Frontwoman Fix-Up — Part 1
Teena looked at me with a warm smile and asked Noel, “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?
Friday evening, I was meeting my buddy Noel at a small club called EJ’s Patio. He was there as a fill-in saxophone player for a band named Teena and the Doctors of Love. The club was small. It was a dive bar back in its heyday. String lights zig-zagged over a raised stage that could only accommodate six people. A mix of tables with chairs and a couple of small loveseats with coffee tables dotted the room.
When I entered, I saw Noel doing his sound check with his sax and his wife, Nancy, sitting in front of the stage at a table nearby. She beamed a warm smile upon seeing me.
“Hey, you!” she said.
“Hey there!” I replied. We hugged, and I went over to Noel.
“What up, Bro? Glad you could make it!” He said as we fist bumped.
“Always enjoy hearing a brother play!” I replied.
It was then, I noticed the drummer, who was also a friend, and had played drums for a group I sang with a couple of years ago. His head was down, adjusting a cymbal in place.
“Yo…man! What time is it?” I chuckled.
“Awww…dude! What’s happening?” Dave said.
Noel came over, pointed at me, and snickered. “You know this guy? He’s a troublemaker!”
“You both know life would be dull without me around,” I added. We all laughed. “Alright now…rock the house!”.
“Always!” Noel answered.
I went and sat down at the table with Nancy, and we chatted over a couple of drinks and appetizers. Other patrons came inside and took seats. It was a small yet intimate crowd.
After a short moment, Teena strolled toward the stage, passing our table. She was tall and curvy, dressed in a leopard print corset with black leather jeans that accented her hips and long legs. A black goth design tattoo graced her left shoulder and upper arm, while a tattoo of a vine with blooming black roses ornamented her right shoulder and arm. Thick, curly, salt and pepper colored hair flowed to her shoulders. The dark purple lipstick on the pale foundation on her face looked almost black, covering her full lips and accenting her high cheekbones. I couldn’t help but notice she was barefoot and adorned her feet with a pair of black leather barefoot sandals with dark purple polish glistening on her toenails, which also matched her fingernails.
“Hey girl,” she said to Nancy as they waved to each other.
My eyes locked with Teena’s, and I nodded hello. She flashed a welcoming smile, then stepped up on stage and stood to the side of the band. Dave, the drummer, counted, and the band broke out into a jazzy yet funky song, with Noel playing the lead. When they finished, Teena took center stage with a microphone in hand.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. We’re Teena and The Doctors of Love. Thank you for joining us!”
The band played Stevie Wonder’s song “Master Blaster.” Teena belted out the lyrics with a smooth, velvety alto. She noticed me glancing at her feet and smirked. During the set, she caught me taking another peek while people in the crowd got up to dance, adding electricity to the air.
When the first set ended, Noel came and sat with Nancy and me.
“Man…you sound like a regular band member,” I said.
“Thanks. It was Nancy who set this up,” he replied.
Nancy smiled and added, “I know Teena from college. She was living in LA for a while, singing and recording, but has moved here.”
Teena came to the table, and she and Nancy hugged. Teena looked at me with a warm smile and asked Noel, “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?”
“Oh yeah! This is my buddy, Al,” He answered. “Al, this is Teena.”
Teena and I shook hands, and I felt a spark of attraction between us. I said, “My pleasure to meet you.”
“Likewise! Thanks for coming out to hear us,” she replied.
That’s when Dave stepped in, grinning. “This guy can sing,” he said, motioning to me.
Teena raised an eyebrow and mused, “You can?”
“That’s right!” Noel chimmed in.
“Dave…man…it’s been a while,” I said with a laugh.
Nancy watched with a knowing smile, her eyes shifting between Teena and me like she could sense something was happening.
Teena, Dave, and Noel went back onstage. The band broke out a smooth, southern, funky yet bluesy version of “Black Velvet” by Alannah Myles. Teena shimmied on stage, giving a glance at me, checking out her feet as her sultry voice crooned, “Mississippi in the middle of a dry spell…”
The crowd applauded when the song finished. Teena glanced at her feet and said, “Some people ask why I always sing barefoot.” She paused, letting silence hang for a moment. Her eyes flickered at me, and she continued, “I love feeling grounded, and the music hits deeper inside me.” Then added with a giggle, “Plus…I hate wearing shoes.”
The crowd chuckled and clapped while Teena’s and my eyes locked. She flashed a sly smile and turned to Dave on the drums, to say something to him, posing her bare sole for all to see. But I knew she was teasing me. Then, she spoke in a low voice to the rest of the band.
She turned to the crowd, looking directly at me, and said, “Hey y’all, I found out something interesting earlier tonight. You guys want to know what it is?”
“Yes!” the crowd answered with a loud cheer.
Teena sassily shifted her weight onto her hips, looking directly at me, and added, “Well…we’ve got someone in the crowd who’s been keeping secrets… Noel, Dave — back me up on this… isn’t it true our guy Al can sing?”
“Ohhhh…yeah!” they both shouted.
I held my hands as if to protest, but Teena chuckled and beckoned, “No hiding now. Come on up here, mystery man. Just one song. I promise not to bite.”
The crowd cheered as I went up on stage. This was something I never expected to happen to me. But I took a deep breath as the soundman tested a mic and gave it to me.
I felt the sparkle that was between us as the band kicked into the smooth chords of a song. Teena whispered, “Dave said the rock, Just The Two of Us by Grover Washington Jr. I’ll sing the first part of the verses and you the second, then let’s see what magic we make together.”
Teena’s velvety and sultry tone flowed as she sang, “I see the crystal raindrops, and the beauty of it all, is when the sun comes shining through.”
I followed in my smooth tenor. “To make those rainbows in my mind. When I think of you sometime, and I wanna spend some time with you.”
Teena raised an eyebrow and flashed an alluring grin and sang, “Just the two of us. We can make it if we try!”
I winked an eye, then came in with the second part of the chorus. Teena was right, we were making magic. The crowd loved it. Some couples danced on the floor in front of the stage. Sensual tension grew as Teena and I sang, then we swayed together slowly while Noel wailed on his sax solo.
Teena and I got close, almost as if we were about to kiss, then she sang,” I hear the crystal raindrops fall on the window down the hall, and it becomes the morning dew.”
I took her hand and added, “And darling, when the morning comes and I see the morning sun. I wanna be the one with you.”
Teena and I harmonized on the chorus as Noel played out, ending the song.
“You’re amazing!” Teena chimed, clapping her hands as applause and cheers from the audience erupted.
I smiled and did a slight bow to Teena and said, “Thank you. Always a pleasure to sing with a lovely lady like you.”
I went back to the table.
Nancy grinned and leaned in, “Teena was feeling that duet. You two had some serious chemistry.”
I shrugged my shoulders and replied, “Glad I could stay on key.”
Nancy smirked and winked, then said, “You did more than just that.”
The band finished the show, and cheers from the audience its approval filled the air. Teena grinned and introduced the band, then thanked the crowd.
I went over to the stage and congratulated the band members on a great show, then helped Noel and Dave pack up. During that time, I noticed Teena and Nancy talking in the corner next to the bar. Both smiled as Teena nodded her head in what looked to be agreement with Nancy.
After helping pack the gear, Teena came up to me wearing a sly smile. She said, “Thanks again for singing with me. That was kind of magical.”
I smiled and replied, “The pleasure was all mine.”
Teena shifted close to me and added, “I was thinking… if you’re free tomorrow night, you could come over for dinner? My place isn’t far. Just something chill — music, food, maybe a little more singing if we’re feeling it.”
“Sure…what time?”
Teena grinned, “How about 6:30? I also cook better than I sing.”
“What do you want me to bring? A couple bottles of wine and dessert…maybe?”
“I love Merlot,” she answered with a raised eyebrow and mischievous smile, “I will take care of dessert. I’ll text you my address. Come hungry.”
To be continued