This young Japanese couple enjoyed Halloween night with my music and not by Trick or Treat. They transfered to a table near me so that they can enjoy more. $15.00 and a promise to come back to Palau is more than enough for me. ARIGATOU GOZAIMASU! (Photo by Roberto Hernandez)
TENNESSEE WATLZ +
DAHIL SA IYO = $100.00
& ASAHI BEER
ALTHOUGH I lost 2 chess games in week 6 of 2012 Palau National Chess Championship, I get lucky when I played piano for 3 hours at Waves Restaurant of Palau Royal Resort.
At about 6:30 pm, a group of old Japanese guest arrived with 3 of them on a wheel chair. A lady, who is wearing a colorful blouse, is pointing at my notes where there are no music scores but only a notebook with handwritten songs and a thinner notebook for alphabetical list of my international songs repertoire.
Executive Chef Masaki Horie is watching closely if I will play Japanese songs to them. I didn’t play any. Instead, I played very old American songs.
20 minutes later, he came to me with Maricar Genova, Restaurant Supervisor, with Asahi beer (in can) and put in next to my glass of water. Horie said the guest gave me that beer and I must come to her and say thank you. I finished the song I’m playing and go to her to say thank you and back to piano again and put the beer beside the water goblet with Horie saying, “Drink it later.”
When I drank the last drop of water, Horie took the beer and said, “I put it in the chiller and you can drink it later.” I said, ‘Okay, at 9:00 pm.”
Minutes later, Maricar told me that Horie said that I should drink that beer after playing at Breeze Bar, which is past 11:00 pm. Horie thought that I have that kind of “craving” to drink alcohol. He didn’t know that in my almost 21 years in Palau, I never been drunk even once. I drink only if customers gave me drinks. The last time I buy alcohol for my consumption is more than 18 years ago.
I didn’t drink that Asahi beer. I put it next to Budweiser beer given to me by a guest last week and next to a half bottle of Suntory 12 years old whisky given to me be a Japanese family 2 years ago.
When I play the song “Tennessee Waltz”, the lady who gave a drink come to the piano and said to me, “That’s my favorite song”. She watches me play it to the end. I’m playing it in key of F.
After the song, she asks me if she can play. I looked around and I can’t see Horie. If he’s around, I’ll ask him if he will allow her to play a song, which I think he will approve.
She played the same song “Tennessee Waltz” but in key of C. After playing it, there is a controlled applause from her 2 friends sitting next to her. Then, she asks me, “Are you a Filipino?” When I said yes, she played “Dahil Sa Iyo” which means “Because of You”.
I can’t resist myself to sing it while she’s playing while I’m always on the lookout if Horie is around. When she finished the song, I gave her my card and asked her, “How did you learn that song?” She just smiled.
I haven’t eaten my dinner yet and I’m always looking at the time because the cafeteria is closing at 7:30 and Horie is always around. When it’s 7:20, I still didn’t have a chance even for a quick bite.
It’s worth it because the lady who gave me Asahi beer gave me also $100.00 tip before going home. She puts it behind my thinnest notebook.
Maricar saw it and after the guests left, she look at it and ‘broadcast’ it on her 2-way radio – “It’s confirm, it’s confirm! Robert got $100.00 tip”.
Those who heard the ‘broadcast’ ask for soda – Mildred (Dr. Pepper’s), Pebee (7-up), Jovy (Pepsi), Maricar (C2 Apple flavor) and Maricel (Coke).
Source:
Music and Me by Roberto Hernandez
Music and Me by Roberto Hernandez
Tia Belau Newspaper
Pages 8 & 11
Volume 21
Issue 86
November 29, 2012
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