True story - the innocence of youth.
I fondly recall many a childhood Christmas spent with my parents at my Gran and Grandads' house. Their neighbours were a Polish family who had moved to the area after fleeing their home country at the onset of hostilities in 1939, and had become good friends with my grandparents.
One Christmas, we were all invited to spend an evening at these neighbours' house. I don't remember that much as I was only around 10 or 11 at the time, but I do recall the father masterfully playing the accordion - he played a number of traditional Polish folk songs as well as tunes and carols everyone could sing along to.
Having just begun music studies at school, and knowing the rudiments of what note each key represented, I do remember asking him if I could have a go on his accordion, and he duly obliged showing me how to hold it correctly and how to operate the bellows.
I felt a genuine sense of achievement as I began playing the melody to the only tune I could play at the time (learned on a glockenspiel of all things).
The room fell silent and I remember the father leaning over and waving his hand in a disapproving manner and saying "no no no" as he shook his head. I stopped, thinking I was playing the instrument incorrectly. After recomposing myself, I started playing the tune again - this time, he asked, albeit in a very friendly manner, if he could have his accordion back, and I duly returned it to him.
Although oblivious at the time to the apparent distress I'd caused, the benefit of hindsight and education leads me to believe that borrowing his accordion and reciting the only tune I was capable of playing - the German National Anthem - was not my greatest moment.
Whatever happened to Pedro?
