Day 241 - Garden Party Do-Lang Do-Lang

 Garden Party Do-Lang Do-Lang

Matthew Ryan Fischer

 

Jay stood on the porch and was going to sing. There was no band, no karaoke machine, but Jay was going to sing. He always sang. Whether the event called for it or not. It wasn’t that Jay didn’t have talent. It wasn’t like didn’t enjoy it. It was just that he did it every single time. It was like being in high school all over again when there was always some guy at the party who had learned to play all of three songs on guitar, but you knew you were going to hear all three that weekend and then again at some party the next weekend. Mitch liked Jay. He was impressed by Jay. He just didn’t need to hear him sing at every back yard cook out.

The sun was starting to set and it was still over 90 degrees. The summer had been a bitch and a bear and it wasn’t letting up. Everyone was wearing shorts. Even the too cool for school types that tried to grin a bare it while wearing pants for as long as they could. Mitch wasn’t uptight or against a little skin, but he noticed things like that.

Sally was wearing a blue sun dress with a pattern Mitch couldn’t quite figure out. Shades of blue. Various shapes. Maybe they were supposed to be like a variety of flower petals. But there was no clear flower and no clear shape. Maybe it was so people could play the cloud shape game and try to see whatever image they wanted to see in the pattern.

“Let me guess, fifty shades of blue.”

“Let me guess, any minute now Jay will serenade us.”

“Let me guess, it’s as hot as a witch’s tit.”

“Let me guess, you’ve already forgotten how many drinks you’ve had.”

“Ouch. You win.”

“As always. And how do you know how hot a witch tit is? You say some dumb things.”

“I dated a Wiccan once. Crystals and all that by the bedside at night.”

“And her tits were hot? Seriously dumb.”

“I will take that as a compliment. And I have no complaints about the memory of that poor girl and her under theres. She was a fine lass.”

“Have I ever seen you in shorts?”

“Have I seen you in a dress?”

“Ten years ago, when Dave got married.”

“Ah yes. True. You clean up nice.”

“Once every ten years.”

“Why do it more than that. You might spoil people.”

Near the front of the crowd Jay was telling jokes. Mitch could tell by the way his hands spun in front of him, emphasizing every word. He had been gesturing conversations like that since they were fifteen. His arms were thicker now, his fingers pudgier, and there was a lot more grey on top, but if Mitch squinted slightly, he could believe he was watching Jay from any other moment in the entire history of their friendship.

“He’s gearing up.”

“Oh,” said Sally as she turned. “Looks like he has company.”

It was true. Mike and Roy and Romeo had joined Jay and it was instantly obvious that they had planned this all out – matching 50’s style bowling shirts, matching khaki shorts. They looked like hosts at a bad luau. Apparently, they were going to be a bad barbershop quartet of some kind.

“Maybe they’ll have dance moves.”

“We can only hope,” replied Sally.

When the music began Sally cheered as did most of the crowd. Mitch looked down at his quickly emptying drink and wondered if it was too soon to go get another.

“The kid’s got moxie. I think he’s gonna be a star,” joked Sally.

“Hey, you remember in high school when people used to say that? Somebody was going to make it. Like the teachers and parents and other kids all thought somebody was really talented or had the right personality or whatever. Like someone at sixteen it was already preordained? Whatever happened to those kids? You know? Like did any of them make it? Did any of their dreams come true? I don’t remember hearing about a single kid from our class that made it.”

“You’re in a shitty mood tonight.”

“Maybe. I mean, but Jesus Christ, how many times to I have to hear Jay sing the same five songs? Like I get it, we all grew up together. We all had the same taste in music.”

“You’re no fun like this.”

“Learn some new music.”

“You’re one to talk. Like you ever did anything special. Or new. You learn some new music. You learn something new.”

Sally walked off. Mitch looked at his empty red cup – down to a few last little drops and a whole lot of ice. She had been right though; he wasn’t sure what number he was on.

Mitch stood in silence and watched Jay sing. Once upon a time a long time ago they had been in choir together. They were dumb kids and one of them was going to learn guitar and one of them was going to learn bass and then things would really happen. Which of course meant that at least one of them would have needed to learn to play.

Did he have any dreams left, he wondered. Had time and alcohol drank them all away? At least he didn’t make an ass of himself getting in front of everybody every chance he got.

They were singing 1950s doo-wop. And they all had smiles on their faces.

Mitch didn’t notice, but he was silently mouthing the words as they sang.