The Lonesome Buffalo (part 4)

The bus arrived in Little Rock at 2:00 am. The bus driver announced over the intercom that there would be a 2 hour layover. I took my guitar, a 1957 Gibson ES-225, and made my way off the bus. As I entered the bus station, a little old man walked up and said, “Let me play your guitar!” I gave him the meanest go-to-hell look I could muster and told him to get the fuck away from me. He walked away.

I pulled fifty cents from my pocket, bought a cup of coffee, sat down on a bench and lit a smoke. I woke up, warmed up , and wondered “what the hell, might as well play my guitar. As I sat there strumming chords and mumbling to myself, the little old man walked over in front of me and  started singing. I looked up at him or actually smelled him and noticed his jacket was torn and had several holes, his hair was in severe need of an oil change, his beard had grown haggard over his face, his hands were stained from nicotine, and the cowboy boots he was wearing were wrapped with duct tape to keep the soles on.

I had no idea what he was trying to sing, and he asked me again if he could play my guitar. He put the strap over his shoulders and began to sing and play Jimmy Rogers songs. He pushed the guitar case a little ways out in front of him, danced and yodeled at the same time. People passing by in the station started stopping and dropping money into the case, mostly change but a few dollar bills fell also. He sang and danced and in the middle of one of his songs, he stumped his foot and looked me straight in the eye. He said, “My name is LEONEL HOLLAND the LONESOME BUFFALO and don’t you ever forget it!” He continued to play and dance till the crowd cleared and the money stopped falling.

Leonel reached into the guitar case, retrieved his money short fifty cents,  put the guitar in, and closed the case. He looked at me and said,”Don’t worry about it kid,Nothing in Life is Worth Doing if your Heart ain’t in it, and hey, It’ll be Spring Time Soon.” He walked away into the night.

The bus left Little Rock and I took a window seat. I starred out into the early morning sky and thought back on the events that had just taken place in my life. A beautiful woman had drawn me into a situation that had landed me in jail and I had turned away a raggedy old man willing to share his wisdom and knowledge. I realized then that you really can’t Judge a Book by it’s Cover, you got to take a little time and read into it first.

the end

~g

You Might Also Like: