London Harmony: Minuette (8 page)

I nodded, that was one of the most haunted songs that June had ever put out, and the harmonies made your entire being hum in compliment to them. My eyes snapped wide. “James?”

She nodded, with a look of pride on her face.

I nodded back with a smile. “Well good on him.”  Again, this place surprised me, I was going to miss it.

As I sat on the coach later that day after work, I wondered how I could get the first three tracks to Fran without turning the spotlight on me.  But that was short lived as my mind drifted to the image of Mindy playing her piano with her eyes closed.  Those intimate moments she had with her music fostered a calm in me that felt like all the weights on my mind seemed to sigh on their own and relax.  Not for the first time, I wished she would share more of her music with the world if people felt the same connection to it that I did.

I smiled at each memory of her singing the songs with me as I practiced for her.  Her scratchy and gravelly, hoarse voice, actually brings something to the music that I wish she would let me record.  She thinks she sounds like a troll, I think she sounds like the emotion she buries inside each song.  She has to rest her voice for hours after she does that with me.

I was in such a great mood when I arrived home with Mindy on my mind.  I had to smile as I approached our door, counting my steps.  She beat me home tonight and I could hear her practicing something new. I closed my eyes and basked in the music and her voice, it set off a tuning fork in my soul every time.

I took a deep breath and stepped trough the door.  She opened her eyes and they twinkled as she looked over at me as she played and sang.  She nudged her eyes down beside her and I slid onto the piano bench and looked at what she had written.  It took a second to find where she was in the piece and then I lent my voice to hers.

I thought about how I wished this is how it would always be.  Our voices meshed seamlessly, I just wish our hearts did as well.  Her imperfect voice giving something to the music that was always missing, something that made it whole.

I closed my eyes on the last note and held it after the piano had died out.  I opened my eyes when she laid her head on my shoulder.  I caught a hint of her scent and fought back a sigh.

She whispered, “I love that you are my voice.”

This old argument?  I shook my head, laid it on top of hers, and said quietly, “There is nothing wrong with your own voice.”

She pulled away reluctantly and grinned at me. “I write it all for your voice.”  She stuck out her tongue and lowered the fallboard over the keys.  She always won every argument with that motion.  It closed off the keys as well as any hope I had of winning any argument with the woman.

I watched her as she stood and moved over to our tiny couch by the oversize chair.  We didn't have much room for anything larger since the grand piano took up the majority of the space.  I tilted my head and smiled at her as she sat.

She cocked an eyebrow. “What?”

I shrugged and stood and moved over to flop bonelessly onto the couch beside her.  I shook my head.  “Nothing, You're just in a sassy mood.  It is fun.”

She crinkled her nose and I melted a little then sat up a bit.  “Oh, we're invited to some sort of event tonight.”  I paused for dramatic effect. “With J8 and Tabby Cat.”

She was sitting bolt upright, excitement on her face.  “Why didn't you lead with that you manky bint?”  She stood.  “Bloody hell, what am I going to wear.  Is it formal or casual?”

I found myself chuckling at her antics as I shrugged and pulled out my mobile to call Fran to ask.  I do not admit to watching Mind's hips sway as she headed toward our bedroom on a mission.

We had dropped by my parent's to borrow the old Anglia, then headed off toward the waterfront.  We were both too excited to talk much so we settled on listening to music on the way to the little marina where Tabby Cat's huge houseboat was moored.

The security gate was open and there was a small gatehouse which was empty,  but a sign was taped to the window of the gatehouse that read, “Thursday Night.” An arrow pointed down into the little marina.

We parked, got out of the vehicle, and just stood side by side looking at the yachts and houseboats moored at the marina docks, each of which cost more than we could possibly earn in an entire lifetime.  Though they went through great pains to make the place look quaint, it was obvious it was anything but.

I had read the unauthorized biography of Tabitha Romanov, and that made what I was looking at even more impressive.  She had been virtually homeless before she was discovered by June Harris-West.  She lived in abject poverty on a floating slum.  She never felt as if she were destitute because she was surrounded by friends and music.

She had been just like us.  Making the best out of her situation.  Surrounding herself with good people to make wherever she lived into a home.

I thought about that a minute, and of the fact that she still lived on the Thames.  Did she think of the river as her home after living on those run down grain barges?  I looked at all the boats around us and grinned, this was a huge improvement on that, now wasn't it?

I looked over at Mind, she had her arms crossed defensively across her chest just like me.  I grinned sheepishly at her and she grinned back, took a deep breath and stood tall, letting her arms drop to her sides.

She whispered, “Tell me again what we are doing here?”

I shrugged and whispered, “Right about now, I'm really not sure.”  I looked at the car. “We can escape now if you want.”

She giggled and her eyes twinkled as she grabbed my arm and hugged it.  I reminded myself to keep breathing.  Her smug half smile urged me into walking.  “You aren't going to dangle Tabby Cat in front of me then take the prize away, lady.”

I straightened up and swallowed.  She wanted to see Tabby, who was I to deny her?  I just nodded. “I'm glad one of us is brave.”

We glanced around and I realized I didn't know which slip was Tabitha's.  But my eyes settled on a large houseboat at the end of the dock, with the best view of the river and city skyline.  In bold black swoopy letters, it declared itself the Water Witch. I smiled and pointed.

She arched an eyebrow.  It was as long as most of the yachts and had two floors and people were milling about on what was apparently a deck on the top of the vessel.  We got to the end of the dock and looked back at the little marina office, done up to look like something from the fifties or sixties.

We stood at the base of an aluminum gangway from the dock to the deck of the ship.  There was a wooden signpost with a Victorian looking wooden sign that had the slip number, 7A, carved into it and Water Witch carved just below it.  We could hear the murmurs of conversation drifting down from the upper deck.

Did we just walk on?  We looked at each other and I shrugged and reached over to the sign and rapped loudly on it three times and called out in a cracking voice, “Ahoy?”  Could I be more of a muppet?

A gorgeous woman with middle eastern features popped her smiling head over the upper rail, looking down at us, and asked in an amused voice, “Ahoy?”

Fran's head popped over the edge too and she rolled her eyes and shoved the other woman away.  She half smirked down at us. “Ahoy.  Come on aboard ladies, I'll meet you down there.”

We made our way onto the boat, there was glass everywhere, I was convinced the views from inside were spectacular wherever you looked, that was most likely the point.  We saw Fran come down some stairs inside and hustle over to open one of the huge windows, she nudged it and it slid easily off to the side.

She again said, “Ahoy.”

I blushed and defended, “I didn't know what I was supposed to say.  You're a mean, mean woman.”

She chuckled and said, “At least you didn't say 'permission to come aboard' like most people their first time here.”

Her eyes flicked between me and Mind, who was still plastered to my arm, spreading warmth through my entire being.  Before I could make the introductions, Fran had her hand out as she looked at my best mate.  “You must be Mindy.  I'm glad you could make it.  Nett gushes about you all the time.  You're just as cute as she described.  Fran, Fran Brighton, but you can just call me Small Fry.”

Bloody hell!  I was ready to die just then, I could feel the intense blush burning across my cheeks and down my neck.

Mindy looked like the cat who swallowed the canary and just added to my embarrassment by grinning at me as she shook Fran's hand.  “The pleasure is mine.”

I rolled with the punches and squeaked as I pointed at Francine, “One morning you're going to wake up to find I had tracked you down and shaved your head in your sleep.”

The two women had a good laugh at my expense.  What?  Wasn't I threatening enough?  I looked down when a weight slammed into my leg.  A golden retriever with a lolling tongue and wagging tail.  I squatted and rubbed his ears.  I'm sure my smile threatened to split my face.  “Who's this handsome boy?”

I looked up at Fran, who grinned at the dog.  “That's Percy, Abi's service dog.”

I heard a gurgled squeak from Mind as she just stared at Percy and asked, “Abi, as in Abigail Addison?”

My eyes snapped wide, I was so slow at times.  This was Abigail Addison's dog?  The one woman band?  This was Sir Percival!  I heard that he saved Abi's life once.

As soon as I stood back up, Mindy grabbed my hand and squeezed it in excitement.  I recovered first as Fran nodded.  “Good lord, Mind is going to be fangirling out in there.”  I was shut up when her fingers somehow found their way between mine, lacing together.

Fran looked down at our hands then got an evil grin on her face and said, “Come on in, let's grab some refreshments and join everyone topside.”  She leaned over and whispered in my ear, “Breathe.”

Oh yeah, sure, umm... how does that work again?  I exhaled experimentally as Fran stepped inside.  Ok, that was half of it.  I inhaled shakily, my entire attention on our hands.  But I snapped out of it as we passed through the glass door and I reached out with my other hand to knock on it three times.

Percy shot past us and up the stairs, I noted he had a limp, was he hurt?  The door slid shut on its own now that Fran wasn't holding it, must be counterweighted.  We stepped into the kitchen area, which was as big as our entire apartment.  Fran grabbed some grapes from the counter and opened the fridge.

“Pick your poison.  Sodas, juices, and water on the lower shelves, beer on the upper shelf.  You are both twenty-one right?”

We nodded and Mindy said, “Drinking age is eighteen.”

She chuckled. “I really love your voice Mindy, it has character.”  Then she said off handedly, “Blame me on the drinks thing.  In the United States, drinking age is twenty-one.  June insisted on it here to keep me from drinking, and Tabby thought it was a good rule for everyone on her boat.  The joke is on them, though, now that I'm twenty-one, my poison is...”  She grabbed a cola and held it up triumphantly.

I grinned at her antics and grabbed a cola myself.  Mind grabbed a bottle of apple juice.  Fran cocked an eyebrow at us in question and I explained, “We are more... people watchers, than participants in the tipsy games.  Plus, she has to drive us home later.”

She nodded approval and said, “Let's get you introduced around.”  She checked her mobile. “We only have ten minutes.”

I asked, “Ten minutes till what?”

She shrugged and said cryptically, “Thursday Night of course.”

Mind rasped out, “Mysterious much, Small Fry?”

I counted my steps to the steep stairs and noted there were matching stairs outside on the deck.  You could get to the upper deck either way.

We emerged into a surrealistic world.  A world dominated by a veritable Who's Who in the London music scene.  We just stood there staring as we saw J8 speaking with Tabby Cat and another woman.  Abigail Addison was there with a heavily tattooed girl I recognized from the Broken Note. They were speaking with members of the Purple Horseshoes.  Percy was getting pets and pats as he made the rounds with his tail wagging.  I recognized the giant of a man that was Bear, speaking with someone who looked suspiciously like Rayleigh.

I was speechless and obviously lost all motor control as the woman I had a terminal crush on dragged me around by our clasped hands as we were introduced or reintroduced to well over a dozen people.  I think Mindy was on squee overload as she barely said a word as she shook people's hands while her eyes bugged out.  Though she did get a wicked gleam in her eye and smirk on her face when June called me Squirrel.  I was doomed later, wasn't I?

I thought we were done when I was suddenly engulfed by what seemed like about a dozen hands from behind as I glurked.  I grinned and said, “Hi Zil.”

She released me from the squid hug and bubbled out as she moved in front of us with a look of curiosity when she looked at Mind.  Oooo this was going to be fun.  I made the introductions, “Zil, this is my best mate, Mindy.  Mind this is the general manager of London Harmony, Zilrita Marx.”

Mindy offered a hand and Fran and I chuckled at the surprised gleep she made as Zilrita squid hugged her.  I said as she got a silly side to side, “Oh, and I should mention, Zil is like, a hug-slut.”

She released my best mate, who was blushing, and she shook a finger at me, squinting one eye playfully.  Fran chuckled at the display, and Zil turned to her and asked with a wicked look, “What are you laughing at Small Fry?  Grawl, I need more hugz.”  And Fran got her very own Zilrita special.  It still struck me as wrong, seeing such a happy and playful goth.

We stepped over to Natasha.  She categorized all three of us, seemingly examining us before she turned her smile to meet Fran's and they took each others hands.  She kept looking at Mindy's clothes and hair, her brow furrowed slightly.  Fran said, “Tasha, this is Mindy, Nett's... umm... She's Nett's...”

If I didn't know any better, I'd say that Tasha looked relieved that she had not met Mind before. I thought back over all my interactions with her, she never met my gaze until she had virtually examined me whenever she came to steal Fran for lunch.

I almost face palmed when I realized... She was face-blind, wasn't she?  I have heard of that affliction before, I had just never met someone affected by it.  It must make things hard, staring someone right in the eyes and not knowing if you should know them because there was no recognition.  You'd have to use other markers, like hairstyle or... bloody hell, that's why Small Fry rarely changed the way she dressed.

Natasha put a hand out and they shook.  I saw her eyes gain laser focus at the sight of the upside down heart shaped birthmark on Mindy's neck.  I knew she'd use that as her visual cue.

She grinned. “So you're Annette's... are you?”  She shot a teasing look at Fran, whose nose crinkled as I blushed.

Mindy seemed nonplussed by the women teasing me and each other and said as she hugged my arm and asked me, “Ever since our stint in lockup?”

Both women paused at that.  Fran cocked an eyebrow, prompting for clarification. I blushed even harder. “What the evil woman means is since we shared playpen together.”

Mindy shrugged and rasped out, “Well it had bars didn't it?”

The others chuckled as I lowered my eyes from Mindy's, lest I get caught in the sparkling hazel pools.  Tasha cocked her head and looked at Mind with a smile.  “You've got such an interesting voice.”

Before she could respond the lights started dimming, and everyone started taking seats around the upper deck.  That's when I noticed that all the outdoor chairs and wicker sofas were pointed in one direction, toward the marina office, where a large white sheet was unfurling between large trees.  Fran whispered, “Have a seat ladies, and prepare for the Thursday Night tradition.”

I was confused, but Mindy pulled me down onto a little wicker love seat.  The air was a bit nippy and she shivered.  I saw the various blankets and throws at each seating area and pulled a heavy wool blanket over us.  I secretly basked in the warmth of her leg against mine.

I noticed there were about a dozen people on shore in lawn chairs all facing the sheet.  I looked around and saw people on the decks of the other boats all looking on in anticipation.  What was going on?

Then I heard the clicking of an old film projector like they used in primary school, and the classic musical, Brigadoon, popped up on the screen.  All the murmuring around us ceased as we all became enthralled with the cinematic art.  I looked around and had to smile.  This group of people on the Water Witch were just all gathered around like family as if it were one big living room and we were all watching the telly together.  It felt almost, intimate.

I stopped thinking about it a minute later, well, I stopped thinking entirely, because Mindy turned around, pulled her legs up onto the love seat, and just laid her head on my chest and snuggled in to watch.  Oh dear lord.  Did she have no clue what she was doing to me?

I lifted an arm and hesitated, my hand hovering over her.  Then I swallowed and laid it on her shoulder.  She seemed to snuggle in more contently as I just stared blankly at the screen.  My body felt as if it were on fire.  I closed my eyes a moment, thinking again about how this is how it should always be.