WHERE IS THE POWAY BOY?

Last week, after meeting my friends FP & SY in my spa in Escondido, I went back to Poway, to find some clothes in the Salvation Army. I had a few employees in my wholesale warehouse telling me they have some relatives in Mexico that are in urgent need of old winter clothes. And they asked if I had any. I said yes.

So I was standing in line at the counter to pay for some jackets I bought, and here I saw a boy, about 14 years old, with his mom, paying for two swords they had just found in the store.

The big sword lying across the counter really caught my eye--from the shape I could tell it was an authentic Samurai sword, and it had a Japanese signature on the wood handle.

I could not help crying out: “ My God, such a nice sword.”

The mother told the boy to be quite, and asked me about the sword. I said this Samurai sword is hand-forged, with no sharp edge—it is for peace and it can ward off evil spirit when hanging inside the house.  

I paid for the clothes and went out to my van at the parking lot, which is just about 20 feet away from the store’s entrance. In front of my car, it is a fire wood plant; there is a huge pile of firewood against the fence, with the magnificent Poway Mountain as the background. “This can be a nice painting.” I thought, and just at this time, from my back mirror I saw somebody running towards my car window.

It was the boy who bought the sword. I rolled down the window, and he was holding the sword as if presenting a gift to me: “Take this sword, it means much much more to you. Please take it.”

I was stunned, and for a moment, I did not speak. “Do I have to pay you?” I said in a low voice.

“No, please have it”.

“Thank you so much” and I added: “God bless you”. The Poway Mountains started to look blurry in my sight. And the boy disappeared.

I pulled out and turned right into Poway Road with the clothes I bought, and the old Samurai sword. I suddenly realized that I even did not ask for the boy’s name. I believed he was now with his mom, also on the Poway Road.  They could be driving towards those mountains.

I sped up to 50 mph. I knew soon I would do a painting in my studio.

Jone, Sabre Springs Feb 10, 2010