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January 04, 2007
Old Man in Siem Reap
The old man didn’t say a word I could understand when I visited his small store. It was hot in Siem Reap, and shopping, or even just browsing, was hardly in mind. What attracted me to his thrift shop was the collection of old music instruments and rusty bits and pieces he seemed to have collected over the years - items that could easily be found in my grandfather’s shed one time ago. The man must be 10, maybe 15, years younger than my grandad. Dusty trinkets, rusty tools, gears of sorts, and even swords were sold in a small, darkened space. He’d blow the dust off things that attracted my attention, but most of them were already dust-encrusted from repeated improper cleaning. The items, a stark contrast from the old man who had a clean cut appearance and manners of a gentleman who pressed his own shirt and trousers.
Through a series of interjections and hand signs, he showed how one would hold a violin-like instrument and play a few notes. He didn’t seem to play himself, but was familiar enough with the instrument made from two steel wires, a long stick, a few pegs and what seemed to be a dried hollowed-out gourd used for resonance. His lousy student was struggling to hit some notes and soon gave up after it was clear that it wasn’t the instruments that were at fault. He continued smiling, looking for other things to show. It was a small store and it took me just about 15 minutes to go through everything.
After a final exchange of universal gestures, I left knowing full well our paths would never cross. What started with an intention to seek something new, ended with a sense of familiarity. Now as I write this, I think it was the embodiment of resilience, endurance, and ultimately of mortality that drew me: the musty air, the texture of rust on what was once vivid and indispensable, silent occupants in a darkened room represented only by a man who was subdued in his actions - qualities that were inevitable, just as the hot summer streets just a few steps away.
Posted by quickness at January 4, 2007 03:46 AM