AWACS - An American With A Chinese System
Copyright© 2025 by PT Brainum
Chapter 59
Standing in the employees only hallway watching her as she closed out the night with something that sounded more like a lullaby than a jazz or blues song I felt as happy as she looked. I’m sure she was tired, but the whole last set tonight as we approached the 3 am closing was different. I wasn’t sure how or why, but I know even Paul had remarked that it was better. Even the audience knew, they were clapping and cheering after each song, where each seemed to progress in difficulty.
I’d never really considered myself a jazz or blues kind of guy, but I liked this. It was fantastic, and resonated along every nerve in my body. I wasn’t tired. I was ready to go on a moonlit beach walk, or go for a swim. My body wanted to move, even as the last few notes of this final song made me feel less like moving, and more like taking her for a nice slow dance around the room.
This time instead of leaping off the stage and running into my arms, she bowed with the rest of the crew. Bill & Connor, Ken & Bert, Paul, and a couple other people were all up there to take a final bow with her. The applause went on for some time.
I moved down the hallway to make room for the crew to come off stage, but instead they played one last song. The cheers were even louder when they finished. The applause lingered, but they didn’t, coming down off the stage, and down the hall. I handed them ice cold bottles of water as they passed me, turning into either Paul’s office or the chill out room.
I could hear the pink haired barista at the mic, thanking everyone for coming, and reminding them it was closing time, and last call. Mo passed me, taking a bottle, and chugging it, as she headed to Paul’s office. I followed her, finding the office empty as they passed thru to the bathroom facilities on the other side.
I took a bottle of water for myself, and found a seat to wait. It didn’t take long for Mo to find her way back, and she surprised me by settling in my lap.
“You are amazing!” I told her.
She just sighed, and rested her head on my shoulder, so I wrapped my arms around her, and she snuggled in close.
“Handing out water was a great idea, Koby, I’ll be sure to have somebody ready with that from now on,” Paul said, as he settled into the chair behind his desk. He fiddled with his computer, and the last set started to replay on the TV on the wall. He fast forwarded, checking that it had all recorded, then closed it out, changing the view back to a multi camera display of the bar slowly emptying of happy, satisfied, and in some cases, slightly tipsy customers.
“I guess this is goodbye until I can get things resolved with the FBI,” I told him.
“I’m sorry about that, but I think you understand.”
“I do, and I appreciate being allowed to stay to see this last performance. Can you send me a copy of it?”
He took my email address, and agreed to send me a copy of the recording, “I’m thinking I might just put it on the website, but it needs to go to a couple guys I know first. When they see this, people will be offering her recording contracts,” Paul explained.
Molly stuck her head in the door then, “There you are.”
“Yes, I’m here,” I responded.
“No, not you, Mo. Been looking for her, thought she might have run off. I’m her ride home.”
I looked down at Mo, finding her eyes shut, and her breathing softly. Speaking softer, I said, “I think she’s fallen asleep.”
Molly looked at her carefully, and nodded, “Yeah, she really gave it her all tonight. Can you carry her to the car for me?”
“Sure,” I agreed.
A brief whispered goodbye to Paul, and I followed Molly out the back door to a rear alley and a couple parked cars. I carefully set Mo into the bucket seat of a little two door, and buckled her up.
“Thanks for the assist big guy,” Molly offered, as she climbed in the drivers side and drove away.
I looked around, and lifted into the dark sky. I stayed below the clouds, and above the street lamps, hidden in the darkness of the night, I followed them as they drove home. It was easy enough to stay hidden, and I felt relieved to see Mo wake up enough to make her way up the steps into an old multistory victorian that had seen better days. It was well after 4 am and I wasn’t sure what to do next.
I knew one spot that would be empty and have a comfortable bed where I could crash for a couple hours. I sent a text message, and popped thru a tunnel into a dark but well appointed bedroom. My clothes shifted into a nice warm flannel pajamas as I made quick use of the head, before pulling the covers up over me as I listened to the rain beat down on the boat deck and river outside. I didn’t even bother setting chicken to wake me.
I woke, momentarily confused about where I was as I heard a voice calling my name.
I had just got an eye open, the sun reflecting off the water and thru a porthole into the room, when the door to the master suite on the boat opened.
“There you are. I brought you breakfast.”
“Morning Aida. Hope no one will mind that I borrowed the boat, I needed a place to crash.”
“It’s fine, it technically belongs to the firm anyway, so I can give permission as the new managing partner.”
“It’s a pretty comfortable boat. Let me know if you decide the firm wants to sell it, I might be interested.”
“I’ll have to check on that, we do use it a lot for entertaining clients.”
“What do you do with it?” I asked.
She tossed me a bag of Mcdonalds as I sat up in bed, which I put to the side.
To read the complete story you need to be logged in:
Log In or
Register for a Free account
(Why register?)
* Allows you 3 stories to read in 24 hours.