Exodus In The Key of C.

ART: "Bluesman Extraordinaire" By Artisticsoul

My Name is Reed Nelson, I play the trumpet....I'm from North Jersey..I currently live in Philadelphia PA. when I'm not on the road with my band. We just got finished playing a cross country gig. I decided not to return to the east coast right away. I had some down time, so I decided to head to San-Francisco.

I've always loved that town...It's one of my favorite U.S. Cities.

I have a friend there..A guy named "Snake' that used to play the bass in one of my early bands. I was staying with him in Hunters Point...a rough mainly Black section of San-Francisco that could give West Philly a run for it's money on some days for being Volatile.

I sat in with Snake's little quartet a few nights when I first got in town..then I took a week off from playing music period. I took in the night life. Enjoyed the clubs, the bars and the action down near the Wharf area.. Walked around, bought souveniers, drank Saki...ate good Chinese food and took a trip over to Oakland one night. It was in Oakland that I fell into a little seedy blues joint called "The End of the world" That's what it looked like too. This old guy with a gravely voice was singing a song called -"Heartbroken" that I had written...I had my trumpet with me and I joined his band on the stage and sat in with them while he belted out the song....

The MC, a cat named "Symphonic Sam" regognized me and said -

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a treat tonight...tonight on trumpet ,all the way from Patterson,New Jersey by way of Philly is the composer of that song ,Mister Reed Nelson...Show ya love...."

The Crowd erupted into applause and the old Blues Singer smiled,tipped his hat and began singing another verse of my song as I played like I was in another galaxy. Everything was going great until I looked in the audience and saw her!! Cherry Johnson.....My lover from Philly, who had abandoned me without so much of a "Goodbye Dog" while I was on the road!! I hadn't seen her in months and there she was sitting in the audience. She wasn't alone either..she was with a man..A guy I had seen before back in Philly. I think his name was Bobby something or other....One of Kevin's friends...Didn't really know the man, but it looked as though Cherry had gotten to know him ,pretty good and had followed him out here to the West Coast...She had packed up her belongings and had moved and hadn't said a word to me...Not good bye dog,not nothing. It was the same thing she had done to Chess when he had been dating her.

The whole time I was playing, she couldn't look me in the eye. She was sitting down there in the front row as uncomfortable as hell. Good, she needed to be uncomfortable after what she did to
me. After my set was over, I walked down into the audience. I got a glance of her and her gentleman friend heading towards the door. She looked at me and waved breifly...weakly.

I sat at the bar and ordered some Hennesey on the rocks and knocked it back.

"Gee young fella, that gal must have really did a number on you." came the voice.

I looked around and it was the old Blues singer...

"Forks is the name..Sloppy Joe Forks." he said and offered his hand to be shook. I shook his hand.

"I'm Reed Nelson" I said.

"I know who you are, you the one that wrote that song I was singing tonight." I heard it playing on one of the Jazz stations out here and I had a partner of mine get me your CD...I been singing that song for months now..." he said.

"Gee,thanks...it's good to know you're a fan...what are you drinkin old school?" I said.

"I gave up drinkin liquor years ago..." He said. I busted out laughing-

"A Blues Singer that don't drink liquor....now there's something you don't see every day." I said.

"Don't need to drink it....I like to experience all of life and everything it has to offer sober." he said.

"Even the pain" I said.

"Especially the pain. Now take that old gal you was moonin over...I take it, you knew her from somewhere other than here." he said.

"Yeah, I knew her back in Philly." I said.

"I take it ,she up and left while you was on the road and now you find her in this god forsaken place with another guy and she feelin kind of bad about the way she left things and so she hightailed it outta here." he said.

"Damn, you sure know a lot for somebody that doesn't really know the story ." I said.

"I know human nature..I've studied people for years..how they look, how they move..body language....You learn more from people by what they don't say then by what they do." he said.

"Wow, that's a great skill to have." I said.

"Oh you'll get it....you live long enough...you'll definitely get it." he said.

I smiled, knocked back another shot of henny and just sat.

"Women come and go young fella...Nobody can have all de women in the world...always gonna be one you lose along the way....just worry about the one that stay...the one that want to be with you...everything else will work itself out." he said.

"Mr. Forks...You are a very wise man ." I said.

"And Mr. Nelson...you are a very drunk man...Ah caint let you drive home...I'll take you." he said.

"Oh no..I'm cool, my boy Snake is coming to get me." I said.

"Snake? Snake the bass player? Ah knows him...You Snake's boy huh..well ya must be alright."
he said as he slapped his knee.

I stared out the window of the club into the streets of West Oakland...I wondered where Cherry
was, I wondered if she was making love to that guy right now while I sat drunk in this club.

Just then Snake walked into the club...He saw us and he walked over....

"Heyyy Snake" said Sloppy Joe Forks.

'What's happenin old man?" laughed Snake.

"Just helpin your boy get over his broken heart." said Joe.

"Well thanks for watchin him fo me...Come on Reed, my car's outside." said Snake.

As we got up to leave...I glanced at Sloppy Joe Forks..

"Hey man, tell me something..why did you really stop drinking? It wasn't for enlightenment only
was it?" I asked.

"Who said anything about enlightenment.??.. I got drunk as hell and tore up the best car I evah owned...and then had to spend a night in jail...thas why ah stopped drinkin." said Joe.

I looked at him and smiled as Snake led me to his car.


(For SLC)