Star by Eliza Witte - HTML preview

56

XXXIII

Jessie turned the notice to ‘OPEN’ at 8.30 sharp and soon enough the first customers began to pour in. The guys started playing at about 9 pm but as Louie had set it up, the repertoire consisted of simple songs that received nothing but half-hearted applause mostly by the regular customers who, in spite of themselves, were impressed by this change. Some of them started throwing provoking remarks at the guys asking if this was all they were capable of playing, and could they play this or that song for them. And soon enough a very strange practice was set – a live jukebox. People laid out their demands just naming a song and the boys played it. This communication, challenging but endearing at the same time, appealed to Stu and soon he started to warm up to it all.

‘OK, this is a Ricky Nelson’s song!’ Stu proclaimed and they hit the opening chords of

‘Hello Mary Lou’. At this very moment a large limousine came to a screeching halt in front of the bar-door. A bunch of exuberant youngsters jumped out of the car and gathered up a noisy pack inside the bar. Just behind the first limo stopped another one. What was the surprise of Louie’s staff, namely Jessie, Annie and Stu’s gang, to see the bar getting attacked by only the too familiar faces of Pete and Steve, and more and more boys and girls, all from their college. Even the quiet Aaron entered in. Taking off her apron Jessie rushed to one of the girls, ‘What are you all doing here?’

‘Chris – the drink, told us they’d play here. We can’t afford to miss this, of course.’

Under the playful melody of ‘Mary Lou’ the young people threw up a real party and when the song was over they sincerely applauded. Stu easily got into the spirit.

‘One, two, three, four!’ The string sounds of the rock pierced the place. The crowd went wild.

Annie was panting under the heavy weight of the orders but she was as inspired and fast as if she was on roller-blades. The atmosphere got electrified when Louie, tousled and terrified, barged into the bar, ‘What, what is going on here?’ He turned to Jessie as she was closest to him.

‘You can’t complain, boss. The bar has never been fuller on Monday evening,’ replied Jessie totally cold-blooded and left Louie alone with his problems. With all those people around, all class-mates, Jessie had problems of her own. She found Annie and tugged at her sleeve, ‘Annie, do you by any chance have with you the make-up set we bought for you the other day?’

Annie laughed, ‘What did you think? Stu's here.’

‘Quick, in the bathroom!’

Annie got her bag. Dancing in front of Jessie she got in the bathroom.