Sweet Baby Blues

The joint was jumpin...The streets were crowded....Gus was happier than I'd ever seen him...This night..Josies was going to make more money than any single night this year....

Captain Ahab..The pirate broadcaster, presently on a ship docked at Penn's Landing had put together the biggest Jazz music festival this city had seen in at least a year...

Me, Reed Nelson, "88", Bone Hampton, Downtown Rob Brown, Brooke Taylor, Ingrid Rhoades , Symphony Sam and his all star band and several others had the joint jumpin....Drinks were flowing...Fried Chicken was being served up via, Mabel Jenkins's Soul Food Joint...   Mabel, Corabeth, Victoria and Anita...As well as Clerow ,Deacon Larry Weatherford and their staff were busy serving plates of soul food to hungry party goers like Kevin Morris and his wife Sepia, Sean Jackson and his wife Sheila, Attorneys
Robert Foxworth and his wife, Bonita and  Conrad Nelson and his wife Jill...

Harry Charles and his wife, Hairdresser, Bernadette was in the crowd...Not to be outdone, Dollar Bill and his cheif cook, Ralph Scallion had a catering truck set up and were serving fine cuisine to other hungry concert goers... Gus and his crew had set up tents with huge Flat Screen Televisions outisde so that Mabel and company and Ralph and Dollar Bill could watch the festivities while working.

Kool Kat, Owen Todd, Donald Smooth ,Eddie and Albert were providing the security and eating and drinking for free..They were loving it...Chris Thompson and his new girlfriend and Chess and his wife Rell were also in the crowd as was my girlfriend, Debbie and her sister Delores...

Fathead Newton, Ralph Mole and Roscoe were also amongst the party goers snapping their fingers and clapping their hands to the beat as artist after artist performed...

Kool Kat's girlfriend Chelsea gave me a napkin to wipe the sweat off of my face as I finished my set and came off the stage...Debbie came up to me with a plate of Ribs, Potato salad and turnip greens..

''Come on over here and get some of this good food Reed." She said as I walked over to her...

"Thanks baby." I said.

"Seen Chet?" she asked.

''No Not yet." I said.

"He's still going to perform?" she asked.

"Yeah..I tried to talk him out of it...I told him an FBI agent is in the crowd...He said he didn't care.  He's just reckless with his." I said.

"Well you did the best you could Reed." she said as I sat down and listened to Downtown Rob Brown and his quintet..

II-

It didn't take long for me to locate the FBI agent I had met the day before..Burt Shylock..He was dressed like a nerd trying to look hip if you can imagine that...He didn't look like he was working....He looked like a fan..but then again..that could have been a ruse to trap Chet!

There was an even mixture of Blacks, Latinos, Asians and whites in the crowd...I imagined that when Gus and Ahab settled up, they would both have a very happy holiday..

I noticed a very comely woman....She looked like a mixture of White and Latina..Walking through the crowd....When she walked past Burt Shylock, he flipped...
Not that I could blame him...She was stunning...He sauntered up to her...

"Heyyyyy Sweet Baby..how are you doing?" he said.

Uh Oh..he had already gone down the wrong road with her...

"What? Who are you talking to?" she said...

"Awww come on Sweet Baby..allow me to buy you a drink..." he said.

"Do I know you?" she asked...

"Of course you don't....But how else can you get to know me sweet baby, unless I buy you a drink and we start talking to each other?" he said.

She shrugged...then she said-

"Ohh, Okay."

He got away with that?  I had better step my game up! I thought as I chuckled...

Then I saw Chet from a distance...He had on what looked like a fake beard and sunglasses...I laughed...I couldn't believe this..

Downtown Rob Brown was just finishing up his set and Symphony Sam was on the stage...

"And now ladies and gentlemen...The very last act of the night...A young man from the islands who is slowly becoming a legend....Show your love for Mr. Sammy Hideaway!!!"

The crowd went wild with applause...and Chet took the stage with his trumpet...

I looked around for Agent Shylock, but he could have cared less...He and the woman were engaged in deep conversation....They were laughing and drinking and laughing...Maybe he wasn't working..Maybe this wasn't a sting...

Chet played his beautiful haunting melody, Carlotta's song and the crowd swooned...

 He next played a beautiful version of the Jackson 5's "Maybe Tomorrow and then played Miles Davis's "So What?"  The crowd was applauding mightly....Downtown Rob Brown walked over to me...

"Damn Reed...I love this guy's technique...He's so smooth." he said.

"Indeed.." I said....

I looked over towards the booth where Burt Shylock and the comely young woman were sitting..He was sitting next to her now and they were kissing....Kissing passionately!!!!! Who would have thought that this square had so much game!!! Any game for that matter...I shook my head and laughed to myself..

Chet finished off his set with "My Funny Valentine" and was met with a roar of applause!..To my surprise , some of the youngins , Paris, Blake, Cherish, Cole, Nicole Butler and Chance Howard were in the crowd and they were cheering too..... Both Downtown Brown and I smiled...

''Give it up yall for Mister Sammy Hideaway."said Symphony Sam......Sammy Hideaway!  A phony name and an obvious one at that, I mused.

III-

The concert had been a huge success....but it was over...the droves of people began to pour out into the streets and the parking lots...Delores ,Yolanda and Debbie went to the ladies room, Rob, Meek,  and I walked out into the parking lot.. A small car was bouncing up and down furiously...Meek tapped me on the shoulder....I looked....There was the young woman...her blouse gone...her purple bra unstrapped, the front seat bent back as far as it could go and Agent Burt Shylock and her were kissing and obviously doing something else!

"Ummmmmmmmmmmmmm..ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh...aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...ohhhhhhhhhhhh sweeeeeeettt babbbbyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy..."


"Ohhhhhhhh Burt...Burt...Burttttttttttttttttt...put it to me...ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..."


"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh sweet baby, sweet baby..ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu...arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh."

Rob Brown and Meek Rollins laughed out loud....

''Awww man...this is better than the show...awww man." they said.

This went on for another few minutes....

"Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmph...ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...."said Agent Shylock


"Ohhhhhh Burt...." said the woman


"Wow...that was something." said Burt

She got out of the car first, she fixed her skirt, and put on her blouse, She tried to fix her hair....Burt fixed his pants and shirt and tried to straighten himself out....

"Can I see you again?" he asked...

''Oh,I don't know..maybe..." she said.

"Can I have your phone number?" he asked...

"I'll tell you what...I'll take yours and I'll give you a call ." she said.

"Here's my card...Please call me...Please..I need to see you again.." he begged.

She kissed him softly.... "Sure Burt" she said...as he swooned...

Soon He drove off into the night....Just as the girls were returning to the parking lot, the real surprise of the night occurred...Rollo Jones...a known pimp and second hand man to Big Chicken walked up to the girl with an envelope, stuffed with cash...

''How did it go baby?" he asked.

"Piece of cake...He's in love and he gave me his card." she laughed.

"You're the best....I knew you'd open that fed's nose up.heh heh heh...." he said as he slapped her on the behind...

Within a few minutes....Captain Ahab walked up and gave Rollo Jones an envelope...

"Thanks Buddy." he said.

''No...thank you..Pleasure doing business with ya ." said Rollo..

"Tell Big Chicken I said Hi." said Ahab as Rollo Jones got in his Porsche and pulled off.... I walked over to Ahab...

"That girl was a Prostitute." I said.

"I don't like words like that...I'd like to say she was like hired help." laughed Ahab...

"You fished her into the club." I said.

"Nothin gets past you Reed Nelson...When you come on the boat tellin that fool Chet about the FBI agent and pointing him out..I knew I had to do somethin.....Wasn't no way that fool wasn't gonna perform...He's gonna be the father of my grandchild..Can't have him in the slams....Plus he's making me a mint in promotion money...So I went to Gus for help..Gus told me about Rollo Jones..." said Ahab.

"Slick...Nice plan...a diversion huh?" I said.

"Yup....Plus..I know Big Chicken....I've been around Philly a time or two...I know some of the old playas." said  Ahab...

We both laughed heartedly....

EPILOUGE:

Debbie and I drove down to Penn's landing the next morning to see them off...Chet and Verna looked very happy and content...Ahab was counting his money..he looked happy too...

"Well Reed, ladyfriend...until we meet again..." he said.

"Okay guys...Chet..take care of that little lady and that baby." I said as Chet and Verna smiled and waved..

"I will my friend...I will." he said.

"Oh and don't worry Reed..We'll be back this way soon...cause you Philly people know how to put money in a dude's pocket...Good God Almighty." laughed Captain Ahab...

Debbie and I laughed...we all laughed at that in fact.!




FOR  SLC