So we all headed for the local mall in Barbara's nine year old station wagon. Casey led us to her cellular provider's store right away. Thirty minutes later I had a brand new Motorola RAZR in my pocket, and we were off to the clothing stores. The first place we came to was a shoe store, and the girls headed right for it. I spotted something I wanted to check out, so I entered the store across the hall from them.
It was a chain store that sold musical instruments, and I had always wanted to get an acoustic guitar. I found one that was really nice, and asked if I could play it a little. The salesman, a kindly older gentleman, smiled, grabbed another guitar and motioned me to follow him to a pair of stools that were set up. We set down and he asked me what kind of music I played.
Well, truth be told, I played a little of everything, since the only guitar I had played belonged to the school. The music teacher liked me and once he saw I had an aptitude for it, taught me the basics. I taught myself a few songs I liked, but never really got to play as much as I wanted. I did ask Herb if I could get a cheap guitar at a second hand store once. He told me that I should be focusing on getting a career, not messing about with useless pursuits.
I smiled at the man, and started picking the opening riffs of a song I'd heard by Dire Straits called "The Man's too Big". He smiled back at me, and waited for his cue to join in. It felt so good to play the instrument that I started singing the lyrics to the song before I realized that we had gathered an audience.
As the last of the haunting melody drifted away from my fingers, the gathering announced its presence to me with very loud applause. I blushed brightly as the salesman clapped me on the back with a big grin on his face. "Do you know 'Dueling Banjoes' from the movie Deliverance?" he asked. When I nodded, he got up and grabbed a banjo that was up on the wall. He played the first few bars and grinned at me. I made the lovely lady in my arms answer and we were off. By the time we got to the end, we were both grinning and laughing.
"Son, very few people that just walk in off the street can play that well. How long have you been playing?" he asked.
The crowd started leaving as we began talking. Several people entered the store and looked around. "Not long actually. The high school had an old acoustic that I learned on. I'd always wanted to learn, and Mr. Gains took pity on me. He taught me the basics, and I taught myself the rest," I explained. My attention was drawn to three stunned faces that the parting crowd revealed.
I immediately started an old song by Joe Cocker called "'You Are So Beautiful" as I looked into their eyes. Nothing else in the world existed while I sang to my loves. The song sounded differently when played on a guitar, but the wonderful instrument accepted the emotions and conveyed them wonderfully.
At the end of the song, there was dead silence in the store. My ladies almost ran to me, and I had to set the guitar down before it got damaged. Casey handed the salesman her credit card. "We'll take it," she said. That was when I noticed the tears on his face and looked around. Everyone in the store was staring at us. One man and woman were holding each other lovingly.
"I'll sell you the guitar on one condition, Son. Very few people have the gift to express their emotions through music. Those few are the best artists in the world. With what you just did, I can see you have that gift as well. Promise me you'll never stop playing, and I'll sell the guitar to you. You don't need to be famous or anything, just try to share your gift with the rest of us every now and then. I'll also make sure Ed Gains gets a new guitar for the school."
I was stunned to say the least. "I've always enjoyed it when I could play, but my father would never let me get a guitar. I think I can make that promise, sir. I don't think I could not play such a wonderful instrument." I shook his hand, "And thank you for the guitar for school as well, that old lady is still beautiful, but she's getting pretty tired."
"I imagine so; I donated it almost ten years ago. I'm actually surprised they still have it."
"It's the only one they have, and with the budget restrictions getting tighter every year, I doubt they will be able to replace it once it's broken for good," I told him.
He nodded as he wrote up the sale. "One more thing Son, but you need to be careful when you play to the ladies in public. I could actually feel the love you have for them — for all of them. Most folks wouldn't understand that. Your gift is really strong," he said as he placed a nice leather bound case on the counter and placed my newest lover in it. "Music can be a powerful tool. When played the way you can play, it has the power to strongly affect the emotions of anyone who hears it. I know I sound like some kind of funky guru, but I hope you listen to my advice. Be aware of the affects of your music on a crowd. Trust me, anytime you play in public, there will be a crowd. You have a remarkably dynamic voice as well."
"Thank you, sir. This is a really wonderful guitar. It was really nice to play with you as well," I told him.
"Son, the honor was all mine. Stop by again next time you're in the area, I'd like to play with you again," he said as he handed the receipt to Casey.
Once we got back out in the hallway, Barbara asked, "Honey, why didn't you ever tell us you could play?"
"I did ask Herb for a guitar once I found how much I loved playing. He told me it was a worthless pursuit and to forget about it. I kept playing at school, but I hid it from everyone. I didn't want it getting back to him," I said.
"If you ever want or need anything to help you learn to play better, just let me know," Casey said. "Hell, if you want it, I'd buy a recording studio, but I think I already own one or two."
We all chuckled and proceeded to the next store. We spent a good portion of the day shopping and I had to make several trips out to the old station wagon. Finally, just before we were to leave for the day, Casey pulled us back to the music store.
"Have you ever played an electric guitar?" she asked me.
"No, but I've wanted to try one. Don't get me wrong. I love the sound of a good acoustic, like the one we bought, but an electric has a different feel, and sound."
She pulled me into the store, and Bill, the salesman looked surprised to see us. "Bill, do you have a Custom Les Paul?" she asked.
"Uh, yeah I do, but it's pretty expensive so I don't usually let people play it. You want to hear him on one of the Gibson Customs?"
She looked confused for a moment; "Honestly Bill, I don't know much about guitars. I know Les Paul was one of the greatest guitar players in the world, and he made guitars. I was hoping you'd have one."
"Gibson makes a 'Les Paul Custom' that is a really sweet instrument. I could set one up for you, we already have a couple of amps powered up," he said.
"Yes please; don't worry, we'll probably buy it, but if it gets broken, I'll buy it anyway," Casey said.
"Ma'am, it's really expensive. I have no problem with him playing her though," Bill said as he told one of his other people to go get the Gibson. Bill led us over to where the amps were set up.
I pulled Casey to the side. "Honey, that guitar alone is at least four thousand dollars! If you add a decent amp to that, it could get up to eight grand before the smoke clears."
"Huh!" she said. "I might have to get you two of them then. Really lover, money will never be an issue for us. Besides, I love to hear you play. If you sound that good on an electric, it will be well worth every penny. Your music deserves the best instruments."
When I turned to Bill he held a gorgeous brown guitar. "You said you'd never played an electric. What did you have in mind to play?"
When I told him what song came to mind, he grinned. "I love that song. However, with an electric, you'll need to adjust it for the sound you want out of it." He showed me the many different ways to adjust the sound, and mentioned the different effects pedals that were available. When he was done, he gently handed the guitar to me, and stepped back.
I worked my fingers over the unfamiliar instrument, but she quickly introduced herself, and we became instant friends. When I felt that, I grinned at Bill, who smiled and announced to the store; "Ladies and Gentlemen, Jon Weist, on a Gibson Les Paul Custom playing 'When the Children Cry' by White Lion."
I felt a spear of fear shoot through me, but began the song. That was when I noticed the microphone in front of me. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath as my fingers started the music. The augmented guitar almost sounded like an amplified acoustic as I picked out the tune. When I got to the chorus, I was surprised to hear more than one voice, but all of them sounded like mine. When I glanced at Bill, he grinned at me, and nodded.
It was far from a stage performance before thousands of people, but from the affect of the people pulled in from the hallway, it was obvious to me that it at least sounded good.
When the song ended, I took the strap off my shoulder and tenderly kissed the instrument on its neck. What a wonderful experience to have played it. I was very grateful that it had allowed me to. Some guitars never sounded right no matter who played them. When I set her down on the stand placed there for that purpose, I almost thought I heard a soft crying sound come from the amp.
I must not have been the only one who heard it, because Bill paused and looked at me in surprise as he approached me. "Jon, do you know why B.B. King named his lady Lucille?" I shook my head no as he continued. "Because he believes the guitar is a part of his soul and therefore alive. I never gave that much thought until just now. I think that guitar has made itself yours. I'm sorry it costs so much; I wish I could let you have it cheaper, but wholesale is the best I can do on it."
"No, I don't think so," Casey said as she came up behind him. "We'll take it, at list price, and add the amp, cords and anything else you think Jon might like. The guitar can come with us now, but I think we'll have to come back for the rest of it. We're about out of room in the car."
"That is going to be very expensive, Miss Reinhardt. The rig he just played is almost seventeen thousand without me adding things to it," Bill said apologetically.
Casey just grinned and handed him a platinum VISA card. "While you're at it, could you please set up an account so he can order anything he wants? We're probably going to be moving soon, but I think we'd like to keep our business with you. I like what you've done for the school, and will match whatever you care to donate to them. I'll have my lawyers give you a call to set up an account for students to get instruments at greatly reduced, or free, rates. If you've time, could you get with Ed Gains at the school and work it out with him?"
Bill nodded his agreement and began writing up the sale. Casey made a note to herself on her PDA. One of Bill's employees brought the Les Paul to the counter in a hard case, ready to travel. Bill opened the case to check its contents and added a handful of picks, a pad of blank sheet music, and a book of songs by Les Paul himself.
As he closed the case, he looked at the two of us. "I hope you don't move too far away, I'd like you to come back so we can play together from time to time." He turned and pulled a CD from under the counter. "This is the soundtrack from the movie 'Crossroads'. There's a lot of guitar music in it, I think you'll enjoy it." He slipped the jewel case into a pocket inside the case, along with the receipt.
"Thank you, Bill. You've been a great help," I told him truthfully.
He smiled at me, "Son, we've already had a marked increase in sales from your earlier performance. Now your lovely girlfriend has ensured that my business will never fail with the contract for the school. If I could reasonably justify it on my books, I'd reverse all the charges of all the purchases you've made here today. You've done far more for me than I could have possibly done for you, and I'm in your debt. Here is our business card. If you need anything else, give us a call, and I'll overnight it to you."
We finally left the mall to head home, or so I thought. Casey asked Aaron, who was driving, to pull into a Chevy dealership we were passing. "Did you all forget? We're going to need a van for the drive to Nevada."
Barbara groaned, exhausted from the day of shopping. I'd overheard her telling Aaron that she'd spent more today on clothes for herself than she spent for a year's worth of food for our house.
We all had a say in the choice of van. What we ended up with was a heavily customized full size Chevy van. It had four captain's chairs, plush carpeting I could have easily slept on, a built in home theater, a small refrigerator, and a small microwave oven. Vandura had outdone themselves.
When we finally got home it was closing on five-thirty, and Aaron called for pizza. I carried all the new purchases into Casey's house, since the ladies had decided we should go ahead and combine our households. I was at a loss for where to put my two new lovers, until Barbara made a really good decision. I set up the stands and placed my guitars in the living room. I had just sat back in a big lazy-boy with the acoustic in my hands when the doorbell rang.
Casey answered the door and took possession of the two large pizzas. As she was about to close the door, she noticed a van with the music store logo on the side pull up to the curb.
"Jon, honey, I think your amp and stuff is here," she called.
I got up and set the guitar back in its spot before heading to the door. Sure enough, Bill and one of his people were wrestling the big amp out of the van. "I thought we were going to come by tomorrow to pick that up?" I called to him.
"Well, I got to thinking that this sucker was pretty heavy and you might not know how get it set up to play on, so I decided to deliver it. I hope that's okay?" Bill replied.
"Sure, I just haven't figured out where to put it yet is all. I thought those things were on wheels?" I asked, noticing the hand truck they were pulling out of the van.
"They are, tiny little castors that would drop right into the grass and can't go over even a small crack in the pavement. I built a frame for mine with bigger wheels on it so I could move it around easier," Bill said. I've got an extra at home that I was going to give you tomorrow, so you'll still have to come by the store."
About that time I heard Casey's garage door opening and watched as she pulled a late model Dodge Intrepid out of it. She pulled the car over to our driveway, got out and locked it up. When she walked over to us, she was grinning. "It probably isn't the best acoustically, but at least there's room in there for it now, and it is sound deadened. I have no idea why George wanted it that way, but he did."
The stocky kid with Bill followed my lovely Casey up her short drive and into the garage. Bill then pulled out a larger box, a lot like you saw professional musicians use for their equipment. I helped him pull it out and set it on the ground. "This has all the miscellaneous stuff I thought you might like to have, like small mixers and distortion boxes along with a couple mics and cables to go with them. They'll plug into your existing amp as well."
My head was starting to spin. "Well, I appreciate you bringing this stuff by after hours. Please tell your family I appreciated it as well."
He shrugged. "After the day I've had, I think several families are going to be owing you thanks. All the guitar teachers listed with me are booked solid, and we sold at least thirty more guitars than we do on a normal day. Not to mention all the other stuff we sold. My two helpers had to call home so we could spend a little extra time restocking and doing up all the receipts for the day. Even they are happy, because I normally couldn't afford to pay both of them overtime. Yes, it's been a good day all around."
"Well, I set the guitars up in the living room so I could get a better feel for them," I said.
"Have you chosen names for them yet?" he asked, grinning.
"Well, I haven't gotten to know them all that well, but for now I'm calling them 'Goddess' and 'Princess'."
"Well, let's plug your amp in so it can get warmed up before you play on it. Remember, unless you are going to move it, never turn it all the way off. Set the power switch to 'standby' so it can keep the tubes warm," Bill said.
I sighed, "I've got so much to learn, I'm actually pretty afraid I'll damage something with my ignorance."
Bill chuckled, "That's pretty common. The amp you got is pretty forgiving, just remember what I said about the standby switch, and it'll always sound good. A cold amp never sounds right. I'd also watch the volume; feedback can really rip an amp to shreds if it gets bad enough." He picked up one end of the big box, and I grabbed the other. When we got in the garage, we caught Bill's helper staring at the other car parked in there. Aaron and Casey had already brought Goddess out with her stand. When the door opened, the ladies entered carrying a couple stools apiece.
"Ladies, could you bring the acoustic out here too?" I asked. "The amp needs time to warm up before we can play with it."
"How about we go back inside and eat before it gets cold, and you can play after dinner?" Casey asked. "Bill and Scott can come in too; I think we have enough pizza for them."
"That's alright miss, I need to be getting home, or my mom is gonna be mad," Bill's helper said. "That is sure one nice car, I've never seen one in person before."
"It was my late husband's. I've driven it once, and it scared me so badly, I won't drive it again. I just haven't had the heart to sell it until now," Casey said as she reached for my hand.
"I should get home as well. Maybe this weekend we can get together if you have some questions about your new equipment. Just give me a call and let me know," Bill said.
"How about we barbeque on Sunday, Jon? Bill and his family can come over and use the pool," Casey suggested.
I grinned, "It sounds like a plan to me, what time would be good for you, Bill?"
He smiled, "My daughter would love the pool. I swear she's part fish. Anytime after ten would be fine for us, I'll ask them tonight and let you know tomorrow at the store, okay?"
"Fair enough. Please have your wife give me a call so I can find out what everyone is willing to eat," Casey said.
Bill and Scott said their goodbyes and headed for the van as Casey shut the garage door. We headed inside to have some pizza.