Standing Ovation

I'd left Chicago's Rock Bottom restaurant having finished the appetizer sampler, with fellow-in-beer Paul, when I heard the beautiful music. You couldn't call it a sampler; it was more of a double-decker smorgasbord of grease and dipping sauces. It went well with the imperial red ales and as we were walking down into the drab yellow tile subway walls our stomachs churned happily.

Then as I said goodbye to Paul to head on the north red line and he to head south, I heard them. I was just pulling my ipod out of my jacket when the sounds of music wafted up through the tunnels. At first, one would think it was just another jerk with a stereo playing for all to hear. I shoved my ipod deep in my jacket to investigate.

Three old men, some missing teeth, one with guitar, one with a shaker were singing. The fellow without any instruments made up for the fact by flowing his arms through the air like a conductor to the tune "Stand By Me" which they executed in three part harmony. "If mountains we look upon, should tumble and fall," the overly red mouthed man raspily sung. The guitar player hit the lowest bass note on "fall" with a smile. The man with the shaker kept the rhythm nearly smacking off his top hat. The new passengers stood around them like a trash-can fire, their music a respite from the cold, dirty subway. Some of us bopped our heads, some left dollars for them. I thought of all the crazies I and others had seen on the trains of Chicago since getting here. Other old men trying to sell me expired train tickets, other ones taking loudly to themselves, one guy snorting coke off his forearm and punching himself in the face until he bled and the other old man sitting on a street corner who showed us with awesome precision how to get to the brewery. "Thanks for the standing ovation," the red-mouthed man said and we laughed just as the train intruded. I couldn't listen to the more hopeless music I had left in my ipod; especially with "I won't cry, I won't cry, I won't be afraid just as long as you stand by me." blasting through my head.