Man in a Pork Pie Hat

I like Pork Pie Hats....Dizzy Gillespie wore one....more recently, Wynton Marsalis wore one too...So when the band played in Boston, We found a haberdashery and bought us Pork Pie Hats.
"88" was the only one who declined to buy one...He instead bought a black beret. There is always an oddball in the crowd. My Name is Reed Nelson...I play the Trumpet..I have my own band.

I kept dialing Cherry's number ....The phone just kept ringing and ringing...I text messaged her too for the past few days and got no return message. I went in a Cyber Cafe and checked my e-mails. Nothing! Then I emailed her...Once again...nothing! We were returning to Philly in the morning to play a few dates at Josie's and then to take a nice rest...So I figured I would run into her then.

When the train pulled into 30th Street Station in Philadelphia....88's girl, the foxy Mabel Jenkins was there to meet him...They kissed and carried on so passionately in that train station that I was getting hot just looking at them...I knew that we wouldn't be seeing him at Josie's tonight.
It didn't matter...I wasn't doing a set tonight anyhow.

"Ohhh ,look at you....aren't you the dandy!" exclaimed Gus , as I entered Josie's...

"What'cha know good old man?" I said as I sat down and ordered a Gin and Tonic...

"Drinkin light tonight ,huh?" laughed Gus...

"Yeah...just gettin back off the road. Hey Gus...you seen Cherry around here?" I asked.

"Nah...Haven't seen her in about three weeks..." he said. This appeared to be kind of odd.

Chess, Chris, Fathead and Smooth were sitting at their usual table.. I didn't want to ask about Cherry around Fathead..but I waited until Chess walked over to the bar to order another round of drinks for his friends and I asked him if he'd seen Cherry.

" Reed..she moved out about three weeks ago. You were on the road...and I guess you aint heard, but things was kind of wild around here for a minute..We really didn't have time to call you." said Chess.

"Moved out?? You know where- Did she say where she was going?" I asked.

Chess looked at me funny, then he shook his head and smiled....

"You didn't know did you? She did the same thing to me....Which is why we aint together..Cherry get scared, she just up and go..she don't say nothing...At least not to who she is
supposed to be talking to..like me, like you!!!! But I do know this much...She went to Cali...San-Francisco..she said she might be back...and she might not..That's all she told me when she was packing her stuff." said Chess.

"Well, did she say anything about me? Did she leave a forwarding address?" I asked.

"Nope...didn't mention you at all bruh...and didn't even leave me a forwarding address..I'm sorry
man..I thought you knew." said Chess...

I stood there in total shock... I never saw this coming.

The next night....I played in my Pork Pie Hat...I played "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free"
by Sting...a brilliant trumpet solo if I don't say so myself. The crowd in Josie's, mostly used to R&B and funk was a little surprised at my selection, but they dug it. I then directed the band to fall back....except for "88" who played a brilliant piano solo and intro to Miles Davis's -"Kind of Blue", which I played the hell out of....I realized that I was bringing everybody down with my personal stuff, so I sat out the next few numbers and let the band get back to the funk and R&B that the crowd liked..

I saw Kevin and his beautiful wife,Sepia dancing and his friends, Sean Jackson, his girlfriend, Sheila , Clerow and his wife ,Corabeth, the Attorney, Conrad Nelson and his wife Jill and the other attorney, Robert Foxworth and some woman I had never seen before dancing...Seems like the entire world was dancing tonight...everybody, except me....

I wasn't even playing...I was sitting at a table alone with my trumpet and a gin and tonic. drowned in self pity.

"You drinking light tonight...I thought musicians were hard drinkers ."came the voice.

"We usually are " I said as I looked up her. She was dark brown skinned...Had her hair in a bun, but had a lovely mint julep green dress on. She had matching green heels to match and the loveliest pair of legs I'd seen in a long time.. She had an oval shaped face with dimples..Very cute
woman.

"My name is Deborah....and I'm a fan...I bought one of your CD's the last time you were here."
she said.

"I'd like to say I remember you, but I don't...but I sure wish I had of." I said with the widest grin on my face ever. 'Sit down...join me." I said. She did and we talked about music, about me traveling and about places she had traveled. It turned out she was a school teacher and had just started coming here. She didn't know many of the regulars, which was a good thing.

I excused myself and rejoined the band...We played another set and called it a night... I gave my trumpet to "88" and told him-"Take it with you" and winked.. He knew what that meant.

Debbie and I continued to talk...Oh yeah, after a few Apple Martini's and Hennesey for me, we were on that kind of a name basis..I was "Reedie" and she was "Debbie"

I don't quite remember how we wound up in the ladies bathroom in the farthest stall on the edge. But we did....We were kissing each other very passionately ....I hung my jacket on the small hook..and she eased out of those matching green heels...I leaned her up against the door
and began to kiss her even more so..She had the softest lips...soft like butter...

She began to work my zipper down and caress my now massively erect penis...I began slipping
her panties down...I lifted her dress up and eased into her moistness...She let out a loud sigh....I made the shsss sound and put my idex finger up to my mouth...She giggled and I lifted her up...
She wrapped her legs around me and held on to my neck, as I thrusted into her with all my might...

We went at it like that for close to a half an hour before we heard the voices of other people in the restroom... Josie's has a long restroom and unless the room was crowded..it was doubtful that they would wander down to the far end where we were... We stood silent until we heard toilets flushing and people leaving and then we continued...Me thrusting and her riding me and matching me thrust for thrust...

We both came at the same time...both us of shaking and gasping for air....I was glad to put her down..She had been getting heavy.....

"Oh My god Reedie...that was like...whoaaaa..." she said, laughing..pulling her panties up and slipping back into her heels.. I fixed my pants, tried to straighten out my suit and adjusted my
pork pie hat...The entire time we had been sexing it up...my hat hadn't fallen off.

"I'd like to try this again sometimes...prefferably horizontal." I said.

" Sure...but let's get out of here first" she said with that cute giggle.

We left at different times so that it didn't look like we'd been in there together, but we didn't fool
Gus..He gave me a side eye as I strode up to the bar..but didn't say anything...Just shook his head and walked away.

Debbie came up to me with her Blackberry and we exchanged numbers and information.

"Call me sometimes Reed." she said as she kissed me on the cheek...She walked out to her car and pulled off into the night...

There was still a crowd in the bar....I walked outside and stared into the crisp night air...Cherry had left me...that still hurt....but I didn't feel as bad as I could have. I adjusted my pork pie hat
one last time ,smiled and then walked toward my car.