The Man Playing Guitar

Lydia walked into work on Monday morning and with each step she heard something get louder and louder. It was the sound of someone playing the guitar in the cafe. She recognized the song, but just couldn't put her finger on it. Her mother had an older Christian CD that she'd play every so often.

Wendy, her co-worker, approached her. "Maybe it's your Prince Charming." 

Lydia chuckled. "First of all, I've seen this guy before. He's older, sweet, and funny. Second—" 

"Older? How much older?" 

"I believe he's seventy-six." 

"Never mind then." She laughed. 

Lydia lost herself in the music once more. She walked around the corner of the sun-lit room and found the older man sitting on a stool near the corner. The man was playing Jesus Got a Hold of My Life and was singing along. "Jesus got 'ahold of my life and He won't let me go. Jesus came into my heart, came into my soul..." 

The man glanced up at her and gave her a warm and inviting smile, then returned back to his song. 

She sat down on a stool next to him. 

When the song ended, he looked at her. "Do you play?" 

She slightly shook her head and said, "No, not really. I just mess around on my keyboard once in a while." 

The man turned his gaze to the keyboard next to him and then back to her. His expression held a question, asking her if she'd like to play.

She gave a shy smile, stood up, and turned the keyboard on. All she knew was how to play chords and where each note was. Nothing special. 

"I'm Doug." He stuck his hand out.

"I'm Lydia." She shook it. 

"Do you know any songs?" 

"No, not exactly, but I've always wanted to play Hallelujah." 

"Try and play along as best you can." He smiled and gestured to the keyboard. "Do you sing?" 

"Only in the shower where my audience is soap bottles and rubber ducks." She nervously chuckled. 

The man picked up his large, black binder and took out a few pages, with the first one having Amazing Grace in big, bold letters at the top, and the next had Old Rugged Cross. He got to the correct pages and set it out on a music stand between them, and then started playing his guitar. 

It took Lydia a moment to get re-accustomed to playing music again, but she found it so much easier with him being there. 

Doug flipped a switch on an amp and looked at her and said, "We can sing together." It must have been hooked up to the microphone which was suspended over the keyboard. 

She adjusted the microphone's height to fit her own, took a deep breath, and sang along with him. "I heard there was a secret chord, that David played and it pleased the Lord..." 

Doug looked at her in amazement. The expression on his face told her that he liked the voice that he heard. 

They both continued singing, "Hallelujah . . . hallelujah . . . hallelujah . . .  hallelujah . . . ." 

When the song was over, a small crowd of people in the café clapped. A few people even came up and placed a few dollars in the man's guitar case. When the people left, he winked at her and said, "That money will be going to other guitarists. I've got all I need." Then he looked up to the heavens. 

Lydia smiled at his kindness. "What else do you like to do?" 

"Well, my favorite thing is spending time with the Lord, for sure, but I also like to work on classic cars." 

"Oh, nice." She paused for a moment. "Wait. Did you ever bring any of your cars to a car show?" 

"Yes, I did."
 
"I've seen you there before, and we chatted." She got excited.

"I remember you." He smiled. 

She asked if they could take a picture together and he was all for it. "Well, I better get going," she said. "I work at the bookshop. It was nice playing with you. I really enjoyed it." 

"You can come over and jam anytime." He smiled again. 

Now her smile grew even bigger. "I will. God bless you." 

"God bless you, too." 

As she walked away, her smile sunk into her soul and she would never forget him. Doug, the man playing the guitar. 

~ ~ ~ 

I had originally had this part of my book, Racing Hearts, and I thought I'd like to share this scene with you. It's a pretty special moment in time. 

~The Inspired One