Chapter 4: Expanding Our Horizon

It took Fran several days to get past her disappointment in our abortive attempt to make love. Oh, we had sex alright, but we didn't really make love. There was no sexual connection that I could detect. I know Fran wanted it to happen, if only to justify her feelings toward me. But it didn't and she had a difficult time getting past that. I thought at first she might decide to move back into the second bedroom, but she continued to sleep with me. I was also happy it didn't affect her performance on our second night. She was right there and right with the music, just as she had been on the previous night.

Stan was still on a high from the Friday night performance and wanted us to give a repeat of it on Saturday. He was the boss, so we did as he requested. The only change we made was to eliminate the encore song, Dimming of the Day, substitute Kelly Musgrave's Blowin' Smoke for our last one, and Stay With Me would follow if requested. As it happened, we did get an encore request, although not quite as enthusiastic as the previous night's. But no one was disappointed that I could see. We gave the audience a good performance from the first song in the first set to the very end. The band was energized with the audience response and you could feel the good vibes throughout the evening.

In my spare time, I worked on mastering the bass, trying to get as much out of it as I was capable of. Bud was right, it wasn't as difficult to learn as the guitar, but it still required learning and that didn't happen overnight. However, I wasn't called upon to do anything fancy, just good rhythm bass to accompany the melody. I was fairly confident I managed that much. In the meantime, Fran and I practiced our new songs. Our target was a dozen for the next month. We would create sheet music for the lyrics only. We knew the melody and the sheet music had the key noted on it. She was really into making this work and I was happy for her. I was confident now that she had gotten over the debacle of her road trip with Crystal.

It was late April when we felt comfortable with our performances. Stan had booked us into several county fairs over the later part of June through Labor Day. These were support appearances for bigger name acts, but paid very well. Many of them were daytime dates, usually on the weekend. We were making enough money with our weekend work that we were considering whether Fran could quit her job and work on her music full time. She was being featured more and more often. She spent a lot of time in front of the computer looking for songs that either one or both of us could handle. She knew our strengths and weaknesses well, and made some good choices for us.

I was still working at the music store, but wondering if sometime in the near future I could quit there and be with Fran and the band full time. I knew Stan was very happy with how things were with the group and admitted that they'd never had it so good. His band had evolved into a much more developed ensemble and the quality had improved dramatically. Moreover, we had changed the music mix gradually from older well known tunes to some newer music the audience would respond to. If we could keep improving and getting more exposure, we might have a career in music. For me, at the ripe old age of twenty-six, that would be an accomplishment.

I arrived home from work one Thursday to discover we had a visitor. When I went to open the door, I heard voices and laughter and decided that there was no problem inside. I entered and looked around, seeing Fran and another young woman sitting at the kitchen table, drinking some ice tea.

"Hi, Ed. Come and meet my sister, Gina," Fran bubbled.

"Ah hah! There really is a Gina," I smiled, walked toward the attractive woman sitting opposite to Fran.

"Hi, Ed. So nice to meet you," she said, rising from the chair and giving me a hug. "All I've heard from Fran is what a great guy you are and how much you mean to her."

"Oh ... yeah ... well we are good friends alright," I said. "Fran talks a lot about you too."

I got a good look at Gina and wondered if she was really Fran's sister. She was about five-six or seven, similar to Fran. But the main difference was in her body. She had a body that would put a Playboy model to shame. She was wearing a tight pullover with a scoop neck that emphasized her very impressive chest, and the snug slacks made a hell of a statement about her backside as well. She had my immediate interest both coming and going ... and she noticed my checking her out.

When I finally got around to looking at her face, she was just as attractive as her sister, with a lot of common traits. The brown eyes sparkled, and there was a hint of mischief in them. A nice, straight nose to full lips and a strong chin made her very attractive. Her hair was shorter than Fran's, ending at the collar, but the color was similar. I could tell in the first few moments of meeting her that she was well aware of the effect she had on men and used that to her benefit. Sex on wheels was the first thought that came to mind.

"Gina's finally escaped the home as well," Fran said. "I hope you don't mind, but I said she could sleep in the music room until she finds a place of her own."

"No ... no ... of course not," I said, wondering what this voluptuous young lady's plan was.

"Did you leave voluntarily?" I asked impertinently.

She laughed. "He knows our family, doesn't he," she said to Fran.

"He knows all about everything, Gina, including my situation."

"Oh ... I see. So what do you think about that, Ed?"

"I think your sister got treated very unfairly. It might have cost her her life. I wonder if your mother even thought of that."

"I doubt it. Mom is a half-a-block from Looney Street as far as I'm concerned. I couldn't believe she would do that to Fran. When she told me what happened to her and how you rescued her, I was almost sick with what might have been. Mother calls herself a religious person, but I don't think there's anything Christian about what she's done."

I was curious. "Are you just visiting?"

"I've left home," Gina said without sorrow. "I couldn't take it anymore. Mom and Dad are fighting all the time now. I think Dad is about at the end of his rope. He's either going to kill her or just leave. I don't really care which, to be honest."

"I hope it doesn't come to that," I said. "But I can sympathize with you. In the meantime, we'll find a place for you here. Has Fran told you about our arrangements?"

"Yeah ... how about that. Fran sleeping with a guy. I would never have guessed."

"Well, don't read too much into it. It's a very platonic relationship," I emphasized.

"So she says. But doesn't that mess up your love life?"

I laughed. "Not hardly. I don't have a love life. I love Fran like a sister and I'll do anything for her. I think it will be good for her to have you here with us. Maybe we can convince you to join in with our singing group. Fran says you were a very accomplished singer in the choir."

"Yeah ... she's been telling me about that band she's with. That sounds like real fun. I can't wait to hear you guys."

"Tomorrow night, seven o'clock at the Palomar Club. I think you're going to be very surprised at Fran and how good she is."

"Naw ... I always knew Fran was good. We sang together several times and she was the smoothest voice by far. I'm a little too rough for choir. I'm more like a rock singer."

"Well, there's a place for that too," I suggested.

It was a delight to hear laughter and chatter as Fran and Gina reunited at the apartment. The place had never felt this alive and it was also a tonic for me. Gina was as lively and funny as Fran had suggested, and the two of them obviously had a great relationship. If there was any distraction, it was mine, attached directly to Gina's blatant sexuality. I wasn't sure if it was deliberate, but she exuded sex in her movement and her expression. She clearly knew what she looked like and was proud of it.

Gina came to the music store with me on Friday morning. She had no interest in the feed mill, so it was the logical choice. As it happened, both Bud and Stan dropped in before lunch and I introduced Gina to them. I saw two pair of eyes bug out and listened to the two of them make fools of themselves, stuttering and stammering as they tried to talk to her. I decided I had better rescue the boys.

"Stan, Bud, Gina is also a singer, and she'll be at the club tonight to see what we do and watch her sister. You may want to audition her at some point. I'm pretty sure she and Fran would make a seriously good duo."

"Hey ... I'm all for that," Stan said immediately. "Come down early tonight and we can see how you fit."

"Watch out, Gina," I said. "Most of us call him Fox ... for a reason." I gave her the raised eyebrow in warning. In fact, Stan was a happily married man and wouldn't dream of cheating on Doreen.

"Don't you worry about me, Ed. I can handle myself," she said with a smirk.

"Yeah ... I'll bet you can," I thought.

A few hours later, the three of us trouped into the Palomar to get set up for the evening. I'd brought both guitars and my Roland, just in case we wanted to use it. I saw Gina look at some of the instruments and introduce herself to Rollie, Al and Thad. Stan played drums, Rollie was our main keyboard player, Al backed up Bud on electric guitar, Thad played bass and fiddle, and Bud, of course, on lead guitar, both electric and acoustic. With my bass, second keyboards, guitar, and Fran's capability to play chords on the keyboard, we had a lot of versatility.

Gina picked up my unplugged Gibson and I saw her pick a few chords. My observation said she knew what she was doing. I approached Fran.

"Can Gina play guitar?" I asked her.

"About the same as I can play keyboards," she nodded. "Chords mostly."

"Okay, that's good to know. Hell, think about it, we've got the makings of a trio back at the apartment."

"You're right. It will make practice easier," she noted.

Since everyone was on stage and ready, we had time to go over the play list and check a couple of newer songs that had been chosen. Stan had a theory that in a club atmosphere, it was good to finish with a slow, love themed song. In a big setting, indoors or outdoors, he felt a hard-driving finish was better. Tonight's crowd would be largely contemporary, so our mix would reflect that. Set Me on Fire, a Missy Higgins cover, would open the first set with a good guitar intro and lots of pace. It wasn't ideal for Fran's voice, but she knew the song and was willing. Both Al and I would back her up on harmony vocals.

When Fran saw the opening song, she looked at Stan and said, "I think Gina would be better on this song than I would be. We both know the melody and she's got the kind of voice to pull it off. Why don't we give it a try and see how it sounds. If it doesn't work, we'll stay with the plan."

Stan looked at Gina and got a shrug and a smile in reply. She was obviously willing to try it.

"Do you know the lyrics?" I asked her.

"Forwards and backwards," she grinned. "I used to sing this song all the time. I'm willing to try it."

"Okay. Bud, I'll give you a heavy bass line when you start with the intro. We'll make it a little harder driving that normal, okay?"

"Great. Okay with you, Stan?"

"Sure, but let's get it going. We don't have a lot of time."

I plugged in my bass and saw both Stan and Bud were ready. I turned to Gina and she nodded in readiness. Stan saw the acknowledgment and I heard him call his usual "one-two-three-four," and we were off.

Bud hit the intro dead on with a quick, harder sound than normal and I was on top of him with the bass. The intro gave Gina plenty of time to get ready and she stood at the mike, watching Bud for her cue. When it came, she nailed it. Eight bars into the vocals and I knew we had another new sound. I motioned for Fran to join me and we could back her up at the appropriate spots. I looked around at Stan and he was shaking his head, but smiling broadly as he heard what I heard. We took Gina all the way through the song and she was right on all the way. She had a good voice, but it was fundamentally different than Fran's. I was wondering what they would sound like as a duo.

"You're hired, Gina," Stan yelled when the last bars ended.

I wondered how he was going to pay everyone. We had grown from a five piece band to an eight piece band in the matter of a couple of months. How was he handling the payroll? When he had a moment, I asked that very question.

"It's an investment in the future, Ed. We've got at least four county fair dates booked this summer and they are big paydays. The other thing is that since we made the play list changes, we are getting better known. I talked to the manager here, and he wants to book us for at least two months. He's selling out when we play now. That didn't happen before. The Starlight wants some of our time too, so we have to decide where our priorities lie. The day you agreed to fill in for my missing people was the day things started to change. Bringing Fran in just added to our strength. Now, if Gina is as good as she sounds, we have another dimension we can exploit. I'm really excited by this, Ed."

"Okay, Stan. You're the boss. Let's see how tonight goes first. I'll go over the play list with Fran and Gina and see if we can work Gina into backup with Fran. I want to get an idea of how they sound together."