REMEMBERING THE TRUMPET PLAYER

Back in the days when I was in my early thirties, I used to frequent clubs to hear live bands. It was just fun, just so much fun. Dressing up, dancing, drinking, meeting new folks, having little new experiences, staying out late, stopping at the soul food drive-thru to get fried shrimp and French fries to take home afterwards. They were huge shrimp too and fried just perfectly every time, I mean every time. Sometimes they didn't last because I ate all of them in the car before I got home.

So, one night I met the trumpet player in a band. I don't recall the name of the band, but I remember being in that particular club. He seemed shy or distant or something and I remember thinking he was probably interesting to talk to. He was shorter than I was and that was another reason I was interested. Here was this fabulous short trumpet player with attitude. And he had a little grey in his hair. WOW!!!

I was flirting is how we met because I was one to step outside on break with the band members. They would sometimes hit a dooby or have a drink or talk about somebody or something. I smoked cigarettes standing around with them and I was mostly just a groupie. I did enjoy the company of musicians, I still do.

Thinking back, I probably thought he was attracted to me as well. I had fun, but I was not a loud person. I usually traveled alone or let's say, I mingled but I was usually alone. To this day I am still that way. Groups, especially loud talking people, well, I choose to be alone.

So, we met, we talked, we went out a couple of times. He introduced me to his friends who were mostly musicians and sometimes I sat in on their rehearsals at Shank's place. I was in a good place with all of them. We smoked a little herb sometimes. Sometimes they had harder stuff but that wasn't my thing. We drank beers and sometimes they would have Hennessy on hand or other times they had Mad Dog. (MD2020 Haha). Sometimes the other girl friends would come to rehearsals, and it was all fun. When the band had a gig, the ladies and I would sit together at a table all dressed up and smelling good. We were kind of special, or we thought so anyway.

THE FUN INCIDENT

The fun incident happened because my friend had not paid his rent in three months, and he was evicted. I felt bad for him, but I had no room at my place. His sister lived in New York so that was out, but she did send him enough money to get a new place, which he did. It took two days however and those two days and nights he stayed with Shank. The third day, he had the key to the new place.

But on moving from his old place, he left his TV. That old apartment was on the second floor of a house and the deck window faced the living room. The owner lived downstairs. My friend, the trumpet player, was on his head to get his TV, so we devised a plan to get back in the apartment to get it out. (Every time I think about that night, I have a good laugh to this day)

It was around two in the morning and my friend was tipping up the steps and I was behind him, but I could not stop laughing. More like snickering. No, I was not high, it was just the act of breaking in to get his TV. Making sure not to step on the step that creaked, and would you believe? He knew which one.

I was tipping up the steps too. We got to the top and the window had a screen, so he lifted that and was trying to get the window to slide open. He was in between the screen and the window trying to finagle the window open. I was no help because I was holding my sides trying not to bust out loud laughing.

The window wasn't locked, it never was, but it was just rusty. My friend was struggling, struggling and I was still laughing. I can still hear him grunting and cursing at the window. Finally, the window budged, and it slid open. He climbed in and I waited on the deck as the watch out person. I was still laughing.

He came back to the window with his TV and his eyes were big because he was scared. I was still laughing. The TV was one of those 18-inch deals. (Remember how heavy they used to be?)

We struggled getting that thing out the window and struggled to close the window without making a lot of noise. But finally, finally, we did it. So down the steps we go both of us carrying this old ass TV trying not to step on the creaky step and a light comes on in the apartment downstairs. I started laughing again and my friend was saying ssshhhh be quiet, be quiet. No one came out, maybe they went to the bathroom or something but whatever, we finally got back to my car and put the TV in the back seat.

We got to his new apartment, he hooked up the TV and it didn't work. He pushed it, reworked the antennae, unplugged it, and re plugged it and it just did not work. He said, "Is this my TV?" It was, but it was an old piece of shit TV.

I still laugh thinking back because I had never snuck in a place, never watched to make sure no one was coming. What would I have done? What if we had dropped it? And when the TV didn't work, I cracked up totally out loud in his new place. We both laughed, he was actually a fun person, and he eventually bought a new TV.