Yesterday I was busking in Suburban Station. I have a small sprig of artificial white flowers sticking out of my guitar case, which I found on the floor once while busking and figured it was an omen. I've been displaying them for over a year.
Anyway, a man reeking of alcohol came up to me and stared at the money in my case. He counted the bills out loud so everyone around could hear him. When he got to twenty-one, he stopped. By then I had stopped singing, too. He got up in my face and called, "Man, you got at least twenty-one bills in there. Can I have two. I'm homeless." Then he shook my hand, like he was my buddy.
Maybe I'm overly sensitive, but I don't like it when people yell into my face with alcohol breath when I'm in the middle of a song.
Of course, I wasn't feeling the love at this point.
"No," I said.
"Why not?" he barked back.
"Well, you see, it took me three hours to earn that 21 dollars."
"All you're doin' is blowin'," he said, referring to my harmonica.
"I'm busting my ass, man. I'm sorry you don't look at it as work."
There was a tense moment. I could see he was contemplating his next move. "Well, then, I'm just going to....take your flowers and eat them." He leaned down, plucked my artificial flowers (wires and all) out of my guitar case and shoved them in his mouth.
I didn't say a word.
I watched him chew. His face contorted. He walked over to the trash can and spit out what was in his mouth, and then he wandered off, waving his hand and mumbling.
Maybe I should learn the Peter, Paul and Mary song, "Where Have All the Flowers Gone."
Where HAVE all the flowers gone? Well, it's Fall and you know what happens next, the leaves fall, the flowers go and if finally cools down after a horribly HOT summer. yes - you work hard singin and strummin but the stories are always juicy!
ReplyDeleteAlli will!
no need to learn the song. you just told us where the flowers went! thanks for sharing.
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