Play 2 Your Strengths

"Oh hi Reed...What brings you by here?" said Serena as I walked into her apartment...

"Just in the neighborhood....I remembered that you lived here and I thought I'd stop by...I'm not interrupting anything am I?" I said.

She looked at me with a side eye....She knew like I knew that people didn't just drop by your spot just out of the blue unless they wanted something...It was now up to her to figure out what I wanted...I could tell all of this just from looking in her face...at her facial expression...I'm good like that!

It was daytime and I noticed how very nice her apartment looked...It was very modern, very neat and well put together....The last time I had been here , I hadn't noticed...That was some two or three years ago and well, I was busy taking her clothes off and kissing her and eventually having my way with her.....

Somehow or other I wound up in her living room....both of us naked..with me lifting her up and laying her across the sofa....parting her legs and pressed the flat of my tongue against her now enlarged clitoris....she raised her legs and she began to moan...."Ohhhhhhh Reeeeed...my neighbors...my neighbors are gonna hear me...ohhhhhhh,you're gettin me excited...ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh....you gotta stop this....ohhhhhhh,no morrrre...no moreee...ouuuu...you're going to have me.....ohhhhhh goddddd...screaming..ouuuuuuuuuu....""

"You taste too damn good to me baby...I can't stop.." I said as I continued...."Then don't stop, don't stop, don't stopppppp...ohhhhh my goddddd...I'm losing my mind" she moaned...I lifted those baby making hips of hers up and I brought her down on me, so that she took my entire penis inside of her........ she groaned and began bouncing up and down....I should've noticed it then...Her voice got really guttural and deep,like a man's....but who cares about that at a time like this?

Then her squeals got higher and higher and grainy..."Ohhhhhh...Ohhhhhhhhh, it's on now....this is definitely it....ouuuuuuuuuu.." she said as she began moving up and down in a solid rhythem...I started kissing her and she began kissing me so hard as she moved up and down that I could hardly breathe....I stood up and began holding her as she continued to move up and down...

 Yeah...she was thinking about it...How good it was....I was thinking about it too, but not about to make a move on her...Not today...Today I was here on business...A favor for a friend, well a close associate. I looked around and I noticed something I definitely didn't see the last time I was here...Diplomas...Two diplomas...a Bachelors Degree in Education and a Masters Degree in Public Administration....Serena was actually smart!!  All the while I thought she was just a sexy girl who had no other talent outside of the bedroom..Then I thought to myself...To have this ritzy apartment, She couldn't possibly be supporting herself by singing.....

" I see you went to Howard..." I said..



"Yeah...I got my Masters from Howard." she said.

"You went to Drew before that?" I continued...

"Yup, got my Bachelors from there." she said.  "You know Reed, you might have noticed them the last time you here , had you not been trying to get me in the bed.." she continued...

"It was night time." I said.

"You were still here in the morning if I recall....You had gotten what you wanted by then...and just interested in another quickie and then leaving as fast as you got here." she said.

"Maybe.." I said.

''So why are you really here?'' she asked.

I was still evading the real reason I was there, to talk her out of wanting to sing with Symphony Sam's group.
He already wanted her last bed partner, Cornell Hood to replace her as the lead singer and plus he was going to add him as an extra guitarist as well....Yet he still wanted to be with Serena...Couldn't blame him...I actually understood everything Symphony Sam was trying to do, for once!

''Where do you work?" I asked.

"I work for the City....The office of Urban Planning and on my spare time, I volunteer with the kids...I teach Piano and music theory over at the High School." she said.

"Wow...You get paid for that?" I asked.

"A little...naturally, not as much as I get from the city...but as you can see,I do alright...but that's not my passion...My passion , my real love is singing." she said. I cringed as the words came out of her mouth.

"Serena...you're a beautiful woman...you're smart and capable and I'll bet you are invaluable at City Hall..aren't you?" I asked.

"I don't work at City Hall....Not too far from it...but not in there, hey why you so concerned with me all of a sudden?" she asked.

"I'm just making conversation." I said.

"Reed?  are you tryin to hit on me?" she asked with a slight grin....

''Wha-What?? Noooooo...Noooo...I know you're Symphony Sam's woman." I said.

"No ,I aint...I mean, I gave him some a couple of times...but he's not my man....We are just friends....yyou know, friends with benefits.....Don't you have a lady?" she asked.

"Yes....Yes...and I'm not here for no monkey business..." I said.

"Then why are you here?" she asked.

"I'll tell you...One thing I learned in life...Be who you are, know your limitations, but know your strengths...Play to your strengths...Now you have a Bachelors and a Masters Degree, You got a good job, nice spot and you volunteer with kids...You're deep baby, deeper than a lot of people know..Why you wastin your time with Symphony Sam?" I said.

"But Reed...you gotta girlfriend...I can't be sneaking around with you like that?" she said in a whisper...

"No...No..I don't mean bein with me..I'm talking about singing in his band...You're so good at other things." I said.

"You know...I was thinkin the same thing myself."she said.

"You were?" I said...Now maybe...I was getting somewhere!!!

"I'm wasting my time singing with Symphony Sam.....I should be a solo artist!!! My cousin plays the bass and his boy plays the guitar..and I know a drummer  and I was thinking of doing a solo thing." she said with a smile.

"You what?" I said.

"Yeah....Oh Reed thank you so much for opening my eyes...I was confused before , but now thanks to you I've made up my mind...I'm going solo...I'm kinda like Sade and Anita Baker mixed with a little more edge, you know?" she said..

Ohh lord!

"Baby, what about Sam?" I asked.

"Sam is cool..We'll still kick it, but I can't be in his band no more..." she said.

"But you don't have any bookings?" I said.

''As a matter of fact, I do...I'm opening for The Bone Hampton Quartet tomorrow night at Josies." she said.

"Gus booked you?" I asked. No way Gus did that...He would have told her straight out that she couldn't hold a tune in a bucket!I thought.

"No, Gus's assistant manager, Shine booked me...Shine always had a little crush on me..tee hee." she laughed.

"Tomorrow night huh?" I asked as I got up, grabbed my jacket and my pork pie hat.

"Yup...I can't wait." she said...Neither could I.  I was laughing all the way down the street...This was too much.

II-

About an hour later I saw Symphony Sam in Josies of all places...

"Hey Reed...How'd it go?" he asked.

"Ohh it went great." I said ,trying to contain my laughter.

"Yeah, you let her down easy?" he asked.

"Easy as could be...You know me Sam...I smoothed it out babe." I said .

"So she's alright with the new arrangement right...because Cornell will be playing with me in Atlantic City this weekend....Matter fact..I don't know who will be here...Rob Brown aint playin, You bout to go on the road with Brooke Taylor and Ingrid Rhodes...Who gone be here?" asked Symphony Sam.

"Shine told me that the Bone Hampton Quintet was playing." I said.

''Ohhhh, well that should be good...." he said.

"You should get here early tomorrow night." I said.

"Tomorrow's Thursday." said Sam.

"Just be here...Take my word...you won't want to miss it." I said and left the bar, still laughing to myself.

EPILOUGE:

The next night, Me, Debbie, Rob Brown,Delores ,Meek Rollins, Cornell Hood and Symphony Sam all shared a crowded booth...We had Fried Chicken and French Fries and our drinks....I kept laughing and banging my hands on  the table..

"Reed what is soo funny?" asked Debbie.

"Yeah...Share." said Delores..

I kept laughing...

Meek, Cornell, Symphony Sam all looked Puzzled...Rob Brown just smiled wryly,I had already told him...

Gus's assistant manager, Shine walked to the stage and spoke-

"Ladies and gentlemens...I know you are all here to see the Bone Hampton Quartet...They'll be out in a little while...but tonight I have a treat for you...Making her debut as a solo artist....Put yo hands together and sho yo love for SERENA!!!!!!!!!!!!

You could have heard a pin drop!  They knew who she was...

I must confess, she looked great..Nice dress...and her little band, which featured a Keyboard player and a Saxophone player sounded like they knew a little something about music...Then she grabbed the mike and began to sing!

Gus's face dropped...His eyebrows raised....He gripped Shine up in the collar and pulled him behind the bar and into his office...I heard yelling and the sound of things breaking....That sounded better than this girl's singing...The boos began to reverberate throughout the club.....Then people began throwing peanuts....
After getting halfway through the third number...Serena stopped singing and left the stage...When she left, the audience began cheering....

Bone Hampton and his band ran on without introduction and went into their first number , that was the only thing that saved the night... Shine walked out of Gus's office..He had a box that had all of his belongings in them...I suppose he was fired.

I couldn't contain my laughter......Symphony Sam shook his head-

"Reed, you aint right man.....What did you tell that girl?" he asked still shaking his head.

"I told her to play to her strengths." I said.

"And thats what she got out of it?" he asked ,still shaking his head...

"Hey man...I did what I could...You should go to her, comfort her...." I said.

''Comfort her?" He said.

"Yes...COMFORT HER...I gotta spell everything out to you?" I said.

"Oh Oh Oh Oh Ohhhhhh yeahhhhhhhhhhh....I got you Reed..heh heh heh...now dats playin to my strength."he laughed.

Debbie and Delores looked at me and laughed and shook their heads...Hey, I did the best I could!

(For SLC)