Guitar Girl: Part One
1.
"Seriously? An actress? Professional? Too cool!" Melodie was truly impressed.
Janine smiled at her young wide eyed seat mate; a really unique faced little kinky haired blonde with that "hippy chick" look.
Sort of Janis Joplin but pretty.
"It's great work, if you can get it" replied Janine "the difficulty is that unless you are lucky enough to get cast in a long running production, you are bouncing around alot. It can be hard. There are a lot of lean times in between the meaty roles."
"Yeah, I guess you gotta have the gigs to pay the rent" said Melodie nodding.
"Anyway," Janine said. "That's why I'm doing the train from the Big Apple to La La land. What's your story?"
Melodie started to speak and told an interesting bit about herself.
"I'm an artist. A musician; singer, songwriter. And, I'm also a big fan. So, I pulled outta Detroit, and took a bus to New York with my girl. We caugh a concert and partied some and then we split. Now here I am heading to L.A. I'm going there cuz I've got a few girlfriends that will put me up. I'm going to try and make some connections; see if Stevie Ray and I can stir up some attention."
"Stevie Ray?" asked Janine with interest "And who is Stevie Ray . . .besides Stevie Ray Vaughan?"
Melodie laughed. She was more sparkly than any of the bangles or beads she was wearing.
"Stevie Ray is my guitar. And for sure that's how I got the name. I was only ten years old when that chopper went down, but man, did it hit me. Stevie Ray Vaughan was actually the first person I knew who died. . . Well, I felt like I knew him."
"My folks were real big fans, and were at the Clapton concert at Alpine Valley: his last show. They were at Montreux in '82 too, and he just hit them with his sound; just like he did pretty much everybody. At home they had that Texas boy's music playing plenty. It was a pretty poetic thing for them that they were there kinda at the beginning and at the end for him."
"My Stevie Ray sure ain't the "SRV" Fender Stratocaster, but it's an angel and we do make good love together."
Melodie was so very bright. Janine was really enjoying her company, and continued asking her questions of herself. (A habit of Janine's was character study. This girl was a character for sure!)
Janine herself didn't feel like talking. But listening to this cute little bird was entertaining. For once, let someone entertain her.
Janine was 45 years old now. She's had a very long career in show business. Hers had been one of those "stage moms" who started bringing her to auditions as a child.
She was lucky. Rather than feeling pushed or prodded, she enjoyed her way through rehearsals, costuming, makeup and all that went on before and after the performance.
And the performance itself, that was her test. How have I done? Did I capture my character? Did you get lost in the act? Applaud for me. . . tell me "Yes! Bravo!"
This attitude became part of Janine's own personal characteristics. She had two marriages come and go. She married hard men and she acted hard to please them.
The problem was, they forgot to applaud her.
"So what was the concert you went to in New York?" queried Janine of Melodie.
"Ah! It was great. Me'Shell NdegeoCello and Soulive at the BB King Blues Club and Grill on West 42nd. She is such an awesome performer. She plays the bass amazingly well and has such a funky broad ranged sound. What a talent. What a night!"
"Oh!" Exclaimed Janine. "However did you luck in on tickets for that?"
Melanie eplained.
"Two of my friends are getting married and we had a big party and I won the tickets as a door prize. My girlfriend was so excited. We turned it into our goodbye. It was pretty tough, she really didn't want to let me go. But I had to do it."
"Gee, your friend must have been pretty close. That's too bad." said Janine with a touch of sympathy.
"Yeah, we've been together for almost a year and a half. She's got ten years on me. She's like a friend and a mom and a lover all in one. I don't really know what I'll do without her."
Melodie sighed and for a few moments she lost the happy little glow that surrounded her.
"You're lesbian then?" asked Janine, but it was rhetorical. She was in show business, spent most of her time in either L.A. or New York. There was nothing unusual or shocking about gay lifestylers.
"Yeah, I sure am. Never got into guys. They're great as friends and I got a pile of those, but they just don't turn my crank."
Janine laughed out loud. "I don't think they turn my crank anymore either!"
"Oh?" replied Melodie with interest.
Janine went on to explain the perils and pitfalls she had encoutered both in marriage and in the dating scene. She hadn't felt like talking, but Melodie made it so easy.
"Are you bi at all? Have you ever tried loving a woman?" Melodie asked the question and Janine was not shocked, but slow to answer.
"I don't know if I'm bi or not. I've had my fantasies along the way, but I've never actually made love with a woman."
"Oh" Melodie teased "We're gonna have to fix that for sure!"
An uncontrollable grin crossed Janine's face, along with a revealing blush. She rose to the occassion.
"We just might have to do that!"
The two laughed and carried on for hours as the train passed through station after station.
Their discussions crossed dozens of topics all surrounding spirituality, sexuality, morality and justice. The seriousness of the subject matter weighed equally with the sensibilities.
Both Janine and Melodie found themselves laughing, flirting and hovering around the question of the night.
They went together, with Stevie Ray, to Janine's sleeper.
cont'd.
 Guitar Girl: Part Two |
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