Luscious Lips

Chapter 1-2

***

Once back in her apartment, she strummed her guitar for a while, but the song lodged in her head wouldn’t come out. As she had done the night before, she gave up and went to sleep, wondering if that magnificent dream would return. It did.

As usual, the dream began with Tammy taking her hand and leading her through a lush meadow. But this time they kept walking. They strolled through the bushes and into an enclosed area, away from the eyes of strangers. From time to time, Tammy would share a warm eye contact with her as if assuring her that she was safe – in spite of the increasingly dark surroundings. “My dear, this is the place you belong. It is the place you have always longed to be no matter how much you have fought against it.”

Puzzled, Mindy looked around. She had been taken to a closed-off area fenced in by bushes and arching trees. “This is the place I belong? I don’t understand.”

“You will, my dear.”

The dream ended in mystery, without her understanding what Tammy’s strange words truly meant. But Mindy sprang out of bed, unbothered by the unanswered questions. She was going meet her favorite person in the world today. And the glow on her face stayed with her all day long.

***

With lots on her mind that day at work, her boss, Mr. Swain’s mood shifted into something ugly and abusive. “What’s gotten into you, Mindy? You on drugs or something? You made scrambled eggs when they asked for sunny-side-up, you burnt a steak, you forgot to put sugar in somebody’s coffee. Wake up, honey!”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Swain. I’m just a little distracted, that’s all. I promise it won’t happen again.”

“Better not, young lady. Now go take your break and make sure your head’s together by the time you get back.”

“Yes, sir.”

Mindy slipped into her locker and flipped through a bunch of notebooks she had taken with her to work. On the off chance that she’d get an opportunity to present some songs to Tammy, she wanted to be ready.

An endless sea of lyrics flew past her. The very idea of having her words float from Tammy Sweet’s voice brought a shiver to her entire body, causing the notebooks to shake in her hands.

Her cell phone rang, startling her. “Hello?”

“Hey, there, pretty lady!” It was Ted. “We still on for this evening after work?”

“Yeah, Ted, I’ll meet you at the hotel right after work. I’ll probably get there somewhere around seven.”

“Sounds great. Take care.”

“Bye-bye.”

The rest of the day was a wash of mixed emotions. On one hand, she couldn’t wait to meet Tammy, but on the other hand, she wondered if her nerves could take the battering.

***

After meeting Ted in the lobby, she spent several minutes in the bathroom, making sure she looked good. A bright sun dress hung from her body and she had tucked her hair into an elegant bun, but after glancing at herself in the mirror, she considered changing her hair. She brought her long strawberry blonde locks down across her shoulders, then tucked it back up again. The nervousness racing through her body made making up her mind an impossible task.

After finally deciding on leaving her hair down, she emerged from the bathroom before she could change her mind another time.

Ted greeted her and gestured for her to follow him. “She’s upstairs waiting for us.”

With Ted at her side, Mindy waited in the hallway, buzzing like a kid on his way to meet Santa Claus. “I can’t wait.”

When the door swung open, it was like somebody had stepped out of her dreams.

Tammy greeted the pair with a warm smile. “Hello, there, young lady. My sound technician here tells me you’re a fan of my music.”

“Um… yes, I totally am, ma’am.”

She waved them inside with a toss of her long, blonde hair. “No more of that ‘ma’am’ nonsense. Just call me Tammy.” A ringing phone intruded and Tammy reached to answer it. “Sorry, this might be important.”

As she and Ted took a seat on the hotel bed, Mindy couldn’t stop staring at Tammy. Even in a bathrobe, she seemed like a goddess. Tall, gracious, elegant.

But the phone conversation wasn’t a pleasant one. “Look, I appreciate everything this lady has done for us on the road, and I understand she comes highly recommended from Paris, France, but you, you see, I’m a southern girl from Macon, Georgia. All this fancy French cooking just isn’t what me and my band are looking for. I’m sorry.”

The conversation was awkward enough to send Mindy’s gaze darting away to a guitar leaned against a far wall. The whispered to Ted, “You think now would be a good time to tell her about my songs?”

“Why not?”

Tammy hung up the phone. “Sorry for that interruption.”

Ted said, “No problem. Look, my friend Mindy here has something she’d like to say”

“Oh, really?”

Mindy nodded, gripping her notebooks, her forehead coated with sweat. “Uh… yes…” This was the moment she’d been waiting for. Now was the time to pick up the guitar and confidently belt out one of the songs she’d been spending her life working on. But she lost her nerve. There were simply too many ugly thoughts racing through her head. What if my songs aren’t any good? What if Tammy laughs at me? What if she gets mad at me for wasting her time?

Eyes on the floor, she mumbled, “It was really nice to meet you, Tammy. I suppose we better be going now. You’re a very busy lady.”

“Well, as a matter of fact I will be a little busy for a while. We just fired our cook and I don’t know where I’m going to fine somebody who can do some nice, downhome southern cooking.”

Head slumped, Mindy headed for the door. “Good luck with that. Goodbye.”

Ted said, “Wait a minute! Mindy, you’re a cook, aren’t you?”

“Uh, yeah. But I just work down at Jimmy’s diner. Nothing fancy.”

Tammy asked, “Honey, can you make grits and gravy with chicken fried steak on the side?”

“Sure.”

“How would you like to join us on the road for three months?”

Mindy’s mouth sprang open. “I’d love to!”

“You’re hired. I’ll have my manager call you later with the contract and all the details.”

She gave Tammy a euphoric hug, and it felt as warm and welcoming as she’d always suspected it would. “This is wonderful news, Tammy! I’m really going to enjoy being on the road with you.”

“I hope so. And I hope that cooking of yours is as good as I think it is.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Tammy escorted her and Ted out of her hotel room and Mindy could practically walk on air. “I can’t believe I’m going on the road with my favorite singer!”

“I’m sure you’ll have a good time. But what about your songs?”

“We’ll get to those later. For now I have to get home and practice my cooking!”

***

After getting home, Mindy gave Mama a call. “Hey, Mama. You remember the guy who works as a technician for Tammy Sweet?”

“Oh, yes, Ted!”

“Well, I’ve got great news.”

Mama erupted in joy. “You and Ted are getting married? Well, isn’t at the most wonderful news I’ve ever –“

“No, no, Mama. Not that. I’m just calling to tell you that I’m going on the road with Tammy and the band to work as their cook. Isn’t that great?”

“Yeah, that’s nice too I suppose. I hope everything goes well for you.”

“Thanks, Mama.”

Getting well wishes from her mother was nice, but her subdued reaction to the news brought home an important point. Getting married to a handsome, successful man was always the biggest goal for the Drayford girls. Everything else was a distant second.

Scraping her self-esteem off the floor, Mindy took a deep breath and dialed a second time, knowing this call would be a little more awkward.

“Jimmy’s diner!” Mr. Swain barked. “What do you want?”

“Hi, Mr. Swain. This is Mindy. I’m just calling to let you know I’ll be on the road for a few months, so I’ll have to be taken off the schedule for a while –“

“What! Why didn’t you tell me about this in advance? You know how hard it is to find a replacement on short notice?”

“I’m awfully sorry. An opportunity came up spur of the moment.”

“Well, you’d better make it up big time when you come back. I’m talking about overtime every day! Do you hear me?”

Mr. Swain’s words urged Mindy into a corner. He wasn’t just being unpleasant now. He was abusive. And decided she wasn’t going to take it anymore. “Um, Mr. Swain… I’m not coming back.”

“What was that?”

“I said I’m not coming back!” Her words were louder this time, more confident. “I’ve had enough of you treating me badly. I know there’s got to be an employer out there who will treat me with the respect I deserve.”

She heard nothing on the other line.

“Uh, Mr. Swain? You still there?”

Taken aback by Mindy’s sudden aggressiveness, he spoke in a softer, more compliant voice. “Well… I guess if that’s how you feel… good luck to you.”

She hung up, head held high. This was the bravest thing she had ever done. She only hoped she wouldn’t regret it.

***

Stepping up to the tour bus with her bags in tow, Mindy stopped to gaze at the giant steel vehicle and gaped. She’d been away from home before, as well as on airplanes and even a cruise ship once. But this was different. She was now closer than she’d ever been to realizing her dream of being a pop music songwriter. And she was scheduled to spend the next three months very close to her Tammy Sweet. She gave the guitar strapped to her back a kiss for good luck, hoping her nerves wouldn’t fail if she had another opportunity.

***

Mindy’s first dinner was a little nerve wracking. Cooking for the entire band and crew was a challenge, and doing it on a tour bus made things nearly impossible. But she somehow whipped together a strong meal of fried chicken, cornbread and corn on the cob.

After the meal had been cooked, Mindy took a discreet peek through the crack in the kitchen door to see how people reacted to it. She saw a bunch of people leaned back in their seats, faces heated by satisfied grins. A handful of burps filled the air. That was all the praise she needed for a job well done.

The way the band and crew gathered in the dining area gave her an idea. Maybe this would be a good time to share my songs! She thought. Luckily her guitar was nearby, leaned against the refrigerator. Scooping it up, she practiced a few chords before barging into the room.

Taking a deep breath, she planned out the songs she was going to perform, reciting the lyrics to herself just to make sure she wouldn’t freeze up a second time. But when she took a second glance through the crack in the door, she noticed the crowd had mostly disappeared. The room was empty except for Tammy and a crew member named Roxy.

The ladies sat there, exchanging silent smiles. After climbing to their feet, they danced to an upbeat pop song playing on a distant radio. The sight brought a smile to Mindy’s face. It reminded her of the way she and her friends would go to the school dances and dance with the other girls when the boys were too shy.

Soon the song ended and gave way to a slow, seductive ballad. The ladies fell into each other’s arms and swayed gently. This seemed a little odd to Mindy. She didn’t recall doing that with her friends in high school.