Far As My Eyes Can See

The worst thing for a working musician like myself is having a day off... My man B-Flat was working tonight... He played in Symphony Sam's house band...The band that played everynight at Josies....My man Dutch Van Buren was home with his girlfriend and new daughter and Downtown Rob Brown and Reed Nelson were probably home chilling with their women...

I had been chilling with Bridget the day and night before...She had dropped me off at my apartment in the morning and then doubled back and went to work...Wonder what she'd do if she knew that I had a car??..A car I kept in the garage of the apartment complex I lived in...A car that no one other than my friend Kevin Morris had ever seen me drive.

I had a friend...Mickey Davis....The only other person who knew that I could see ,who drove me around...for a fee of course. Money and a drink tab! Who usually was in Josies... He was nowhere to be seen tonight!

I saw B-Flat's wife, Honey Brown in the wings.... I called to her...

''Hey Honey..You seen Mickey around tonight?" I asked.

"Chazz, how did you know it was me?" she asked...

"Honey...I smelled your fragrance and I listen to people's walks, the way their feet hit the ground...I could tell it was you and plus,I heard your voice." I said.

All of which was true...all of which were things I did when I was blind...but ever since my operation in Europe last year...I haven't had to do any of that...I've got 20-20 vision...but people come to see a blind piano player.....With my sight...I'm no longer a draw...I'm just like anybody else.

Honey looked astounded....

''Wow Chazz...No I haven't seen him tonight....but he'll be in eventually..." she said.

II-

Tonight Symphony Sam's house band and his cousin, the D.J. were supplying the music...No guest stars or opening acts...During the second act...I sat in with them on the keyboards..

I didn't need the dough...but I wasn't going to turn down any dough either..So I played...Rollie Rollerson strutted in with that girl again...The one he was talking to the day before...

I still hadn't sent the photos to Sissy....I had made up my mind that I wasn't...If he wanted to expose me..then have at it..I was through being muscled around by him..

III-

I wandered over to the bar...I sat quietly until Gus, the owner and head bartender walked up...

''Nice set Chazz...What are you having?" he asked.

"My usual." I said.."On the rocks." I added and smiled.. Gus looked at me and shook his head..

Rollie Rollerson walked up to the bar....

"You didn't send those photos to her did you?" he said.

"Nope" I added....

"Hey Gus...Did you know that this little twerp here can actually see???...He's been pullin the wool over your eyes all this time!" he bellowed out..

I sat still and said nothing..

Gus gave me the side eye...

"He's a faker..." said Rollie...

"And you're a drunk." I retorted....

"Yeah?" said Rollie...

"And you're busted too ,take a look at the door." I said.

Rollie's eyes got as large as saucers....Coming through the door was Sissy Van Buren, her friend, Angie Belton and my girl Bridget... apparently ,they had all hung out tonight...

Rollie forgot about me and then hurried through the crowd and grabbed his young lady friend and hustled her out of the bar....

"But I just got here...Rollie, I haven't even finished my drink.." she said.

"That's alright...I just got an idea of another fun place...The Aqua Bar." he said...

"But we were just there the other night...What is your problem?" she said.

''Nothin...Nothin...Ahhh, I just don't feel the vibe in here...let's go someplace else.." he said.

"Let go of my arm...I'm not goin anywhere." she said.

Gus's two bouncers, Eddie and Andrew approached Rollie...

"Mam is there a problem?" they said.

"There isn't a problem...Not yet!!! Do you know who the hell I am?" screamed Rollie...

By now, everyone was looking at them....

"You are definitely not the  man I thought you were...You're pushy, arrogant and tasteless..." said the young lady who emptied her drink on Rollie's head and then got up and walked outside and hailed a taxi...

Sissy,Angie and Bridget saw the whole thing and  were laughing their heads off....

''He's such a dog...And always sending me roses and here of late jewelry and little letters and asking me if I'm still seeing Eddie.I see he hasn't stopped seeing people." said Sissy.

"Girl...To have your problems..Three men chasing you..." said Angie Belton..

"I only have one man...that's it." said Sissy...Angie laughed out loud!

''That's not the way it looks Sissy!" she said.

"I could always send Cantrell or Rollie your way Angie....Cantrell does ask about you." said Sissy laughing...

"You know...They both are good looking men....but I couldn't deal with all of the drama surrounding both of them...Rollie is too obvious for one thing and Cantrell, is too sneaky...Nah...don't need the drama." said Angie.

Bridget laughed and then turned to me...

"You want something to drink baby?" she asked...

"Bridget...I need to speak to you a minute..in private...Excuse me ladies." I said.

Sissy and Angie looked confused...

"It's okay..we'll be right back." I said.

''Did I do something wrong?" asked Bridget.

"No...Nah...You didn't do nothin...It's something I did...or have been doing." I said.

IV-

Bridget and I walked out to Josie's parking lot...

Bridget looked concerned....Like she was about to get dumped...

"Bridget..I've been lying to you...and I thought now was as best time as any to tell you the truth before we go any further....If after what I tell you, you even want to go any further with me...I hope you do." I said.

''Who is she Chazz?"she asked...

"There is no other woman." I said.

"You're not Gay or Bi-sexual?" she asked.

"NO...no ,no..no...this isn't about cheating." I said.

She breathed a sigh of relief...

"Then what is this about?" she asked...

"Okay...I'm going to tell you something that only three people know...Kevin Morris, Mickey Davis and that skunk, Rollie Rollerson."I said.

"You have an STD?" she asked.

"No..No...Noooooooo...." I said.

I took my sunglasses off and looked at her....

"Look into my eyes Bridget." I said...

"Huh?" she asked.

"Look" I said.

She stared...then she saw her reflection....

"You can see!...You can see? OH MY GOD!!! You're not blind....YOU CAN SEE!!!!!!" she said.

''Yes...I had an operation in Europe, shortly before I met you...and my cataracts were removed by a cold laser...I can see and I can drive..I have a drivers license and a car.."I said.

"You know...I thought so.I thought that maybe you could see..Little things you'd say and slip up and do...So that means...When I'm around my house naked or in my underwear...You could see me?" she said.

"Yeah." I said.

Bridget laughed ...

"You horn dog you..I ought to knock you out." she said laughing hysterically...

"You're not mad?" I asked..

"No...If that's all you got to tell me ,no......But baby why are you frontin like you're blind?" she asked.

"All my life I've been known as the blind sensation...The Blind Pianist...If people knew I could see...Who would come to see me?" I asked.

"Baby, people come to see you because you're good...You play the hell out of any keyboard you touch...Whether you're blind or not...Nobody will care...I don't care...I'm actually glad you can see...Now I know that I wasn't so desperate for a man that the only one I could snag was a blind man." she said.

"As good as you look...You could snag any man on the planet.....I'd still be crazy about you even if I couldn't see." I said.

''Awww that's so sweet."She said.

"There's more.."I said.

''Uh Oh."she said.

"A few months ago...I witnessed a murder up in Little Norway...I lied to Detective Carlotta Rodriguez,I  told her that I only heard it...but the truth is I saw the whole thing...Kevin Morris found out that I could see....I gave him the description and the name of the killer..and he gathered enough evidence that Carlotta and Duke Baylor got the killer without me ever having to come forward.....Kevin has kept my secret all this time....and Mickey Davis...my driver...He's kept it....but that skunk Rollie Rollerson has been blackmailing me with it. He found out I could see when The Liquid Love Band played at one of his charity events." I said.

''Blackmailing you?? How?"she asked.

"He's made me give him information on Sissy., Like when Sissy is going out with Eddie C., where they go...and stuff that I may have heard you say that Sissy might have told you....He hired some out of town P.I. to take these pictures of Eddie C. with another woman.." I said.

"Another woman?  Let me see the photos" said Bridget...

Upon taking a look at the photo....Bridget looked at me and gave me the side eye....

"You don't know who that woman is?  Maybe you are blind Chazz..." she said.

I looked, but I didn't know her...

"That's your friend's girlfriend...That's Dutch's very pregnant girlfriend...Selma Alvarez....Sissy's father's girl..." said Bridget....

"You know..I've only met her once, briefly when Dutch had her in the studio the other day and I didn't pay much attention to her...You had on that mini skirt and that see through blouse with the flowery bra and I was looking at you.....but you're right that is her!!...But what is she doing out with Eddie C?" I asked.

"Chazz..You are sooo crazy....They're at the IKEA restaraunt!!on Deleware Avenue... Not exactly a place somebody would go to on a secret sexy date! And she's pregnant!!Look carefully at the photos....Eddie C. drove her there to buy some things for the nursery...As a favor to Sissy's Dad....Sissy knows about this...Oh you are too much..and Rollie is stupid..." Come on inside." she said laughing. "You actually noticed my bra??" she retorted..

"Yeah...it was right there." I said.

"No it wasn't right there...I had on a blouse..." she said.

"Well er uh...I saw it. That blouse was sheer." I said.

"Yeah, you really can see good!" said Bridget, giving me the serious side eye and laughing and shaking her head.

V-

Sissy and Angie saw us walking in arm and arm and laughing and they looked relieved...

''Everything okay guys?"Asked Angie Belton...

"Yeah ,everything is fine ..Sissy, Angie..Let's get a booth...I got something to show you and tell you...You're going to laugh your head off ." said Bridget...

We all got a booth..Rollie saw us headed for the booth..He stared daggers at us and swiftly left Josies...

We all sat down and ordered drinks....Bridget held Sissy's hands and rubbed them softly...

''First off girls...My man Chazz here can see!!!...He's been perpetrating a fraud all this time because he believes that no one will come to hear him play if they know he had an operation last year in Europe" She said.....

"Chazz? Are you crazy?? People don't care if you can see or not...People come to hear you play...and you play well." said Angie Belton.

"Oh Chazz, that's just insane... All this time you could see?" asked Sissy.

"No..Just since last year...I had an operation in Europe..They removed my cataracts by cold laser." I said.

"But here's the kicker...Only three people knew about it and one is blackmailing him....One person who knew was Mickey, the other person that knows is Kevin Morris...and the blackmailer is your would be suitor ,Rollie Rollerson Sissy!!...He's been threatening to out Chazz unless he delivered these incriminating photos of Eddie C. to you anonymously." said Bridget...

"Blackmailing him?? How??" asked Sissy.

Bridget showed Sissy the photos of Eddie C. in IKEA with  the pregnant Selma Alvarez!!!

"This was last week!!!...My dad asked me if I could run Selma to Ikea because her order came in for stuff for the Nursery..I couldn't ...I was working a case and Eddie offered to drive her there....But I didn't tell him to buy her a Hamburger and a Milk Shake...You wait til I see him" joked Sissy...

They all busted out in gales of laughter.....

"I couldn't be with Rollie...He's just too stupid...." laughed Sissy...

"Oh My God...See what I mean Sissy???, Right there!" laughed Angie as she and Sissy high fived each other...

"Too Stupid for words." said Bridget...shaking her head.

"I'd appreciate it if you ladies would not tell anybody else that I can see...I may announce it myself eventually,but I don't want it known to the general public." I said.

Sissy and Angie smiled...

"You're secret is safe with us Chazz." they both said.

"Don't you feel like a weight has been lifted off your back now that at least Bridget knows you can see??.." asked Sissy.

"I do....but listen...now that you have the photos..I want to have a little fun with Rollie Rollerson....Pay him back for bullying me." I said.

"I do too...I'm sick of him."said Sissy..

"What do you guys have in mind?" asked Bridget...

"Oh we'll think of something." I said. Sissy smiled.

TO BE CONTINUED!!