I was in Daphne, Alabama in a smokey bar at my son's gig on Thursday night, when she sauntered in the door, walking with a sense of confidence that automatically drew your eyes to her. My friend, Jan and I were sitting in the second closest booth to the door, and as Jan told the story of her newest adventure, my eyes caught hold of this girl and did not want to let go.
I felt a deep sadness in her as she got closer, I can’t explain it, but it was there.
It was only a brief distraction, one of many we had that evening. My friend Jan is a pleasant person with a busy, interesting life and I always enjoy our visits at the shows I attend with my son. He was on the stage singing when this girl I described earlier, walked in; I glanced up at him and he did not seem to notice her at all. She had bouncy, curly blonde hair, sort of a Marilyn Monroe look. She wore jeans that had been cutoff so short they no longer covered all the things they needed to. They were so short that her pockets hung down below her shorts. There was a fringe of sorts, that hung down as well, it was the frayed threads from having been cut hurriedly and with a very dull instrument; at least that was my guess. Her top was very short, leaving a space of 8 to 10 inches uncovered at her waistline. She was a beautiful girl, no doubt, but even though she walked with confidence I sensed just the opposite as I watched her that night. I only described her to paint the picture for you, I am in no way attempting to judge her. It is her life to live as she decides, I am only an amused observer.
A couple of hours passed and Eric had begun to play some cover songs that he does not usually sing. This was one of those gigs where the crowd is rowdy with only a handful paying attention to the music. As I watched him play and sing, my thoughts were disrupted by some hooting and hollering in the back near the pool tables. I looked to see this blonde I described as she was standing on a stool and she leaped from that stool to the arms of a very large guy who appeared happy to get his hands on her. She soon wiggled herself loose from his grasp and continued to leap into the arms of anyone who would allow her to. I watched a couple of the leaps and then turned my attention back to the music.
The night continued and I am certain that my son was counting the minutes for it to end; this was his second gig that day and the earlier one was in the sun. A gig like this is a drain on the soul of a musician. He or she plays their music with a strained voice attempting to be heard over the ruckus that these bar atmospheres often include.
He only had enough time for two more songs. He was singing the first of those two when this same blonde staggered toward the stage. She began to wiggle to the music, then she jerked her top off with one quick motion. It surprised us all. Under her top she had a smaller top, or maybe it was one of those sports bras, as she began tugging at it, a customer standing near the bar ran out and stopped her. Then she took off one of her shoes and flung it across the room. She wore extremely high wedge heels and when only one was removed it threw her off balance and she sort of fell, yet stayed upright while stumbling closer to the stage. Once she took hold of the stage, she removed the remaining shoe and slightly regained her balance. Then she pulled out her cell phone, began playing music on it and slid it onto the stage, just under my son’s feet. This was a first. He had never had someone play their own radio music under his feet while he was singing. Seconds after sliding her music-playing-phone onto the stage, she hopped up there and began whispering something in his ear, grabbing the microphone, all while attempting to dance for the audience. She reminded me of a kid with severe ADHD who just drank a large caffeinated drink. I don’t think she had a specific plan, she just needed attention at that moment. Well, the show was over at that point…it was the last song anyway, but I never saw security or anyone make an effort to control her or remove her from the stage.
Eric broke down his PA system as I waited and he loaded it out to the car, then I decided to take a trip to the ladies room before hitting the road. There are two stalls in the ladies room, one had a large sign that read “Out of Order”…the other seemed available as the door was slightly cracked open. I grabbed the knob and pulled only to be surprised by this same girl I had been observing all night. She stood there with a confused look on her face. Uncertainty was written all over her. After falling back, staggering from wall to wall, she walked out and passed me. I said, “Hi”; which was awkward but I wasn’t sure I had the right words for her, but I WAS sure I had to go to the bathroom. When I exited the bathroom stall, she was standing there waiting on me. Her words were so slurred I kept guessing at what she was saying and she would shake her head no. Then she pointed to the back of her wrist and I knew she wanted the time. I told her it was 1:11, she nodded..then clearly said, I need to find my car. I said, “No, you do not need to find your car”…”I can get the bartender to call a cab or uber for you.” She just stared at me like I was crazy and staggered off into the crowd. I have thought of her several times in the last couple of days since I first saw her. My hope is that she is safe. My hope is that she gets a grip on whatever is eating away at her. She is young with her whole life ahead of her; she obviously needs some guidance to get her headed to a happy life.
No comments:
Post a Comment