Rhythm in Blue (3 page)

She was right about the place needing some care. To Rick, it looked like Kostas hadn’t changed anything since he’d walked through the door ten years earlier. Erin explained that technically, the Islander was a discotheque. Any club with a dance floor was a discotheque and if it didn’t have one, it was just a bar. However, for this club, the label discotheque didn’t fit. The lights for the dance floor were ancient and dull, the tables bore the scars from years of unattended cigarettes, and the little stools surrounding them were all in need of new vinyl. The murals on the walls were faded and peeling. The bathrooms were little more than a hole in the floor to piss in, and smelled as though most people who used them were too drunk to find the hole.

“Well, it does have a homey feel to it, I’ll give you that,” Rick tried to reassure her. Devon’s comment put her on the defensive, and Rick didn’t want the discussion to turn into a battle. “And I’ll take one of those beers. Put it on his tab,” he nodded toward Devon.

Kostas rushed over, muttering, “No, no, it’s on the house.” Only, he couldn’t say house. It came out without the h sound and with more of a soft
x
sound- kxouse. Rick wondered if it was Kostas or all Greeks who couldn’t make the
h
sound, or
w
for that matter. He used the same
kx
sound for
who
and
house
.

Rick chuckled and raised his bottle to Kostas, “Thanks man.” He received Kostas’s toothy grin in reply. He was always grinning, it seemed to Rick.
Must be because I make him nervous
. Kostas did appear to be going to great lengths to make a good impression, but he also seemed to be perpetually happy.

The place was beginning to fill up, and about ten people occupied the dance floor, all gyrating their hips to
Brown Sugar
. Rick noticed that no one was dancing
with
anyone – they were all on their own. Ten islands dancing, all doing their own thing.

Out of the crowd and onto the dance floor burst a young girl, and she joined in the rhythmic gyrations. It seemed as though she was waiting for just this song. She moved to the center of the dance floor, becoming the center island, her enthusiasm for the song inciting the other islands to thrust and gyrate just a little harder. Rick envied her youthful energy and zeal. He felt old. When the song abruptly changed to
Roxanne
, the girl screamed and jumped up and down.
Never mind
,
this must be her favorite song
.

Long and wavy, bleached blond by the sun, her hair fell midway down her back. As she danced, it seemed to float around her head, as though it too loved the song. The long, gypsy type skirt she wore floated as well, indifferent to the moves she made within. Her peasant blouse revealed long, tanned arms that waved in the air as though she conducted an orchestra in which her skirt and hair played.

She looked out of place among the other dancers, yet she oddly seemed a perfect fit. As Rick watched the scene, he began to see that it was the other dancers who were out of place – passengers aboard a ship, unable to disembark and join the revelry, they could only stare wistfully from the deck.

Randy motioned to Erin, and she approached him with a raised eyebrow. “Who’s the girl?” he asked, nodding toward the dance floor.

“Oh, that’s Shelby. You have to meet her. American girl – lives here with her folks. Kostas has known her for years. Her parents are pretty cool. They’re both artists. You guys will meet them while you’re here. There’s an American art school on the island, so we get a lot of artists here from all over the world.”

Randy was watching her dance and licking his lips. Devon, seeing his lusty gaze, said, “Good God Randy, she’s a kid!”

“Hands off!” Erin said, “She’s only fifteen. Too young, even for you, Randy.”

“If she’s only fifteen, what the hell is she doing in a club, whooping it up?” Rick asked.

“Well, Kostas used to kick her out, but then she just went to other clubs where they didn’t know her, so Kostas figured if he let her in, at least he could keep an eye on her. You know, make sure she doesn’t get into any trouble. He won’t let her drink though, that’s the rule – she can come here and dance all she wants, but just Coke to drink.” Rick slowly nodded.
Seems Kostas is a decent sort
, he had to admit.

Randy was still licking his lips, so Devon slapped him on the shoulder, “Man, seriously, you wouldn’t eat a piece of fruit that wasn’t ripe…gotta give ‘em time to ripen, mature.” Rick regretted Devon’s choice of words because he knew what was coming.

“I’d eat that in a heartbeat!” Randy said, nodding his head. Rick could tell he was picturing doing just that.

“You are one sick son of a bitch,” Devon shook his head and turned away.

When the song changed to a slow one, the girl, obviously disappointed to have her dance party end, stepped off the dance floor and headed toward a group of Greek, teenage boys.

“Shelby,” Erin yelled at her.

Shelby turned to see who had called her, and spotting Erin, waved and skipped over to the bar. “Hey Erin. Are you getting
so
excited? The big day’s getting closer.”

“Yes, I am, but I’m starting to feel a little overwhelmed,” Erin admitted. “But hey, right now I want you to meet my brother, Ricky. He just got here today from the States.” Rick just gave her a nod, but Shelby extended her hand. As he took it, he found himself struck by her beautiful smile.

“Wow, it’s really great to meet you! Erin says the nicest things about you. Really makes me wish I had a big brother.”

“Nice to meet you Shelby.” While shaking her hand, he had a sudden pitching sensation in his stomach, probably left over from the ferry ride, but quickly shook it off, turning back to the bar.

“Ricky, I gotta go wait on those guys, you’ll have to finish the introductions,” Erin called out as she hurried down the bar to take an order.

It seemed strange, to make such a big deal about everyone being introduced, after all, she was just some kid they let hang out, but before he could sort out the importance, Randy pushed in front of him and took Shelby’s hand, his gaze fixed on her chest.

“You looked really sexy out there dancing. I’m Randy.” Shelby nodded as Randy introduced himself. Rick could tell she was sizing him up, and from her raised eyebrow, it appeared she had done well. He continued, “This is Devon, and this is Keith.”

They all shook hands, and Rick thought,
Yes, yes, now we’re all just great friends
. As he dismissed her again and went back to his beer, he lit another cigarette. Randy was telling her, “You know, Smoke n’ Mirrors!
Bring it to Me?
That was our big hit last year. I wrote it, and I play lead guitar,” Randy beamed with arrogance.

Rick looked over as Shelby shook her head, “Sorry, never heard of you.” Randy sputtered in disbelief, but Rick caught Shelby’s wink to him out of the corner of his eye.
Good
,
Randy needs to be knocked down a notch or two
.

“Oh my God, you have to know
Heartbreak on the Bayou
! Holy hell, Louisiana was gonna make it their state song!” Actually, Louisiana had no such intention, but Randy was just sure they would, eventually.

Shelby began to slowly nod her head. “Oh yeah,” she said, as though trying to remember something from long ago. “I think my parents used to listen to you guys.” With that, she turned and ran back out to dance some more, as the lights came back up and the lovers left the floor. The Dire Straits
Sultans of Swing
began, and her enthusiasm returned. He had to hand it to her, Randy was a charmer, and hard to fool when he was on the make, and now, he was pissed.

“Jesus Christ, she makes it sound like we’re ancient history! Did you hear her?” Randy was right in his face.

“Yeah, I heard her, but you know Randy, you can’t be everyone’s favorite. Kids are listening to different music than you and I do. They go for that disco shit. I’m sorry, but she’s right, our audience is usually older.” The thought of catering to an older audience at twenty-four didn’t do much for Rick’s ego, either, but they’d been on the road and cutting records for so many years, it was hard not to feel old.

“Well that settles it, we need to update our sound,” Randy said.

Devon patted him on the back. “Don’t you worry, we’re fine, just as we are. What
you
need to do is look for women closer to your own age.” Rick and Keith each gave Randy a thumbs up.

“Fine,” Randy said, looking around. He spotted a couple of blonds up the bar and headed their direction. As he walked away, Rick wondered again how Randy butted his way into coming with them on this trip.
Man, he can really be a pain in the ass!

“What
we
need to do is find him a shorter leash,” Devon said, as he slid onto the bar stool next to Rick.

Randy didn’t like obscurity. Honestly, he just didn’t like to have to chase tail. He was lazy, and he liked it when tail presented itself and bluntly said, “Let’s fuck.” Rick, on the other hand, relished the anonymity the bar and island afforded. He liked being able to down some beers without being hounded for his autograph, without some girl putting her arms around him and asking to have her picture taken with him.

When the song ended, Shelby left the dance floor and became the center of attention with the group of young Greeks. She apparently had the same effect on them as she did on Randy – they all seemed to be vying for her attention. One of the boys pulled on her arm and pointed to the dance floor. She looked at her watch and then to the door. Rick couldn’t understand what they were saying, but Shelby didn’t seem confused. He looked away as she started toward him.

She pulled on his sleeve, “Hey, will you tell Erin I said ‘bye’ in case I don’t make it back?”

“Yeah, are you heading out?” Her hair fell across her face, and he fought the urge to reach out and tuck it behind her ear.

“Yeah, I have to go home and go to bed,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I should be back in a bit though. Nice meeting you,” she said, as she headed toward the door.

“Yeah, you too,” Rick called after her, leaning back against the bar.

He heard a bottle hit the counter behind him. “Shelby leaving?” Erin asked, pushing a beer towards him.

“I guess…said she might be back later though.”

Erin laughed, “I think she has to be home at eleven or something, but then she waits and sneaks out, and
presto
, she’s back.”

Rick nodded. That was what he figured. He was glad he didn’t have to chase after a teenage daughter.
You think Randy needs a shorter leash
, he thought, wondering who would be worse to try to control.

The group of Greek boys dispersed in different directions, all pursuing various women throughout the club. One thing was certain –there were plenty of tourists women,
everywhere
! And no shortage of Greek men and boys to badger them, although the women didn’t seem to be bothered at all. They ate up the attention. Erin read his thoughts.

 “It’s called
Kamaki
.” Rick looked at her in confusion. “Kamaki, it literally means fishing with a spear gun, but it’s also what the Greek men do, picking-up the tourists. It’s an art form,” she said, rolling her eyes. Rick shook his head and wondered at the unexpected bonus of the tourist industry the island relied on.

As the night wore on, the crowd thinned a bit and Rick considered doing the same, but trying to find his way through the maze of streets to their hotel sounded like a lot of work. The jet lag was kicking his ass, and the strong, European beer wasn’t helping. Devon had since joined Randy in pursuit of the blonds down the bar, and Keith sat with his back to the club, lost in his own world, oblivious to the Kamaki going on all around him, but that was normal for Keith.

The music changed from the classic, rock fare, to a reggae beat, and only a few dancers remained. Rick thought that maybe since business had slowed, he might be able to catch up with Erin, but just as he was about to get her attention, Shelby appeared and bounced onto the stool next to him.

“You made it back,” he said.

“Yeah, I had to wait a long time for my mom and dad to go to bed.” Rick took a drink from the bottle in his hand as she continued. “Once I heard them doing it, I knew I was good to go.”

In mid-swallow, the beer changed direction and came out his nose as he tried to stifle his laugh. He wiped the sprayed beer from his face, “Is that the
all clear
signal?”

“Yep, once I hear moanin’ and groanin,’ I know they’re out for the night.”

“Shelby!” Kostas scolded, clicking his tongue and shuffling around behind Erin, who was washing glasses, “What are you doing here? It’s late!” Shelby began pleading with him in Greek.

They continued back and forth for a bit, until finally Kostas walked away with a “humph,” and Shelby looked triumphant.

 “I had to promise him I wouldn’t stay long.”

“So,” Rick began, “I take it you’re not a big Smoke n’ Mirrors fan?”

“Truthfully? I’m a fan of just about anything rock and roll, and if my parents want to listen to you guys, they have to come to
my
room to find your tapes. I love your stuff.” She smiled shyly, “I listen to it all the time.”

Rick was surprised to find he was relieved by the confession. He didn’t realize how disappointed he was to her indifference to their music. On the other hand, he was bummed to think that he was more like Randy than he liked to admit.

“Yeah?” he said, “What else do you like to listen to?”

They discussed and compared their musical likes and dislikes late into the night, until the lights came up and people began to leave the club. Randy sauntered by with his arm around one of the blonds he’d been working, winked at Rick, and said, “Later fucker.”

Seeing Shelby’s shock at the foul farewell, Rick assured her, “He’s really not that bad, he just doesn’t know how to act anymore.”

“He sure seems like a dick, but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt, for you,” she said as she slid off the barstool. “I should head too, I gotta work in the morning.”