The Organ Grinder

Having no work to do today, it occurs to me to open the cabinet and take out the picture. The sun shines through the window and the colors of the picture look more intense! I caress it gently. It brings me back to the lovely afternoon with a family in the countryside.

I am an organ grinder. Accompanied by my organ and little monkey. I always stroll busy streets in New York, go inside the expensive restaurants and play for the rich people there. That’s the way I earn my living.

It was Sunday. It was a fine day. I planned to visit some of my relatives in the countryside. The sky was blue and clear with clouds floating. The small paths cut the fields and wound their ways towards the end of the field. The early spring wind was a little cold but it brought the wonderful smell of flowers, everything was coming up green. I dressed up in my favorite red T-shirt and grey coat, and sang some sweet songs all along the way.

Some loud laughter and cheers attracted my attention when I was passing a house. I curiously approached the window to see what was happening. The family was having a get-together, they were encouraging their baby girl to walk by herself.

“Stand up and keep trying!”

As the girl fell on the ground, all the other family members cheered for her.

I was fixing my eyes on the interesting scene when a young man walked towards me and said,

“You’ve got such an amazing barrel organ! Why not come in and perform before the full household!”

I hesitated, as it was easy to tell that the family was not rich, the walls were not painted and I could even see the bricks exposed. There were some old clothes hanging on strings and old coats hanging on the wall. The dining table was small and there wasn’t much food on it. I doubted whether they would be able to pay for my performance.

The young man was so enthusiastic that he opened the door and invited me anxiously,

“Everyone is waiting for you, my honored guest! You turn up as a surprise, as a gift for all of us!”

As I went in, I greeted my audience and took out my notes. My organ used wooden barrels with pins or nails to carry the notes. As the barrel turned, the pins opened valves allowing air into the pipes. The air was provided by a bellows pumped by the same crank that turned the barrel. The baby girl, who was sitting on her mother's knees was very curious when I did those sorts of things. Her eyes were wide open as she tried to reach out her hand to touch the organ.

“Go and find out how it works”,  her mother encouraged kindly.

Instead of playing complex melodies, I chose a relaxing country song. The baby girl’s elder brother, the young man who invited me in, lay on the ground and played with the monkey. The host of the house in a green coat was a soldier and he might have a short vacation, so he looked relaxed, with one of his legs up. The baby girl’s uncle also came to this family party. He immersed himself in my music and tapped his plate to the music. Her grandmother held the arms of her husband, talking about the interesting show.

“What do you think of the song?” I asked.

“Great! We feel at ease, one more please!”

Without too many fancy words, those simple praises were so faithful that I felt really respected. I felt my value in bringing happiness to others and spreading art to common people.

Two of their neighbors just came back from the field and they were still sweating, but still they were welcomed by the family and quickly adapted themselves into the artistic atmosphere.

I lost myself in the party with this lovely family, their behaviors were quite different from those I was used to. Those gentlemen and ladies always sat tightly. They pretended to know a lot about music and commented a lot in fancy words. In their eyes, I was like a clown offering entertainment to them and did not deserve true respect. In contrast, this family I met infected me and I realized that life could be so peaceful, harmonious. It could be full of faith, passion and freedom, I really appreciated the true interactions between the family members. What’s more, they made me have more passion and love for my music career.

At that time, Francis William Edmonds, a successful banker as well as an artist, came in and painted the picture of the scene. He gave his painting to me as a gift.

”Thank you for creating such a great performance, I cherish what I saw and heard as a gift” Francis said.

“You are welcome, actually I cherish the lovely family I met today as a surprise that came my way.”