Fairplay, Denver Cereal Volume 6 (49 page)

Jeraine put his arm around her and led her
away. They continued toward the stage. Once there, Bumpy leaned
down to them.

“
You need to say
something,” Bumpy said. “These people paid a lot of money to be
here. They’re pretty freaked out.”

Jeraine kissed Tanesha’s cheek and hopped up
to the stage. Seth said something in his ear. He gave Seth a
‘really’ look. Seth nodded.

“
Ok folks,” Jeraine said.
“We have a few issues that needed to be resolved. The Denver Police
are going to take some folks out of here. Let’s give them some
room. In the meantime, my friend Seth here, my father Bumpy Wilson
and their band are going to entertain you. But not for too
long.”

“
I just learned that the
Denver Police are allowing us to put up a big screen outside so the
folks in line can also watch. The sound is going to be broadcast on
the radio so everyone can listen. These guys are going to play
while the screen is getting set it up. If you have family or
friends, especially the younger folks who can’t get into the clubs,
tell them to come down. When this fuss is cleared up, we’re going
to play until close. And trust me, with these guys around? You
never know who’s going to show up to play with us.”

The crowd cheered.

“
I, 2, 3, 4…” Seth said
and the band began to play.

Jeraine jumped down from the stage to stand
by Tanesha.

“
You wanna call your
little friend Sissy and Noelle?” he asked.

“
I’ll call Jill,” Tanesha
nodded. “They’re waiting for me to call.”

“
How…?”

“
There’s a lot you don’t
know,” Tanesha said.

“
Let’s get something to
eat before this starts,” he said. “I’m starving.”

“
With the girls?” Tanesha
pointed to where Heather, Blane, Sandy and Aden waited for
her.

“
Sure,” Jeraine
smiled.

“
You’re buying?” Tanesha
asked.

“
I’m buying,” Jeraine
said.

Smiling, Tanesha followed him out of the
club.

~~~~~~~~

Saturday night—11:12 P.M. MDT

“
So why where you holding
onto Sandy’s breast?” Aden asked.

They were waiting for the women at the
entrance of Dazzle Restaurant. They’d just eaten and Jeraine had to
get back to the club. Jeraine smiled at Aden.

“
That is a nice breast,”
Jeraine needled Aden.

Aden shifted uncomfortably. He glanced at
Blane. Shaking his head, Blane shrugged.

“
It was leaking,” Sandy
punched Jeraine in the chest and he stepped back from Aden. “It
started leaking in the car. He was covering for the
moisture.”

“
Leaking?” Aden raised his
eyebrows at Jeraine.

“
Never touched or played
foul with Miss T’s girls,” Jeraine said. “Never will. Even
I’m
not that
stupid.”

Aden smiled.

“
You?” Jeraine
asked.

“
Not a chance,” Aden
said.

The men laughed.

“
What are they laughing
at?” Tanesha asked Sandy.

“
You don’t want to know,”
Sandy said.

Tanesha and Heather walked passed the men.
Sandy joined her friends.

“
Jill’s waiting for us
outside,” Sandy said.

Without looking at the men, the women walked
out of the restaurant.

“
See what I mean,” Jeraine
said. “They’ve been like that since they were ten.”

Blane and Aden’s heads turned to look at
Jeraine. He shook his head.

“
Never harm nor foul the
girlfriends,” Jeraine said. “That rule has kept me alive all these
years.”

“
Wise man,“ Aden laughed
and patted Jeraine’s back

Laughing, the men followed the women out of
the restaurant.

~~~~~~~~

Sunday early-morning—1:42 A.M. MDT

The concert was incredible. Every Denver
band showed up to play. Many of Seth’s friends from the Denver
Symphony arrived. The music was loud, boisterous, and playful.
Jeraine acted as master MC while Seth took over as conductor. The
musicians and singers were having such a great time playing
together that the crowd couldn’t help but enjoy themselves. The
club’s owner Regis Christou told anyone who would listen that this
was the best night he’d had as a club owner.

Tanesha spent her time with her girls. They
laughed, danced with each other, and occasionally with their men.
When Charlie, Nash, Teddie, Noelle, and Sissy arrived with Valerie,
the small pack of ignored men went to hang outside to give the
women some time together. It had been a long time, three weddings,
a few surgeries, and two children ago since the women had been out
dancing together. They were enjoying this chance to be
together.

But the night was winding down. They’d
already called last call. Unfulfilled from the night of music, the
crowd inside and outside the club chanted “Promises, promises,
promises.” They wanted Jeraine to sing the song he’d written for
Tanesha. As if he hadn’t planned it all a long, he acquiesced to
the demanding crowd. They gave a rousing cheer.

Jeraine jumped down, found Tanesha, and
herded her up to the stage. Just before she took the stage, Jill
pressed something into Tanesha’s hand. She held up a white T-shirt
that said, “I am Miss T” in red on the front with a picture of
Tanesha on the back. Her girls put on shirts that said, “I’m with
Miss T” with the same picture on the back.

“
Put it on,” Jeraine
said.

Tanesha pulled the shirt over her head.

“
As you know, there is no
Misty,” Jeraine said. “At least, not one I’ve ever met.”

The crowd fell silent.

“
I want to introduce you
to Miss T,” Jeraine said. “Tanesha.”

The crowd roared to life. Tanesha thought
she was going to die of embarrassment on the spot. Her eyes cast
around for something solid and found her father standing next to
the stage with Sam Lipson. He nodded to her. Empowered by his
presence, she raised her hand in a wave and the crowd cheered.

“
You’re going to hear that
I wrote this song for a movie,” Jeraine said. “Which I did. You’re
going to hear that the song was stolen from my email account, which
it was. But don’t ever doubt who was on my mind when I wrote this
song.”

Jeraine pointed to Seth and the sad violin
began the soulful prelude. By the time Jeraine sang the first line
of the song, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Everyone knew
what it was like to not to be the person they wanted to be.
Everyone knew what it was like to hurt someone they loved. Men
pulled their women close. Women clung to each other. As if they
were at a soul revival, people’s sorrow and regret welled up to
fill the club. Looking out over the crowd from her perch on the
stage, Tanesha was awed by the power of Jeraine’s music. She was so
overcome that she could only stare.

When the violin played its last sorrowful
note, Jeraine fell to his knees in front of her. Tanesha shook her
head at him.

“
Get up,” she
said.

“
Marry me,” he
said.

“
You know I can’t do
that,” Tanesha said.

“
Awwww,” went through the
crowd.

He grinned. Jumping to his feet, he hugged
her.

“
Folks, Miss T is right,”
Jeraine said. “She can’t marry me.”

“
Tell them why,” Tanesha
said.

“
She already did when we
were kids,” Jeraine said.

The crowd erupted in cheers and Jeraine
hugged her.

“
Stay clean one year,”
Tanesha said in his ear. “And I’ll marry you again.”

“
Folks, Miss T just told
me that in one year’s time she and I are going to do it again,”
Jeraine said. “You hold onto your ticket stubs. We’ll have the
reception right here in one year’s time. You’re
invited.”

The crowd cheered.

“
Good night!”

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED and EIGHTY-SEVEN

After the party

Sunday early-morning—2:42 A.M. MDT

While the kids were getting ready for bed,
Sandy settled in to breastfeed Rachel on the couch of their
apartment. Sandy looked up when Sissy started one of Jeraine’s
songs. Noelle joined in. In a few minutes, they were laughing,
singing, and dancing.

“
You
are
getting ready for bed, aren’t
you?” Aden said from his position in the doorway of the living
room.

“
Of course,” Sissy’s voice
was high and excited.

“
They’re just excited,”
Sandy said. “It was a fun night.”

He smiled at her. She winked at him. When
Rachel made a sound, Sandy focused her attention on her baby.

“
Can we come out?” Charlie
asked. “You know, just for a minute… to talk?”

Aden glanced at Sandy and she shrugged in
response.

“
Sure,” Aden
said.

“
Yes!” Nash said. Nash and
Teddy’s hands slapped in a high five.

“
She’s breastfeeding,”
Aden said.

The boys turned a little green.

“
You’re such babies,”
Sissy pushed past them in the hall. Noelle giggled. The girls sat
on the couch next to Sandy.

“
It’s not like you haven’t
seen it before,” Charlie pushed the boys down the hall.

Aden set a soft fleece blanket over Sandy
and Rachel. Nash sat on the ground with his back against the couch
next to Sandy. Teddy sat on the floor next to Noelle’s feet. Noelle
reached her hand out and he took it.

“
Should we tell Rachel
about our fun night?” Sandy asked.

“
She didn’t get to go!”
Noelle said.

“
What was most fun?” Sandy
asked.

“
Dancing,” Sissy said.
“Definitely dancing.”

“
You were really great,”
Charlie said.

“
Did you see all the
boys?” Teddy asked.

“
What boys?” Sissy asked.
“Were boys making fun of me?”

“
More like drooling,”
Charlie said.

“
In a good way, Sis,”
Sandy said. “I have no doubt you were great.”

“
She was beautiful,” Aden
said.

“
Oh? You think so?” Sissy
smiled. “Thanks.”

“
I thought you were
amazing,” Noelle said. “We had so much fun. We got to sing and
dance and...”

She smiled at Teddy and he beamed back at
her.

“
It was nice that Addy
could come, Charlie,” Sandy said. “You haven’t seen much of her
lately.”

“
Her dad hates me,”
Charlie said. “He wants you guys to go to dinner at their house to
‘discuss this relationship.’”

“
Oh? When?” Aden
asked.

“
Tomorrow night,” Charlie
said.

“
You mean tonight,” Aden
said. “Sunday night.”

“
Tonight? Really?” Sandy
asked.

“
Sorry. I forgot,” Charlie
said. “I said it was okay, so she could come tonight. I checked the
family schedule. You don’t have anything on it.”

“
I was hoping to spend the
night at home,” Sandy said. “I haven’t been home all
week.”

“
Sorry,” Charlie said.
“He’s kind of a dick.”

“
I got that,” Aden
said.

Sandy looked up at him.

“
I walked Addy to his car
with Charlie,” Aden said. “I wanted to introduce myself. He wasn’t
very cheery.”

“
It was two in the
morning,” Sandy said. “That’s pretty late for a kid to be
out.”

“
Sorry,” Charlie looked
crushed. “You don’t have to go, but I can’t see her again until you
talk to her parents.”

Aden looked at Sandy.

“
It’s just a couple
hours,” she smiled.

“
Why don’t we take today
off?” Aden asked. “We can sleep in and hang out all
day.”

“
School starts on Monday,”
Sandy said.

“
And Teddy goes home
today,” Noelle said.

Sandy reached over to squeeze Teddy’s
shoulder. He looked up at her.

“
Dad’s coming about two
with my sister and brother,” Teddy said. “I was hoping we could
show them the gardens and bees and stuff. They were really excited.
Dad says even Bestat, you know his girlfriend, wants to come to
meet everyone.”

“
Then it’s settled,” Aden
said. “See, that’s easy. We’ll ask Zack and Bestat if they would
like to hang out with you guys at dinner and we’ll go to dinner
with Addy’s family. What time, Charlie?”

“
Oh, I don’t know,”
Charlie said.

Squealing a laugh, Noelle threw a pillow at
him. Rachel gave a little gurgle in response to her sister’s laugh.
Aden picked up Rachel to burp her.

“
You’re awfully quiet,”
Sandy ran a hand through Nash’s hair. “How was your
night?”

Nash looked up at Sandy and then looked
away.

“
That bad?” Sandy
asked.

“
That good,” Charlie
said.

“
Melinda was there,” Sissy
said. “They were holding hands. I saw them kiss.”

“
I saw them kiss,” Noelle
giggled. “More than once!”