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The Tessarae Inn |
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Consequences in Blue Notes
CHAPTER 13 Blair started off her set with the an Etta James song, “Love Has Been Rough On Me.” Davis Dukes and the boys knew that one, so they played along. They meshed easily despite the fact that she still refused to rehearse. The crowd was larger than usual but everyone was into the music. She could see that several people were crying including Dottie, who was working the bar. She was amazed that her singing had the power to move people that way. She closed her eyes as she sang the final verse: “I had love but it turned out wrong, I had faith and when that was gone. Well, at least, I had hope. But you left me hanging on the end of my rope. I can’t sleep. I can’t eat. I don’t seem to be able to get back on my feet. I can’t run. I can’t hide. And it’s tearing me up inside. Have mercy, baby. Love’s been rough on me. Have mercy… mercy, baby. Love’s been rough on me.” The crowded erupted in applause and as she waited for things to die down she decided right then and there that this was the last night she was going to sing at the Ryder. She was getting too much attention and she couldn’t allow that to matter to her. The night she spent with Emily convinced her that she needed to figure out some way to go home. She was not ready yet, but she had to find a way to make things right in her heart so she could forgive Todd. As her second song she had decided on Kim Richey’s “So It Goes.” She put two fingers up so that Greenie knew that she was sticking to the plan. “We survive,” said Blair. She sat on the stool and positioned the microphone then began to sing: “Some learn early and some learn hard. Somebody called me in from my backyard. And I heard the whispers. Something was wrong and I knew you were gone. But the sun came up and the Sun went down. Spring was waiting beneath the frozen ground. And I’ll be seeing you around. So it goes. So it goes.” When she finished the crowd yelled their approval but a man stood up in the back and walked toward the stage. He was a tall, lanky man but the lights obscured his face. The crowd grew quieter and quieter the closer he came to the stage. He stopped before he got close enough for her to see him clearly. “I’d like to know,” he said, “if you’d do me the honor of singing ‘Since I Fell For You.’” The room became very quiet. Blair frowned. Who was this man and why was everyone watching him with such deference? She started to say no but stopped. There was something about him that made her want to do what he asked. Besides, although the crowd didn’t know it, it would be her last song anyway. Maybe it was fate. She would leave the stage the way she came. “For you,” she said. The crowd whooped and yelled. Greenie started playing without waiting for a signal from her and Davis joined in with a beautiful guitar riff. Blair took a deep breath then exhaled. She held the microphone close to her mouth, closed her eyes and began to sing: “When you just give love and never get love. You better let love depart. I know it’s so and yet I know I can’t get you out of my heart. You-u-u-u, made me leave my happy home. You took my love and now you’re gone…” On some level she was afraid that the crowd would not like it as much the second time but her fears were unwarranted. When she finished there was once again a stunned silence and she was halfway to the backdoor when the cheering and chanting started. She could hear people screaming for an encore but she kept walking. This phase of her life in Creedyville was over. She had learned how to sneak out of the Ryder through the backdoor even though most of the people in the crowd respected her wishes and did not approach her after her performance. But she liked being able to slip away quietly. She stopped short when she rounded the corner and saw the black limousine. Just the sight of the car caused her upper lip to bead with sweat. She had never seen a limo at the Ryder before. The only person she knew who rode in limos almost everywhere was Todd. Was that man who approached her in the club Todd? Of course, not. She would recognize Todd even with bright lights blinding her and with her earplugs blocking all sound. There was no way Todd could have approached her like that and she not have recognized him. But suppose the man was someone sent by Todd? Maybe Todd was in the backseat of the limo watching her right now. The driver was leaning on the front fender smoking a cigarette with his head down. He looked familiar, damn it. She was trying to decide whether to run or not when he looked up. It was not Fred. At least, she had that much in her favor. She nodded at the driver and he gave her a bored look. She walked at her normal pace to Sheri’s car, jumped in and started the engine. Her heart sank when she realized the gas tank was almost on empty. The gas stations would not open until six in the morning. What was she going to do? She let her head fall back on the headrest. What in the hell was wrong with her? Why was she acting like she was afraid of Todd? She was being ridiculous. He was the one who should be afraid. He was the one who needed to stay the hell away from her until she could stand to be in the same room with him. Fuck him. She drove to Sheri’s, poured herself a shot of scotch, sat in the living room, crossed her legs and waited. Sheri didn’t come home, which was becoming her modus operandi on the weekends. As the hours of the night ticked away, she finally decided that even if Todd was in town, he didn’t know where to find her. Maybe she still had a chance to meet him when and where she chose. She quickly took a shower and dressed. She packed her backpack and then made sure the house was locked securely. She drove to McGurdy’s on Flank Street and filled up the car. Fifteen minutes later she was on the road to Clearwater.
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