A few months ago I started getting calls from a high school student
needing a mentor for his senior project. Not my finest hour. I didn't
even return the poor kid's calls. Aaron perservered until he caught me
on the phone and explained his need to build a guitar for which he had
already received a grant. There was no turning back, it had to get
done by April twenty-something. This was March.
I tried to convince him to write a paper about how to build a guitar,
and then I caved. "All right. Can you come over right now?" He was
there in a flash.
Well, the deadline mercifully got moved to May 23, and he blazed out
of my cul de sac at 3:30 yesterday with a guitar in hand (with all
parts except strings and a nut) and a half an hour to get to his
appointment with the judges.
That night he came back and the guitar was strung up with bridge bolts
so that the not-quite-cured-enough glue wouldn't get stressed. I was
privileged to hear a wonderfully musical young man play the first song
on a guitar that he built with his own two hands. Fire and Rain, JT.
Sweet.
Tonight was the presentation. My girls went with me. We couldn't have
been more proud if he belonged to the family. He was invited on stage
to perform with his new guitar, Landslide (Stevie Nicks) and Romeo and Juliette (Dire Straights). Kid out of time and place to my way of
thinking, but his loyal fans were stoked.
He and his family showed such heartfelt gratitude. Aaron's project
smoked everything there. He called me a good person. What a great day.
