The Loner

Sax and Soul

As promised, I picked up her from her house, and she gave me the address for the festival. She wore a black cover-all with some tight black pants. She had a gray t-shirt with a huge turquoise necklace. She a few bracelets on her arm black, orange and turquoise and huge turquoise ring on her finger. She had her locs in top-knot bun. She had some circle sun glasses on and leaned over and looked at me.

"I'm glad your coming with me."

"So she's starting to warm up to me huh?"

She rolled her eyes. "No, I'm just..."

At a stop light I took her hand in mine and kissed it.

"You think your smooth huh?"

I just smiled.

After about an hour of listening to music, our natural banter, and the occasional glance at which our eyes met, we arrived at the festival. It was like a scene from the famous Bourbon Street during Marti Gras. There were a lot of tents, events that had a live band on a grand stage but then a smaller band that was playing in synchronization as they performed up and down the street. I parked the car in the designated lot. Riley got out, and like a kid in an amusement park started pulling me along.

"Come on, come on slow poke lets get the marks so we can get free drinks all night."

"Say what?"

"Yea we made it just before the time cut. If you get there before 4pm with a stamp at the door you can get free drinks all night."

"How did you know that?"

"One of my colleagues goes every year and knows the team. They don't let many know just so they don't lose money"

"Is this your first year coming?"

"No I went last year..."

"Oh okay who'd you take?"

She looked down at the ground and then for the first time since i've ever known this woman, I saw the sadness.

"No one, it was just me. Anyway lets get to the bar there's a whiskey sour calling my name."

She runs off, and I took off after her. She moved pretty quick between the sights, sounds, and people. I've always like jazz music but not to this extent. After bumping into a few things and people I finally spot her at a near by bar ordering a whiskey sour.

"And for you sir, show me your hand." he softly spoke almost a whisper.

I showed him my hand and asked for a screwdriver.

I looked over at Riley.

"So Miller...tell me do you plan on ever coming back here?"

"To the festival?"

"No, to the mountains. I know that your time is winding down for you to have to go back to your life." She states as she sips her whiskey. The band on stage starts playing a different song and she seems to know it as she starts humming the words.

I had thought about seeing her again if that what she meant, but the mountains is just a little too quiet for me. I wanted to relax and it seems if I am not with her, my thoughts are a lot louder than they used to be.

All I can seem to think is about my present and past moves in life: my job, lack of relationship and sex, and my apartment that just feels empty all the time. But when I am with her, I don't think about any of those things. Instead I think would she want to be in a relationship with me, could we make a slight long distance relationship work,or am I just a fling for her?