I am Happy Now

The sound of my alarm going off at seven o’clock in the morning woke me up. Yes, I am a morning person. Usually I like to wake up earlier so I can watch the sunrise, but this morning I decided to sleep in. Silencing my alarm, I rolled out of bed, stretching out my limbs before heading to the bathroom to start my morning routine. After taking a much needed long, hot, relaxing shower I blow dried my hair and let it do as it willed before getting dressed in a plaid button-down shirt and loose fitting jeans. Walking back into the room, I sat on the bed and grabbed my guitar from its resting place against the nightstand and a notebook I keep all of my thoughts and music in. I opened the book to a page of a song I had currently been working on. Positioning my guitar in my lap, I began strumming the chords that were written on the page. I played around with the chords for a while before sighing and setting my guitar aside. I’ve been working on this song for some time now, but I still have no words to fit the melody.

Suddenly, my stomach growled getting my thoughts off my song for a moment, and I decided that a stop at the nearby IHOP was necessary. Standing up, I put my notebook into my backpack and slung it over my shoulder before placing my guitar back into its case and slinging it over my shoulder as well. I made sure to turn out the lights and lock the door behind me before exiting the room. There were a few people in the lobby when I entered and I greeted everyone with a smile and a simple “good morning” as I made my way over to the receptionist desk.

“Good morning,” I greeted the receptionist kindly.

“Morning,” she replied back, not bothering to even look up at me from whatever she was occupied with on her computer.

I sat the key on the counter. “I’d like to check out please, ma’am,” I informed her politely.

Finally, she looked up from the computer screen and grabbed the key, asking for my name as she turned her attention back to the computer. I gave her my name and paid for the room giving her a friendly smile before telling her to have a great day. She replied with a grunt, but I brushed it off and my smile didn’t falter. I stepped out into the cool morning breeze and my stomach grumbled again. I quickly made my way down the sidewalk to the IHOP I knew was nearby. Like always I greeted strangers as I passed them by on the sidewalk. It’s just something about speaking to random people that brightens up my day. I always hoped that somehow, someway my simple greetings will brighten up somebody else’s day. Maybe someone was having a really lousy day, but me merely saying “good morning” or “hello”, or just sharing a smile with them changes the course of their day. It makes me feel better knowing that.

When I entered the small restaurant there was quite a few people inside. “Good morning,” I greeted the young lady standing behind the desk flashing a polite smile.

She returned it. “Good morning; table for one?”

“Yes, please,” I answered.

Grabbing a menu, she asked me to follow her and I did as she said. She led me to a table near the window and I thanked her as I placed my backpack and guitar in the seat across from me before taking a seat. She placed the menu in front of me and told me a waiter would be here shortly before walking away. I looked over the menu briefly before instantly deciding what I wanted and waited patiently for my waiter to approach the table. A few minutes later my waiter finally came. I gave him a small smile and greeted him which he returned with a grimace.

“I’m not here to make friends, just tell me what you want, so I can leave,” he grumbled.

I frowned slightly, but nodded. “Um, I’d like chocolate chip pancakes and a cup of coffee, please,” I ordered.

He wrote it down. “Is that all?” he muttered.

“Yes, sir.”

He rolled his eyes and snatched up my menu. “It’ll be out shortly,” He replied.

“Thank you,” I said smiling up at him.

“Whatever,” he grumbled before walking away.

One would think that people like him would dampen my mood and cause me not to greet strangers anymore, but no. Obviously I will cross the path of cantankerous people like him, but I don’t let their negativity affect me. Life is too short and too precious to let petty things like a person’s lack of response to my greetings or smiles put a damper in my day. So, I just keep on smiling and look past their negative attitudes. The waiter came back with my food and I smiled politely at him and thanked him as he sat it in front of me. He mumbled another “whatever” before walking away. Sighing and shaking my head, I blessed my food before digging in.

I asked for the tab and paid for my food leaving a nice little tip even though my waiter wasn’t the friendliest, before exiting the restaurant. I made my way down the sidewalk, heading to the train station. Last night I decided that it was time for me to leave this city and go explore another town. I’ve stayed in this city for at least three days and two nights, and it was time for me to move on. I’ve never settled in one town for too long, because my goal was to travel every city and state in the United States, sharing my music and positivity before moving on to another country. When I made it to the train station I bought my ticket and waited on a bench for the train to come. Taking my guitar out of its case, I began to strum it, and started to sing a song. I had been too engrossed in the song I was playing to notice that a small crowd had formed around me. As I finished the song the crowd applauded and I smiled and thanked them before starting a new song.

Two songs later, the train pulled up and I gathered my things, thanking the small crowd before climbing on the train. On the train, I was in a compartment with one other person whom I greeted politely before continuing to play covers of some of my favorite songs. I even took out my notebook and tried working on the song I’ve been having so much trouble trying to figure out. I played the chords written messily on the paper and hummed along trying to concoct some lyrics to go along with these chords. I played it about three times before giving up. Sighing, I leaned back in my seat and stared out of the window watching this old city pass me by and welcoming whatever this new city would bring me. It was almost eleven o’clock now and the sun was shining brightly in the sky. Despite all of the nice people I’ve met and the things that I’ve seen traveling from city to city, I was lacking inspiration for this song. I just couldn’t find the words to put with this melody. Letting out a breath, I closed my eyes hoping it’d help produce some kind of inspiration.

I guess I had fallen asleep trying to think of the words to say in this song, because I was awoken by a gentle tap on my knee sometime later. Opening my eyes, I looked down to see a small girl with chestnut pig tails and an adorable smile on her face that showed her little dimples. I couldn’t help but smile back at her. “Can you pway a song?” she asked pointing to my guitar.

My eyes lit up and I nodded. “Of course I can,” I answered.

Just then a lady—I believed to be her mother-- called her back over and the girl reluctantly walked back to her mother. The small girl looked over to me expectantly and I smiled as I started to play a song for the little girl. She giggled and clapped as I continued to play for her. Her mom didn’t look too happy at first, maybe because her daughter walked up to a strange man with a guitar, but once she saw how excited her daughter was she smiled down at her and then at me. I grinned at the small toddler and finished up the song. The little girl clapped and cheered causing me to chuckle. She climbed out of her seat and ran over to me as best she could while the train was in motion. Her mother called out her name in a warning, but she didn’t listen as she held out a dollar to me.

“This is for you,” she said.

“Aw, you’re so sweet,” I cooed. “But I can’t take your money.”

“But I want you to have it,” she insisted shoving the dollar in my hand. “You did a good job.”

“Aw, thanks, sweetie,” I thanked her. I wanted to bend down and give her a hug, but I don’t think her mother would like that very much so I thought better of it.

She giggled and went back over to her mother. I smiled at them and put the dollar in my pocket. That’s what I live for. No, not taking little girls’ money, but making people smile. It makes my heart swell seeing a smile light up someone’s face and especially children. It makes me really happy that I can put a smile on a child’s face. Once the train stopped the mother and her daughter got off. The little girl waved at me and I smiled and waved back.

“You two have a good day,” I told her and her mother.

“You too,” the mother, surprisingly, replied as her daughter continued to smile and giggle. How cute.

I placed my guitar back in its case and got ready to get off at the next stop. I could only hope that my music is able to touch the lives of the people here in this small town. As the train came to a stop, I slung my backpack over my shoulder and grabbed my guitar and exited the train. I started my walk down the sidewalk, without a particular destination in mind. As I walked down the sidewalk, people gave me strange looks. Of course I didn’t think anything of it since I often received looks from people who think it’s weird of me to speak to strangers, or people who just like to judge with their eyes. Like always I just smiled politely and said a simple hello as I passed them by, not letting their looks phase me.

I came to a stop outside of a coffee shop on Maine Street. As I stretched out my hand to open the door a flyer on the window immediately caught my attention. It was advertising something called Mic Night which apparently they have every Tuesday night. I went inside of the café and made my way to the counter and greeted the girl who stood behind it. She gave me a weird look, much like the one the people I had passed on the street gave me, before asking me what I’d like to order. I ordered a small cappuccino. While she made my cappuccino I took the time to look around the small café. It looked homely and had a friendly feeling to it; I liked it. As she sat my cappuccino in front of me I gave her a small smile and thanked her. I grabbed my cappuccino and turned to walk away before remembering the flyer in the window about Mic Night.

“Oh,” I said turning back around. “Is it too late to sign up for it?” I asked.

“Nope,” she answered and placed a sheet of paper and a pen in front of me. I took the pen and signed up for Mic Night. “By the way what brings you here?” she asked suddenly.

“Huh?” I looked up from the paper once I was finished.

“You’re new in town,” she stated simply. “What brings you to this small town?”

For a moment I wondered if it was that obvious that I was new in town. I merely shrugged as I grabbed my cappuccino. “I like to travel.” I answered simply, flashing a smile.

She didn’t seem too pleased with my answer, but that’s all I was willing to give her. I took a seat by the window, for I liked to stare out of the window and observe things and people watch. It probably made me seem like a creep, but I enjoyed watching people, not to judge and definitely not in a weird, perverted way, but just to observe them. As I observed the people on the outside I thought about Mic Night and playing for a group of strangers, and I pondered on what songs I was going to sing. Well, obviously something positive and uplifting, because you never know what a person is going through and how it may positively affect their life. Letting a content sigh escape past my lips, I stood from my seat and exited the coffee shop in search of a place to stay at for a while.

~

I wanted to start my morning off right, so I decided to get up early this morning so I can watch the sunrise. After fixing myself some coffee, I made a cup and went out on the balcony to watch the sun come up. Sunrises are so breathtakingly beautiful and emitted so much inspiration. Once I finished my cup of coffee and the sun was in its rightful place high in the sky, shining brightly and bringing warmth to this earth I went back inside. I threw the Styrofoam cup in the trashcan and sat on the bed grabbing my guitar from its case. Tonight was Mic Night at the coffee shop I came across yesterday on Maine Street, and I was beyond excited. I couldn’t wait to perform for these people. I always get a little too excited when I performed for people. What music does for people is just so amazing.

Last night I decided that I was going to sing two originals and select a few songs to cover. The girl from the coffee shop didn’t inform me on how many songs I was allowed to sing, so I was just going to be prepared to sing quite a few. I didn’t have many original pieces, well, most of them were unfinished without any lyrics, and I tend to perform songs that most people would know, because I like for people to sing along. After testing a few songs, I looked at my phone to see that it was still pretty early --of course, I did wake up at five-- and I wasn’t performing until later on tonight, so I decided to go for a walk to attain inspiration. Standing up from the bed, I placed my guitar strap over my shoulder and made my way out of the room.

The cool morning air greeted me as I stepped outside, making my way down the deserted sidewalk. I guess there weren’t that many morning people here. I made my way down the sidewalk without a particular destination in mind. I was merely enjoying the weather and this nice, quaint town. Maybe I’d play a couple of songs for passersby and if they gave me a positive reaction I’d play the songs tonight and then invite them to come down to the coffee shop tonight to hear more. When I came up to a bench, I sat down and situated my guitar in my lap. There still weren’t that many people out and about at…a quarter to nine, but I began playing nonetheless. “You make me happy whether you know it or not, we should be happy that’s what I said from the start. I am so happy knowing you are the one that I want for the rest of my days, for the rest of my days. You’re all of my days,” I began singing Happy by Never Shout Never. This was one of my all-time favorite songs.

As the song progressed I gained a small audience. A smile spread across my lips as people gathered around and a few even began to sing along to the song. When I ended the song the audience applauded, I thanked them and announced that I would be performing tonight at Mic Night at the coffee shop on Maine Street and invited them to stop by if they liked what they heard. After my announcement I began to play another one of Christofer Drew’s songs. I learned most of his songs, because he was one of my favorite musicians and his songs were just amazing and inspirational to me. I began to play another one of my favorites by NSN for my listeners; On the Brightside. When I finished playing my second song the audience dispersed going about their own business and I began to play the dame old melody I had been working on, I was determined to figure it out before I left this city. After messing around with the melody for a bit and playing a couple more songs, I stood from the bench and continued on my walk.

Sometime later after noon had rolled around I decided to stop at a small diner for lunch. As I sat at a booth near the window enjoying my lunch, a group of teenagers made their way over to me. I raised an eyebrow at them in curiosity as the blonde girl leading the group smiled at me. I returned the smile as they approached my table.

“So, what brings you here?” she asked as she stood before me, skipping the introduction.

“Huh?” I asked, looking for clarity.

“What brings you to this small, uninteresting town?” she asks again, clarifying her question.

“Oh, um…I like to travel,” I answered offering her a polite smile. “And I don’t think it’s uninteresting at all.”

“Oh, cool, so do you play?” she asked gesturing to my guitar.

I smiled and nodded. “Yes, I do. That’s the main reason I travel. I like to music with people.”

“Oh, could you play us something?” she asked and her friends made sounds of agreement.

“I would, but I’m in the middle of lunch,” I answered. “But, I am performing at the coffee shop on Main Street tonight, so if you all are really interested in hearing me play then you should maybe stop by tonight.”

“Cool, we’ll be there,” she said.

I smiled and nodded. “Well, if you all don’t mind I’d like to get back to my lunch. It was nice meeting you all though and hopefully I’ll see you all at the coffee shop tonight.”

“It was nice meeting you too, um…”

“Emmanuel,” I stated with a smile.

“Emmanuel, see you tonight.” She grinned and waved.

She and her friends bid me goodbye, telling me that they’d be at the show tonight before disappearing out of the diner. I watched from the window as they disappeared down the sidewalk and then continued to eat my lunch in peace. It was one-thirty when I left the diner and I decided to head back to the motel and practice the songs that I’ll be playing tonight. I sat on the bed with my guitar situated in my lap and began to play What is Love? By Never Shout Never. Hopefully I was playing at least five songs tonight, two originals and the other three would be Never Shout Never songs. I’m not obsessed with the man or anything like that he’s just a great musician that makes good music. When I was satisfied with the amount of time I spent on each song I placed my guitar back in its case on the bed and stood, stretching out my limbs and decided to start getting ready for tonight.

Around four-thirty I was heading out of the door and starting my walk down to the coffee shop. I probably should have taken a bus since it’s much faster than walking, but I actually preferred walking. It helped me clear my mind and relax. It was sometime after five when I walked into the coffee shop and there were already quite a few people inside. There was an area already set up for Mic Night and it filled me with so much excitement. Smiling, I made my way over to the counter and asked for a cup of water. The girl handed it to me and I thanked her before going to find me a seat. I took a seat and relaxed and drunk my water until it was time for me to perform.

“Hey, Emmanuel!” I looked up and saw the girl from the diner waving at me as she and her group of friends made their way over to me. I smiled and waved back. “We made it,” she said taking a seat in the chair across from me.

I nodded and smiled. “I see.”

“So, when do you go on, we can’t wait to hear you play,” she said.

“Um, around seven, I believe,” I answered and took my phone out to check the time. “About an hour to go.”

She let out an over dramatic sigh. “Can you just play us a song now, I don’t know if I can wait that long.”

“There’s just an hour to go, surely you can wait a little longer?”

She let out another one of her dramatic sighs and nodded. “I guess.”

I really wanted to finish my water in silence, in peace, alone to clear my mind, but they stayed crowding around me and I couldn’t bring myself to ask them to go away. So, I just continued to drink my coffee and occasionally answered questions that were directed towards me. At a quarter to seven a girl that worked here, not the one from yesterday, got behind the microphone and called attention to the coffee shop. My heart started to beat fast in excitement as she tried to get the audience pumped up.

“Without further ado, I give you Emmanuel,” she said gesturing towards me. The audience clapped and I smiled at the girl before grabbing my guitar and making my way to the microphone.

I placed my guitar strap over my shoulder and gave the audience a small wave. “Thank you, I’m Emmanuel as the young lady said,” I said into the microphone. “I’m glad to be here tonight to share music with you all. The first song I’d like to sing for you is On the Brightside by Never Shout Never, and if you know the words I’d love for you to sing along.

“I met a man of two feet tall. This man was quite ambitious in a world that is so vicious to us all,” I sang. The people who were familiar with the song sung along making a smile spread across my lips. My eyes slipped close as I continued to sing. When I finished I received applause from the audience.

“Thank you, thank you,” I said into the microphone. “Ok, I’m going to sing another Never Shout Never song and then I’ll sing a song that I wrote if that’s okay with you all,” I announced. I received a few murmurs of agreement and I let out a chuckle as I looked down at my guitar and strummed a few chords. “This one is Big City Dreams,” I stated before I began singing.

“You said we’re both little people and you like it that way, but in time I’m gonna put this body to shame and grow old, wear a suit like my old man, pack up all my things and get my ass out of town.” As I sung my eyes unintentionally landed on two boys in the back who sort of stood out from everyone else in the coffee shop. I don’t know what it was they just sort of stuck out. Not even for a second, my eyes met one of the boys’ before he averted his eyes. I let my eyes slip close as I continued to sing, “We've got it good whether you like this town or not, I know it's small but with a big head it's bound to get hot in the summer, but the summer is a bummer if you can't leave this pathetic excuse for a town.”

When Big City Dreams came to an end the crowd erupted in applause again. I thanked them and introduced my next song called Smile. It was a song that I wrote a while ago. I sung another Never Shout Never song called Harmony before ending with another original that I wrote called Worldwide. I was very happy with the response that I gained from the audience.

“Thank you all for taking the time to come out and listen,” I said once they had finished applauding. “I know I’m no celebrity, but if you have any questions that aren’t real personal or just wanna talk than I’ll be here for a while. I’m more than glad to talk and meet new people.” I blew a kiss to the audience before walking away to place my guitar carefully in its case. I sat down in my seat taking a sip of water.

“Emmanuel, you did great!” the girl from the diner exclaimed as she and her friends hurried over to me.

“Thank you, and by the way, you never gave me your name,” I said setting my water aside.

“Oh, I’m Charlotte,” she said beaming. “And these are my friends Bridgett, Maggie, and Brea.”

“Well, I’m glad you all enjoyed yourselves.”

“Can I have you autograph?” the friend Charlotte introduced as Bridgett gushed. I wasn’t sure if she was serious or not, but I just chuckled.

I sat and talked to the girls for a moment before Charlotte announced that they had to leave. “Hope to see you around again,” she called as she waved goodbye.

I returned the wave and relaxed in my chair as I glanced around the coffee shop. I was looking forward to whatever this town had to offer.