"I can't believe it. Is it really you?"
Philip remained silent. His face showed no emotion. He looked at the man calmly, waiting.
An elegant woman with her hair pinned up approached Arthur. "Who is Philip Mercer? Would you explain to all of us?"
Arthur held up his phone, showing the screen. "Seven years ago, this man was the most promising pianist in Britain. He had won the international music competition in London. Everyone was talking about him. The newspapers called him the new musical genius of the country."
The hall erupted in murmurs. Guests jostled to get a better look at Arthur's phone.
"He played in the most important theaters," Arthur continued. "London, Edinburgh, Birmingham. He was on the cover of Musical Harmony magazine. Everyone wanted tickets to his concerts."
The professor with the gray mustache struck his forehead. "Of course! Philip Mercer! How did I not recognize him immediately? I had one of his records. I listened to it all the time."
Catherine listened to all of this with her mouth open. Her face went from white to red. Her hands clutched nervously at her burgundy dress.
A young woman looked at Philip with tearful eyes. "But what happened? Why did you stop?"
Philip took a deep breath. For the first time that evening, his defenses seemed to lower a little. "Life made choices for me," he said simply.
Arthur lowered his phone. "I remember reading something. There was an accident, wasn't there? Then you disappeared. Nobody knew where you had gone."
"It's not important," Philip said with a firm, polite voice. "That was another life."
"Another life?" exclaimed a lady. "But you are an artist! A talent like that cannot be delivering packages!"
Philip smiled sadly. "An honest job is worth as much as any other. Delivering packages gave me dignity when I had nothing else."
His words fell into silence. Many guests lowered their gaze, suddenly uncomfortable.
The professor approached Philip. "Maestro Mercer, playing like this after years away from the stage is extraordinary. Your technique has lost nothing. In fact, there is more emotion now than before."