Chapter 34 -- Serenading

Look what they've done to my brain, ma!
Look what they've done to my brain!
Well, they picked it like a chicken bone,
And I think I'm half insane, ma.
Look what they've done to my song.
- What Have They Done To My Song? (Melanie)

It turned out that Sherry had her mother's car--she got her driver's license a few weeks earlier. Merry agreed to go with Sherry before I could offer any objection. The two girls hopped into the car and took off to the Swift residence.

June noticed me looking after them. "What's wrong, Jim?"

"Sherry just got her license. Do you think Merry will be safe?"

"Sherry passed her driver's test, Jim," June said, shaking her head at me. "She's proven that she's capable. I doubt that the state of Illinois will give a license to a dangerous driver."

Of course, June's impeccable logic only made me worry even more. After all, this very state gave a license to my father. My father loved to drive, even after consuming enough alcoholic beverages that he would be asked to leave the premises that he consumed them in. Of course, he would insist on driving home. My mother and I were occupants with him on too many of those occasions.

However, I didn't think equating Sherry with my father would be fair. I actually liked Sherry, after all.

June and I arrived at my apartment a few minutes after Sherry and Merry safely arrived.

I heard some guitar music with a lovely voice singing as I came upstairs. It took me a moment or two to recognize the singer as Kristen, singing a version of Proud Mary, totally unlike any that I've heard before.

"What's wrong, Jim?" June asked, as she noticed me stop on the stairs.

"That's Kristen singing," I said.

"Really?" June asked. She looked at me. "That doesn't sound like her voice."

"You haven't heard her sing when she thinks she's alone."

Apparently, Kristen didn't adapt her voice to make herself sound like the original performer, as I tended to do. That was something that my friend Roy taught me a few years prior. When I was learning to sing, I admitted to Roy that I hated hearing my own voice when I played it back on tape. His suggestion was for me to try to imitate other singers. It took some work, but Roy and I both shared a love of music that made the effort worthwhile. Soon, we were imitating each other as well, which is why our voices sounded so nice together when we sang duets.

Anyway, I continued to stand in the stairway as Kristen finished her song.

"That's beautiful," I heard my sister tell Kristen. "I always thought that Ike and Tina Turner's version was sexy, but I think I like your version better."

I instinctively grinned at Merry's remark. I've lived for a number of years listening to my sister compliment my music ability. I was glad that Merry was willing to do the same to my Goddess.

"Here's one that I've been working on," Kristen said.

I heard a delicate acoustic guitar intro. I closed my eyes, trying to place the chord sequence.

It didn't take very long. She started hitting the chords more forcefully, and then I heard Kristen sing:

When the truth is found to be lies,
And all the joys within you dies...
Don't you want somebody to love?
Don't you need somebody to love?
Wouldn't you love somebody to love?
You better find somebody to love!

I was floored. Aside from the fact that she was playing an acoustic guitar, Kristen was able to perform that number that would rival Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane. The effect was very ethereal.

"Kris is very talented," June whispered to me. "She and you would be a killer..."

I noticed June had stopped talking. I turned to my friend, and saw that she was just shaking her head.

"Why don't the two of you play together?" June asked. "I mean, she was there in the jazz band at school, but the two of you as a singing duo would be wonderful!"

Actually, I was thinking the same thing. I remembered that the Swifts had told me that Kristen had formal voice lessons and could play the guitar. I was just curious as to why Kristen would perform for others, and she had never offered to do so for me.

"What's wrong, Jim?" June asked, noticing that my face must have registered some of the emotions that I was feeling.

"Nothing," I lied.

June wasn't convinced, but she had the sense not to push too far.

After Kristen finished Somebody To Love, the others in the room were complimenting her again.

I started walking up the stairs again.

June was a bit surprised that I started going up, but she caught up quickly.

When June and I entered the apartment, everybody's attention turned to me and June.

I noticed that Kristen's guitar was against the love seat where Kristen was sitting.

Nobody mentioned Kristen's singing and playing when I arrived.

I had no idea what to make of this.

"Jim! June! Come on in! We've been waiting for you two!"

Kristen gave me a big kiss, and then gave one to June. Merry decided to get in on the action, and gave me a kiss on the cheek, and did the same to June. Lynette, not wanting to be left out, kissed the two of us as well.

"Is that your guitar, Kris?" I asked, indicating the instrument leaning against the love seat.

"I was picking at it before," Kristen said. "Lynette wanted to hear me play."

I waited a couple of seconds, but Kristen didn't add anything else. She didn't offer to play for me, I noticed once again.

June probably knew what was going on in my mind. Even so, she said, "Ooh, can I hear you play a song?"

Kristen blushed, and said, "Maybe later."

I felt hurt that Kristen didn't seem to want to play in front of me. Why was that? She never had any problem playing piano at the school, although I now recalled that she only started playing to help Amy.

Lynette changed the subject and she, Merry, June, and Sherry started talking about cheerleading.

I sat down on "my" recliner and pretended to listen to the girls talk. In my mind, however, I was brooding over Kristen's actions.

Later on, we all went downstairs to the play room and Kristen started up a game of pool. Lynette and I teamed up against Sherry and Kristen, and I only took a half-hearted shot at a stripe and missed.

After Kristen and Sherry won, Merry and June were up. I excused myself and went into my studio.

Why wouldn't Kristen play for me? She didn't seem to have any problems playing for anybody else--even my sister!

I looked at my electric piano, and started doodling on it. After a couple of minutes, I was startled when I heard Lynette's voice behind me.

"What's got you upset, Oogie?"

"Nothing," I lied. I continued playing what I had started before... a doodle that consisted of my left hand playing a D-minor and G-major back-and-forth progression, with some improvisations with my right hand.

Lynette noted, "That sounds a bit familiar. What is it?"

I started thinking about the chord progression that I was using. It was simple, and as Lynette had indicated, it did seem a bit familiar. Instead of answering, I simply shrugged and continued doodling.

"You're either upset at June or Kris. I can't believe that it's June, so you're mad at Kris. What's wrong?"

Again I shrugged, and continued the improvisation.

Lynette continued to listen to me play, and I tried to think where that chord progression came from. I continued bouncing back between D-minor and G-major for eight beats at a time.

Suddenly, the song hit me. To make sure, I filled in the missing chords, continuing to improvise with my right hand. D-minor to D-augmented to F-major and finally to G-major. "A Taste of Honey," I said to Lynette, playing the melody line finally.

"Oh yeah," Lynette said, recognizing the tune. "It was almost there, but it sounded strange."

I nodded and went back to improvising on the song's actual chord progression. I noticed that the in-between chords could be left out during the improv and made it easier for me to doodle against it.

"You're angry that Kristen played the guitar for me and not for you," Lynette observed.

I didn't answer, but I felt wetness in my eyes as Lynette voiced what was going through my mind.

"She's scared of you, you know," Lynette softly said. "She doesn't think she's good enough for you."

What did Lynette say? I actually stopped playing and turned to stare at the blonde behind me. "How did you get in here, Lynette? Wasn't the DND light on?"

"No, Oogie. Look."

I noticed the switch was down. I apparently forgot to turn it on when I came inside. Had I been that distracted?

"Kristen's not good enough?" I asked. "Who told her that bullshit?"

"She thinks it, Jim," Lynette said. "Now you've left her in the play room, despite the fact that Sherry and Merry are really your visitors. You're not being a good host. I can imagine how Kris feels."

I felt like a heel. Of course, Lynette was right. The girls were here at my invitation; they were my guests. As a proper host, I should be there with them. Just the same, I knew that I'd have to have a talk with Lynette later about Kristen.

I nodded to Lynette and the two of us left the studio and returned to the play room.

Lynette and I came in as I saw June sink the eight ball.

I did a double take, realizing that June and Merry had beaten my lovely blonde Goddess.

"We win!" June cried happily. "You're up next, Oogie!"

Smiling, I took my cue from the rack and started racking the balls for June and Merry. As I did so, I saw some looks pass between Lynette and Kristen. I ignored them for the most part.

June sunk a solid on the break, but missed her next shot. Lynette and I were able to beat June and Merry, and we went for our rematch against Kristen and Sherry.

Lynette broke without sinking anything. Sherry was up next, and sunk a ball but scratched when the cue ball also fell into one of the pockets.

I carefully placed the cue and took my turn, sinking six balls in a row before missing.

Kristen sunk a number of balls in return, but missed her shot on the eight ball.

Lynette cleared the rest of our balls but missed the eight ball. Unfortunately for us, Lynette left an easy shot for Sherry, who sunk the eight ball.

After playing a few games and listening to songs on the radio in the play room, Kristen suggested that I take Sherry on a private tour of the music studio.

When we got there, Sherry uttered a surprised, "Wow!"

I grinned at the cheerleader, proud of my studio.

"You have three keyboards now?" Sherry noticed.

"Uh, huh," I said, proudly. "The upright, an electric piano, and this is an electric organ."

"Reel to reel deck, too," Sherry said, impressed with the setup.

"It's called open reel," I said, grinning. I had a tape that I had been working on that neither Lynette nor Kristen had noticed when they were in the room. It was actually something for school.

The previous year, in October, there was a talent show at the school that I never got around to entering, mostly because I was preoccupied with my new relationship with Kristen, and the new responsibilities of having a jazz band.

This year, I was going to enter, and I wanted to see what Mr. Proilet thought about my idea.

"I've been working on something, and you'll be my first test audience," I told Sherry. "Not even Kristen has heard this one, yet."

"Cool!" Sherry gave me a mischievous look.

I set up the standing mike for the final track, which I had flubbed a couple of times the last time I tried to record, so I decided to do just the lyrics. I have always found that I usually sang better when I have an audience. The actual music parts were pretty easy for the song I was doing. The song really needed a drum part, but I didn't play those very well, and I didn't even have a drum kit. I was going to need somebody to help me at the talent show.

I sat Sherry down at the other end of the room, so when I was standing behind the mike stand, I'd be facing her. I looked around, and almost everything was perfect.

"I'll be right back. I need some props."

"Huh?"

"One second, Sherry. Be right back."

I left the room, and went across the hall to the "recovery room." In the closet was a denim jacket that I had put there right after I decided on the song. In its left pocket was a pair of dark horn-rimmed sunglasses. In the room, I even had an unopened bottle of Vitalis that I had snagged at a drugstore. Even back in the 1970s, it was a relic, although it wasn't impossible to find it in the stores. I rubbed the slick stuff through my hair and combed my hair into a 1950s style pompadour. I looked like a greaser from that era.

I looked in the mirror and was satisfied with the effect.

I ran back to the studio, closing the door, and then I turned on the DND light.

Sherry started giggling when she saw my new persona.

I smiled at her and put my finger to my lips as I started the recorder. I heard my acoustic piano track start the intro, and started to sing:

Oh...
Well... I'm the type of guy
That'll never settle down.
Where pretty girls are,
Well, you know that I'm around.
I kiss 'em and I hug 'em,
'Cause to me they're all the same.
I hug 'em and I squeeze 'em.
They don't even know my name.'
They call me the Wanderer,
Yeah, the Wanderer,
I roam around, around, around, around.

I saw Sherry grin as she recognized the song. I had a special surprise for her in the next verse:

Well, there's June on my left,
And there's Lynette on my right.
And Sherry is the one, yeah,
That I'll be with tonight!
And when she asks me
Which one I love the best,
I tear open my shirt,
I got "Kristen" on my chest!
Cause I'm the Wanderer,
Yeah, the Wanderer,
I roam around, around, around, around, around...

At the actual moment I was singing about opening up my shirt, I opened the denim jacket, and there was a piece of paper with "KRISTEN" written in magic marker pinned to my shirt with a safety pin. This caused Sherry to laugh out loud, which I knew meant that I'd have to do another take of the song. I was going to need to find a better directional microphone.

Actually, knowing that I'd have to do the take again, I found myself to be much looser. I continued the song, and started singing much more freely as I hammed it up for Sherry. I grabbed the mike with both hands, singing like a crooner.

I had a trumpet track that played the same part that the sax played on the Dion recording of the forty-five. During that solo, I twirled the microphone on its cord like Tom Jones or Roger Daltrey would do during a performance, which also generated laughs from Sherry.

At the end of the song, Sherry started applauding. "That's fantastic, Jim! You sounded just like... what's his name?"

"Dion and the Belmonts?" I offered. "Dion is the guy that sings 'The Wanderer.'"

Sherry gave me a small grin. "Do you really think that I'll be the one with you tonight?"

I laughed. "No," I answered, truthfully. "I never really had anybody for that third part. The last time I recorded this, I used the name Cammy."

Sherry's eyes widened for a quick moment, but she recovered quickly and said, "Well, you can use my name if you want. You recorded that, right?"

"Your laughter ruined the take, so I'll probably do the track again later."

"Oh, I'm sorry..."

"No need to apologize," I assured Sherry. "I needed some practice with it. If it went perfect, I would have been happy, but I have until school starts to get it perfect."

"School?"

"Talent Show."

"You're going to enter?" Sherry asked, surprised.

"Why not?"

"You'll probably scare away anybody else that wants to enter, then."

Shit. I would hate to be a disincentive to anybody at school.

"Well, I could also use it for a demo tape that Gerry can forward to Puppy Dawg's."

"Are you starting a band?"

I shrugged. "Yeah. I figured that I might as well start earning my keep. Anyway, do you mind sitting through another attempt?"

"You're going to record it again?"

I nodded.

"I promise not to laugh this time!"

I reset the recorder, and got back to the microphone.

This time, the song went perfect. I rewound the tape and played it, realizing a bit that I was subjecting Sherry to the song three times in short succession. However, as I was doing the playback, I added a portable cassette recorder into the output of the pre-amp to mix the four tracks down to one--a setup I had jerry-rigged when Roy came over for a visit a week before.

After I was satisfied that the song sounded all right, I shut the machine off, and popped the cassette tape out and handed it to Sherry.