It was a dark cold December night, one of those nights where you can feel the cold rushing into your lungs as you inhale. The girls and I had just left the warm movie theater you could still smell sweet coke and spoiled popcorn if you came close to us. My jacket caressed me like a glove as I walked down the street. Thankful that I had brought my gloves like my mother insisted. She scolds me constantly and it wasn’t until tonight that I realized I’m lucky to be scolded.

As we walked down the broken avenue light happy music filled our ear drums. At first there was no source to be found and it was almost as if this music had been coming from a window to someone’s cozy apartment. At first I thought it was a radio station of some sort. As I continued to listen I noticed that the tune sounded familiar. My nose was scrunched and the skin in between my eyebrows crinkled as I tried so very hard to remember the lyrics to this familiar song. “Its Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer” Laura finally announce! It seemed as though the song was getting louder and louder as we brushed our feet against the frozen pavement.

Out in the distance I see an older man, actually the first thing I noticed about him was his snow white beard and thick framed glasses. He is on the corner blowing hot air into a cold metal flute. It shocked me that he was standing there with no jacket and only a long sleeve shirt to keep him warm. He had opened the case of his flute on the ground and I could see the there were nickels, dimes and quarters in it and maybe two dollar bills. I can remember the pity that churned in my stomach I can remember recognizing that this man had such talent to be playing this instrument and that no one was recognizing him. The girls ran ahead and didn’t seem phased by this, but I stayed behind and looked both ways to make sure no one was watching and placed a five-dollar bill into the case.