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Blue Moon 9.3

by Donna Lamb

Her nearly effortless wardrobe savvy had surprised Jo. She knew what would look good with her shape and coloring without thinking too much about it. In fact, thinking too much made it harder to do. She almost felt like she'd managed a female wardrobe all her life. "Well," she muttered, "I did w-w-wish for things to be easier and this is almost exactly what I m-meant." After a moment, she added, "I think."

She picked out more jewelry, a necklace of wooden beads with green and blue stones separating them, earrings of wooden half-hoops and a belt that matched the necklace but with golden beads also to match the buckle on her shoes. "Almost too easy," she muttered. "I ought to be f-freaking out."

She dusted her face with some glitter powder after doing her eyes in cream, gold and silver with green eyeliner. Coral lipstick finished things off and she chose the long red wig and settled it in place. "Now I need a b-bag," she said. She found a soft leather bag with wooden beads and a narrow strap that went perfectly with her ensemble. She loaded it up with a selection of things from her big old straw bag. "Straw in January? What w-was I thinking?"

She stared at herself in the mirror when she finished, turning this way and that, striking a few poses. "Richard is going to leap out of his socks," she decided. She smiled at her reflection. "Teach him to snicker when he m-makes me squeaky."

* * *

Downstairs, Richard had finally reached Secure Response of Burbank, who had promised to have a tech out to assess damage within half an hour. "If your system was off, this won't be included in the service contract."

"Uh, yeah, figures," said Richard. "Just get someone over here soonest, we're leaving for an appointment in less than an hour." He intended to leave forty-five minutes early to get crosstown in the mid-afternoon Friday rush. "Oh, how will we know if someone shows up that they're from you're company?"

"Always ask for two forms of ID and look for the SRB truck, sir."

"Okay, good." He hung up and started up the stairs, hoping Jo had gotten dressed and he wouldn't have to think of something else to distract him. Then he stopped, ran out to his car and brought in the satchel of sheet music he'd fetched from the apartment.

Jo met him on the landing. "Did you call the cops?" she asked.

He stared at her for a long moment. This is not Joel. This is not my geeky roomie. This is a fox who knows it. "Like the red hair," he said out loud.

She giggled. "Thought you w-would." She tossed her head, letting the fiery curls caress her shoulders. "Cops?" she asked again.

He nodded. "Not much to tell them, they said it wasn't hardly worth it to try for prints or tool marks. I called security, too and they're coming over to fix the door and turn everything back on. But ceck your phone to see if you have a speed dial for them, SRB or Security or Secure Response. I want you to use it the next time something like this happens." He looked stern.

Jo didn't argue. She recognized her vulnerability and acknowledged it to Richard. "Okay," she said, trying to look meek.

Richard restrained an impulse to take her in his arms and tell her it would be okay. Too cute, jeez! When did she learn that look?

She gave him a look from among the red curls falling around her face while she checked the phone. "Yep. Speed dial f-f-five." Uh-oh, she thought seeing his expression. Need a distraction. "What's in the case?"

He looked down at his hand to see what he was carrying."Oh, yeah. Uh, sheet music, from my old band."

She gestured at the studio, he opened the door for her and let her go in first. That's a nicer thing than it looks like, she thought, having doors opened for you.

They spread the music out on a bench. "This isn't p-p-printed sheet m-music," Jo said after looking at several pieces.

"Sure it is," said Richard. "I printed it out on the school printer." He grinned.

Jo looked closer. "You did the arrangements for the b-band?"

"Uh, yeah. I, uh, wrote some, too."

She pulled a piece out and looked it over. "You wrote this? The lyrics, too?"

"Uh, huh." Richard looked embarrassed.

She examined the piece, humming a tune. Richard looked at her, startled. "You can sight read?"

"Apparently," she took the sheets over to the keyboard, turning things on. She handed him one of the copies. "You wanna do the drums and v-vocals?"

"Uh?" He looked stunned.

"You sing tenor?" she asked.

He nodded, taking the seat at the drums.

They warmed up a bit then Jo said, "Gimme a b-beat, you don't have a tempo m-marked."

He gave her a steady, sha-boom-a-bop-a-boom till she fell into the rhythm. He played, elaborating the beat with the cymbal and toms. They ran through a couple of verses. Jo's fingers danced on the keys, playing the music he'd written years ago with the electronic stops set for piano and muted brass. Whoa, I didn't write that, he thought as Jo improvised a key change and added a second bass line.

She paused to stretch her fingers and swing her hair back, he kept time on the snare, admiring her.

"Rock b-beat with a country sound," she said."That right?"

He nodded.

She pointed at him. "Sing it!" she ordered.

He sang:

Walk with me, for a little while
It's a lonesome road I've chosen
Talk to me, give me a smile,
It's been too long since
Friendly words were spoken.

Never thought I'd be alone so long
Never thought of hearts a-breaking
Never thought of singing a lonesome song
Never thought of not seeing you
Back when I chose the road I've taken.

Jo nodded, waving for him to continue.

Walk awhile in my lonesome shoes,
Maybe you can hear them squeaking
Sing a few bars of my lonesome blues
Tell me goodbye at the lonesome gate
I'll leave some love in your keeping.

Maybe sometime I'll be back this way
Can't any promises be making
Another lonesome night, another lonesome day,
Another lonesome mile I've walked
On this lonesome road I've taken.

She waved him to be quiet, working the key change, she'd tried out. Then she sang, words that were almost the ones he'd written but words he hadn't heard before:

Never thought I'd be seeing you go
Never thought I'd ask you to be staying
Don't want to be missing you so
Take off your lonesome shoes
We've got some plans to be making.

Let's walk together, for a little while
It's a lonesome road we're taking
Talk to me, give me a smile,
It's been too long since
Loving words were spoken.

A raised finger from Jo and a key change back. Richard sang:

Walk awhile in my lonesome shoes,
Maybe you can hear them squeaking
Sing a few bars of my lonesome blues
Tell me goodbye at the lonesome gate
I'll leave some love in your keeping.

Jo's coda was better than the one he'd written, with a change of time and key and a change back; he followed the rhythm easily, it seemed so natural, finishing on the unexpected but inevitable tonic chord.

In the sudden silence, they heard the doorbell ringing.