Uptown Boys: The Beginning Of A Dream Book 1

by KM Cory

  A handful of people are standing next to the entrance with a few bargaining for commercial pleasure from those who are dealing in that trade. At the entrance further, there are teams of bouncers who are entrusted with the power to restrict any unnecessary entry to the club and remove people who are misbehaving as well as counting the numbers of people getting inside to avoid stampedes, enforce the club’s dress code. The club also has a balcony area designed specifically for the bouncers to watch over the party people. It is hard to discern any possibility of accepting bribes to let people get in or jump over the queue.

  [INSIDE AVON NIGHT CLUB]

  The scene is at the back-door section of the stage known as the ‘Dress Room.’

  It is a cool place with different lights in the corners of the room.

  There is a wired-speaker playing out music from straight the dance floor and the DJ booth, and the music coming through is deep-afro-music.

  The Karaoke Girls have just arrived, and they straight away begin to deal with their facial expressions and body language wear, thereby joining a host of other counterparts who are busy doing the same with utmost pertinence. Some of these counterparts are pole-dancers. And then, as the girls go through the ordeal of having to look nice,

  KELLY

  Has anyone of you seen our little boys?

  GIA [pinned in the mirror]

  They cannot let us down; at least one of them assured me, girls!

  KELLY [squirms]

  I am getting nervous already since the males’ wardrobe was empty.

  GIA

  Perhaps they don’t need to come and do their makeup and dressing up from here.

  KELLY

  Or they may not even know the corners of this place since it might be their first time to be here.

  CHRISTIE

  We are sticking together please tonight –

  Girls, girls and, the little boys, boys.

  GIA [now facing CHRISTIE]

  Girl, this is our first-time gig and theirs as well too, in a posh club like this. We have to mix and mingle and find new opportunities.

  KELLY

  That is right, lady! No sticking together like you’ve just said, CHRISTIE. Otherwise, we’ll chase chances away from us when they see no way through us.

  CHRISTIE

  It is like you’re pushing me out already!

  KELLY

  Nobody is pushing you out, girlie! Only you, yourself, are trying to let the feeling of being left out try to make you feel out of place, yet you’re not. I wonder how and when you’ll never let your judgment be impaired, girlie!

  CHRISTIE [zoned]

  So, you want to teach me or even educate me about not letting my decision be impaired?

  GIA [fascinated]

  You had better not ruin this moment for us, CHRISTIE! Okay?

  CHRISTIE

  Like as if I have!

  GIA

  I guess you’re paranoid about something else, and you want to use it to ruin our night of happiness by telling us to stick together.

  CHRISTIE

  I am not paranoid! Okay?

  GIA

  Then stick to the plan, right?

  CHRISTIE [reluctant]

  Fine, GIA.

  KELLY [retreating away from the mirror]

  I am heading to the labyrinth; I shall be back in a few. Hope you shall be done both of you.

  GIA

  I hope so for we need much time to make up, not like you, who is a free-lancer when it comes to making up!

  KELLY [proudly looking back at GIA]

  I am born from a silver-spoon family, girlie. Don’t forget that.

  CHRISTIE [as KELLY passes her near the entrance]

  We do.

  KELLY

  I like that!

  CHRISTIE

  But I hope you don’t do something nasty to yourself while in the labyrinth!

  KELLY [intimidated]

  Why don’t you mind about making up your face, girlie?

  [And with that, she exits without waiting to hear a reply from CHRISTIE]

  [AND THEN]

  In the corridor leading to the dance floor of Avon, where music and fun seem to be exhilarating already, the environment is crowded with club goers who have just been let in via the main entrance but are now being checked again to fully enter the main dance floor. Among the party people, who are now squeezed up in the corridor queue that seems to be taking ages to move are the escapades being waited for by the Karaoke Girls.

  The boys are juxtaposed with some two cute young ladies, with one standing in between OBAN at the front and LIHANDA and the other just exactly behind LIHANDA but in front of BOYO and CASANOVA. By their appearance, they seem not yet dressed up for the event as a few party people are grumbling about the long delay in the line whilst making funny comments about the dress code of some club-goers and their appearance too.

  [Then]

  OBAN [to LIHANDA]

  Don’t you think we’re wasting time here, nwa?

  LIHANDA

  Just hold on for a moment, nwa.

  OBAN

  It is just getting hot and hotter and hottest here. I feel we might suffocate our energy from here.

  LIHANDA [upon laughing]

  Do you have an idea out of this?

  OBAN [looking back]

  But it might lead us into the hands of the bouncers if we don’t do it right.

  Young Lady [standing between them]

  Please, save us then!

  [OBAN blankly stares at the young woman]

  LIHANDA [winking]

  Kindly, just do that, nwa.

  OBAN

  You know this isn’t a free country; so, what am I getting rewarded with?

  YOUNG LADY [smiling]

  Anything you want, as long as it is not my life neither my money I got right now.

  LIHANDA [to OBAN]

  See, I hope you can save us, nwa.

  OBAN [looking at the young lady]

  I hope you don’t change your mind.

  YOUNG LADY [determined]

  How can I when you have a witness already? Just lead us inside, and I will fulfill my promise to you before you get to do anything inside the club even.

  OBAN

  Follow me then.

  [He leads and together with LIHANDA and the young woman, the trio is seen getting out of the fixed queue as]

  BOYO

  What is it, nwa?

  LIHANDA [passing him]

  Just follow us, nwa!

  [BOYO also excuses himself out of the line and is joined by the girl who has been standing in front of him as CASANOVA also falls into the wagon, exiting without asking what is going on. And off the boys in the company of two strange females get out of our sight]

  [MEANWHILE]

  Over the dance floor is a multi-colored stage, and it is occupied by a band of five black men who are all tall in beautiful bell-bottom trousers and sports-jackets that make them appear solid and excitable. They have just stepped on stage, and one of them, a RASTAFARIAN-like individual, eagerly greets the audience that is already burning with excitement through a Phillips Dual Capsule Dynamic Microphone, which replies hysterically.

  RASTAFARIAN

  I wouldn’t want to break this feeling you are all experiencing tonight.

  The audience throws him a cute retort]

  RASTAFARIAN [to his colleagues]

  Are you all ready?

  [The band gives him a positive reply after taking over the instruments that are assembled over the stage]

  RASTAFARIAN [to the audience]

  Let us get to dance together and sing!

  The lights fall off the stage, and the audience begins to feel already electrified, and within no instance, the music is set foot from the web of darkness, and it is the sounds of ‘Say You Love Me’ by Alec ‘Om’ Khaoli which excites people as the lights begin to expose each of the performers and the party kicks off. The RASTAFARIAN is the lead act with his deep voice that captures
everyone’s attention. He is good at the song, and his colleagues give him a better back-up, which pulls the audience to their side.

  There is good dancing already from the entertained people, and the performers are easily motivated amid the dancing flashlights over the stage and through the dance floors. And when the climax of the performance is felt, the gathered club-goers cannot help it but appreciate the five black men who bow down, and they all exit the stage using a back door through the curtains, which have a decoration theme over them known as “Night of Blues.”

  [And then]

  Upon silence from all the corners of the dance floors, we get to see a young gentleman wearing a 1970’s business suit stepping on the stage from one opposite end and embraces the microphone with his tenor-like voice as he requests the audience to clap once again for the band that has just acted before them and the people adhere.

  GENTLEMAN

  Well, thank you once again. We will now have our second act on stage.

  [There is already anticipation now as a few people clap]

  GENTLEMAN

  I have been told that they had a delay in getting ready for this show, but someone has now informed me that all is clear and that we can proudly get to watch them performing to us live, now. Thank you!

  [The lights fade out at the exit of the nicely dressed gentleman over the stage]

  [cordial silence]

  MAN 1 [in the audience whistles]

  MAN 2

  Whoo!

  MAN 3

  Come on, you people!

  [A few murmurs of laughter develop within the anticipating club-goers]

  FEMALE [from the darkness]

  Come near me. Come closer, my angel.

  The voice stimulates the audience as a single flashlight is turned on and it reveals the owner of the voice, and it is none other than GIA, with a maroon bouffant over her head and wearing a marigold spaghetti strap dress, which makes her look substance as the karaoke machine also starts to blast out the renowned hit by Cheek To Cheek known as ‘My Angel.’

  She is not alone at the start of the ordeal as the lights get to reveal the back-up B-C-L-O family is accompanying her with their calculated dance moves in their leather sweat jackets and leather pants, which make them appear surreal to the females already inside the night house.

  The ensemble is cheered up by the crowd as GIA begins to flow with the rhythm of the song playing out. She pours out her strong vocals through the microphone towards the listening audience, and she gets joined by the rest of her colleagues by way of another light falling over them at the sequence of the song’s chorus being cooed, CHRISTIE and KELLY, decked in the same manner like GIA. And now the entire cast looks pleasant as the boys do the dancing and the girls do the vocal act. At the crown of their performance, the ensemble unites and receives huge applause.

  And in a sudden blipping of the lights falling over the stage on and off, the music again blends in from the karaoke machine, and it is Gerald Levert’s monster pop hit known as ‘CASANOVA,’ which swings the crowd up into another round of tumult. And this time around, it is the escapades from Johnson People’s College leading the show with their energetic dance over the heavy beats of the song playing as the Karaoke Girls are ready to do the back-up.

  The lead act is CASANOVA, who is almost infatuated with the ghost of the legendary Gerald Levert as he begins cooing to the song with the assistance of his peers that exhibit enthralling voices accompanied by actions and passion. Because the song chosen is a fabulous oldie, it captures the audience into dancing along amid the swinging lights. The moment is what could be called living in the moment from the start to the point of the song and delivery over the stage. There is a thunderous cherish from the party people who are sweating with a craving for more of the Karaoke Girls and the escapades who enjoy the spotlight with gleefulness all over there facial expressions.

  [A FEW MOMENTS LATER]

  We are in the backrooms of the club, and the escapades are busy undressing their performance costumes and dressing up casually.

  [They are chattering about the previous scene]

  LIHANDA

  I almost saw Gerald Levert coming to life through you tonight, nwa!

  BOYO [jolly]

  Indeed, I also felt so, nwa.

  OBAN [smiling]

  Absolutely, me too, without a doubt I felt so. I wonder how you did it!

  CASANOVA [proudly]

  Then I guess you know why I chose to use the name.

  [BOYO denies knowing and so does LIHANDA including]

  OBAN

  Can you tell us why, nwa?

  CASANOVA [peering at them]

  My father was called Gerald, and my grandfather, who happens to be his father, was known by the name Levert, and he used to love listening to Gerald Levert’s song every time he woke up in the morning and before he could sleep. So, I was able to hear this song one Christmas, and I liked it so much that it couldn’t get out of my head and off my lips up-to-date.

  OBAN

  Interesting, nwa! I doubt if any of us other than you has ever crushed on a song like that.

  LIHANDA

  It is indeed amazing of you, CASANOVA.

  BOYO

  So, you chose it for the show and why?

  CASANOVA [enjoying the attention]

  Because it is my grandfather's birth date, and I felt it wise to choose the song to honor him and dad.

  OBAN

  I like that, nwa.

  BOYO

  Yes, we karaoked for the dead!

  [And the boys fall into laughter hysterically]

  [But the moment of ‘bromance’ is cut short when they all hear a sudden knock on the door leading inside the room they are in and silence creeps in quick enough]

  OBAN [worried]

  Who is it?

  Voice [off-stage]

  Your candy girl!

  OBAN [fascinated]

  By the names of?

  Voice [loud]

  CHRISTIE.

  OBAN

  Oh. Just hold on for a minute!

  [He looks around to make sure that they are ready for visitors]

  OBAN [raised voice]

  I think you can come in now.

  The door is ajar upon the request being made, and CHRISTIE enters in the company of an Asian man of Indian decency. He is of medium height and size with large eyes sitting beneath an oval-shaped skull that has baldness developing from the mantle. He is wearing party-cloths and looks less worried about spending any penny he earns out of his earnings. Standing while pick-pocketing, CHRISTIE initiates the conversation

  CHRISTIE [panting]

  Well, sweet friends, I would like to introduce to you the person who takes care of us as well as managing us, and we call him MASTER PATEL.

  OBAN

  Oh, nice to meet you with my friends, Sir.

  MASTER PATEL

  You, too, please.

  CHRISTIE

  I guess that is a good start.

  [She then whispers something to MASTER PATEL]

  CHRISTIE [turning towards the boys]

  I am going to leave you with our caretaker so that he can tell you the purpose of my bringing him here to you. I and the girls will be at the counter. You can come and join us for a drink-up. Thanks.

  BOYO

  I appreciate your kindness at inviting us, CHRISTIE!

  CHRISTIE [excusing herself from the room already]

  You are welcome, BOYO! Have a nice meeting.

  [And she is out of sight through the door which she closes at her back]

  MASTER PATEL

  You can sit, please.

  [The escapades agree and share the chairs in the room]

  MASTER PATEL [facing them]

  You really rocked the stage tonight, kids!

  [The boys murmur a chorus appreciation]

  MASTER PATEL

  I can see you have a lot of potential and the energy in you is still burning. But I would like to draw your atte
ntion to two questions, and I hope you can give me a uniform and sincere reply to both of them. Is that okay?

  [The boys nod in unison]

  MASTER PATEL

  First question, and please be attentive. Okay?

  The Boys [in unison]

  Yes.

  MASTER PATEL

  First question—

  BOYO

  Ready for it, Sir!

  MASTER PATEL

  Are you boys willing to bet with success?

  BOYO

  What?

  [The boys have a sudden rush with a lot of mixed reactions, and they all fall into deep laughter, which somehow worries MASTER PATEL and wondering what has befallen the boys and calls upon them to become silent and behave]

  MASTER PATEL [perturbed]

  It was just a question, and it makes you laugh like that? Come on –Looks like you are not taking this meeting serious like anything useful in your lives!

  [There is strong attention towards him now]

  MASTER PATEL [demanding]

  So, what made you laugh?

  [The boys look amongst themselves with no answer]

  MASTER PATEL [puzzled]

  No reply –

  What is it?

  [Indeed, there is no reply from the boys]

  MASTER PATEL [nagged]

  Alright, kids. As you’re. I get it –

  Poor ego from a bunch of talented boys who are lost without reason! Nice to meet you, kids!

  [He swiftly gets up and turns for the door but–]

  OBAN [halting him]

  Hey, Sir –

  Wait…

  [MASTER PATEL stops]

  OBAN [with the back to him]

  We laughed because the question you asked reminded us of the hometown where we come from, Soraya.

  BOYO [as MASTER PATEL faces him and his peers]

  And it also reminded us of a friend we’ve never seen again ever since we left Soraya and came to Lantana, Sir.

  LIHANDA

  That friend of ours was good at lottery, and when we first saw him at a trade fair in a market, he used the same question to win lottery clients, which was fascinating and memorable to us, Sir.

  CASANOVA

  And so, it was a hilarious question to us! Because we neither expected it now, nor did we ever forget it ever since we last saw that friend of ours. And it is now a couple of months since then. So, you ticked our memories, Sir!

  MASTER PATEL wears a look of having been caught on the wrong side of everything after what he has heard with both ears and watching with his two eyes. It looks like he has just lost his purpose already with the nostalgic expression from his audience. But he manages to regain composure.