Troubadour

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Maggie stopped abruptly in front of the gigantic poster depicting a young man strumming his guitar, relaxing with what appeared to be friends surrounding him. Something about that face attracted her, drew her almost magically. She could not think of one reason why she should even contemplate going to see this young stranger crooning his ballads. Maggie’s music tastes truly ranged eclectic but this was different. Nothing she could put her finger on, just some unseen force strangely moving her to listen to this minstrel.

Searching each portion of the poster, Maggie desperately sought to find one thing on it, one single moment in time, anything at all when she could have crossed paths with the young man. While she chased memories through her mind, her cell phone emitted “Angel of the Morning”, an old 60s song she added as a ring tone for her longtime friend, Crystal, having identified with that song many years ago.

“Crystal, have you ever heard of a young guitarist named Tony Bardella?” she whispered breathlessly.

“Well, hello to you too. What kind of greeting is that?” The silence was weighing heavily in the air. “Okay, so what is this all about, Maggie? I just called to see if you wanted to do something wild and crazy tonight.” Silence. “Maggie? You there? Did my cell just drop you again? Oh, this phone is getting worthless. I need a new one!!” she wailed through the phone.

“No, I’m here”, Maggie whispered, almost too low to be heard.

“What is up with you, girl? Now, I know you aren’t doing something silly or weird like standing in front of some picture of that guy, whatever his name is. So, what is going on?…..Maggie?”

Maggie sighed. “I actually am standing in front of a picture of the guy, Crys. Something strange is happening to me. I cannot explain it. All I know is that guy’s face calls to me. I know that sounds nuts. Just don’t send me off to the nuthatch before I know what’s happening to me.”

“Maggie, we’ve been friends, sisters really, for over thirty years. I know that when you’re going through things, you aren’t nuts. Now what’s all this about?”

“If I knew that, I wouldn’t be so panicked. My heart is racing, I’m starting to perspire. Not only do I have to see the guy but I am compelled to hear his songs. Please don’t ask me how I know this. I DON’T KNOW!!!! she screamed hysterically, almost losing it right there on the street corner.

“Maggie, calm down. Where are you? Tell me! I can come and get you. We will work this out.” Getting more and more worried for her friend, Crystal continued to try and persuade Maggie to hand her any information, trying desperately to find out where she was located. Something really strange was going on, she could feel it now.

“Crys, I don’t know if this is good or horrible but I HAVE to find the singer, I have to. You wanted to do something wild and crazy. Let’s go to……..uh, the poster has no address. Oh Crys! I don’t know where he is! What do I do? I can’t manage this. What will I do?” she cried out.

“MAGGIE! I said calm down. Tell me where you are. I can come to you and we can figure it out together. PLEASE tell me where you are!”

She surveyed her surroundings, searching for a clue, some idea of where she was located. One sign on a building in particular caught her eye. “Joshua’s Place” blinked off and on in the early afternoon sun. “Crys, I’m at the corner of 3rd street and Fort. And I know where to find Tony Bardella now. Can you get here quickly? We must see this guy right now!”

Twenty minutes later, Crystal and Maggie carefully, silently stepped into the dark room of the establishment, unsure of their surroundings.

“What is this place, Maggie?” whispered Crystal. Maggie ignored her question, so intent on finding the artist and his songs. They continued on until they found a young lady who was serving drinks to a table close to a stage.

“Could you please tell us where we are and what happens here?” Maggie inquired.

“Welcome to Joshua’s Place! We are glad you’re here. My name is Lindy and I will be your server today. This place is here for lost souls. People come in here to get away from all their worries and cares. We have some great entertainment for you. Tony Bardella will be your Troubadour in a few moments. What can I get you today?”

“Crys, did you want something?” Maggie turned to Lindy before Crystal could answer. “We don’t drink alcohol at all.”

Lindy looked at both ladies. She could see the tiredness in both of the people standing before her despite the seeming darkness of the room. “That’s fantastic since we don’t serve alcohol here. We have the usual soft drinks plus tea, coffee or whatever you desire. We are here to make your wishes come true.”

Maggie looked at her closely, examining Lindy’s eyes for any sign of this being some type of joke. Strange. She seems to be serious, thought Maggie.

“Yes, I am.” Lindy called as she walked away without having taken their orders.

Crystal picked out a table close by and sat with a sigh. “What kind of place is this and what have you gotten us into this time, Maggie?”

“I have no idea but I intend to find out before we sit here much longer!” She surged to her feet just as Lindy came back with their drink order, the one she didn’t take earlier.

Placing both drinks on the table in front of the person each was designed for, she started to walk away but hesitated. “Just so you know, we are glad you’re here. It’s refreshing to know that the sign worked for you.” With that, she went on about her job of cleaning off the empty table next to them.

“How do you know that? Who are you? Where am I really? What is going on here?” Maggie shot off questions as fast as she could think of them not actually giving Lindy time to answer. She stood calmly waiting for Maggie to slow down.

“This is a place of relaxation and a place to find yourself when life gets to be too much. It works.” Lindy turned back to wiping the table.

As Maggie looked into the darkness, it occurred to her that she could not see anyone else clearly though she knew other patrons sat at tables just like hers. Finally, noticing that she was still standing, she pulled out her chair and sat.

“Crys, what is it about this place that draws me to it? I don’t understand. Are we caught up in something weird? I feel like walking in the door took us into the Twilight Zone. I know people don’t know about that show but we watched it every week.”

Crystal searched Maggie’s face to see the worry and wonder there in her expression. “I don’t know, Maggie. I’ve never seen this place before. I drive by here all the time. It must have just opened or something. But I can’t tell. It’s so dark in here.”

“Have you noticed that although there are others here, we can’t see them? When we came in, all I could see was Lindy, not even the people at the table she was serving. I hope they aren’t doing something illegal.” Maggie sighed and sat back exhausted from all the worries in her life. This was just the last straw, it seemed.

Off in the distance, some music began playing very softly. Out of the darkness, Maggie heard clapping begin and then accelerate. Maggie and Crystal, not knowing what to expect, clapped with the audience. A young man walked slowly on stage, guitar in hand, and climbed onto a stool that was center stage. Two spotlights centered on him as he began to strum a timeless tune very lightly. As he began to sing, Maggie squirmed in her seat. Crystal could not figure out what was wrong with her friend. She had never seen her act this way before.

“Maggie” Crystal hissed, “What is the matter with you? Why are you acting this way? This guy is good. Listen to him!”

Acting as if she had not heard Crystal, which she had not, Maggie continued to react to the medley of songs he was singing. Visions of past events ran through her head almost like a movie reel from an old time movie theater. Some past episodes were funny, others extremely painful. She noticed right away that these were things that she had done to hurt others. All she wanted now was for him to stop singing, stop making her miserable. How can Lindy say that this is relaxing? she wondered. It’s awful!

Tony continued to play his guitar softly, sometimes singing, sometimes humming the tune though Crystal could not identify the names of the songs or the words to the music she was hearing. Once in a while, she would glance at Maggie who seemed to be in her own world while the music wafted through their minds. Figuring that her friend was all right, she sat back in the chair and just enjoyed the quiet, relaxing sounds as the Troubadour sang one song after another. Taking a small sip of the drink, Crystal discovered that it had all of her favorite tastes. The chocolate blended beautifully with the raspberry sweetness. “I’m in heaven” she whispered softly to herself.

Those nasty letters I wrote to Jennifer. How did he know? Affairs she had, dates she skipped without saying anything. Hurts she inflicted. Thoughts scurried through her head, one after the other while the music of the Troubadour continued though she hoped he would stop, prayed that he stop before her heart broke in two. She glanced around, loathing that anyone would see her, notice her as if she had a red letter on her forehead. Ashamed of herself as at no other time in her life, she began to sob, great tears coming from deep inside her.

“STOP!! STOP IT! NO MORE! I CAN’T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!” she screamed at the top of her lungs. No longer worried about what others would think, she pleaded with the young man to cease his singing so sure that he was the reason for her misery. He stopped abruptly. Maggie continued to sob uncontrollably, finding no comfort in his just sitting there since he was staring straight at her, boring a hole into her mind with his eyes.

Still sobbing quietly, wishing her friend would say something, Maggie turned to study Crystal for a moment who appeared to be asleep though she could not even guess as to how that could happen. Slowly, she rotated in her seat to stare at Tony who locked eyes with her. She was held fast by his gaze. It was as if Maggie was glued to her seat though she wanted so badly to exit now, so uncomfortable did she feel.

He once more started to strum the guitar softly. Maggie’s mind was whirling out of control and then………..it wasn’t. Now, pictures of a place she had never seen flashed through, a beautiful, amazing panorama, wild awesome colors. She could tell that this place was happy. Yearning to be in that place, that time, she felt the presence of another individual, glowing white, standing tall.

“Follow your heart, Maggie. Leave the mistakes and the horrors and come follow Me. I am the Light.” Maggie strained to follow yet something held her to the chair. While she struggled to stand, the glow receded. Puzzled, she looked up to see the Troubadour standing in front of her. “What are you seeking, Maggie? Why are you here?”

“I don’t know. All I can say is that I was drawn to you by your picture. Please help me! I need what you have! Please!!” she pleaded with him, her heart breaking as she uttered those words.

“Ask Him yourself, Maggie. He hears you. Tell Him! He will accept you. Just ask! Get rid of the trash. It holds you here. You can’t leave until you make a choice. There are no fence sitters, child. Confess it all to Him. He loves you. Give it all up.” The Troubadour continued to encourage her with his song. She had not noticed that he was singing to her, each word a welcome soothing, each note a fresh breeze to her heart.

“Jesus, help me! Please forgive me. I have done so much wrong. Please help me.” Sobbing, her head fell to the table top. A hand stroked her hair, an arm hugged her and pulled her close. She felt so loved and comforted that she wished it never to end. The song continued for what time, she had no idea. It did not matter. No longer did anything matter except right here, right now. Slowly, Maggie lifted her head. The Troubadour continued to sing, his voice relaxing her even more. No one was around her, yet the touch persisted softly, then slowly it left.

Maggie blinked her eyes. Crystal sat in her chair as she had before drinking her beverage and listening to the sounds of the guitar and the songs. Nothing appeared to have changed……except Maggie. Suddenly, it occurred to her that nothing was really the same now. Excited to share her joy, Maggie turned to talk to Crystal when a still, small voice came to her…”Crystal will not understand you right now. Let her come back and listen to the songs again. She will see what you have seen. I will guide you if you will allow it. Go and do nothing more to hurt yourself. You are loved, child.” Maggie blinked once more, stared at Crystal and began to smile.

Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.