He turned to face her, ready to reject the pity he expected but not quite ready to turn away the sympathy. He gave her a smile, recovering the surface composure that masked most of his days. Shaking his head he reached over and put down his coffee, picking up his plate and balancing it on his knee so he could take a bite of dipped fruit, all with his right hand. "No...I don't... I don't have anything to do with music any more. Nothing...satisfied...like performing. There are some things that simply cannot be replaced, I guess."
He turned back to the fondue pot, dipping a couple of strawberries and ferrying them to her plate with a smile. "But, I'm lucky in some ways...I have the means to live comfortably and many musicians never manage that, even if they work continuously. And I never suffered the indignity of a failed tour... so..." He winked, "my professional reputation is spotless!"