I know Lucy will be so shocked when I tell her that I actually quit my job. I have been threatening to for a long while but she never thought I would ever do it. I never thought I would actually do it.
Lucy gives me a puzzled look. "What are you doing home so early?"
"Lucy, I finally quit my job today."
"You did WHAT?!" Lucy is not the most bright girl in the world.
"I SAID that I finally quit my job! Would you listen to me every now and then? I got tired of that pig Ted and I let him have it."
"You let him 'Have it?'"
"What, is there an echo in this place? Yes, I let him have it."
"What do you mean?"
How could I put this tactfully? "How can I put this tactfully, Lucy? Let's just say that when I was through with him, HE was groveling at MY feet for a change."
"Mary Lou!! You didn't beat him up, did you?"
"Well, Lucy, it would seem that I did. Actually, I only punched him. But I laid him out flat. I never knew I had it in me."
Lucy just kind of stood there with her mouth open. I waited for a minute to see if she was going to say anything but she didn't. That girl has been a little more dreamy than usual. She hasn't quite been herself. The toilet flushing incident was a red flag that something just wasn't right in her head. She's always been a little on the airhead side but lately, she's been a tad bit more disconnected than usual. Oh well, I've got bigger fish to fry.
To get my mind off things, Lucy and I are taking a trip to the bookstore a few blocks down the street. I have been meaning to buy Neil's biography but I've never gotten around to it. Never had the time with work and Karaoke. As we walk in, I see a familiar face, the same guy I always see in there. I think his name is Nap from what I hear. He's a regular to this place. It doesn't matter what time of day I walk in there, he'a always got his nose in a book. I'm just not that kind of person. I spend most of my free time on the laptop, typing away on my screenplay. In that sense, Nap and I are much the same. Our noses are stuck in something.
Lucy is all about some book signing that's going on. Some lady named Raine is hot stuff tonight.
As the hours pass by, I realize that it's getting closer and closer to my favorite part of the day: Karaoke time! As Lucy and I make our way into Vick's and the roaring welcome of "Lou!," I can't help but feel a little different than other times that I've entered this place. I feel almost like I'm a whole new person with a new agenda in life. What that agenda IS, I may never know.
The anticipation of my turn at the mike is so thick, you can cut it with a knife. Everybody there always tells me that I have a real gift in life and that I need to "go pro," as they say, with my talent. I don't know. Sometimes I feel as though I would really enjoy trying to make a name for myself in the music industry. But then I realize that I have bigger dreams and that my career as a screenplay writer is just getting started and that I need to give it a little time.
"Thanks Vick! I love you guys SO much! I'm gonna pull a new song out of my hat and sing for you guys tonight a song that is truly dear to my heart. I hope you are as touched as I am."
As the music begins, my heart begins to race. My body is becoming one with the music and the words come from my mouth with such ease and passion:
| Sweet Caroline |
|---|
| Good times never seemed so good |
| I'd be inclined |
| To believe they never would |
| So good, so good |
Such feeling, such emotion! I wish I could write like that. As I finish my song and take a seat, I have to fight the urge to do an encore. The crowd is going wild! "I love you all!" I say, accompanied by blowing kisses. THIS is the life!
There's no successful way of following me up, and the next guy, poor sap, he's absolutely terrible. "Hey buddy, don't quit your day job!" Somebody HAS to say it. Who else but Mary Lou?