Reader anecdote: The Little Godfather

Sunday night, Pamela and I had dinner at the Plaza Bistro, in Sonoma. We were seated by the front window. On the sidewalk, a young man passed by with a violin under his arms. I pointed him out to Pamela. One doesn’t often see such things around here!

The young man stopped by the door of the restaurant. He spoke with the waiter. Then, he entered. A few moments later, the waiter led him to our table. “Would you like to be serenaded?”

“Of course!”

The little violinist was blond, his hair well-combed. He was wearing a gray suit and a tie. “What would you like to hear?”

Pamela responded, “Some Mozart, perhaps?” He hesitated. “Yes, I could play some, but… How about I play you the theme from the film, The Godfather?”

“Are you Italian?” asked Pamela. He nodded. Then he put the violin under his chin and drew the bow. From the first note, the sound enchanted us. The tone was pure and clear, the melody mysterious and warm. It was like being transported to Sicily.

After he had finished, I asked him, “How old are you, young man?”

“I’m thirteen.” We smiled. Then Pamela asked, “Where did you learn to play so well?”

“In San Francisco. My teacher is the first violin in the Symphony.” He was holding his violin in his left hand, the bow in the right hand. “I am trying to earn the money to buy a good violin. It will cost me $14,000.”

Pamela and I gave him some dollars. He thanked us, and then he said, “What else would you like to hear?”

“It doesn’t matter what, but play!”

Putting the violin under his chin again, and drawing the bow, he began to play the waltz from The Godfather. Once again, we were enchanted. After the waltz was finished, he held his violin and bowed for us. Then, he left.

Pamela said, “The Universe just gave us a gift, didn’t it?”

Randy Cook, Sonoma