The men in the mirror
Back at the hotel after a deprived night's sleep and a long day working at the office, my eyes are drooping. The first hour behind the piano is a little disastrous - I feel as though my hands are being weighed down, and I can hardly hit the notes I'm trying to sing. Glancing at the mirror behind the piano I see my eyes are sinking. Taking an early break I sneak behind the bar and make myself a latte, going slightly overboard with the amount of coffee - it's free and I need an energy boost.
Taking it back over to the piano and sipping it between songs, I can feel myself waking up. This seems to be reflected in my playing, as many heads have turned and the attention seems to be on me. People clap and smile at each other before turning back to me. Nods of approval bring my morale back. Making the most of an enthusiastic audience, I play a song I have always loved playing.
Ed Lea - Man in the Mirror
As I approach the end of a tricky solo a cheer erupts and people clap and smile at each other. I'm flattered, and count my lucky stars to have such an appreciative crowd in tonight.
The group nearest me sound Italian, and this is confirmed by an ecstatic cry of "Molto bono!" and hand gestures to match.
As I get up from the piano stool to take my next break, I realise why so many people were facing in my direction, and why my solo had warranted such applause: the mirror behind the piano has doubled up as a TV showing Euro 2012, and the man in the "mirror" was Balotelli securing Italy's lead against Ireland.
I smile to myself, mildly embarrassed to have been spurred on by applause that was directed over my head.
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