The Necklace - The Dusky Club, June 1962 - Linda S Rice (books to read fiction txt) 📗

in close to Susan’s ear, where she proceeded to explain a few of the basics, making Susan’s face turn even pinker. “Got all that?”

Susan nodded. “Um, yes...thank you for the tips...” thinking, “Oh geez, and here I am getting sex ed, and I’m technically sixty-two years old! How crazy is that??!!”

 

Chapter Five

Mel

“Well, see you around,” said Mindy, pushing herself up from the stool next to Susan. She started to say something else but decided against it. She just smiled, then turned and walked away. It was so obvious Susan would soon surrender to James. Susan just didn’t know it yet.

Susan looked over at the girls on the other side of the room, who were all deadly silent, glaring at her. James didn’t notice as he took off his guitar and walked over to her.

“Come watch me pack my gear up, and then we can get out of here,” he said.

He took her hand, and they stepped up onto the stage area where all the boys were unplugging their instruments and carrying everything to the practice room upstairs before taking them out to their cars.

One of the girls from the other side of the room came up to the front and said loudly, “Us English girls not good enough for you anymore, Jimmie? Prefer the American whore to us, do ya?”

James spun around. “Get yourself out of here, Sara. What I do is none of your business.”

“Well, it is when my best friend is having her heart broken over you.”

“You mean Hilary? She doesn’t have a heart. She just wanted me to increase her consequence so she could climb the ladder to a more popular bloke with more money. You know that as well as I do.”

“You didn’t seem to mind her so much when she gave herself to you...in fact...”

“Stop, Sara...just because the bloke with the other band decided he didn’t want her anymore doesn’t mean she can come running back to me. She sickens me. I don’t even know why you decided to be her friend other than you feel sorry for her.”

Sara turned to Susan. “Just wait, little American girl...just you wait until he’s sick of you. It always happens, you know...he’s had just about every girl that was in the room tonight at one time or another.”

“Get out!” yelled James.

Derek looked over at Sara. “Better leave, Sara,” he advised.

She glared at Susan with hatred so intense that Susan took a few steps backward and almost knocked over a speaker. Sara smirked, then turned and walked away.

“Watch your back, little girl,” she flung over her shoulder. “Hilary won’t let this drop, you know.”

Susan, shaken by the encounter, was at a loss for words.

“I’m sorry,” said James, motioning for her to follow him upstairs into the practice room. “Please don’t worry yourself about anything she said. I made a big mistake when I hooked up with Hilary. It looks like I’m going to be regretting it a lot longer. Sara’s not such a bad person. In fact, she’s quite nice. Ian goes out with her from time to time. She should never have become friends with Hilary. It’s Hilary that’s tellin’ her what to do and say.”

Susan sighed. “That’s okay. She just kind of frightened me, that’s all.”

James and the boys had to make several trips out to their cars with all their gear. They wouldn’t be playing at the club again until Tuesday, so they took their stuff home in case they wanted to get together somewhere else or in case they individually wanted to work out a new tune. Their Dusky nights were Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday, which meant James would have all day Sunday and Monday off.

James opened the passenger door of his car, and Susan got in. He got in on the other side and started it up.

“Mind if we stop off at my house before we head out somewhere else so I can drop my gear off?” James asked.

“Why no, of course not,” she replied. “Where else are we going tonight?”

“Well, first I thought I might freshen up a bit, you know, wash the stuff out of my hair...”

She turned and looked at him. “Are you doing that for me?”

“Yeah...I guess I am.”

“I’m flattered...thank you.”

“I was hoping maybe later you’d run your fingers through my hair.”

“Hmmmm...Were you? ...I knew there would be an ulterior motive.”

“I also thought we could head down to the pier and peek in some clubs there.”

“Sounds fine to me.”

The first thing Susan noticed when they walked in the front door and James switched on the light was the piano up against the back wall of the lounge. James saw her looking at it.

“Yeah, that’s the piano my dad taught me to play on. My mum used to play it too. They’d sit there on that bench and play tunes together.”

“Oh, how sweet! Making music together. That must have been very special for you.”

“It was. My dad still sits there and plays the same tunes, mostly American ragtime...you know, Scott Joplin...Hey, I’m gonna run upstairs real fast like, put my head under some water, and make a quick change. Make yourself at home; I’ll only be a few minutes.”

She smiled, looked around, and sat down in a big armchair. The room smelled faintly of tobacco smoke, like pipe smoke. It was much nicer than the cigarette smell from the club.

After a minute, she stood up and went over to the piano. She sat down, wondering if she really could now play. Had Mika given her the gift?

“Might as well test it out,” she thought. “Hmmm...I wonder if I know anything by heart...”

She put her hands on the keys and started playing. “Moonlight Sonata” came flowing out of her hands as they moved across the keyboard. She closed her eyes, and with a deep and gratified sigh, played on. This was great!

As she finished, she heard clapping behind her and spun around on the piano bench. An older man in a bathrobe was looking at her intently with a pleasant smile on his face.

“Very nice, very nice indeed,” he said, coming over and extending his hand. “You must be the American girl James told me about. I’m his dad, Melvin. Just call me Mel.”

“Oh! I’m so, so sorry!” she said contritely. “I didn’t realize anyone else was at home...James never said...I just wasn’t thinking...I must have woke you up!”

“No matter at all, dear. I’m a light sleeper, and I found your playing quite delightful. Might you want to play something else for me?”

“Oh, no...no...I’m not very good, you see...”

“There’s some sheet music in the piano bench. Get up a moment and let me get it.”

He came over to the piano bench as she stood up. He opened it and took out some sheets of music, and set them up on the piano.

“Have you ever played any Scott Joplin?”

“Um...no...I don’t believe I have.”

“Well, since I’m up and you’re here...where is James, by the way?”

“He went upstairs to wash that horrible greasy stuff out of his hair...oh geez...I shouldn’t have said that. I suppose it’s all the rage and everything...but I didn’t mean to be insulting.”

“No need to apologize; I think it’s quite appalling myself, and so does James. ...Well, while we’re waiting, why don’t you come sit down on the piano bench, and we’ll play this together?”

“Oh my! I really couldn’t...I mean shouldn’t...I’m sure I’m not near good enough.”

“Of course you are; now come and sit down with me. I’ll play the right hand, the hard part...” He grinned at her. “You just play the left hand, and I’ll do the foot pedals.”

He sat down on the piano bench. Eyebrows raised while he waited for her to join him. She shrugged her shoulders.

“Oh well...here goes,” she thought. “I hope I don’t make a fool of myself.”

“Ready then?”

Both of their hands hit the keys simultaneously, Mel’s fingers flying and Susan’s playing somewhat tentatively.

“Give it more gusto!” said Mel. “Come on now; I know you can!”

She read the music and played, doing her best to follow his lead, and soon found that she was having fun. It was quite fabulous, being able to play the piano. Mel flipped the pages of music as the song went on. It was “The Entertainer,” Susan recognized, thinking of the movie in the future in which it was the featured song. Mel and Susan were both laughing as the tune ended.

They heard clapping behind them. For the second time, Susan spun around on the piano bench, and there was James.

His hair looked clean and fresh but was still a little damp. He wore dark trousers and a clean long-sleeved shirt and looked stunningly handsome. He shook his head in an attempt to dry his hair, and Susan stifled a gasp. Here was the James she remembered falling in love with from afar at a concert in August 1964, a concert that hadn’t even happened yet.

And here he was in front of her now, young and exuberant, his career and world-shattering popularity on the brink of happening. For all his sexual innuendos and outrageous flirting with her, he still looked so open, honest, and…gentlemanly. So...so...darn desirable! Damn it all! She shook her head to try and clear her thoughts.

Mel was observing Susan looking at James and James looking at Susan. It was easy to see the attraction between them. He could almost feel it crackling in the air.

“Trying to steal my girl away from me, are ya, Dad?” James asked.

“Sure, and why not!” responded Mel. “She’s a fine piano player and very pretty on top of it.”

James grinned. “Yeah, she is very pretty; I don’t believe I’ve told her yet.”

Susan blushed and started fingering the silver ballet shoes on her necklace.

“Play a tune with James, will you?” said Mel, getting up from the piano bench and looking at Susan. “Come on over here, Jimmie, and make some music with your new girlfriend.”

Susan almost choked. She was his new girlfriend, was she? Just how much had James told his dad about her anyway? She hadn’t even been here that long!

James came over and sat down, flipping through the music on top of the piano. They were sitting so close together that his thigh was touching hers. It sent uncontrollable shivers down her spine. She moved over an inch, but there was no more room on the piano bench.

“Ah! ‘The American Beauty Rag’ ...sounds like a good one.” He smiled at her.

He placed the music so they could both see it and started to play. She joined in. Mel tapped his foot along in time to the music. As it ended, they all clapped.

“Very nice,” complimented Mel. “You’ll come back and play sometime again, won’t you?”

“Well, maybe I will...” She looked at James as she slid off the piano bench and stood up.

“Yeah, Dad, I’ll bring her back sometime soon.”

“Excuse me,” Susan said. “But, may I use your bathroom, please?”

“Oh, sure,” responded Mel, pointing. “Right up the stairs there, door on your left at the top.”

Susan thanked him and went up the stairs. Both James and Mel heard the bathroom door close.

“So then, you told me this morning you’d met an American girl last night at the club, who I can only assume is this Susan here. A delightful little thing. How old is she?” asked Mel.

“Didn’t ask, Dad, but you have to be eighteen to get into the club, you know,” James responded.

“Well, she doesn’t look that old to me. Too fresh