by Rob Jones
“Yes, dear.” Helen cleared her throat. “I’ve been battling an annoying cough that doesn’t seem to want to go away. The change of weather is to blame, so there is nothing to worry about.”
“Why haven’t you told me about this? How long have you had it?” He went into the second question without giving her a chance to answer the first one.
“Since a few days after you left. I went to the doctor yesterday and he gave me a prescription for it.”
“All right, Nana. If you need anything, please, please let me know.” His brow tightened.
“I will, hummingbird. I love you.”
“I love you more, Nana.”
Chapter
Twenty-Two
Zoe
“Oh how I miss hanging out with you, Puritan.” Tori hugged Zoe.
“Yes, I miss you, too. It’s been far too long.” She took a step back and surveyed Tori. “You look so good, girl. I love that outfit.” Tori was wearing a steel gray bell-bottom pantsuit with a sheer white shirt underneath.
“Tell me something I don’t know. I am rocking this with fierceness.” She waved her hand across her face and snapped her fingers.
“Your table is ready.” The hostess at Jonathan’s Grille escorted them to their seat.
“So how is life treating you?” Tori adjusted herself in the seat.
“Busy, busy, busy. Between Ethan, school, preparing for the recital, and just life, I barely have time to say I barely have time.”
“All work and no Tori makes Zoe a bad friend.”
“Now wait a minute, Tori Farrow. You are making it sound like I haven’t seen you in months.”
“It has been months, girlfriend.” Tori nodded her head.
“Has it?” Zoe grimaced. “Well, that’s why I suggested that we have a girl’s night out.”
“Mm hmm. That’s because Ethan’s gone. Girl, you’re not fooling anyone. I might have been born at night but it wasn’t last night.” They both laughed.
When the waiter came and took their orders, Zoe kept regarding Tori inquisitively, wondering if Tori could tell if she had been intimate with Ethan. Surely she couldn’t tell that, could she?
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Tori caught her with that puzzling look on her face.
“What are you talking about?”
“You were looking at me with a perplexed face.”
“Oh, I was just wondering what you’re thinking about and how much I miss my best friend.” She instinctively smiled and twisted her hair. “So tell me what’s been occupying Tori’s time these days.”
As Tori began her soliloquy, Zoe was lured away by thoughts of Ethan and that night. He had dominated every corner of her mind lately. Focusing on the simplest things had become somewhat of a challenge for her as of late. Life could change from breath to breath. One moment you’re up late gazing at the moon alone, the next moment you’re sharing a sunset with the love of your life. She never would have imagined in her wildest dreams that she would be so stupid in love at this time, with a beautifully wild musician no less.
She had her life meticulously charted out, everything was on schedule: finish school, get a job, then try to fit in love if or when it came. But then he walked into her life and with one flash of his smile disrupted and spun her life out of orbit. Spiritually and physically.
“There it is again, right there, that look.” Tori pointed and shook her finger at Zoe.
“Here you go, ladies.” The waiter brought their orders.
“Now that’s what I call service.” Tori smiled at the waiter. She had crab cakes and a salad while Zoe just had cilantro shrimp. They both had water with lemon and a glass of merlot.
“If there are better tasting crab cakes, God has saved them for Himself.” Tori wiped her mouth with her napkin. “How are those shrimp, Puritan?”
“They taste odd to me.” She wrinkled her nose then took another bite. “I can’t eat this, I feel nauseous.” She spit the bite out and her eyes watered up.
“Let me sample one of them.” Tori tasted it. “This is the bomb, girl. There is nothing wrong with them, something must be wrong with you. You must be coming down with something.”
“Yeah, that must be it.”
***
Ethan
“I love when we play early because that means I get to party early.” Owen put his bass in the case.
“Yeah, as usual we rocked the faces off that crowd tonight,” Wes added.
“Oh snap, I know where we can get into some trouble and leave our fingerprints on this city.” Ethan had a mischievous smile.
“You know I’m down with some mayhem.” Ligon nodded and rubbed his palms together.
“There’s a Halloween contest at a bar not too far from here called the Olde Smith Bar.”
“You mean the Smith’s Olde Bar,” Wes corrected him.
“Whatever. Some radio station is supposed to judge a Halloween costume contest, but they are going to be delayed at least an hour, so their delay will be our opportunity to pose as them and have some fun hijacking this contest.”
“Oh, I am so down with that,” Ligon gave his affirmation.
“Yo, Lig.” Syd motioned for him to come over. “I need to talk to you for a hot minute.”
“Hold on, boys, this will only take a second.”
“Is it me or is Ligon constantly disappearing a lot lately with Syd and those gutter freaks?” Wes stroked the back of his neck with a concerned look on his face. “I know he is flirting and playing around with some recreational drugs for kicks, but I think those kicks are becoming a lifestyle for him.”
“Nah, he’s just having a little fun. He loves to drink deep from the fountain of life. He’ll be all right.” Ethan didn’t want the band to be too concerned or alarmed by Ligon’s habits. It could lead to other problems down the line for the band, and they had come too far to let anything impede their success. But he knew that Wes was right, that Ligon was becoming a little too familiar with his drug use, and he had to rein it in and control it before it controlled him.
“All that I know is that he needs to get his hygiene game together, because he smells like a hedgehog giving birth after eating some bad gyro meat.” They all laughed.
They took the scenic route to Smith’s Olde Bar to absorb the Atlanta vibe. They became inundated by the smells, the noise, the energy, by all of its beauty and liveliness. The streets were crowded with college students, venting and expressing their need to push their youth to the limit. When the band finally arrived at the bar, they felt bona fide and reckless.
“Yes, we’re from the radio station to judge the Halloween contest. Where do you need us?” Ethan looked in and scanned the costumes that some of the people in the crowd were wearing.
“We were told that you guys were going to be at least an hour late,” a guy wearing a Black Panther outfit said in a confused tone.
“Yeah, we had to improvise on some logistics to get here, but we overcame and adapted. We didn’t want to let you guys down.” Ligon and Owen began to snicker.
“Where is your equipment? We were told that it was to be a live remote?”
“Well, that was one of a few logistical changes that we had to make, but we do have a P.A. system to give it that live experience, so we’re good,” Ethan said convincingly.
“Okay, you can set up over there and get this show on the road.”
“Now the drinks are on the house, right?” Ligon said with expectation.
“Domestic beers and rail drinks are free for you guys.”
“Sweet!”
“I can’t believe he bought that. This is going to be epic,” Owen said.
“That guy was buzzed. I could tell by the way he was talking. He couldn’t care less. He just wanted to get back to partying. Cool costume though,” Ethan added.
They walked to the van to get their P.A. system, then began to set up on the stage that had posters and album covers of vintage bands and singers on the wall behind it. The
round tables that had big white letters that read Smith’s Olde Bar were pushed toward the back of the bar to make room for the contestants to walk out on the hardwood floor to parade in their costumes. The atmosphere was electric and wild. The energy that was surging through the bar was palpable. For Ethan this was almost as exciting as playing: knowing that he and the guys were about to get away with this prank was exhilarating. He was more than ready to start the hijinks.
“Hey there, party people, we are getting ready to get this contest going,” Ethan addressed the crowd. “We need all of the contestants to come up, stand front and center.” The participants came forward in their costumes. There were zombies, Marvel characters, three Black Panther costumes, a sexy Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. There was Prince, David Bowie, Rick James, Selene from the movie Underworld, Deadpool, Deadshot, Tupac and Biggie, a hot nurse, a vampire, and the other usual suspects associated with a Halloween costume contest.
“Is somebody out there ready to win the grand prize of $300?” Ethan pumped up the crowd. “Contestants, we’re your judges along with the audience. They are the ones who will ultimately determine your fate by how loud their applause is. So when one of us announces and points to the contestant, we need you, the audience to show your support and appreciation by applauding and screaming as loud as you can for your favorite costume,” Ethan shouted out orders to the crowd. “This will determine who will keep going, or whose costume is just boring. But before we get into this I need everybody to raise your drinks up and on the count of three, down them. Are you ready, judges?” He raised his glass filled with cheap whiskey and ice.
“One, two, three!” Those who had adult beverages downed them in unison with yells of oohs and ahhs, and applause.
“First up is the sexy Wonder Woman!” She walked and twirled around like a model on the catwalk. She was greeted with roaring cheers, applause, colorful comments, and whistles from frat boys, middle-aged men, and those who had liver-spotted hands that betrayed their efforts to hide their age with less-than-flattering toupees.
Owen grabbed the mic from Ethan. “Yeah, that’s how you get it started. Girl, you got my vote, you are already a winner as far as I’m concerned.”
“Yes, yes, yes. Let us now hear it for the purple one himself, Prince.” Another thunderous round of applause and cheers erupted as the Prince lookalike started dancing. “I think I just heard doves cry after that performance,” Owen said, referring to the classic song by Prince.
One by one the contestants strutted their stuff, trying to evoke some kind of reaction from the crowd.
“Is it too late for me to enter the contest?” a guy wearing a priest outfit with a naked baby doll attached to his crotch asked Owen. Ethan saw him and immediately flames of anger rushed through his core.
“There is no way you’re participating in this, you pervert. I’m giving you three choices.” Ethan bit his bottom lip. “Either you remove that doll, remove yourself, or I’ll remove you, and I hope you choose the latter.” The indistinct conversations of the crowd quieted.
“Dude, you need to lighten up. This is a multifaceted costume that is communicating a social narrative and it’s a lot more creative than most of these, that’s for sure.” He motioned his hand toward the contestants.
“Okay, okay, let’s not turn this into a Catholic versus Protestant political issue, boys. We’re here to have a good time,” the manager of the bar intervened.
“I’m cool, I’m here for a good time. It’s this buzzkill right here who placed a fly in the ointment.” The guy nodded toward Ethan while he adjusted the baby doll.
“Well, it looks like you chose the latter.” Ethan took off his shades and before anyone could react, Ethan threw the mic at him, shot up and kicked the guy where the baby doll was at, gave him a vicious uppercut, ripped the doll off of his crotch and began to beat him with it.
Chaos began to swell in the bar when two guys who were with the guy in the priest costume tried to pull Ethan off him. Ligon, Owen, and Wes started to descend on them like ravaging wolves. People rushed out of the way as punches were thrown. A few bouncers took control of the situation by getting in between them as well as grabbing them. They were told that the cops would be coming and if they didn’t leave they would be arrested. The bouncers managed to regulate the situation.
“We need to get our P.A.,” Wes explained. The cops arrived while they were packing up and asked was everything under control. Also arriving was the crew from the radio station who were supposed to judge the Halloween contest. They walked in the bar with their equipment.
Ethan looked at them with a dirty grin. “We’re your opening act. We got the crowd ready and riled up for you guys. You’re welcome.”
The judges looked befuddled as Ethan and the rest of the band got into the van.
***
Zoe
“We are so excited and proud of you, honey. You’re going to be great,” Abby encouraged Zoe before her first recital.
“Thanks, Mom. I’m not as nervous as I thought I would be.” Tuning her violin, her only concern was that she hadn’t heard from Ethan and that wasn’t like him not to call or text her. Dwelling on his absence unsettled her, but she knew that she had to rein in her thoughts and emotions. She closed her eyes and took a much-needed deep breath.
“Are you sure you’re not nervous? It’s okay if you are.” Roman placed his hand on her shoulder.
“No, I’m not nervous, but I’m not feeling like myself.”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“Well.” She hesitated. “I feel a little nauseous and somewhat out of sorts.”
“I’m sure that’s just nerves doing what nerves do. They can manifest themselves in different ways, you know,” Charles interjected while looking at Zoe with a concerned eye.
“I have a foreboding ache within me that what she is experiencing may have nothing to do with nerves,” he whispered to Abby, but Zoe overheard him.
“Hey look, there’s Ethan!” Roman’s eyes erupted with excitement.
“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Edwards.” Abby responded to him warmly, while Charles nodded and gave him an I-know-what-you-did-to-my-daughter look. Ethan responded with a look of trepidation.
“Hey there, rocker.” Ethan presented Roman with a fist bump. “Hello, beautiful.” A radiant smile broke though Zoe’s face when her eyes fell upon him. She placed the violin in her chair and plunged into his arms.
“You made it!” she exclaimed as she concealed her face in his hard, muscular chest and melted into his embrace. “I was so afraid that you wouldn’t.”
“And miss experiencing your flawless performance? No chance. Every time I hear you play my heart swells with pride and love. Each and every note is like a link in a chain that surrounds and shackles my heart, and I become suspended in a state of euphoria.”
“My God, I missed you. I don’t think that anyone has ever missed anyone as much as I missed you.” She looked into his eyes as if she had never gazed into them before.
“Oh Zoe, I missed you so much that it hurt.” He kissed her like he was communicating a secret language that only they could understand and appreciate. “You are my oxygen, I just couldn’t breathe without you, but now, at last, I can breathe again.”
“Oh for heaven sake, you sound like a 1990s R & B slow jam.” Tori walked in and expressed her disapproval. “Hey, y’all! Sorry I’m late, Zoe. The traffic on the way here was horrendous, and on top of that I got lost.” She chuckled.
“No worries, I’m just glad that you’re here,” Zoe replied.
“Honey, we’re going to get our seats so that you can prepare. Praying for you, sweetie. You are going to be great.” Abby gave her a big hug, as did Charles and Roman.
“Thanks guys.”
“You got this, sis. I love you.” Roman gave her another hug.
“I love you more.”
“Yeah, I guess I will follow suit and go as well. I love you, Zoe. You are going to be superb.” Ethan took her
hands, kissed them both, and then embraced her.
“Thanks, babe. I love you too.”
“Come on, hater, let’s see if we can we find you a man on the way.” He offered Tori a playful smile.
“Ha, ha, ha, I see you got jokes. Well, while we’re looking maybe we can find a better man for Zoe also,” she retorted.
“You two play nice,” Zoe said. When Ethan and Tori began walking out of the room, a leggy student with curly dishwater blonde hair gave Ethan an unashamed look of interest as he passed by.
“Ooh, that is some major lady crack right there. Does that taste of honey belong to you, Zoe?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact he does,” she replied venomously.
“No offense, but you seem just a little too tame for that wild and pretty thing.”
“Don’t get it twisted. That situation is properly managed, so there’s no need for you to be concerned about it.” She picked up her violin and gave her a contemptuous smile.
“Oh, is that right? Does he go to your church also? Because if so I may have to get me some religion and have someone like that to lay hands on me.” She ran her hand through her hair.
I would love to lay my hands on you. “Good luck with your recital.” Zoe got up and walked to the other side of the room.
Applause met Zoe the moment she appeared on stage. She bowed and began playing Vivaldi’s Concerto in G Minor with elegance and grace. She was performing brilliantly with confidence. The passion that exuded from her was unmistakable. She personified the music that she was playing, but in the midst of her playing she suddenly felt the tempo of her heart accelerating, her vision was coming in and out of focus, and she felt lightheaded. She breathed in deeply, trying to gather some control and poise but to no avail. The room started rotating swiftly, and suddenly everything went black.
Chapter
Twenty-Three
Ethan
