Page 63 - 03_April-2025

STAGE
A VERY SHORT STORY
LOST LOVE
by DAVID HAAS
illustration MATT FONTAINE
Until the band starts bringing in money, I’ve had
to busk to keep bread on the table. Less now, Sandra
having split.
I began strumming as a well-dressed old man rounded
the corner and advanced slowly up the block. I was wary.
Many oldsters aren’t generous to buskers; waste time
gabbing about music then leave without throwing
anything into the open instrument case.
When he came alongside I moved into the heartbreak
set I wrote after Sandra pulled out.
For nearly ten minutes, the elderly
man listened stonily to my laments over
a shredded relationship. Once he gave a
glint of emotion, as I was finishing my
final song, “Lost Love.” He dug into a
pocket, then bent to place something
carefully in the case. The upright lid
blocked my view. As he moved off I
thought I heard him say something like,
“Nice song,” but with the traffic noise I
wasn’t sure.
A cop strolled up. He looked okay.
The city bylaws are vague, and it’s up
to the individual officer how they apply.
This one just grinned and said, “Great
looking guitar.”
“Represents a lot of skipped lunches.”
He pointed to my case. “If I were you,
I’d get that hundred out of there.”
I peered over the lid, saw the bill. After
hesitating, I decided to do the right thing
and pointed down the street. “That old
geezer must have made a mistake.”
The cop looked. “He’s well off; he can
afford it.”
“You know him?”
“Since resuming foot patrols we’ve
chatted a few a few times. Kind of sad.
That red brick building he’s going into is
an extended care place he goes to every
day. His wife’s there. Alzheimer’s, mind
completely gone.” The cop smiled sadly.
“He calls her his ‘Lost Love.’” ED.
David Haas has been writing and performing as a
musician for the past quarter-century after a 30-year
career in the Canadian Army and as a courtroom
lawyer. He’s published two short stories, and had 12
plays performed including four at the Edmonton Fringe
Festival, and has recently added buck dancing to his
singing and playing.
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