"Is that fingering from a Franz Liszt piano piece?" a sailor who had come over asked.
"Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, a noisy classic, isn't it?" Henry answered directly. Then he added, "I've been reading some books about the piano lately. Unfortunately, there isn't a piano at home, so I can only move my fingers and pretend there's one here."
"Ah-ha, your fingering and hand movements are pretty standard, so that's why I recognized it."
"Have you been learning for a long time?" People in the United States did not have a habit of handing out cigarettes to everyone they met. But when starting a conversation, offering one to a fellow smoker was still a good opening. So Henry pulled out the cigarette pack in his breast pocket and shook one loose.
The sailor did not refuse. He took a cigarette, put it between his lips, and lit it. After taking a satisfied drag, he said, "My family has an old piano. I really like it, and I've been learning for a long time. I enlisted so I could save up tuition for music school."
Henry poured cold water on him. "If you joined the military because you need money, can you really make it as a pianist in the future?"
Could a child from a poor family learn piano and turn himself into an international piano master?
Dream on!
What it really did was create more jobs for piano teachers.
The sailor, thoroughly chilled, gave a bitter smile. "You really don't beat around the bush at all."
Henry raised a finger. "To make a name for yourself in music, either your family has money, or your parents are already in the business. It's not impossible to make it on your own through interest alone, but it's far too difficult. You