New Phone

In the early 90's, I was doing laundry on Lincoln Avenue just north of Wrightwood. It is now an insurance agency.

An elderly man came in and looked around as if to say, "can someone help me?"

I approached him and asked him what he needed. He handed me a business card with a phone number written on the back. He needed to call the phone company and talk to someone about getting service.

The front of the business card was of particular interest to me because it said:

Sigmund Godla

Musician

It featured a drawing of him playing a violin. We talked a little about music, but he really wanted to make that phone call and he wanted me to dial the pay phone that was around the corner at the laundromat and talk to the phone company for him. So, I set him up. I told the lady at the phone company of his wishes, handed the phone over to him and went back to my laundry.

About a minute later, I heard him yelling. "Ahh!, WHAT?, Oh!, SHIT, WHAT?!, OH? It ended with the sound of the phone being slammed down.

I went over to see what had just happened.

Sigmund, being about 80 figured that he would talk to the people at the phone company and schedule an appointment for them to come install a phone and service in his apartment. Times had changed indeed.

I explained to him that the phone company no longer came out to install phones. I asked him if he knew if there was a phone jack in his room. He didn't know. We walked over to the building where he lived on Sheffield Avenue.

His place was small. A one bedroom apartment. But it must have had 6 phone jacks! Everything would be just fine.

Sigmund then showed me a three page list of tunes he liked to play. Tangerine, St. Louis Blues, There'll Never Be Another You, Summertime, On The Street Where You Live and many others. He went to the kitchen, opened the cupboard, reached over cans of chicken noodle soup, green beans and cream style corn to retrieve his violin, which was inside of an old "Be nice to me, I gave blood today" t- shirt. He explained that he kept it hid behind the canned goods to throw off potential burglars.

He then began playing Tangerine. He sang along as he played. Then, onto Flamingo. He was really good and loved to play.

We walked back to the laundromat and I called the phone company to set up his service. It would be active in a few days. I explained to Sigmund that I would come back in two days and we would go to Radio Shack and get him a phone.

We picked out an inexpensive but sufficient phone and went to his room. After everything was set up and the phone was working, it was time for more music.

St. Louis Blues, Skylark and Meet Me Tonight In Dreamland. He was very passionate and happy when he played. I had brought my camera and had him sit on the far left side of his sheet covered couch. He got a little anxious because I shot so much. I explained that I wanted the perfect shot.

I gave him back his song list which I had borrowed to make copies of, he put his violin back into its hiding place and we said goodbye.

I wonder about Sigmund when I am in that neighborhood and will always love Tangerine because of him.