Sounds Like Trouble

Submitted by Andrew:

Trish and I were having a good date in a good restaurant.  After I told her that I dabbled in music, she blurted that her younger brother, Paul, was a musical savant.  He could play almost a dozen instruments and loved to perform.  She insisted that we go to her parents' house after dinner to hear Paul play.

I had wanted to maybe grab a cup of coffee, take a walk, catch a comedy show, or something "just us," but I figured that there'd be plenty of time for that even after hearing Paul play.  Plus, if he was really that good, and that important to her, then it seemed like a good idea.

We went to her parents' house and I met her folks.  Her father was friendly enough, but her mother glared at me as if she saw right through my wicked plan to lead her daughter into a life of sin, sex, and vice.  Guilty as charged!

Paul was up in his room.  Trish went up to get him, and I heard her knocking on his door, begging him to come out and play.  Paul seemed in no mood to play, and I called up to Trish that it was really okay.  I could hear Paul some other time, perhaps.

Trish said that since we were already in her house, we had to hear Paul play, so she finally dragged him out of his room.  He was no older than ten, and had his mother's knack for glaring.  He clearly blamed me for interrupting whatever it was he was doing in his room, and if it was up to me, I would have left the poor kid alone.

Trish set him up at the piano, and he began banging on the lowest keys, with no rhythm.  He was clearly doing it to spite us.  I turned to Trish and told her that Paul really didn't seem to want to play, and that I was fine going to do something else.

Trish didn't like that, told me that I was "encouraging his rude behavior," and asked me to leave.  I tried to convince her to change her mind, but she said that Paul was enough to handle without someone who encouraged his nasty behavior.

So I left.