I was sitting down in a seat on the right side of the front row watching, waiting for the first note from the guitar. I sat and waited with an audience full of guitarists, each of whom aspired to be a finalist, to be at center stage. My friend Rafael was sitting next to me looking down at a newspaper, and I glanced over at him for only a brief second, but long enough to realize that something strange was happening, that we were now the center of attention. It was in that moment of silence, sometimes an uncomfortable silence, when everyone is waiting for that first note, waiting for the music to begin, that the performer/competitor gave Rafael and I a rather ugly look and told us to change our seats. Rafael and I both looked at each other first, trying to make sure that it was actually happening, that it wasn’t our imaginations, then we looked around to see everyone else staring at us, waiting to see what we would do. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened had I just kept my seat. Who would have been the ass-hole? On the other hand, Rafael and I aren’t the type of guys to pick a fight, so we casually moved ourselves to some row in the back.
This was my second time to the Appelation Guitar Festival. The first time I had a beautiful woman in tow, now I had the forever smug and satisfied Rafael Scarfullery, a first rate friend and guitarist from the Dominican Republic. I remember the last trip I had made here was also my first guitar festival and one of the happiest times of my life, probably because of the woman that I had with me. Hanna was a French exchange student from a little business school in St. Nazaire when she came strolling through the university cafeteria one normal afternoon and interrupted my infatuation with some chicken nuggets. A month later I was driving her around in my old Nissan pick-up truck to romantic places like Staunton, Virginia and the Appelation Guitar Festival. I was walking out of a master class with Rafael when a young man stopped me and asked me if I had been here before, at which I gave an affirmation, and he asked me what happened to that pretty girl that I had with me the last time. I probably told him the truth, a thing that I used to do several years ago. If I knew then what I know now, then I would have used it as an opportunity to boast.
I asked Rafael what he did that made the performer request our removal and he just gave me that smug Rafael chuckle that is so contagious. I must admit that I contracted it. Even though it pretty much annoys everyone else, it helps make life feel a little less serious, makes little situations like these seem quite ridiculous. Before I would have pondered over who was to blame, and become defensive over the matter, but with a guy like Rafael, all you can do is just laugh. After taking our new seats Rafael set down his paper and we both watched the competitor perform Bach’s Allegro from the BWV 998. I thought he played well considering what he had just done.
