It Had To Be You

by Janice Thompson

  “You do?” I looked at Twila, stunned. Since when?

  With a wave of her hand, Twila dismissed the idea. “Oh, I’ve been seeing Terrell Buell again. You remember him, Bella? You met him at the Fourth of July picnic, I think.”

  “Oh, that’s right.” I vaguely remembered the older man with the soft skin and vivacious twinkle in his eyes. If memory served me correctly, he was sweet on Twila back then too, but she had passed off the idea as unrealistic. I had to wonder what had changed, if anything.

  “Poor Terrell’s been after me for years,” she explained with a shrug. “Never really spent much time thinking about the possibilities … till lately. There’s something about almost getting swept out to sea that puts a whole new spin on things.”

  The Splendora trio had been on a cruise ship a couple months back when a storm hit. The event had rocked them— literally and emotionally. Looked like it had also caused Twila to rethink her love life. Only, today she seemed to have eyes for our band members. Probably not a good thing, with Lilly looking on.

  “Tell the truth, hon,” Bonnie Sue said with a nod. “You’re just skittish because of Terrell’s last name. You don’t want to be Twila Buell.”

  “That’s a bunch of Buell, Bonnie Sue!” Twila said, then slapped her knee. “Get it? A bunch of ‘bull’?”

  Everyone in our circle erupted in laughter. Well, all but Jolene. She sighed and closed her eyes, listening to the band play. “There’s just something about the saxophone that makes me swoon,” she said in a dreamy voice. “It casts a spell on me. I can’t explain it.”

  “She’s always been a sucker for the sax,” Twila said. “I had to hold her back on our last cruise. Every time the band would start to play—”

  Jolene’s eyes popped open. “Don’t you dare tell that story, Twila. It’s no one’s business. Besides”—her eyes narrowed— “I thought we had an understanding: ‘What happens on the cruise ship stays on the cruise ship.’”

  “True, true,” Bonnie Sue said. “We did agree to that, didn’t we.” She began to sway with the rhythm of the music. “Oh dear. Oh dear.”

  “What is it?” I asked, looking her way.

  “Sorry, Bella, but I just can’t help myself.” Her toes took to tapping, and her face lit into a smile. “Whenever I hear swing music, I just lose all of my inhibitions. I have to dance. Do you mind?”

  “W-what?” I watched, mesmerized, as she headed to the dance floor and began some rather complicated dance steps. “Bonnie Sue is the swing dance champion of Montgomery County,” Twila said with a nod. “There’s no stopping her when the band starts to play, trust me. She just can’t seem to help herself. But, then again, that’s what dancers do. They dance.”

  Who knew?

  “I need a partner!” Bonnie Sue turned to my uncle. “Hmm.”

  Laz raised his cane as if to ward her off, so she shifted her attention to Emilio. Francesca took a firm hold of her husband’s arm, driving her message home. At this point, a determined Bonnie Sue reached to grab Sal by the hand.

  I wish I’d had a video camera in hand as she pulled him to the center of the dance floor. The expression on his face was worth a million bucks. She took him by the hands and began to move back and forth, side to side, in some snazzy swing moves.

  “Come on, Sallie!” Gordy called out over the microphone. “You used to be the best dancer in Atlantic City back in the day. Remember all those nights at the Blue Velvet? Show her what you’ve got!”

  I could hardly believe my eyes when Sal shifted into swing dance mode. Bonnie Sue let out a whoop as she turned back to her friends. “Can you believe this?” she hollered, and then went back to dancing.

  Actually, I couldn’t believe it, and I wondered if the paramedics would either, once they arrived. Ushering up a silent prayer for Sal’s safety seemed the most appropriate thing to do. Sal was hardly fit to be dancing like this. The man was recovering from a stroke, for Pete’s sake. I reached for my cell phone, just in case I needed to call 9-1-1.

  On the other hand … it seemed the more Sal danced, the more his joints loosened up. Before long, he was doing a few moves that amazed me. Hmm. I relaxed a little bit and shoved my phone back in my pocket. Maybe this was just what the doctor ordered. Forget the Geritol. This guy was ready to boogie! He grabbed Bonnie Sue’s hands in his own, and they picked up the pace. She squealed with delight, her feet moving faster than I’d imagined possible for someone of her age and size.

  “I’ve died and gone to heaven,” she called out, her arms now flailing. “Finally found my partner after all these years.”

  From the look on her face, I had a feeling she was talking about more than a dance partner. Not that Sal seemed to mind. He swept the plus-sized diva into his arms and spun her around. For a minute she looked like she might swoon, but she managed to catch her breath and keep going. Nothing a little oxygen wouldn’t cure. Or another spin around the dance floor with the right partner. Looked like Sal was the Romeo to Bonnie Sue’s Juliet.

  The dancing went on for another ten minutes or so with all of my relatives finally joining in, even Laz and Rosa, who seemed to be having the best time of all. I found myself glancing at my watch, wondering when the party would die down. As much as I enjoyed all of this, we still had a wedding to plan. And what about the trio of sisters? Rosa had apparently called them down to the island to practice, and practice they must.

  At a particular lull in the music, I approached D.J.’s mom, the most levelheaded of the bunch. “Earline, are you ready to rehearse now?”

  “Sure thing.” She reached into her oversized bag and came out with some sheet music. “I planned to accompany the ladies on their two songs, but as long as we have the band …” Her voice drifted off, but her expression remained hopeful.

  “Maybe they could join you?” I suggested.

  “Sure. I brought my keyboard, of course. Planned to practice.”

  I commissioned a couple of the fellows to help her bring it in, and before long, she was set up and ready, just to the right of the band.

  “Do you know these two songs, fellas?” Bonnie Sue asked, approaching Gordy with the music.

  He took one look at the music and laughed. “‘Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy’ and ‘Eight to the Bar’? Are you kidding me? These are standards. Of course, we usually play ‘Eight to the Bar’ in the key of B flat, but for you pretty ladies, we’ll play it in the key of L for lovely, if you like.” He gave her a wink, and I swallowed hard as I caught a glimpse of Lilly glaring in the distance. Yikes.

  Twila fluttered her eyelashes at him, which almost sent poor Lilly into a tailspin. I watched her out of the corner of my eye. Looked like she didn’t take kindly to other women flirting with her man. Not that Twila took note. No, she was far too busy gazing into Gordy’s eyes.

  “Ladies, let’s make this a real rehearsal,” I suggested, trying to keep things professional. “I’ll turn on the sound system, and you can use the microphones.”

  “Wonderful!” Twila clapped her hands together and grinned. “Let’s go to town!”

  My Italian relatives all took a seat, as if preparing for a night at the opera. The band began to play “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” and seconds later, Twila, Bonnie Sue, and Jolene performed a flawless rendition of the old song in perfect three-part harmony. Deanna, Bertina, and Bianca couldn’t stay seated for long. They were on their feet and moving to the beat within seconds. On and on the ladies sang, amazing me with their harmony, which was tighter than their WHERE’S THE BEEF? T-shirts. I’d never heard anything finer.

  Obviously, neither had Gordy. When the song ended, he turned to them, his jaw at his toes. “Ladies, where have you been all of my life?”

  “I’ve been waiting for years to hear a fella say that,” Twila said with a laugh.

  Gordy’s eyes sparkled with mischief, and I had a feeling he was up to something here. Wanting to hire the ladies, perhaps? Or was there more to this flirtatious wrangling?

  This served o
nly to further aggravate Lilly, who now looked like she was ready to toss her clarinet across the room. At the heads of our Splendora guests, no less.

  “We’ve been in Splendora, Texas, sir,” Twila said to Gordy, “singing on the worship team at Full Gospel Chapel in the Pines. You’re welcome to come and hear us anytime. But be prepared for the Holy Ghost anointing if you do. We’re a Spirit-filled church, no doubt about that.”

  “Sounds good to me.” He grinned. “I believe in blooming where you’re planted. But I’m also into evangelism, so if you ever decide you want to hit the road, we could use a few new singers.”

  Bingo!

  Lilly rose from her seat and stormed from the room, clarinet in hand. Uh-oh. I could smell trouble brewing. Gordy seemed too caught up in the frenzy of the Splendora sisters to notice. He turned back to the band. “Let’s try that second number, fellas!”

  “Fellas” was right. Lilly was long gone. As the music to “Eight to the Bar” began, I watched her slip into the hallway. Yep. Trouble was definitely brewing.

  I found her a couple of minutes later in the ladies’ room, holed up in the second stall. “Lilly?”

  She responded with a couple of sniffles.

  “Lilly? You in there?”

  “Yep.”

  “If you want to talk—”

  “Nope.”

  “If you change your mind—”

  “Won’t.”

  “Okay.” I leaned against the wall and sighed. What else could I do, really?

  She began to play a slow, haunting piece on the clarinet, one that sent a cold chill down my spine. I’d never actually heard a heartbroken woman play the clarinet in a bathroom stall before, so this was all new to me. Still, I couldn’t help but feel her pain. The man she loved had just flattered another. Actually, a trio of others. That had to sting.

  The door to the ladies’ room opened, and Earline walked in. I knew D.J.’s mom pretty well and figured she’d followed me in here for a reason. If anyone was sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, this woman was, even if it meant giving up her position at the keyboard. She looked a little surprised as she heard the clarinet music coming from the second stall, but she didn’t say a word. I know she would wait it out. Earline Neeley wasn’t above ministering to a woman in need, even in the ladies’ room. She gave me a knowing look, then took to washing her hands. A ruse. I knew it. But still, she had to do something while she waited for Lilly to reappear.

  When the music finally stopped, Earline dove in headfirst. “Bella, I’m so thrilled for your Aunt Rosa. This wedding is going to be glorious. That band is the best thing I’ve ever heard in my life. Never seen so many talented people together in one place.”

  “Amen to that.” I nodded, wondering where she was going with this.

  “And how kind they are to play for our friends. Why, I don’t know when I’ve ever seen such kindness.”

  “Right. Me either.” I shrugged, trying to figure this out.

  At this point, Rosa joined us. She looked under the door of the stalls, nodding as she saw Lilly’s shoes.

  She walked over to the sink and turned on the water, pretending to wash her hands. “How’s everyone doing in here?” she asked.

  “Fine.” What else could I say?

  “That’s nice.” Rosa reached for a paper towel.

  Seconds later, Mama appeared. Then Bianca. Then Bertina. Deanna followed on their heels, and we all stood in quiet anticipation, just waiting for Lilly to join us.

  “Oh, okay. I give up.” She pushed the stall door open and stepped out, her eyes widening when she saw just how many of us there were. “Good grief. Have you staged an intervention?”

  Rosa nodded, and I felt compelled to interject something. “It’s okay,” I assured her. “You’re among friends.”

  “Yes, and I could tell at once that something troubled you,” Earline said. “I don’t know you, but I want you to know that I care about whatever you’re going through, and the Lord does as well.”

  Lilly began to cry. All of the women rushed her, and she dissolved in a haze of tears, clutching her clarinet to her chest.

  “I’m … so … sorry!” she blubbered. “I didn’t … want to cause … a … scene! I’m just so jealous any time another woman looks at Gordy. I can’t seem to help myself. I can try to fight it, but these feelings always come back up again.”

  “Which one is Gordy?” Earline whispered in my ear.

  “The band director,” I mouthed in response.

  “Ah.” Earline nodded. “I see how it is.” She faced Lilly head-on. “Can I ask you a question, honey?”

  “Sure.” Lilly looked up, her face tear-stained.

  “Are you a believer?”

  “I am.” Lilly nodded. “Though my faith has been sorely tried when it comes to that man, let me tell you!”

  “Our faith is always tried by the men we love,” Rosa threw in. “I know from whence I speak, trust me.”

  She did, indeed. She’d been tried by Laz for much of her life. Tried by fire, no less.

  “I just don’t know how much more I can take,” Lilly said, sounding dejected. “I’m plum tuckered out. Exhausted. It was fun when it started, but now … well, now I have to wonder if I’m ever going to see the fruit of my labors. And trust me when I say I’ve labored over that man.”

  Deanna’s eyes filled with tears. “I know just what you mean,” she whispered. “Sometimes a man is worth waiting for, and sometimes …” Her voice trailed away.

  “I never wanted anything so bad in my life,” Lilly said, a determined look coming over her. “Just don’t know if I have it in me to keep working at it.”

  “Well, if you are a believer, then you know that the Lord longs to give you the desires of your heart,” Earline said. “So, if that man is God’s best for you, we just have to pray him through the door.”

  “That’s what I did with my Laz,” Rosa said. “Prayed for fifty years.”

  Deanna paled, her eyes wide. “F-fifty years?” I could almost hear the wheels turning in her head and had to wonder if she’d contemplated waiting this long for Rocco—whoever and wherever he was.

  Lilly burst into tears at Rosa’s proclamation. “I don’t have fifty years left in me!” she said. “Don’t … don’t you see? That’s my p-problem! I’m already sixty-eight years old. I’ll be a hundred and eighteen by the time he looks my way. Who has time for that?”

  This got a bit of a chuckle from the crowd, which served to reduce the tension in the room. Even Deanna cracked a smile, though I had a feeling her upturned lips were hiding a broken heart.

  In the next room, I heard the music come to its inevitable conclusion. Moments later, much to my chagrin, the trio of Splendora sisters joined us, sounding a bit breathless.

  “What’s happening in here?” Twila asked, pushing her way to the front of the line. “Has someone fainted or something?” “Yes, is someone ill?” Jolene asked. “I’m ready to pray if so!”

  “We do need to pray, ladies,” Earline instructed them, gesturing for everyone to step back. “But not for healing.”

  “I’m not so sure about that,” Lilly whispered. “Maybe I do need healing.” She sniffled and hugged her clarinet. “Healing of the h-heart!” She started crying all over again.

  “Oh my goodness!” Jolene rushed her way. “I see it all so clearly now. You’re brokenhearted.” Her face tightened.

  “Which one of those fellas did this to you, sister? Give me his name and social security number, and I’ll make him pay.” She went off on a tangent about all of the many ways she planned to do that, her words moving faster than the beat of the music she’d just sung.

  “Jolene, really.” Twila shook her head. “What would Jesus do?”

  “Certainly not ruin the man’s reputation or his credit,” Bonnie Sue said with a nod. “You’ve slipped out from under the anointing, Jolene. You’ve shifted over to the dark side. Reel it back in.”

  “Sorry.” Jolene hung her
head. “I just hate to see a fellow sister in pain. And men can be so …” She groaned. “Anyway, who did this to you?”

  “No one did anything to me,” Lilly managed. “I’m just head over heels for a man who doesn’t even know that I … that I exist!” She dissolved into a fit of tears once more. Finally coming up for air, she turned to Twila and said, “And I don’t mind admitting that seeing you flirt with him out there put a knife in my heart.”

  Twila’s eyes filled with tears, and she began to fan herself. “Oh my. You’re talking about the band leader, aren’t you?”

  When Lilly nodded, Bonnie Sue nudged Twila. “You were flirting with him.”

  “I suppose I was.” Twila looked ashamed. “I had no business doing that. Shame on me. Of course, I didn’t know he was spoken for, but still …”

  “It’s the swing music,” Bonnie Sue announced. “I’m telling you, it casts a spell. I’m not sure we can pin all the fault on Twila. The Lord himself must’ve known when he invented music that this could happen.”

  “I think you’re right,” Lilly admitted. “There’s something about ‘Eight to the Bar’ that does me in. Eight beats per measure are obviously just too much for my poor heart to take.” She sighed. “Swing music always gives me hope that one day I’ll have a partner …” Here she dissolved into tears again. “L-l-like Gordy!”

  “Honey, it’s time for a prayer meeting.” Earline held up her hand and, with no further warning, began to talk to the Lord in a voice quivering with emotion. “Father, you see us here … in the ladies’ room. We’re not ashamed to call this our prayer closet right about now.”

  “No, we’re not, Lord,” Bonnie Sue threw in. “We are not ashamed!”

  “Lord, you see right into the heart of our sister Lilly here,” Earline said. “You said if we asked, we would receive.”

  “So we’re askin’!” Twila added.

  “You said if we would seek, we would find,” Earline continued. “So we’re seekin’!” Jolene threw in.

  “And Lord, you said you would give us the desires of our heart.”