Busking

I met Jon a while back, he’s a guitarist.

Jon also suffers from Paranoid Schizophrenia, (like me) but I’m afraid he thinks medication poisons his mind. 

Despite the consequences, he refuses to go back to taking medication. 

He can’t believe I also have the condition, 

“You function too well,” he told me. I explained it was because I take my prescribed medication everyday.

One the day he came up to introduce himself while I was out busking, he told me he hadn’t eaten all day. His benefits would be paid the next morning. I fed him. The next day I saw him again, asked if he’d received his money, 

“No, I think I’ll only be paid early tomorrow.” I fed him again, sharing my meal of scrambled eggs with him.

He must have been paid the following day, because I didn’t see him until 9 days later. Earlier I’d been looking for him. We had made arrangements to meet to practice, but he didn’t visit. 

I told him not to visit without first making arrangements, as I’m too busy each day to just chat to friends or socialise during the day. I reserve chatting for when I’m out busking. This is where I like to meet people chat and to see what makes them tick! 

I was worried I had put him off. No, not really, instead he had other things to do, like buying roll ups, marijuana and booze. Although an excellent musician, and having studied at University, he hadn’t studied music theory. He’s got excuses now, I offered to teach him, but now he doesn’t want to learn theory anymore. He’s got crazy ideas on this too, says he has more insight if he doesn’t know! I ask you!

Once again he hadn’t been eating. We busked together. After a while, I gave him £2, from what we’d collected, to buy food. He wanted wine. I refused to give money for that. We discussed fruit. He doesn’t like bananas. Here they’re the best value food at only 0.14p each. They last for an entire afternoon and fill one up. I have been eating them, too. Buying straight from Tesco, they’re delicious! I enjoy them so much now, I eat a newly bought banana or two every day. I prefer them when they’ve just been placed out for sale. I do not like overripe bananas!

When we’d gone out busking that afternoon, he’d forgotten to take his bag with him, he’d left it at home, my home. In it was his tobacco and wine! Obviously he was under the weather and hadn’t been thinking clearly! 

He did manage to last out the whole afternoon from 2-7 pm without drugs (i.e., tobacco and wine). He told me he’d enjoyed the day, but because he hadn’t slept the night before, he was exhausted.  He asked to leave his bass guitar and amplifier here, at my home. It was in my way, in my entrance way. I told him to find a different place for it, 

“What about higher, on one of the stairs,” I suggested.

He collected his bag, roll ups and wine then left. I wouldn’t let him drink here at home. I’m strict, I do not allow any smoking or drinking, especially if my guests are in the habit of abusing alcohol!

He has many weird ideas!!! All, I believe, due to his untreated Schizophrenia. I know, I’ve been there!

Two weeks later, after getting my car back. I took his guitar and amplifier and dropped them off at his place. 

His landlord told me they’d been having trouble with him. Later he was sectioned and taken to be treated in a secure ward of a Mental Hospital. That will be best for him. Hopefully he will come clean (of drugs), be rehabilitated and given medication to treat his Schizophrenia. If he remains on medication, he’ll have a chance of recovery. He’s a talented musician. For his sake I hope he takes his meds for the rest of his life.

I’ve impressed upon Jon the need to budget as well as communicate. He needs to find and charge his phone. Before he left I gave him my contact details again. The first time he lost them. 

His ideas are really weird, e.g., he wouldn’t write down my contact details himself! His excuse, he often throws away his own notes, but if I wrote it, he would keep it, as he remembers things others do for, or give, him. He won’t discard it again, he promised me. I printed a DYMO label for him, hoping he’d stick it onto his fridge. He told me he won’t. He’s got a thing about stickers, too. Instead, he’d rather keep it loose in his wallet. Little wonder he losses them. 

He’s a completely lost soul, just set adrift to ride the stormy seas, coughed up by his illness! It’s sad, but experience is, or will be his most effective teacher. It was my best teacher!