Chapter 40: The Handsome Stranger

July 26, 1983

I was having yet another long-overdue discussion with Inez and Evie. But the subject matter was different this time; much more earthy and lowbrow.

They were telling me about their experiences with fighting off male groupies. They'd regaled me with tales of socially challenged, lovelorn dudes who'd wandered into their midst, and meekly asked for dates. I'd also heard more disturbing stories about drunken schlubs who staggered up on stage after shows, and boasted of their sexual prowess. I'd even listened to one account of a smooth-talking, confident guy who'd accosted the two of them together after a show, and brazenly suggested a threesome.

"Neither of us has ever felt threatened by any of these admirers, thankfully," said Inez. "Up to a point, it's funny. Evie tends to attract the nerds. But I'm the one who seems to get the marriage proposals." All three of us managed a laugh.

"Does Eileen put up with this, too?" I inquired. "If she does, she's never said a word about it to me."

"Mostly, they leave her alone because of Dave," replied Evie. "How touching, Pat. You're very protective of your baby sister." She flashed a smile.

"My sister is not the only female in our band who I want to protect from harm. Both of you fall into that category, too," I pointed out in a concerned voice. And then I followed it up by facetiously suggesting, "Maybe we need to ask Dennis to do double duty as a bouncer. He's sure big enough to convince most of the idiots to back off." Evie and Inez both cracked up.

There had been absolutely no mention of my issues with female groupies, even though I was positive they both were well aware of the situation.

All of a sudden, Inez moved to change the subject. She said to Evie with a sly smile, "Think it's time to show Pat our little surprise?"

"Why, I think that's a wonderful idea, Inez," said Evie with a mischievous grin. Both of them immediately got up, in unison, and moved toward their respective rooms.

"We'll be right back," said Inez, winking at me, as she disappeared inside her room, closing the door. Evie did the same, heading into her own room, gently shutting the door as she went.

I waited, patiently but curiously, for three or four minutes. Evie was the first to re-emerge, carrying an armful of clothes. She sat down beside me, and explained the situation in detail.

"The ladies of Lightning in a Bottle," she declared, "have decided to drop the plain Jane, T-shirt and jeans look we've been sporting at our shows up till now. We took some of the money we've been pulling in lately, and went shopping for some new clothes. And we're giving you the privilege of being the first to see our new look."

"I feel honored. And I can hardly wait," I said with a smile of anticipation, rather intrigued to say the least.

To illustrate her point, she produced a skimpy leopard skin top with spaghetti straps. She modeled it by simply holding it up against herself, and asked me, "What do you think?"

"We were just talking about male groupies," I laughed. "Wear that, and they'll never leave you alone."

"We can deal with it," Evie said with confidence. "Here, let me show you the rest."

It became immediately apparent to me that Evie's onstage fashion motif would center on one particular look: leopard skin. She had a couple of leopard skin tops in different shades, two different leopard skin dresses, and a few pairs of dark brown or black pants that, once she slipped into them, would no doubt prove to be quite form-fitting.

"Eileen is in on this, too," Evie added. "But since she's younger than we are, her getup will be a little more demure. So, never fear, protective big brother."

Just then, I heard the sound of a door opening. Involuntarily, I cast a glance over in that direction.

And my jaw nearly hit the floor.

Unlike Evie, Inez had decided to model one of her new outfits by actually wearing it. Looking like a vixen from an '80s music video, she had on a baby-blue getup which left far less to the imagination than anything I'd seen her in up till now. The tight-fitting top displayed a good deal of cleavage, and lots of midriff. It was complemented by a very short, pleated skirt with gold trim. And it revealed another outstanding asset of hers that she rarely put on display to this extent: her legs, which were a deep bronze color, and baby smooth. They were perched atop high heels that must have been three or four inches in height.

Inez proceeded to strut in our direction like a model walking down a runway. Finally, she stopped directly in front of me, but facing sideways. She suddenly snapped her head in my direction, while simultaneously sweeping her hand rapidly through her magnificent hair, executing a stunningly impressive hair flip. For just a split second, she directed a sultry, smoldering look at me, the likes of which I'd never before seen from her. Then, she broke out in a smile, and started giggling like a little girl.

I just sat there, transfixed. My mouth must have been agape, because Evie took her index finger and pushed upward on my chin, forcing it closed.

I stuttered nonsensically, trying to find something to say. Finally, I regained my composure enough to jokingly utter, "Could I have a glass of cold water?"

Both girls lost it. Evie, taking the request literally, got up to get me some water. Inez plopped down on the sofa next to me.

"Not that I have any objections myself, because I most certainly don't," I said with a laugh, "but are the two of you really planning to dress like that at every single show we do?"

"Not always," Inez clarified. "We'll dial it back a lot when we do weddings and other family-type events. But when we're doing shows at the beach? Why not?"

"Sex sells, right?" Evie said with a grin, returning with a glass of water, which she handed to me.

"That's one way of looking at it," I replied. "And again, I'm not saying I disagree with it. If you've got it," I went on, giving Inez a sly look, "why not flaunt it?"

Inez favored me with a sweet smile. "Actually, I'm not sure about these heels, either. I can't imagine wearing them for an entire show. I plan to have a pair of flats as a back-up."

"We're playing at Sea Breeze on Saturday," Evie chimed in, "and that's when we'll debut our new look."

Then, she turned to Inez.

"Where did that hair flip come from?" said Evie with a laugh. "You'll have to do that onstage some time." I nodded in full agreement.

"I'll do it again when you least expect it," said Inez in reply, directing the remark more to me than to Evie.

July 30, 1983

The girls did, in fact, dip into their new wardrobe for our much-anticipated return to Sea Breeze. Inez wore the same light blue outfit she'd modeled for me. Evie's selection was one of her leopard skin dresses. Eileen, as expected, opted for something a bit more modest. But her getup was quite attention-grabbing, anyhow. The centerpiece was a pair of hot pink shorts.

Our shows were just getting better and better, and we knew it. We wanted to excel in a venue like this, and even by our own exacting standards, all six of us believed at show's end that we'd met that goal. Our last two numbers of the night were difficult songs that we just knew we'd nailed.

The second-to-the-last song had been "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant". The manager of the club, a big fan of Billy Joel, had requested that we include that tune the second he'd heard that we had the capability to do it. The version we'd put out tonight was far better than what Dave, Evie and I had produced back in high school. I liked including that song for another reason: the kick-ass sax solo. I wanted Evie to have a chance to shine. Her role in the band, compared to what it was in the other timeline, had actually been greatly diminished. And she had to be aware of that now, after hearing the details of my other life. Things of that nature didn't bother Evie, however; what made her special was her selflessness. She cared not a whit about personal glory.

And the final song of the night? None other than a new addition to our set list: "Heartbreaker". At the urging of Inez and Evie, we'd worked up a rendition and added it to our set list. This was quite an interesting experience for me. For the first time, I was able to compare and contrast this Inez with her counterpart in the other life, strictly as a performer. There was no question that this Inez was far superior; of course, she also had youth, beauty, a nice personality, and a positive attitude on her side. I realized that the performing appeal of the other Inez had mostly been due to its stark contrast with every other aspect of her.

Tonight, Inez had really outdone herself with "Heartbreaker". At the end of the song, she hit the high notes perfectly (they were actually child's play for her), and – surprise! – threw in a spontaneous hair flip right in between the conclusion of the vocal part and the start of the closing guitar solo. Any Inez guitar solo typically featured her hair flying around in all directions, anyhow, so that hair flip provided the perfect lead-in.

The others scattered quickly after the show concluded; I stayed around to give Dennis a hand. Mayra was feeling a little under the weather that night, and had not made the trip. We stowed everything in the back of the van, which was now on the verge of becoming our van. Holly's dad, realizing that we needed the van far more than he did, had offered to sell it to us at a bargain-basement price. We'd agreed to pay him off in monthly installments. And with the way we were raking in the dough, it appeared that the van would be ours, free and clear, by the end of the year.

As soon as I got in the van with Dennis, he began to talk enthusiastically about tonight's show.

"You guys just keep improving, you know that? You really kicked ass tonight. All six of you were in peak form. You're coming together like never before." This was unusual for Dennis; he simply wasn't prone to gushing.

"We're getting better, as musicians," I replied. "Plus, we're also getting closer, as friends. You can't understate the importance of that."

"You're right, and – oh shit!" Dennis suddenly exclaimed. "I taped the show for Mayra, and I forgot to bring the cassette with me when we left." He made a quick U-turn, and headed back toward the club.

"You know, I think I saw that tape," I told him. "I know where you left it. When you get back there, let me out, and I'll run inside and grab it."

He pulled up in front of the club, and I hopped out. Had I thought about it a little more, I might have asked Dennis to go and get it himself. There was the groupie issue to worry about; I generally tried to minimize the amount of time I spent inside these clubs before and after shows. But there had been no groupies in attendance earlier, and there would be none now. Dennis had left the cassette near the back of the club, not far from the bar; I found his tape in short order, and began to high-tail it back to the van, waiting outside.

As I passed in close proximity to the bar, I saw something that made me stop in my tracks.

Sitting at a table in the bar, with her back to me, was Inez. She still had on her stage attire. It was partially concealed by a light sweater, whose purpose was presumably to ward off the chill of the air conditioning. She was sipping on a drink. Seated next to her at the table was a clean-cut, good-looking guy who also had a drink in front of him. He looked to be about twenty-eight, maybe thirty years old. The two of them appeared to be engaged in some kind of a meaningful conversation, and had each other's undivided attention.

I found myself feeling a bit unnerved at that sight. However, I didn't want Inez to spot me, and think I was spying on her, so I started to make my way out of the club. Then, I stopped myself.

Did I really just see what I thought I saw?

I carefully and inconspicuously made another pass close to the bar. Using a pillar for cover, I positioned myself just out of Inez's sight line, and took a closer look. Inez was giggling and toying with her hair, while listening in rapt attention to whatever the guy was telling her. I got a better look at the dude, and vaguely recalled his having been in the audience during our show. I also believed I'd seen him before that, likely at another recent show. Then, all of a sudden, I saw the guy pull out his wallet ... and hand Inez a business card.

That's when I decided, once and for all, to hit the road. It was really none of my business, right? I got back in the van and handed the cassette to Dennis.

"Thanks, dude," he told me.

"Don't mention it."

I didn't feel much like talking during the trip home, and Dennis picked up on it.

"You okay, guy? You're not saying much."

"I'm beat," I told him, which I suppose was partly true. "I guess I put everything I had into that show tonight, and I'm paying the price for it now."