When June was explaining what she had been doing, I noticed that she carefully tiptoed around the “Oogie Stories” out of deference to the way I felt about them.
Still, June revealed enough that Sam finally interrupted. “June, I don’t mean to pry, and it probably ain’t my business, but are you telling your boyfriend that you have been sleeping over this guy’s house?”
June looked at Archy, who smiled broadly.
“Sam, it’s not a problem,” Archy said. “Jim is my best friend in the world. I’ve only known him personally since this past winter, but he’s the real deal. June has known him longer, but I have no doubt about her love for me. On top of that, I have no doubt about Jim’s love for that beautiful girl that’s snuggled against him right now. You’ve seen them looking at each other since they got here, haven’t you?”
Sam nodded his head. “That’s why I couldn’t believe it when your girl…”
“June is a lady,” Archy corrected. “Over the month or so that we’ve been apart, she is more of a lady than she ever was before, and I know that it’s due to their influence.”
I knew better than to open my mouth, but Kristen didn’t have anything stopping her from doing so. “Jim is the guy that I’m going to marry, just like Archy is the guy that June is going to marry. None of us is jealous of the other, except that Archy probably misses June enough that seeing her was probably the highlight of the month for him. I know that seeing Archy was the highlight of June’s month, and she’s had an active one.”
“Active?” Sam asked, confused.
Kristen filled in a lot of the missing pieces, omitting outright mentions of sex. She told the “Oogie Stories” that June had the good sense to avoid, and she had everybody with one exception laughing their asses off.
As for me, I just glared at Kristen. Finally, I couldn’t stand it any more and I finally put an end to her diatribe about how I was the best thing that ever walked the earth by pulling her close to me and kissing her.
The phone rang soon afterward, but I continued to kiss Kristen before she started telling those stories again.
Sam got the phone, but a few moments later, Archy was on the line. When I heard him say, “Oh, damn! That sucks!” I finally broke the kiss with Kristen.
The disappointed look on Archy’s face prevented any of us from saying anything. There wasn’t much more information to be gleaned, as Archy was most just listening on the other end.
Archy finally said, “Please wish him luck for me, OK?” and a few moments later, he hung up the phone.
“What happened, Archy?” June asked.
“It’s not as bad as it may have seemed,” Archy said. “John sounds like death warmed over, though. He tried talking with me, and then Julie took over and told me that John seems to have caught the cold that has been running around the campus. It’s a terrible one. Anyway, he’s out for tonight.”
“Out for what?” I asked, confused.
“It will only be me and Troy tonight. Drums and a horn.” Archy sounded quite disappointed.
I noticed June and Kristen both staring at me. I got the hint quickly. “Does John play electric or acoustic?”
“Electric,” Archy said, knowing where I was headed.
“Amplified, right?”
“Yeah, John has the equipment.”
Kristen gave me a smile, and simply nodded to me.
“Archy, it’s been a couple of months since we played together. Want to relive some happy times?”
“Does that mean I get to hear the great Oogie Woogie?” Sam asked, laughing. “Archy said you sing, which may be a good thing, since John was also the singer for the combo.”
“Was he?” I asked, surprised. It occurred to me that a trumpet player wouldn’t normally be a singer, but tell that to Louis Armstrong. “What kind of songs?”
“Ipanema, some Sinatra tunes, Wave…”
“I didn’t know Wave had words,” I said doubtfully.
“It may, but we do that as an instrumental.”
“Would Dion be out of place?”
“Well, we play mostly background music for the lounge.”
“Why not give them a show?” I asked. “One night only. It may increase attention for other weeks, and allow you to play songs you might prefer. You know, Moon Dance, Green Eyed Lady, Elton John, Beatles…”
Archy and Sam laughed. Sam asked, “You could put together a set like that in a few hours?”
I looked at my Goddess, who had a proud smile on her face.
“I could try. I’ve been practicing most of that stuff over the last month or so in my studio.”
“I don’t doubt that Oogie could put that together,” June said quietly.
“Dion?” Kristen asked.
“It was going to be a surprise, actually,” I said sheepishly.
“Which song?” Kristen asked, prodding me.
“Let’s leave that for a surprise. I know that Archy can play pretty well by ear, and drummers usually know the beat when they know the song. It’s just a trio, you know.”
Sam shook his head. “You told me that this guy was a virtuoso, and I guess I’ll see if he’s for real.”
I looked at my friends and smiled. “I owe Archy a big debt of gratitude, and I’d be honored to help him out, even if it’s just this one night.”
Lynette arrived shortly afterward, and we introduced her to Sam.
After Lynette arrived, Kristen asked Archy if she could see his phone book. Archy and Kristen left together to Archy’s room.
Meanwhile, June was updating Lynette on the news that I would be performing with Archy that night. Sam was still a bit in awe that I would actually help Archy out like that.
Lynette, of course, wasn’t surprised. “Oogie always helps out his friends. Didn’t Archy tell you the stories?”
Warning bells started ringing in my head. “Lynette!” I warned.
Lynette and June both laughed at my reaction.
Sam said, “Archy and Kristen told me about the Oogie Stories. I wondered how many of them were true.”
“All of them,” June and Lynette said together, causing Sam to laugh.
Kristen and Archy came back into the living room, and Kristen said, “Jim, Lynette, we need to get going. I need to get a hotel room, and I need some extra clothes if I’m going to a lounge concert tonight.”
Archy shook his head. “You could stay here, Kristen.”
Kristen turned to Archy and gave him a warm smile. “Thank you, Archy, but no. This apartment is meant for two people, or maybe even two couples. It is not really a good idea for six people. I am already booked at the University Inn, and I think Lynette already moved our luggage there.”
Lynette nodded in agreement.
Archy looked at June, who seemed a bit surprised and a bit embarrassed. “Um… if Archy doesn’t mind…”
Kristen continued to gather Lynette and me.
Before we could leave, however, June came running to me and gave me a kiss that was most certainly not chaste. “Thank you for helping Archy out!”
June then turned to Kristen and kissed her the same way. “Both of you!” I noticed that Archy and Sam were both surprised by that particular kiss.
Kristen, Lynette, and I left June with Archy and Sam, and got back into the University car.
“Where are we really going?” Lynette asked, knowing that Kristen had a mind of her own when it came to doing things.
“We need to get some equipment for tonight,” Kristen answered, taking the road that took us toward Lafayette.