Colin was finishing up; he looked exhausted.\u00a0 On this hot day, while I wore shorts, a rayon shirt, sandals and a paper panama, Colin was in a leather vest, long pants, boots and a cowboy hat.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve had enough,\u201d he said when he saw me. “It’s your turn.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Across the plaza, the jazz violinist was amped up high. \u201cI thought the cops cleared out the amplifiers,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Colin, who used an amp, smiled as he turned it off.\u00a0 \u201cThey cleared us out yesterday.\u201d\u00a0 I made a gesture with open palms, as if to say, yet here you are today.\u00a0 \u201cCat and mouse,\u201d said Colin.\u00a0 \u201cCat and mouse.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After my first 30 minutes, there was nothing in my case.\u00a0 I took a long drink of water and looked around.\u00a0 Despite the heat, there were lots of people walking through.\u00a0 Given that I\u2019ve never yet gone without making, at the least, round-trip senior subway fare, I stood up for my second 30 minutes and confidently began to play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Almost immediately, a passing 20-something Chinese man put a\ndollar in my case. A short time later, a\nburly black man gave me $2, saying, \u201cGood effort.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A busload of Spanish teenagers in red tee shirts flooded the plaza.\u00a0 They pretty much avoided me, until 3 young women came close enough for me to ask, \u201cHave you got time for a hula today?\u201d\u00a0 As I passed out leis, 3 more young women joined in.\u00a0 They did a wonderful synchronized hula to \u201cThe Hukilau Song.\u201d\u00a0 A small crowd formed to watch and take pictures.\u00a0 Afterwards I collected the leis and draped them over the lid of my open case again, where I could see the same 3 singles lying there. All 6 dancers had walked away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I started the third 30 minutes of my set, content that I\u2019d broken even.\u00a0 I earned 2 more dollars for singing a chorus of \u201cTiptoe Through the Tulips\u201d for a 30-something woman who video-ed the performance.\u00a0 She seemed never to have heard the song before.\u00a0 \u201cThank you,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s a really pretty song.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"