Leaving the mall, I ran into Willy waiting at the bus stop. The first thing I noticed is that he did not have his beloved guitar, so naturally I asked where it was. Willy told me someone stole his guitar on his bus ride home after he had dozed off.
“They stole the tool of my trade,” said Willy. He seemed empty, like he no longer had direction in life.
Willy’s emptiness inspired me to action, I wanted and needed to help this man anyway I could—my solution: buy him a new guitar and bring the joy back to his life.
In conversation I had expressed that I could not play any instruments, let alone the guitar, that I am not musically inclined despite my love for the art form. I now stand corrected.
“You do not know how to play an instrument! You are no different than the next man,” said Willy. “You can choose to pick up an instrument and learn the same as anyone else.”
The ride between destinations was rewarding as Willy explained how he came about hearing various artists and music. One artist in particular that he enjoyed was the guitarist Andres Segovia. As I drove I went through my collection of rap, pop, and R&B with artists ranging from Jay Z to Marvin Gaye. Meanwhile the only acknowledgement that Willy gave that he was listening was a slight bob of the head.
This day brought much more depth to this man as compared to our first encounter. As we sat down to eat, I found out that he was born in New Orleans and had been removed from his home like so many other unfortunate families and individuals by the devastation that hurricane Katrina brought in 2005. He traveled here to Houston with his family, but he was separated from his friends who he performed with.
We searched all over the Southwest side of Houston looking for the guitar that would give Willy the sound that he was looking for. After countless hours we found it. It was truly a rewarding experience seeing him reunited with his Nylon String Classical Acoustic, as he plucked away at the strings that he had been separated from.
