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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Adults
- Theme: Inspirational
- Subject: Art / Music / Theater / Dance
- Published: 05/16/2023
Just a moment.
Born 1951, M, from Wilmington NC, United States.jpeg)
“Oh, I am so sorry. I wasn’t aware anyone was listening. I will turn down the amp. So sorry.”
The young lady couldn’t have been more than fifteen years old. The man standing in her doorway couldn’t have been any less than seventy years old. He smiled at her.
“Oh, I wasn’t over here to tell you to turn the music down. I am here to tell you that I can only think of three …maybe four…guitarists in my life who could play like that. And everyone of them is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I just wanted you to know that…it was a pleasure hearing you play.”
And with that, he tipped his hat and walked away.
She stood there for a while. Her mind was folding the memory into a nice little cocoon so she could pull it out and savor it whenever her Mom told her to quit playing that “racket”. Or her friends told her that she couldn’t ever make a living playing guitar.
Fifteen years later, she was interviewed by Rolling Stone Magazine as : “The most influential Guitarists of her Generation.” She was the youngest person ever to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
She was humble…she wasn’t comfortable speaking with people, but if she had her guitar in hand…she was fearless. The Reporter from Rolling Stone asked her a simple question:
“Was there a moment that changed the course of your guitar playing? Maybe a moment you wanted to quit?”
She smiled as she unwrapped the cocoon in her head. Her eyes lit up. This was a question she could answer. So she did.
“I almost gave up. When I am down, or feeling sad, I play really loud. And I was both one day... sad and down. My parents were out, and my older brother was up in his room playing Warcraft. I knew I could crank it up…so I did.
An old man banged on our door. He told me he had never heard such wonderful music from a guitar before. He said there might be three or four Guitarists in the World who could play at my level. Then he told me that they were all in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Then he just told me again it was a pleasure to hear me play.”
“Did you know him?”
She shook her head.
“No. I never saw him again. It was just a moment.”
Just a moment.(Kevin Hughes)
“Oh, I am so sorry. I wasn’t aware anyone was listening. I will turn down the amp. So sorry.”
The young lady couldn’t have been more than fifteen years old. The man standing in her doorway couldn’t have been any less than seventy years old. He smiled at her.
“Oh, I wasn’t over here to tell you to turn the music down. I am here to tell you that I can only think of three …maybe four…guitarists in my life who could play like that. And everyone of them is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I just wanted you to know that…it was a pleasure hearing you play.”
And with that, he tipped his hat and walked away.
She stood there for a while. Her mind was folding the memory into a nice little cocoon so she could pull it out and savor it whenever her Mom told her to quit playing that “racket”. Or her friends told her that she couldn’t ever make a living playing guitar.
Fifteen years later, she was interviewed by Rolling Stone Magazine as : “The most influential Guitarists of her Generation.” She was the youngest person ever to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
She was humble…she wasn’t comfortable speaking with people, but if she had her guitar in hand…she was fearless. The Reporter from Rolling Stone asked her a simple question:
“Was there a moment that changed the course of your guitar playing? Maybe a moment you wanted to quit?”
She smiled as she unwrapped the cocoon in her head. Her eyes lit up. This was a question she could answer. So she did.
“I almost gave up. When I am down, or feeling sad, I play really loud. And I was both one day... sad and down. My parents were out, and my older brother was up in his room playing Warcraft. I knew I could crank it up…so I did.
An old man banged on our door. He told me he had never heard such wonderful music from a guitar before. He said there might be three or four Guitarists in the World who could play at my level. Then he told me that they were all in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Then he just told me again it was a pleasure to hear me play.”
“Did you know him?”
She shook her head.
“No. I never saw him again. It was just a moment.”
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Pratik
06/01/2023One moment that has a life long impact. Very true, and it can also be a bad one, depending upon the cause.
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
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Pratik
06/01/2023I don't know a lot about the scenario that you just mentioned, of course, so I might be wrong, but I think that's shameful for a teacher, since teachers are meant to encourage students to follow their passion. Like how do you expect a child to win at the first shot? Moreover, it's more about doing what you love than about winning.
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Kevin Hughes
06/01/2023I agree with you Pratik. Back in my School Days, a girl in my Class had one the Spelling Championship three years in a row. But by Eight grade she was much more into dance. So she didn't study as hard because her first ever Dance recital was the day after the Spelling Bee...so she practiced Dance and not Spelling.
She was knocked out in the first round. And her Teacher (who had raved about her for four years) was so embarrassed by her losing so early, told her : "You can't spell!" For the next twenty years, that girl thought she couldn't spell! Even though she got a Ph.D in English, and was a Copy Editor at the Top of her Game. So yeah, when you hear something and you are emotional (either good or bad) it can get imprinted into your psyche.
Smiles, Kevin
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Help Us Understand What's Happening
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Kevin Hughes
05/17/2023Thanks Maria,
Yep. I have seen it happen many times in my life...sometimes all it takes is someone to listen.
Smiles, Kevin
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JD
05/16/2023I definitely agree that short stories are your forte and u r a brilliant and gifted short story teller. But this does NOT mean that u r a failed novelist. It only means that u r more greatly inspired to write many short stories rather than few long stories. Down the road if u r inspired to write a long story instead, then u will! Till then, we will all enjoy your shorts...! :-)
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Kevin Hughes
05/16/2023Thank You, JD! It seems that Short Stories are my forte...and the Novel, and Novella shall go down in History as valiant but obvious failures. LOL
Smiles, Kevin
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CPlatt
05/16/2023A cracking little story. Kevin. Makes you think, what words of encouragement or discouragement have been given over the years to those destined for greatness. Cheers Chris
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
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Kevin Hughes
05/16/2023Thanks CPlatt,
Yeah, the right words can make (or break) a persons future. I think that combination of hearing the right thing, at the right time, when you are in the right mood, is the one that makes the super successful people carry on.
Thanks for your comments and thoughts...always appreciated!
Smiles, Kevin
COMMENTS (4)