We said our good-byes, and I was very happy that I memorized that song. I think it was due to the fact that I used to be a lot more conceited. Being picked to do a featured solo in the high school band when you were in eighth grade could do that to a young man.
I came back to the main house and found Kristen and her parents in the living room. Kristen looked at me curiously, wondering what I picked up from the apartment, but she didn’t ask.
We ended up making chit-chat until lunch time, when Kristen’s parents said that they needed to set up for the party. They left the two of us alone and asked us to be at the party in an hour.
We spent most of that hour cuddling, and Kristen subtly gave my body a thorough search, looking for whatever it was that I might have gotten from the apartment.
When Kristen and I got into the American Legion hall, Kristen knew something was up. First of all, a lot of the members knew me by name and greeted me as “Oogie.” I met them the previous two weeks, and during our rehearsals, many of the members came upstairs to watch us perform.
“Oogie?” Kristen asked me, narrowing her eyes.
“They may have attended the Christmas concert,” I shrugged.
“I’ll bet,” Kristen said.
I led Kristen upstairs, and she gasped as she saw how the hall was decorated.
Patty, Wendy, Camille, Lynette, and a bunch of the cheerleaders went all out to turn the hall into a festive birthday celebration. There were balloons, ribbons, posters, and signs everywhere!
“SURPRISE!” Everybody yelled as Kristen entered the room.
“Wow!” Kristen said, and for the first time in my memory, my blonde Goddess was at a loss for words.
The entire jazz band was sitting patiently at their seats. Mr. Proilet was standing at the conductor’s podium, facing the room.
“You did this?” Kristen asked, finally finding the ability to speak.
“We all did this, Goddess!” I said, kissing Kristen on the cheek.
“The band?”
“We have a special set written just for this party, Kris.”
“Will you sit with me when they perform?”
I shook my head. “I have to conduct, Kris.”
“Oh,” Kristen said, a little disappointed, and then confused. “Why is Mr. Proilet here, then?”
“He helped the group rehearse when I was busy with you. He’s going to announce the band.”
My teacher signaled that it was time for me to come to the podium. I gave Kristen a kiss on the lips, and said, “Sit with your parents.”
Kristen found that her parents were sitting with mine and she squealed with joy when she saw her brother sitting with them. Kristen moved over to them and hugged her brother very tightly, and then introduced Merry and hugged her as well.
When I got to the podium, I saw that Toby brought me my trumpet. Mr. Proilet’s electric piano was set up. “What’s the electric for?” I asked him.
“It will sound better for Lollipops,” my teacher answered.
“OK,” I said. “Did you get the special music?”
“We managed to get a rehearsal in before Kristen’s parents arrived. I take it that song is a surprise for them?”
“Yeah,” I said. “I was thinking of putting that prior to Lollipops.”
Mr. Proilet nodded, and I sat with the trumpets. He tapped his stick on the podium to get the band’s attention, as well as those of the party guests.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, may I have your attention? I have the privilege to introduce to you, fresh from their successful engagement at the high school Christmas concert, Jim Crittenhouse and the one and only Oogie Woogie Impromptu Jazz Band!”
Many people laughed at the band’s name, but we got a smattering of applause as well.
I took over for Mr. Proilet and said, “Thank you, Mr. Proilet.” I turned to the audience and said, “We have an eclectic mix of tunes for you, from the likes of Henry Mancini to some other standards and even a rock number.”
I turned to the band and signaled the start of the Peter Gunn Theme.
Roy was at his best with ”Moon River“ and Stacy and Lynn handled ”Romeo and Juliet“ handily.
The band really cooked during ”Pink Panther“ and Mr. Proilet came over to the conductor’s podium.
I turned to the audience, and said, “For our next number, we have a surprise for everybody, especially one special lady.”
I saw Kristen smile at me, and I winked my eye at her.
“Our two female vocalists, Stacy and Lynn, will be accompanied by my special guest. She’s the former bassist and vocalist from a group called the Honey Drippers. Mrs. Charley Swift!”
Kristen’s mother gasped as she realized that she was being singled out in the crowd. Everybody looked at her in surprise as well.
“Please Mrs. Swift. I’m sure you’ll know this next number.”
Kristen’s mother was shaking her head.
“Everybody, could we have some applause to let our special guest know that we’d love her to come up here for her daughter’s birthday?”
Applause answered me, and Mrs. Swift, her face red, came to the podium. I directed her to where Stacy and Lynn were standing behind their microphone and told her to tell the girls which part she’d take.
Mrs. Swift’s eyes went wide as she saw the music and a smile replaced the look of fear on her face. She whispered something to the girls and pointed to something in the music. After a couple of short moments, the three women looked at me expectantly.
I handed the conductor’s stick to Mr. Proilet, and took my trumpet from the chair. Since the song started with a trumpet solo, I remained standing while Mr. Proilet gave me the beat.
I took a deep breath and started the solo. Looking at the audience, I saw looks of recognition from the young and old alike.
As soon as my solo ended, Stacy, Lynn, and Mrs. Swift started singing, their voices blending together as if they sung this song all their lives:
The band sounded terrific. A few of the seniors in the band played this in the spring concert a couple of years back and remembered it.
When we finished, the audience went wild. The applause sounded as if it would never stop.
I walked over to the three women, and made them take their bows.
“When did you cook this number up?” Mrs. Swift asked me.
“This morning, when you said you did Andrews Sisters numbers. I remembered that I did this song a couple of years ago and asked Mr. Proilet if he could get the score. I was hoping you’d be able to get the part the first time.”
“You never cease to amaze me, Jim. Or should I call you Oogie?”
I shrugged. “Whichever. Just don’t call me ‘son,’ yet. Daniel calls me that, and it gets me nervous.”
“He thinks of you as his son.”
Mr. Proilet was indicating to me that the next song was up. I thanked Mrs. Swift, and she kissed me on the cheek before she went back to where she was sitting before.
Mr. Proilet pointed to the mike where Roy was standing, and I went over to accompany him. The conductor’s baton went up and the introduction started.