wondering why in the world he was performing here, for this amount of money, when he could be famous, rich. He couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to his life. Of course he was famous at the bar, though. Every customer and even the manager knew why  that bar is so popular. It’s because of him, the piano man. Every customer, John, Paul, Davy, all of the business men, and even the old man all know why they don’t go to the bar down the street with the much higher quality drinks or the one two blocks away with the cheapest prices around. They all know they go to this particular bar only for one reason; for him. As he thought of this he even recalled one day when the waitress had told him that the only reason why she didn’t have a job at the fancy restaurant close to her house was because of him. She had told him that his music and voice just carried her away, like nothing else ever had. She also added that all the customers feel the exact same way. He also remembered the day when the manager had sincerely thanked him for choosing his bar to perform in. He knew that his bar would have most likely gone out of business if it weren’t for him. He knows that the customers only come to hear the music of the piano man, as if to forget about their like  for a while.

The next Saturday night when the regular crowd was already in, he realized that the only reason he came to this bar, was for the people. He knew long ago even before he realized he knew, that the people came for him and he came for them. They needed each other. He also knew that even if for some reason he was ever asked to perform for a big show or audience, he couldn’t accept. He couldn’t leave this bar or the people who come to it. With that final  thought, he started a few harmonic chords that started into the bar customer’s favorite song. Before he started singing, he silently whispered, “I am the piano man.”

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