Hello out there! I thought I might introduce you to one of the characters I see on a daily basis. We will call him Jack.
Jack looks like a large derelict garden gnome. He has a round belly, and a long grey beard. He often sports a hat or two and wears a pipe on a piece of leather around his neck. He can usually be found carrying two large guitar cases with him where ever he goes. He does this because he is afraid someone will break into his room and steal them...he can be a bit paranoid.
Jack loves to talk to me. He thinks I have the secrets of the universe or something. I don't. He tells me he met Jesus in a laundry mat once. He also met Jimmy Hendricks on a bridge somewhere after he had been dead for quite some time. He often has long conversations with God Himself.
He believes he invented the cabinet responsible for the Bose sound system. He is trying to sue them for millions.
Jack has talked at great length about playing his music, but in the five years I have known him, I never saw or heard him play and I often wondered if it was another fantasy or delusion.
Two days ago out of the blue he asked if I would like to hear him play.
"Yes! Please!" I responded.
He unzipped his case and lovingly withdrew a worn folk guitar. "I will play "Misty" for you.. it is my best song," he said.
He put the strap...much too short if you ask me....around his neck and looked remarkably comfortable. He began to finger the strings, and the softest of melodies whispered it's way to my ears. He sang along, very quietly. He was transformed. He was beautiful. I felt like he was the only person in the restaurant.He was angelic. At that moment in time, he was not Jack...who comes in 10 times a day, and tells you to squeeze his lemon every time he orders iced tea. He was perfect...beautiful, and for just the briefest of moments, I fell in love.