When I was in elementary school, in fourth grade, my teacher delegated me a cultural activity to sing a melody called La violetera, that day I dressed in a printed skirt and a low-cut blouse. I made my debut with a violet flower in my hand, I sang with a lot of coquetry. Everyone congratulated me, the school principal told me: "You have a beautiful voice".
In my community, at Christmas time. Mr. Isidro Cedeño, a popular singer, used to compose aguinaldos. With his musical group we would go to the radio stations. I was the vocalist, and if the one who played the cuatro did not go, I had to do it. At the Liceo I belonged to the Orfeón, many times I had to be a soloist.
Later I married my husband, he did not sing or play any musical instrument. We had four children. When they were babies I lulled them to sleep with those melodies that I sang. Of the four, the last one, Simon Ylich, was the only one who came out with an affinity for music. Thanks to my genetic contribution.
Simon Ylich, from an early age had penchant for music. He was fascinated by singing and very good at it. When he was 6 years old, he said to me, "Enroll me in music school. I want to learn to play the guitar. I enrolled him in the afternoon shift because in the morning he went to his elementary school. His father and I took turns taking him to music lessons. With teacher Frank. He didn't have a guitar to practice. The teacher would lend him his between hours.
One day Frank sold some raffle tickets for guitar. He came home and said to me, "Mom, the teacher is raffling off an acoustic guitar". I asked him how much the ticket was worth, he gave me the value, it was very cheap, but at that time, as fate would have it, I didn't have the money to buy it. That day I had to walk to work, to be able to buy the ticket that had a value similar to that of a bus ticket. Simon was very excited. He was sure he was going to be the winner, he already saw himself with the guitar in his possession.
The day of the drawing came and no one won. Simon was very disappointed. As soon as he got home he told me very sadly that he had not won, but the teacher suggested that I buy it for him. I felt a little uncomfortable with the proposal. Because if I couldn't buy a simple ticket at that moment, I wouldn't have enough money to buy a guitar.
My son Engels said to me, "Mom, find a way to buy it for him, it's very important to him." I hesitated for a while but finally I made a decision, at that time I had no money so I pawned a Lanco watch, which worked with the pulse to mark the hours. With that money I bought it for him, then I lost the watch, the economic situation became difficult and I could not get it out of the pawnshop.
It was not a good guitar like the ones his classmates used, this one was of poor quality, heavy, yet its sound was acceptable and it seemed to be the best instrument for my son.
It was worth it, after a while he was already improvising and composing classical songs. He delighted us with them.
Likewise, when the lights went out, he would captivate us with those melodies under the darkness of the night. Then he belonged to the Rondalla. Those concerts were spectacular, or at least for me they were. At the end, his father would shout "That's my son, may God take care of him! and applaud for a long time.
Despite his love for music, he did not neglect his studies, graduating at the age of 25 with a degree in pure physics. Since then he has been working as a teacher at the Liceo Graterol Bolivar, in Cumana. As soon as he started working, he bought an electric guitar, because although he began with classical music. What fascinated him was Rock music, he played in several concerts with different bands of that style.
One day he was participating in a new band contest festival playing his electric guitar and vocalizing. At one point he started dancing on stage. His fans shouted at him, "Throw your jacket down." He replied over the microphone cheekily, "I can't, it's borrowed." That space collapsed with the screams and applause of the entire audience present. In that event he and the band came in first place.
Currently, Simon is 42 years old, he is studying Pure Chemistry at the University. Part of his free time is dedicated to music, he married Corina, who also sings very well, and they have two teenage daughters. For his siblings, the memory of his father who is no longer with us, and me we are proud of his performance since he was a child until now.
My story is non-fiction.
Use Deepl translator.
The drawing is by me.
I hope you like it.