Musical Bus Tours

As Hannah and I were waiting at the bus stop last night to get to the airport for the end of my all too short visit, we could overhear an older man with a lovely singing voice. He seemed quite content to placate himself with songs from Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. Being the outgoing one in the duo, I leaned over to him and said, "You have a wonderful voice." He beamed at me and said he didn't know anyone could hear him. He continued to sing and we continued to smile and listen. As we climbed on the bus, he found a seat across from us and as the bus rumbled to a start he began to sing again. "Unforgettable... that's what you are..." The entire bus took notice, and while the social discomfort of someone robbing you of silence on the bus was palpable, the mood shifted into a peaceful lull. He went on to tell us of how he was on American Idol, how he petitioned the producers to allow a 65 year-old man who had just lost his wife to cancer to sing for the judges. He was allowed to, and even made it onto the show. Randy gave him a "knuckle bump" and Simon called him a class act. He pulled from his bag a CD for Hannah and I to look at, entitled "Sherman Pole: For my Lady Love." He asked the crowded bus if we knew a little ditty by a band called the Monkees. "Cheer up Sleepy Jean, oh what can it mean..." Our bus driver grabbed the microphone and started singing along. I exclaimed to Hannah that it felt like we were in some strange bus musical and surely one of our fellow travelers was about to start dancing in the bus aisles. Nearly everyone in the bus broke out in song or applause for Sherman. It was completely surreal and my cheeks started to hurt from smiling so much. In between songs like "The Way You Look Tonight" and "The Very Thought of You" he berated the men of the world for allowing me to be single ("bunch of dummies" was the exact phrase), told me I had the demeanor of a therapist, and praised me for being a younger version of his "lady love." After an hour and a half of lovely music, we had to say goodbye to our new friend. As I reached my hand out to tell him how much I enjoyed his company, he embraced me while saying "this is for friends." He handed me a CD and asked that I visit his website and tell him how I like it. Hannah and I rushed away to say our goodbyes, I couldn't help but laugh at that whole episode. I had just met a man who sang because he loved to sing, to make people smile, and to cause a bit of a scene. He possessed the gift to brighten everyone's day even if only for a little while. What a strange and wonderful little man he was... maybe I'll have him sing at my wedding someday.