On the Road

When I first started playing guitar, my abuelito always told me, "The position of your thumb is key." "Every neck on every guitar will feel different to you." Everything will bother you and you will try to attribute this excuse for a bad performance." "This is unaceptable and a musician never fails in his craft." "God gave us thumbs to adjust our hands in degress and give stability." "With such a tool every neck will feel different but, it will not be unplayable." He was right. I was traveling with a group of survivors after The Incident. Then the raiders showed up. Some of us didnt make it. Some of us were going to be kept. The rest of us, myself included, were being sold. Along the way we stopped in the wastes of was once the bread basket. My geography was never good so what state we were in I couldn't tell you. One of our captors came to us holding something in his hand asking an odd question. One I never thought I would hear again. "Can anyone play this? Can anyone play guitar? Everyone looked at each other. Some, may have been able to play but they were to scared to answer. "What better way to get out of slavery?", I asked myself. "To have a skill few have you'll find yourself free." I rose my hand before someone else had this epiphany. The man's head shot in my direction. He stomped towards me lifted me by my neck and unchained me from the others. He pushed me in the direction of their leaders tent. Inside the tent their leader laid on his side on a mound of pillows. Across from him was a man who smelled perfumed! His clothes didnt have the wear and tear from constantly being on the road. They looked pressed and clean. The Incident was 10 years behind us now and I hadn't seen or smelled someone like him in about as long. The guitar was pushed into my arms and I was forced to sit. After adjusting myself I noticed her. Beautiful tan skin. Hair as brown as chocolate. Her eyes as dark as night. She was intoxicating. The leader breaks my gawking and tells me to PLAY!! I hadn't held a guiar in years but, I knew where my thumb needed to be. I break into La Llorona followed by Paloma Negra. I hadn't sung a song since before The Incident! The words flowed from me I couldn't believe it! Then the leader roared at me again, "IN ENGLISH!!!" I thought a little bit then retuned the guitar and started singing "Crossroads" the way CREAM did it in Royal Albert Hall. Evreyone's eyes went wide as I played the best solo I could with my hands being as bad as they were. I wasnt young anymore. I'm already passed 40. Immediately the other man got up and gave the leader of the raiders a small pouch. The man fiddled with the pouch and his eyes went wide. I was unshackled and bathed. My hair cut and my beard trimmed. I was free! The man bought my freedom. He said I was going to pay him back with my talent. He was just another master but I owed him my life. That was 3 years ago now. My life has changed so much since then. I'm traveling to El Paso. The first time in 13 years since The Incident. I've played all the North East. Played for leaders and men of wealth. I traveled to the Carolinas and played to cannabis tycoons. I've traveled by ship to Florida and played on beaches and ships. The beautiful woman from the tent. She's my wife now. We made love the first time among the red rocks of Oklahoma. Now we ride by caravan to El Paso in electric vehicles. I feel the locket on my skin. I pick it up and open it. I see her picture. Pictures never do her justice. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would become a rockstar after the apocalypse.