Lissandra Cabico met Elvio one day at a concert for the homeless at Kapiolani Park.
She was introduced to Elvio as his assistant for the day, as he needed help setting up his microphone and guitar. She was also there to make sure he was well-fed and had enough water to drink. Elvio went on after the ten-year-old who played a tense version of the Flower Duet on violin. When his turn came. Elvio didn't want an introduction; he simply wanted to walk on stage and play. That's what he did. He picked on the strings for the introduction of Flying, which he sang with flawless abandon. Passersby sat on the park bench and listened. Couples, young and old, stood up and held on to one another as they danced slowly. Everyone else sat entranced by the beautiful melodic tone of Elvio's voice. Lissandra smiled, not realizing until now how much of a talent this man was. This man, who was humble and didn't say much except Thank you, I appreciate it.Now, he held a park full of people, hypnotically entranced. They'd follow him as if he were a pied piper leading them somewhere on his whim. All he had to do was sing. By the end of the song, Elvio took a bow and left the stage. There was a moment of quiet before everyone jumped to their feet and called for an encore.
"They're calling for another song!" Lissandra pointed to the audience, who were still on their feet, applauding wildly. "Go back out there, they're waiting!"
Not sure what to do at first, Elvio went back and stood in front of the microphone. More wild applause from the people in attendance. "Mahalo," Elvio said. "That means a lot." Clearing his throat for a second, he spoke clearly into the microphone. "I hope you like this one."
It was an old James Taylor classic, Carolina On My Mind.
The people swayed back and forth, eyes closed, most half smiling. By the end of the song, Lissandra was in love with Elvio, or at least she was in love with the idea of Elvio. When he came off the stage, knowing that he wasn't going back out for another encore, Lissandra hugged him close. "Wow, that was totally awesome!"
Elvio seemed awkward and muttered a thank you to Lissandra. Placing his guitar in the case, he turned to Lissandra and smiled, but only slightly. "Thanks for your help today." He waved and walked to the parking lot, where the only spot he could find was at the tail end of the Waikiki Shell parking spaces. As he was pulling out onto Monsarrat from the exit, Lissandra came running up to Elvio's car.
"I wrote my phone number down for you," she said while handing him a piece of paper. "In case you need an assistant for another gig, you can call me."
"Thank you," Elvio nodded and drove off.
A week later, Elvio played his regular gig at an Awa bar on Kapahulu. Space was tight, so Elvio had to make use of an old broom closet without a door. He had a lapel mic connected to a large Bluetooth speaker. A separate speaker was hooked up to a mic for his guitar. It worked, and Elvio's tips were substantial in total. The awa bar owner told Elvio that he could keep whatever tips he made and to not worry about giving him a cut.
"People come in and spend money, that's my cut," the owner said. "Stop calling me sir, I'm Kaleo."
Despite what Kaleo said, Elvio always gave a part of his tips to Kaleo's wife, Elena. Elvio was in the middle of Never, Never, Never, when Lissandra walked in and followed the sound of his voice. She saw him in his space, singing as naturally as he was breathing. She got herself a drink of awa and made herself comfortable at the bar, taking in Elvio's voice.
"Thanks, everyone, for listening," Elvio said into the microphone. "I'm taking a fifteen-minute break, and I'll be right back. Please make your way to the bar and order up some Awa."
Elvio walked out to the back parking lot, where Elena gave him a plate of food and a bottle of water. Elvio reached into his wallet to pay for the meal. "Never mind you, put away your wallet!"
"You and Kaleo should at least let me pay for my food," Elvio said.
"You worry about eating," Elena waved Elvio off as she went back into the bar.
"You never called me," the voice came from behind him. It was Lissandra.
Elvio stood up and extended his one hand to Lissandra while holding on to his plate of food with the other.
"I actually can't afford to pay for an assistant, which is why I never called you. I'm sorry, I should have at least told you that before." Lissandra didn't take his hand. Instead, she removed a pocket knife from her purse. Placing the straps around her one shoulder, she extended her arm forward with the bottom facing up. Instinct kicked in; Elvio knew what Lissandra intended. He jumped forward and took the knife from her. Lissandra broke down crying, but the cry was unnerving because she also sounded as if she were emoting.
"All you had to do was call me, and I wouldn't have had to do what I was going to do," she was serious. She was crazy, yes, but she was also serious about her self-harm. She turned and ran headfirst into the brick wall next to the back door of the awa bar. She stumbled back and fell to the ground. She was bleeding, and there was a huge developing lump on her forehead. Once she got her footing, she ran headfirst into the wall again. Elvio rushed forward to grab Lissandra and stop her from harming herself any further. That's when she screamed at him.
"Call me next time! When I give you my number, you call me!"
Elvio rushed into the bar and called Kaleo and Elena, briefing them about what had just happened and how Lissandra had tried to cut herself and then started running into the wall. She lay in a heap on the ground, but once Lissandra saw that Elvio had company, she began crying out. "Elvio, why did you do this? Why did you beat me? I just wanted you to come home to our kids and me."
Kaleo called the police, and an hour later, HPD fished Lissandra's knife out of Elvio's pocket and arrested him for attempted murder. "All you had to do was call me, that's all I asked, babes. You can see whoever you want, and go where you want, just call home. That was our deal; you didn't have to try to kill me."
Elvio spent the next two years in jail, while Lissandra got herself hired at the awa bar as an assistant to Kaleo and Elena. I hope they don't forget to call her.
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