It's sunday morning and we are back again at The Cottage. They asked Cliff to come for sunday Brunch and bring some musicians. They were looking for jazz players but he told them we are blues players. It's mellow here this morning. Ella Fitzgerald is singing "Mack The Knife", and people are just starting to arrive. Cliff and Bobby Freeman, the keyboard player, are doing a sound check with some slow blues. Bobby is an excellent keyboard player. He's played around town for years now with The Jeff Prine band. I went over next door to La Bonne Bouche, (thats Good Mouth in French) and got us coffee and croissants. I only had a Visa card so the guy said cash only but take it and pay him back another time. I thought that was nice. I told himt that we play every Saturday at The Cottage, I'll get him next week. I walk around with no cash, depending on my plastic bank card. If I kept one hundred one dollar bills in my pocket I would feel rich. Cliff is figuring out the set list of my songs and Bobby's songs. Bobby says he is always nervous before a gig, I don't know why, he is such a fantastic player. Seems that another band has shown up. There is a quandry with management. Cliff found out that they were already fired, so its full steam ahead for us. It's a beautiful, sunny day today. Nice October weather for Florida. The sunlight reflects off the branches of the palm trees and everything is light and airy and bright. Cliff and Bobby are set up under the tented part of the restaurant, just in case of rain. It's too hot to sit out in the sun, Cliff would never make it. Cliff is wearing a necklace that my mother brought for me. As soon as I got it he claimed it as his own. He gets so many compliments on it he's thinking of selling them. Bobby kicked off the set with , "Ain't No Sunshine". He sounds great. He has such a nice blues voice, smooth and mellow. Cliff is playing drums, nice and soft. It's good. I went up and sang two songs to the brunch crowd. I sang , "Rock Me Baby" and "Stand By Me". They clapped. They are all sitting out there in the audience with their mimmosas and eggs benedict, an easy, captive crowd. Newsflash: The restaurant is out of O.J. Cliff is on break and is telling me that I need to learn another twenty new songs, some standards, some Beatles and Etta James. He's figuring out the songs for the next set. Cliff has his sunglasses on and looks like a movie star today. He's all excited about playing drums. We were playing a song and a woman asked me over. She told me that she just asked her bloke to marry her and he said yes. She asked if we could play a slow song so they could dance. The boys played "24 Hours" I'm gonna love you twenty four hours a day) and Bobby sang it. The couple danced and they looked all teary eyed and happy. They put some money in the tip jar, could be a lucrative gig! Cliff talked to the owner and he said "Thumbs up", we are in. We'll be in rotation with some other bands, so we'll be playing her at least twice a month. The engaged couple sips champagne...I remember when Cliff asked me to marry him and the next day I told my mother. He was mad that I told her. We still haven't been married yet and its eight years later, but we will do it, for sure, one day....One day, maybe in Vegas. Bobby is singing again, he's playing,"Georgia". Its crowded in here now, a huge table of about twelve people just came in while we were playing "Hand Jive." Our boss was watching us, clapping in the corner. Cliff is drumming, he looks happy.Bobby is singing "Fire and Rain". The newly engaged couple toasts. I wonder what will become of their realtionship...Will she always be the leader? She asked him to marry her. I've thought about doing that but from my experiences its always better if the man is crazy about you, you can only chase a man so far. In general I think men like to do the chasing. They get nervous when a woman is after their ass. We're on break again. Cliff was looking around the place saying what a nice home the restaurant would be. It would be sort of a courtyard house with large areas open to the outdooors. I Like it. I've always wanted to live like Jungle Jane anyway, live in a treehouse and own a couple of monkeys. Cliff is back playing again, doing a light swing to "Everyday I Have The Blues". He's playing lightly, sounds good. He's got his sunglasses on. The gig is just about over, we say our goodbyes to the brunch crowd. Come back again in two weeks! Mimosa patrol over.
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