Monday, November 08, 2004
Chapter Seven
At the last second Xodiac balked. She looked in the window of the bar and panicked. “No way, this isn’t me, I’m not doing this.”
“Oh come on, at least give it a try,” said Carl.
Luci opened the door and held it until they all walked in. “We’ll leave in a few minutes if you don’t like it. We came all this way though so let’s have a drink before we go home.”
“All right, all right, all right. Come on, let’s sit over there.” They grabbed a table that gave them an excellent view of the bar and the karaoke stage. “Why did it have to be a karaoke bar?” asked Xodiac.
“Because you can learn a lot watching someone sing. Does he have the moves down, is he shy, what song is he singing? You can’t go out and do some guy who sings Tiptoe Through the Tulips now can you?”
”Nobody sings Tiptoe Through the Tulips. Do they? What a nightmarish thought. Xoda are you going to sing?”
“I hadn’t thought about it. Give me a minute to consider the ramifications. Do you value your hearing or your sanity?”
“If I valued my sanity would I really be married to Carl?”
“Good point but really it’s for the greater good of humanity if I don’t sing tonight.”
Carl looked around the room. “See anyone you like?”
“We just got here!”
“First impressions are important. Now what do you like in a man?”
“You mean physically?”
“I don’t mean spiritually. This is all about the physical.”
“I never really thought about it. Race is not really important. I like broad shoulders and big hands. I guess most of all I like confidence. But not that fake stuff where the guy is really insecure and pretending to be all that when he’s really convinced he’s a drip.”
Luci laughed. “Did you just say drip?”
“I did. Don’t start in on my vocabulary Miss My Mother Didn’t Know How to Spell Lucy.”
“Don’t you talk about my momma.”
“All right ladies, time for some ground rules,” said Carl.
“Like what?” asked Luci.
“Like I don’t want some potential freak pestering our lovely Xoda pop girl. You can’t bring him back to your place. It’s got to be his or nothing.”
Luci didn’t think much of that. “Is she safe at his house? Isn’t it better to be on her turf?”
“Gee, I know,” said Xodiac. “Why don’t we just do it on a park bench or in his car? Oh wait, he could drive away with me. Better make it my car.”
“No,” said Carl. “It’s too cold and you’re too old.”
“You’d best explain that too old comment.”
“I just mean you’re not a teenager. You don’t need to be messing around like that when you’ve got the comfort of a bed available.”
“Or a couch,” said Luci with a dreamy look in her eyes. “Maybe a kitchen table. The possibilities indoors are just about endless.”
“As I was saying, you’re going to have to trust your instincts with this guy. You want to feel safe enough to go home with him and you know, get it on and all, but at the same time I don’t think giving him a way to contact you again is a good idea. You should have all the power and control. Get his number if you want but remember you aren’t dating, you’re doing disaster recovery.”
Xoda fluttered her eyelashes as him. “I declare Carl if you aren’t just the soul of romanticism.”
“He does all right.” Luci gave him a squeeze. “Now let him finish pretending to be your big brother.”
“Oh come on, at least give it a try,” said Carl.
Luci opened the door and held it until they all walked in. “We’ll leave in a few minutes if you don’t like it. We came all this way though so let’s have a drink before we go home.”
“All right, all right, all right. Come on, let’s sit over there.” They grabbed a table that gave them an excellent view of the bar and the karaoke stage. “Why did it have to be a karaoke bar?” asked Xodiac.
“Because you can learn a lot watching someone sing. Does he have the moves down, is he shy, what song is he singing? You can’t go out and do some guy who sings Tiptoe Through the Tulips now can you?”
”Nobody sings Tiptoe Through the Tulips. Do they? What a nightmarish thought. Xoda are you going to sing?”
“I hadn’t thought about it. Give me a minute to consider the ramifications. Do you value your hearing or your sanity?”
“If I valued my sanity would I really be married to Carl?”
“Good point but really it’s for the greater good of humanity if I don’t sing tonight.”
Carl looked around the room. “See anyone you like?”
“We just got here!”
“First impressions are important. Now what do you like in a man?”
“You mean physically?”
“I don’t mean spiritually. This is all about the physical.”
“I never really thought about it. Race is not really important. I like broad shoulders and big hands. I guess most of all I like confidence. But not that fake stuff where the guy is really insecure and pretending to be all that when he’s really convinced he’s a drip.”
Luci laughed. “Did you just say drip?”
“I did. Don’t start in on my vocabulary Miss My Mother Didn’t Know How to Spell Lucy.”
“Don’t you talk about my momma.”
“All right ladies, time for some ground rules,” said Carl.
“Like what?” asked Luci.
“Like I don’t want some potential freak pestering our lovely Xoda pop girl. You can’t bring him back to your place. It’s got to be his or nothing.”
Luci didn’t think much of that. “Is she safe at his house? Isn’t it better to be on her turf?”
“Gee, I know,” said Xodiac. “Why don’t we just do it on a park bench or in his car? Oh wait, he could drive away with me. Better make it my car.”
“No,” said Carl. “It’s too cold and you’re too old.”
“You’d best explain that too old comment.”
“I just mean you’re not a teenager. You don’t need to be messing around like that when you’ve got the comfort of a bed available.”
“Or a couch,” said Luci with a dreamy look in her eyes. “Maybe a kitchen table. The possibilities indoors are just about endless.”
“As I was saying, you’re going to have to trust your instincts with this guy. You want to feel safe enough to go home with him and you know, get it on and all, but at the same time I don’t think giving him a way to contact you again is a good idea. You should have all the power and control. Get his number if you want but remember you aren’t dating, you’re doing disaster recovery.”
Xoda fluttered her eyelashes as him. “I declare Carl if you aren’t just the soul of romanticism.”
“He does all right.” Luci gave him a squeeze. “Now let him finish pretending to be your big brother.”
