Winning Season

October 9, 2008 (night)

"I bless the day I found you, I want to stay around you, and so I beg you, Let it be me". This is the first phrasing of the song "Let it be me" by the Everly Brothers. This song has never been such a staple or made me feel so real and gave me chills down my spine that night in the cafeteria while we were waiting to get on the set of "The Winning Circle".

After being on set of the first of many "Russian tour bus rides" on the set of the 'No Love in the City' many of us were booked on this set of Winning Circle. The only reason that I accepted this was because I knew there would be many people on it that I knew from the other set. Little did I know how wonderful the first part of that set would be, because of music.

We were sitting in the cafeteria where holding was. The French/Brazilian guy Cal who can't play the guitar save for one song "Unchained Melody" and barely, brought his crappy nylon stringed guitar to set. After he got bored of himself and didn't get the attention that he sought, he let me take a crack at the guitar.

It was such a piece of crap and SO out of tune. I tried to tune it to the best of my ability and attempted to play "You can't always get what you want by the Rolling Stones". I got through it, though I knew it wasn't my best performance with that crappy guitar.

Soon after, there he was out of the blue. Our Music saviour of the night arrived. His name was Lawrence and he was a skinny and shy kind of Man with a military kind of haircut and perhaps trained in the military of some kind at one point in his life. Though he brought passion in music and when he played the guitar, it was magical, truly.

He grabbed hold of the guitar and sat down at the table and asked me to sit down to sing with him. He started playing "Dream", "Whenever I want you, all I have to do is Dream, dream dream dream.."Then he played "Chains" by the Beatles. I sang that and all the songs he played were brilliant.

Then he played "Let it be me". Now I barely remember this song as it is not in my era. Though when Lawrence played it, he fed Dawn and I the words, and we collectively got into it and felt the song as if it were just written yesterday and were captivated back in time when this song really hit heart strings.

The way Lawrence played it and the way we sang it was simply amazing. I will never forget how enchanted and happy I was to sing and sing well and harmonize with Dawn the way we did. Everyone around us was tuned in as well and mesmerized to the sweet tune as it is.

I felt SO alive, nothing mattered, no troubles in the world, just the sweet song and music kept me in tune and made me feel alive. I wished that moment had never ended. It wasn't about the song, it was about the tune. It was about the moment, about being alive and feeling good for a change. All my troubles and worries evaporated in that moment. Nothing else mattered, save for delivering a beautiful melodic song in Harmony.

It was the kind of moment that when it ends, you feel like a part of you has died or withered away. Yet you just had such a good time, your soul is fulfilled , and you are at peace, no matter what the outcome, you will be alright.

Our ending came when we were finally called to get to set to be spectators on this basketball game. I was hoping it would be a short set, though it ended up being a long drained out set to the every last minute. The worst part was probably coming home which took me 2 hours from Bayside Queens.

Still as tired as I was that morning and when I finally got home, all I thought of and all I dreamt of was that moment. A moment I will treasure.

"So never leave me Lonely,Tell me you love me only, and that you'll always, let it be me."


A.