Short Stories

The Jukebox

I remember when I first saw a jukebox. I was ten years old, and my father had taken me out to the bar with his friends. They were chatting as he gave me a coin, and he told me to choose any song I wanted. Sugar Sugar by The Archies played through the speakers and I recall feeling pure joy as I danced.

Jukeboxes soon became a familiar sight for me. Every weekend I would go to the bar and listen to a song, using the time to relax after a long week at work. It was next to one of those machines that I met Mary.

She was petite, with beautiful short blonde curls and a smile that could light up any room. She put on a song and asked me if I wanted to dance, taking the lead as she often did. Those were some of the better times in my life.

A cough beside me brought me back to reality.

"We are starting the bids for this 1960s jukebox at £100."

I immediately put up my hand. Out of everything here, this was the item that interested me the most.

"100 over here, we have 150 in the back..."

It appeared that someone was trying to outbid me, but I remained calm. I didn't care how high the bids went today, as I knew I'd be walking home with that jukebox.

"300, do we have 350?" I put up my hand. "350, 400 in the back."

The other person was tenacious, but so was I.

"500. Anyone higher?"

The other bidder stepped down.

At the end of the auction I went to collect my jukebox. I'd attached a trailer to my car specifically for what I would bring home, but I would need some help to carry it out. My back wasn't what it used to be.

"Excuse me, did you bid on the jukebox?"

A young woman, perhaps around 45 years of age, approached me. She looked somewhat familiar and it took me a while to figure out where I might have seen her before.

"Mary?" My brows furrowed in confusion. "You look a lot like someone I knew."

"You knew my mother? Her name was Mary Clark."

"Yes I did. She was my greatest love."

"You must be Lloyd then, she told me about you."

"Really?" I was pleased to know that she hadn't forgotten about me. "Tell me, is she still alive?"

"Yes, but she's in a nursing home. She has Alzheimer's, so I was hoping to get this jukebox to jog her memory. It's from her favourite bar."

"We could always take it to her together."

"Great idea," the woman smiled.

My heart was thumping in my chest when we set it down in front of her.

"Mum, Lloyd is here. Remember him?"

She looked dazed for a while. "Yes, I think so. I've lost so many memories."

"Don't worry, we can make new ones."

I took her hand and put on the jukebox, both of us swaying to Ain't no Mountain High Enough, the first song we'd danced to in another life. Perhaps this was the start of another.