by Deb Saine
Christmas Day, Mom tells me she forgot to give me one of my presents the night before. Our family tradition is to open gifts on Christmas Eve.
I thought I’d had a great Christmas already, but she sent me out to the garage to “unwrap” one final present.
“It’s the big box over in the corner,” she said.
The first thing I thought was, “Oh great, more exercise equipment,” because I have no more room in my basement. I’ve already got an elliptical, a treadmill, and some Pilate contraption. Then there are the dogs’ cages along with two shelving units full of Christmas decorations, an end table with a TV on it and four racks of CDs and DVDs.
See? Filled to capacity.
So, using a paring knife, I got to work on opening the box. On one side, it read, “Esteban Guitar.”
“Esteban Guitar? Who the heck is Esteban? And why would I be getting his guitar?” I mumble to myself as I continue cutting tape on the box. If it was a guitar, then its purchase, to me, seemingly came from left field.
Then again, Mom’s been on me for the past several years to get back into music, which I enjoy immensely. I’d played trumpet in junior high and high school, participated in jazz band, sung in choir, girls’ choir and swing choir.
Then, in the early ’90s, I did some musicals with Logansport Civic Theater. I was a member of a chorus in “Jesus Christ, Superstar,” “Mother Superior” in “Nunsense II” and Crystal in “Little Shop of Horrors.”
Since then, I only sing in the shower, around the house or in my car.
So, knowing how much I love music, Mom was trying her best to get me back into it. She’d encourage me to sing in the community choir when it performed, “The Messiah.” She tried to get me to attend church and sing in the choir there. She tried to revive my interest in civic theater. But I was non-responsive.
Finally, she found a solution. She was watching either QVC or HSN when the “Esteban Guitar” was advertised. And that’s how the big box ended up in her garage.
Once I got all the tape off the box, I opened it up and there was a soft case in the shape of a guitar. And inside the case was a beautiful guitar called, “Midnight Moon.”
Naturally, it’s midnight blue and has these stars painted on the front that sparkle when held at a certain angle. And on the back, there are more stars and a full moon setting over the ocean. It’s absolutely gorgeous.
Then, a thought occurred to me that I don’t know how to play, only how to pick a few chords and strum.
But that Esteban — a famous guitarist, I discovered on Google — thought of everything. Also in the box are 10 instructional DVDs with none-other-than Esteban himself serving as the instructor.
Now I love that guitar, and I’m having a blast with it. I’ve only watched one DVD, and in it, Esteban quickly moves his fingers up and down the neck using the first string only. That’s what I’ve been practicing. And practicing. And practicing.
I have a stand that the guitar rests on, and the guitar is to the right of my computer. I can just roll around, pick it up and practice.
Thanks, Mom, for not giving up.
The next thing you know, I might just dust off my trumpet and start tooting my horn.
• Deb Saine is a columnist for the Pharos-Tribune. She can be reached through the newspaper at ptnews@pharostribune.com.
