Last Friday we met a good friend of ours, Mary, for lunch at one of our favorite  sandwich shops.  Potbelly’s.  Our table was right in front of the “entertainment nook” where guitarists and/or performers play or sing.  After eating her lunch, Eliza climbed up on the chair and began flicking buttons, trying to figure out how to turn the microphone on.  I told her it was turned off but she could pretend she was singing if she wanted.  Harmless, right?  She wasn’t damaging anything.  There was a considerable din in the restaurant as the lunch rush moved in.  And – most importantly – she was within arm’s reach.  

A few minutes later, one of Potbelly’s employees came over and asked Eliza, “Do you want to sing?  Here.  Let me turn the mic on.”  Eliza’s eyes grew big.  She looked to me for consent with a face that seemed to query, “Can I?  Should I?  Sing?”  Doug and I encouraged her (not thinking she would really do it) by saying “If you sing, everyone will clap for you.”  With Doug’s prompting, she softly began to sing.  “Twinkle, twinkle little star…”  

She finished the song.  But there was no clapping.  Right into the microphone, she loudly chastised the crowd, “Nobody clapped for me!”  So we told her to sing again but louder this time.  “They can’t hear you sweetie.”

 “TWINKLE, TWINKLE, LITTLE STAR…”  She was beginning to turn heads.  People were watching now.  And listening.   (Note from the picture above that she had her left hand tucked into the back of her pants – how elegant!)

She sang loudly, confidently, and with gusto!  And when she finished, people did clap!  She did one little encore (the same song of course) and I tried to catch it on video but our batteries were dying.  (I uploaded what I captured below.)  If only I could have caught the end of the song and the delightful smile on her face when everyone clapped for her.   

She kept singing even after the employees turned of the mic.  We took a group picture before leaving and as you can she, she was still singing away.  Who knew?   A budding performer.

Thanks for lunch Mary!  We will miss you!  But we’ll catch up with you in Park City.  Of that you can be sure!  

As for Eliza, we have no aspirations for American Idol or Star Search (is that still on television?  Is Ed McMahon still alive?)  But you might be able to recruit her for Birthday parties and special occasions. She does a rousing rendition of the “ABC’s” and dances simultaneously to her personal favorite – “Life is a Highway” by Rascal Flatts.

(You’ll have to pause my playlist of songs to hear her.)