Fool For You

Another night in Josie's ...Reed Nelson and his band had the place jumpin...His saxophonist was doing his best imitation of Jr. Walker & the All Stars....The band went into a rendition of "Shotgun" and the old heads and youngins alike were up and dancing....Even Gus was dancing behind the bar.. I had to laugh...In my short time of coming in here, I had never seen Gus break a sweat, let alone dance...

"Now see there youngin..that there is music...That's why I love it when Reed Nelson and his band is playin...Nothin against you...You do good Rob...but Reed has this place jumpin." said Gus.

Me? I play the trumpet also...My name is Downtown Rob Brown....I'm off tonight! I looked around and I saw a woman I used to be quite intimate with....Delores...dancing with Nate The Snake...a Guitarist......In another corner...Ingrid Rhodes...another woman I was breifly associated with was talking quietly to Johnny Diamond, the pitcher for the Phillies....I had thought she was dating the shyster attorney, Robert Foxworth!! Hmmmmmmmmm! None of my business...In another corner of the crowded club...Cherry Johnson, a woman I had just met was enjoying a drink and talking to Chess of all people...I had heard that they used to be an item before Chess got married....I wondered what they were talking about.

The music ended and the sweaty crowd began drifting back to their booths and around the bar. A few seats down from me sat two women.....One I knew...the other I didn't...The one I knew was named Connie...She was a dead ringer for the model, Naomi Campbell...People told her that all of her life...She was beautiful...She was a few years older than me...She used to braid my hair
when I was younger.. I remember those hot summer nights with my head between her legs as she braided my hair...I thought I was in love with her...I told her all of my hopes and dreams, except that one!. I didn't know at the time that she was a lesbian...Nobody did.

The other woman was short, petite and curvaceous...She was pretty too...She had a short hair cut and some jeans that looked like they were painted on...A cute little white top and nice round
supple breasts to go with it...I kept looking at the both of them and saying to myself..What a waste!

"Patrice....how many times we gonna go through this....I told you he's a dog...why you going back to him?" said Connie.

"Connie...he's my husband.....I've been with you for four years , off and on...but I miss him..." she said.

"You've gone back to him twice and both times he's cheated on you...How many times are you gonna be a fool for him??...He only misses you because he done run outta hoochies." said Connie.

"No, it's different now...He's different..He's joined the church, cleaned himself up and everything.. He's even working now.. " said Patrice.

"So that's it? Huh...All we've meant to each other and you're just going to throw that away?" said
Connie who was now crying...

"Don't do that Connie..come on now...you knew that this was coming.."

"Yeah...I knew it...Four years of my life ,always wondering when you was gonna up and leave me...admit it...you wasn't really into this lifestyle..?" said Connie now a mixture of anger and hurt.

"No...I guess not...I was hurtin so bad...so bad...I thought I was through with men...and you came and you offered me something, a tenderness I hadn't had...and I'll always love you for that...but...but....I can't do this...not with you....this just aint me no more." said Patrice.

"Yeah...maybe it never was." said Connie as she hung her head down...

"I'm sorry Connie." said Patrice...

"I'll come by and get my stuff sometime next week." said Connie.

"Where you goin?, Where you gonna stay?" asked Patrice.

"Somewhere...what do you care?" said Connie, who was now visibly crying.....

Patrice got up, left twenty dollars on the counter and left the bar... I didn't want her to know that I had been listening all along, but at this point ,it didn't matter...I put my arms around her...I looked up...Gus was staring at me from a distance and shaking his head.

Connie looked up....she half smiled-

"Robby? Robby Brown is that you?" she said and hugged me..

"Hey lady." I said.

"I haven't seen you in years...I heard you was in New York." she said.

"Yeah...and out on the West Coast." I said.

''You home to stay??...This is your home." she said. She had heard that at one time I was telling people I was from Brooklyn.

"Yeah, I guess I am." I laughed..

"You got a girlfriend?" she asked.

"Not now....I lost three in one night." I laughed.

"Three in one night?"

"Long story."

"Well, I guess you heard.....Me and my girlfriend broke up...and this time it's for good...I'm not goin for tha okey doke anymore...I need a place to crash...just for the night....I promise, I'll be outta your hair tomorrow...I just need to get myself together, that's all." she said.

"It's no sweat....I'd appreciate the company...It's gets lonely up in that apartment....How am I gonna say no to you...you're like a big sister." I found myself saying.

''Awww Robby, you so sweet...gosh..if I was straight and a few years younger I would've..." she stopped herself...I didn't push the issue..but she was looking good and I had been drinking...I sure wished she was straight...I was wondering how I was going to exist with her in my apartment tonight...It had been awhile since I'd had a woman...I sure could use one...but I knew that it wasn't going to happen.

I tossed a twenty down on the bar and Connie and I walked out of the bar....Reed and the band was playing Jr. Walker's "Shake and Fingerpop"...The crowd was dancing again...blocking the exits...

"Come on Robby, dance with me!" she said....

We got out on the floor and began doing the jerk....Connie was a great dancer...a seductive one too...Lesbian or not...she looked good and half these people didn't know that...The men were losing their minds watching her dance, as was I... Gus was still staring at me..shaking his head and laughing.. I knew what he was thinking...but I wasn't thinking that...I was just helping a friend.

(To Be Continued....)