Night Songs

Rain came falling down without warning, while I placed the turntable’s needle onto my Howlin’ Wolf record. I shuffled into the kitchen while it played. Jenifer wasn’t home since it was Saturday. She’s usually sleeping over her friend Julie’s house.

I racked the plates onto the dish drainer when the door knocked. I turned off the water and went over.

“Who is it?” I called.

“Say more, Faye Moore!” A shout shook the door.

“….” I went up to the peephole, and spotted a familiar face. “Karen?” I unhooked the door out of its lock. “Karen Bates, Motel?”

The door slightly parted when a foot emerged and with it a woman’s body. She stood at least 5’5’’ in height, and had her short blond bob perked up. Her red lips were enticing to look at with her smoked eye shadow. She wore a tight fitting jean vest with nothing else underneath. Her black short skirt clung to every curve below her waist.

“Karen…” I gasped. “It’s…how’d you find me?” My eyes widened when I put my hands to my mouth.

“Faye!!!” She ran and embraced me. My back was cracking, but I didn’t care, I hugged her right back. “It’s been so long!”

“It has! Again, how did you find me?!” I chuckled.

“I know Sarah, from the Piggly Wiggly. She told me you were working there too, and I just had to plead with her by getting your address!”

“How come you’re in New York?”

“I live here now, with my boyfriend, Matthew.”

“Matthew Richardson? The same Matthew you were dating since high school?”

“Yep!” She showed a cheeky grin.

“I can’t believe you’re here!” I hugged her again.

“First thing I wanted to do was to come and find you!”

“I’m glad you did.” I stepped back and went to the coat rack and grabbed a Cinderella windbreaker. I went over and wrapped her in it. “Now, why the hell aren’t you wearing a coat in this freezing weather?!”

Karen laughed. “Sorry, Mommy Faye.”

I winked at her.

“You’ve never changed, Faye. You’re still same old Faye. I thought you’ve become a full fledged ‘hoity toity’ New Yorker, but I guess the saying is true. You can take the girl out of Arizona, but you can’t take the Arizona out of the girl.” She giggled.

“I guess so.” I smiled. “God, it really has been so long….Sit down, sit down!” I pulled her to the couch, but then she pulled away.

“Uh, sorry! I can’t stay long. I have to go to this party, but I wanted to know if we can make a date? Some lunch? Maybe bowling?”

I laughed. “Yeah, I’d like that. Well, you know where to find me.”

“Yep! Well, I guess this is goodbye for now...,” she walks over the door and stops immediately as she grabs the knob. “Wait a minute…Faye, why don’t you come with me?”

I looked at her. “Huh?”

“Well, the thing is…I don’t know my way around here too well, since I just moved here. Sooo….could you?”

“You’re joking….right?”

“Awww, c’mon Faye! It’ll be a great! We can hang out together and bond!” She went back to me and sat on the couch grabbing my hands.

She looked at me with the saddest eyes. I cringed. I couldn’t say no…

I sighed. “Ooookay.”

She jumped up and cheered. “You won’t regret it; it’s gonna be a big party too! I hear some famous faces are going to be there!”

I wasn’t too thrilled. “Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah! Here, let’s go through your closet and find something to wear. We gotta find something for that chest of yours! I’m not too worried about the rest, you always were blessed with the looks, hun.”

“Yeah yeah…”

“No, I’m serious! Did you know Christopher Deacon was head over heels in love with you?”

“Christopher Deacon? He liked me?”

“You are so oblivious, it’s freighting…”

“I wasn’t all the time!”

“Ha…that’s funny. So how’s your love life now, sweetie?”

“Actually, I’m engaged…”

She stopped looking through my clothes and whipped around towards me. “You’re kidding…right?”

I laughed. “Nope.” I lifted my hand and flashed the rock.

She dropped the hangers to the ground, and dragged her feet to my bed and sat next to me.

“Faye…no way,” she looked up at me, “who is he?”

“His name is Tom.” I blushed.

“Tom? Do I know him?”

“I don’t know, apparently you know everybody since high school.”

“Okay, not EVERYBODY. C’mon, what’s his full name?”

“Carl Thomas Keifer.”

“Car...TOM KEIFER?! That Cinderella guy?! Unreal!!” She grabbed onto my shoulders and shook me.

“Yeah, that Tom.” Now I was the one who had a cheeky grin on.

“Holy shit! I knew you’d find someone, but Jesus, a rock star?! That’s every girl’s dream!”

“That wasn’t really my-“

“Ah, shut up! You don’t deserve him!”

I cracked up. “Alright alright!”

She got up and shook herself off. “I’m guessing you don’t need my help, since you’re already ‘ENGAGED’.” She lifted her fingers signifying the quotes in her sentence.

“Yep.” I still had my grin on.

“Well, you can’t go looking like that….” She continues to go through my closet.

She stops and takes out a little black dress that ends at the middle of my thigh. It had spaghetti straps with a sweetheart neckline.

“This will do it!” She chirped.

“Ah, maybe that’s a little too revealing for a taken woman…”

“Faye, don’t be a prude. Girls wear more revealing things than this at the type of party we’re going to.”

“Orgy?”

“Faye!”

“I’m just joking.”

“Sure you are…Okay! Try it on!” She shoves the dress in my lap.

I turn away. “Maybe I don’t want to…” I playfully cross my arms.

“Want me to kick your ass?” She crosses her arms as well.

I stare at her. “You wouldn’t…”

“Try me.” She stared back.

We had a stare down for about 5 seconds until I gave in.

I sighed. “Fiiiiiine.” I got up and went to the bathroom and slipped on the dress over my sweatpants and went out.

“Faye…I swear to god…” She closes her eyes and grabs her forehead.

“Okay! Okay…” I went back in and took off my pants and shirt. I went back out to show her the outcome.

She lets out a wolf whistle. “Now we’re talking!” She raises her hands in celebration.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate…”

“Faye you’re 22 years YOUNG. Calm down. You should show off your body before you get pregnant, have 9 kids, and have your boobs sagging to your knees.”

“….thanks.”

“No problem. Now! Red lipstick will do the trick!” She grabs a tube out of her purse and paints it on my face. “Gorgeous, Dawlin’. Now I think we need to spray your hair a little.” She again takes out a can of hairspray out of her Mary Poppins purse. She began to spray while we both choke on the fumes. “Okay! Now, all we need to do is the eyes.” She finishes my face up. “Bitchin’…” She stares at me.

“What? What’d you do?” I quickly respond.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you looking like this…” She hands me a mirror.

I look into the hand held mirror and find my reflection startling.

“And I didn’t even really put much on…” She shrugs.

“…….I….uhh…I can’t go out looking like this!” I jumped off from the bed.

“Yes you can, you’re stunning!”

“That’s the thing! I can’t even look the least bit attractive. It means that I’m searching for a male to mate with!”

“Calm the hell down, Jungle Woman. It’s just one night, alright? One single night! Think of it as a bachelorette party.” She smiles at me.

I sit back down on the bed.

“Let’s look for some heels…” She goes back digging into my closet. “Here ya go! Some red ones.”

“Karen, I’m taller than you. What the hell would I be doing wearing heels?”

“Well, why do you have them then?”

I look down. “…..shut up.”

“Alright, stop whining and stand up, let me take a look at you.”

I braced myself, took a few deep breaths and stood up.

“Whoa. You’re a knock-out.”

“I’m a giant clown.”

“Faye, really, do you really believe you look like a clown?”

“Can I at least wear some flats?”

“No, look, there’s going to be many tall people there!”

“How the hell do you know that?”

“I don’t, c’mon let’s go.”

“Karen, I’m 6’2’’ in these!”

“You’re beautiful! Now c’mon let’s gooo!”

She walks into the living room while I was attached to the end of her arm.

“Okay, I’m coming, you don’t have to grab onto me. Hold on, let me get my coat.”

“They don’t have coat check where we’re going, so grin and bear it.”

“To hell with that! I’m taking my damn coat!”

“Alright, but you’re going to be sweating your ass off then.”

“Well, good. At least men won’t be seeing me with my nipples poking out through my ‘shirt’.”
I look specifically at her.

“Hey, maybe I do want to get laid. Unlike miss perfectly engaged here.”

“….I thought you were with Matthew.”

“Matthew and I are in an open relationship.”

“…Huh, I never knew that.”

“Well, now you know. So get your coat on and let’s vamonos!”

I grab my coat and we both walk out the door.

-------------------------------------------------------

We arrived at what seemed to be a pool party. Karen was right about the risqué clothing choices that have been made by most of the women here. A black haired woman came strolling by us dressed in a red g-string bikini. She was soaking wet from her dip in the pool and came straight out when she spotted Karen.

“Kay Kay! I’m so glad you came!” The dripping wet woman tackled Karen in her arms.

Karen didn’t look so enthused about being hugged by her drenched friend. “Yeah…,” she wiped herself off, “how could I have not? You said there’s going to be free booze.” She crossed her arms.

“Oh, yes of course!” The hostess placed her hands on her hips. “Is that the only thing you came here for?” She lifted her brow.

Karen nervously cleared her throat and grabbed my arm pulling me into their vision.

“This here is Faye. She’s a childhood friend.” She quickly changed the subject.

G-string rested her arms to her sides and looked up at me with her mouth open. “She’s huge!”

“You’re small.” I snapped back.

“Oh, uh, sorry…It’s just that…how tall are you?”

“Currently, in these heels, I’m 6’2’’.”

“Yeah? Wow.”

“…Yeah.” I scratched my head.

Butt floss bursted with enthusiasm. “Well, have fun! Go mingle!”

“Oh, we will…won’t we Faye?” Karen winked up at me.

“Uhhh…sure?” I wasn’t getting what she was trying to hint to me.

Karen pulled me into the buzzing crowd, and found some chairs at the end of our venture of bashing our elbows into people’s drinks and heads. The crowd was so big that no one could really notice who did what to whom.

“You wait here! I’ll go get us some drinks!” Karen shouted in my face, but it just wasn’t enough.

“What?!” I shouted back.

“Stay here! I’ll be back!”

“Okay!”

I sat on the chair and rested my chin on my hand. I slouched over my crossed legs tapping my foot to the music. There’s a slim chance I would find anybody recognizable at this party. This crowd held around 200 people in it. Surprisingly, have of them fit in the pool.

A half hour passed and still no sign of Karen with our drinks. I lifted up from the fold out picnic chair and looked over the crowd. Maybe it was a good thing I wore my heels to this party. I still couldn’t see the top of that blonde puffed up bob of hers. I decided to go and find the washrooms, which is a reasonable place to be at.

I tried and wedged my way through the people that blocked that door inside the house. I looked around and spotted a line connecting to the stalls. I went up and down the line trying to keep my cool. My feet were killing me. No sign of Karen anywhere. Where the hell did she go?

Suddenly, I felt two large hands on my shoulders. My reflexes were still intact when I spun around and unhooked the man’s grasp off of me.

“Well well, look at you. You look like something off a magazine cover.” A very recognizable face was standing right in front of me. What I had least expected.

“Eric?”

“Yep, that me.” He took a swig out of a bottle of Tequila.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“I was invited. What’re YOU doing here?” He stumbled a little bit to his right and bumped a guy in the back.

“I was also invited.”

“Oh, does TOM know?” He was very drunk from what I was getting. He slurred his words like every drunken man would.

“No, I’m here with a friend.” I crossed my arms. “Does your GIRLFRIEND know you’re here?”

“She’s right over there, let me get her…” He stumbles over to the bathroom line and pulls out a redheaded woman. She was irritated that she had to go out of the long line, as you would. “C’mere babe,” he shoves his tongue down her throat with her unemotionally accepting.

“Oh, god, really?” I said under my breath.

Eric sorts himself out after the kiss and brings her over to me.

“This is Candy Johnson. She’s an actress…” He takes another gulp out of his bottle.

“Oh, yeah? That’s cool, what movies were you in?” I ask.

“Oh, well, I had a short scene in Sex Kittens from Outer Space, and a role in The Poonies.”
She really thought long and hard about it. Pun intended.

Eric spit out his drink and rapidly coughed. Candy didn’t even think twice about what she said.

“Those are very…uh…very colorful movie titles.” I politely smiled.

“Ya think?” She brightened up and looked away from Eric recuperating.

“Yeah…” I kept on smiling.

“That’s the first time anyone has said that.” She giggled.

“So, how long have you two been going out?” I quickly changed the topic.

Eric regained himself and interrupted Candy. “2 weeks.”

“Oh, so you’re still a new couple, huh?”

Candy nods her head. This was getting very awkward…

“Well, I’m looking for my friend, so I have to go now. I guess I’ll see you around…Nice
meeting you Candy.”

“Yeah, same here. Bye!” She waved me goodbye when I walked towards the living room that was trashed with red plastic cups and pizzas boxes. Eric slouched with his hair in his face. The empty bottle tapped the side of his thigh.

The couch looked like it had reached over its maximum limit of people that could fit on it. I skimmed through the faces and didn’t spot Karen. Okay, now I’m really worried. Should I just go home? She can call me…she doesn’t even have my number, shit! I have to keep looking.

I look through the living room, kitchen, and even managed to glance a peek in the bathroom. It wasn’t a very accurate peek since I couldn’t really see over the hairspray fog that wafted through it. The only rooms I didn’t check were…the bedrooms. Wow, that just gave me shivers. Just walking into a room with a couple who you don’t know having sex is disturbing as it is, but when you know the person…it haunts you.

I studied the floor plan and guessed the bedrooms were upstairs. I got up the stairs and went into a dark room, which is never a good idea. I felt along the wall for a light switch and flicked it on. Low and behold, there she was, lying spread eagle. I covered my eyes and shouted, “I’m going home! Bye!” I slammed the door behind me, ran down the stairs and out of the house and to the nearest bus stop.

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When I got home the lights were all out. I don’t remember shutting them all off…what’s going on?

I tried to turn on the lights, but the bulbs were missing. Okay, this is the most unsettling night I’ve had in a while.

“Jen?! Are you in here?!”I shouted in the room that echoed throughout the rest of the place.

“Jen?” I walked forward and stubbed my toe on the couch. “Ouch!”

I dragged my hands along the walls to feel where I was going. I ended up in front of my bedroom door and slowly opened it. The room was lit with various candles along the armoire and the end tables. Rose petals were spread around the bed and covering the nether regions of a very sexy sleeping man. I quietly slide off my heels and tip toe towards the bed. I lean in to kiss his head.

“Wake up, honey…” I lightly whispered to him.

He lifted from the bed without noticing the petals weren’t covering him anymore. He wiped his eyes and squinted at me. “Faye?”

“Yes?” I smiled.

“Where were you?” He yawned.

“I was at a party with a friend. I would’ve called you to let you know, but I didn’t know myself that you were coming over tonight, Tom.” I kissed him.

“That’s okay… I kinda wanted this to be a surprise. It’s our anniversary tonight.” He lifts a smile from his tired face.

I tackled him down to the bed. “Well, it is a surprise.” I winked.

“Well, I’ve done my job then.” He winked back and laughed.

“You sure did…” I lunged myself right into those lush lips of his.

This night had turned right around.