The band set up under the Buttonwood tree like always, the small white lights hugging its trunk already turned on. Devin came inside the Dollar Bar to say hello when he arrived. He gave Roni’s shoulder an affectionate squeeze and she smiled up at him.
“Ya ready ta dance?” he asked.
“Of course we’re ready to dance,” Roni said happily. “You can start any time.”
Roni was glad to see his mood was a little lighter.
“Looks like you are going to have a pretty good crowd tonight,” Jenny said as she glanced around at the crowded bar and patio.
“A big group come over on da ferry from Treasure,” Devin said.
“Coming to see the Rock Star,” Roni teased. “The Rock Star and his band.”
Devin laughed.
“Nat my ban’, our ban’,” Devin said.
“I know, I’m just giving you shit.”
“Ya know how ta give dat shit,” Devin teased.
Roni’s eyes got large and an astonished look spread across her face.
“Wow, I didn’t know you even knew that word,” Roni bantered.
Devin cocked his head and smirked at her. His look said whatever, and I get you. Tara caught their silent exchange and smiled. Roni would go back to her life and dive right back in. Her new endeavor would keep her busy. She would no doubt think about Devin occasionally, but nothing like Tara imagined Devin would think about Roni. She had become a fixture, someone he looked forward to talking to, someone he wanted to spend time with. Randal’s signature laugh made Tara look up.
“Hey gals, lookin’ good, lookin’ good,” Randal flirted.
He put his arm around Jenny’s waist, giving her a squeeze. Jenny didn’t object as by now she was used to Randal’s behavior. He loved on all the women.
“We always look fabulous,” Roni teased.
“Well, dat too,” he said and laughed again.
Lacy was sitting on a barstool, and he gave her a hug around her shoulders.
“Hey, Randal,” Lacy said.
“Ve gin dance later, right?” Randal asked.
“Of course we can dance,” Lacy answered. “We’ll all be dancing.”
Lacy had been the most grossed-out by the fact that Randal told Tara he’d like to eat her out. It showed slightly in her body language when Randal hugged her. She didn’t think people really said that kind of stuff, especially married people. The three other girls assured her that they did. Lacy said she’d never had anything like that happen to her, not even by men she’d dated. Her comment made the girls laugh, and none were surprised. Lacy wouldn’t open herself up to comments like that. She would have stopped the teasing long before it got to that place “I’m not a prude,” she’d defended. The bar was buzzing and multiple conversations were going on: Tara was talking to a younger couple next to her, Jenny was talking to Roe, and, Roni to Devin. Lacy listened as Jenny told Roe how they couldn’t find Bloody Mary mix anywhere on the island, and that they were really hoping to have some in the morning.
“Mebbe I kin he’p ya,” Roe said. “I have ta see.”
Jenny eyes lit up.
“Really? That would be so awesome, Roe. You know, for medicinal purposes.”
Jenny held up her bandaged hand and Roe laughed, slapping her thigh.
“Yez, I unnerstan’,” Roe said as she continued to chuckle.
“Devin,” the drummer called from the doorway. “Le’s go.”
Devin stood up and pulled on the bill of his ball cap before he looked at Roni and smiled.
“Get this party going,” Roni said as she pushed on his arm.
She noticed how her tan hand still looked starkly white against his skin. As Devin headed outside, Roni turned toward Tara, who introduced her to the couple she’d been chatting with. They were from Florida and were here for the weekend—boyfriend and girlfriend in their late thirties, both tall. The woman had shoulder-length dark-brown hair, and her name was Emily. Her bubbly personality sort of making up for her very average looks. The man was semi-attractive with sandy blond hair and blue eyes. He was large and solid, but not necessarily in a muscular way. His name was Paul and he had a southern accent. Roni got the feeling he was pretty full of himself, a little too much bravado in the way he talked.
“I just brought her over for a lavish island getaway,” Paul boasted. “I heard about this place from a friend.”
Roni could hear the tap, tap, tap on the microphone. The Cockadoodles were testing the sound system, and people started to leave the bar for the deck.
“We better get out there and get a table,” Roni said. “One that’s not right under the tree preferably.”
“What, you don’t want bugs in your hair?” Jenny teased as she made a tiny space between her thumb and pointing finger. “They’re just little.”
“No bugs,” Roni said and shivered.
Roni looked beautiful in her long, black dress, tan skin, and blonde hair. Tara was proud of her for going braless. Roni had tried the dress on with a bando, but the plunge was too deep. Tara encouraged her to go braless and not worry about it. It wasn’t like she had big floppy boobs, it was just a comfort zone thing for her. The band started, and the girls left their table and went up in front of the band. They weren’t shy to be the first ones out. Randal joined them almost immediately. The night air was humid which caused their dresses to rapidly cling to them. Other people started to drift out to the dance floor and, before too long, more people were dancing than sitting. Norm showed up and joined the girls with his super weird dance style, but they didn’t care.
“You want to pass on this next one?” Lacy asked once they’d danced to several songs.
Tara ran her hands back across her thick hair, lifting it off her neck, her long, dark hair draping over her hands like silk.
“Yeah, it’s toasty,” Tara answered.
“I’m okay,” Roni said breathlessly. “I’ll break when they break.”
Jenny was standing, talking with Randal, waiting for the next song to start.
“You and me then,” Tara said to Lacy, and they worked their way back to the table and sat down.
“It’s such a lovely night,” Lacy said.
She pushed her skirt up her legs further to allow more air to reach them.
“It really is. The weather has been good except for our little sea voyage over to Nippers that day, and even that wasn’t bad,” Tara said.
“It’s easy to say that now, Tara.”
“It was an adventure, Lacy,” Tara chuckled.
She envisioned the water coming at them, waves of it crashing into the boat, drenching them over and over. The pitching and rolling of the boat, and Ty being so frustrated that they were the least bit afraid of the whole ordeal.
“Yes, it certainly was that.”
Lacy noticed the man from the couple Tara had met at the bar kept looking towards their table. Tara’s back was to him, and Lacy looked away, but each time she glanced over Tara’s shoulder, he was looking at them. When he caught her eye, he started over.
“Looks like you girls are having fun,” he said merrily.
“Always,” Tara said, turning toward the voice. “Paul, hey. This is our other friend, Lacy. Lacy, Paul.”
“Nice to meet you, Lacy,” Paul said as he nodded at her, pulled out a chair, and sat down. “How did the four of you pretty girls end up on this tiny island?”
Tara smiled. She figured that since his girlfriend was with him, this must be his way of starting a friendly conversation, even if it strongly resembled a pickup line.
“We took the ferry,” Tara said in an attempt at being funny.
“I know that,” Paul said. “Just seems four very attractive women shouldn’t be here alone.”
Lacy looked at Tara, her forehead wrinkled a bit, her lips tight as if she were trying not to laugh. Tara figured Lacy was thinking the same thing she’d thought.
“We’re not alone,” Lacy said.
“When you say ‘alone’, I presume you mean there are no men with us,” Tara said sarcastically.
When she’d talked with him and Emily in the bar earlier, it was the usual small talk: where are you from, what do you do type of stuff. Now he seemed a bit cocky to her.
“Where’s your girlfriend?” Tara asked as she looked across the deck.
The band had started: Devin belting out the words, drums and guitars accompanying him, filling the night with music.
“She’s dancing,” Paul said in a louder voice.
“You don’t dance?” Lacy asked.
“Not unless I’m pretty drunk,” Paul said.
“Guess you’re not there yet then,” Tara teased.
“Working on it,” Paul said, holding up his empty glass. “Either of you need something from the bar?”
“No, we’re good,” Lacy answered.
“I’ll be back,” he said.
The two girls watched him walk away until he disappeared into the bar.
“I never liked men who weren’t brave enough to dance,” Tara said.
“Seriously,” Lacy said. “Let’s get back out there.”
The two girls joined Roni and Jenny, who were dancing together. The Cockadoodles played several more songs, the girls dancing together up front close to Devin. When the band quit for a break Tara noticed Emily, Paul’s girlfriend, off to one side laughing with Randal, who was probably giving her his normal song-and-dance.
“Shall we get another bottle of wine?” Roni asked.
“Absolutely,” Jenny said.
“I’ll go get it, I want to buy Devin a glass of his wine anyway.”
Devin was sitting at the bar, eating. A plate of fish fingers in front of him. Roni sat down next to him resting her elbows on the bar.
“Wan’ one?” he asked, pushing the plate toward her.
“They are good here, aren’t they?” Roni answered, helping herself to one. “Can I buy you a glass of wine?”
“Roe’s already gittin’ me one,” Devin said.
Roe set a wine glass in front of him and smiled at Roni. Roni felt her heart tighten again. I will miss you all.
“Dere ya go.”
Roni noticed Paul seated on the other side of Devin. He was teasing back and forth with Roe in a flirty way, and he had Roe laughing. Roni looked at the tight bun on Roe’s head and recalled the don’t-touch-my-hair conversation. The things she’d learned…she’d never suspected that many black women wore wigs.
“Roe, another bottle of chardonnay when you get a minute,” Roni asked politely when there was a pause in their bantering.
“I gots a minute, gal, I gots lots of minutes left. I here till da ban’ stop playin’ an’ y’all go home,” Roe said and laughed.
Paul chuckled at her comment as he pushed his glass forward for a refill on his drink. Roe pulled a bottle of chardonnay from the cooler and went about opening it. The cork came out with a pop and then she wiggled it back into the bottle before setting the bottle on the bar in front of Roni.
“On de tab, yez?”
“Yes, thank you, and the next glass of wine for Devin is on us,” Roni said.
“Da house buys as long as dey playin’, no worry.”
“That’s a good deal,” Roni said with a nod to Devin.
Devin finished up his plate and pushed it away.
“Gotta go, break’s almos’ over.”
“See you from the dance floor,” Roni said and winked at him.
When Devin walked away, Paul checked Roni out from head to toe very blatantly. She watched him do it and waited until she could catch his eye.
“Is that your boyfriend?” Paul asked in a condescending tone.
“No, just my lover,” Roni said seriously.
His head jerked back slightly, and Roni smiled her best smile at him. She had no tolerance for men who were dicks. Roe burst into laughter and was still gasping to catch her breath when Roni left the bar.
“For god’s sake, where have you been? Our glasses are empty and we’re out here wondering where the hell you’ve gone. Is Jonny in the house or something?” Tara teased.
The band started again as Roni filled the girls’ plastic cups.
“Yeah, that wouldn’t happen. Devin was at the bar, and Roe was busy putting up with flirty shit from that dude you met earlier,” Roni said.
“The one from Florida?” Tara asked.
“Yeah, that one,” Roni said. “The one who thinks he’s fabulous.”
She filled her cup last and sat down, pushing her hair back from her face.
“I can’t believe we fly out tomorrow. It seems so weird, like I’m going back to another life,” Roni said.
“You are,” Lacy and Jenny said at the same time.
“Seriously, Roni,” Jenny said, laughing. “There’s no Joe, no Mercy, no pink jail, no turquoise water. Just lots of cement, tall buildings, horns honking, and people. Welcome fucking home.”
“Thanks. Thanks so much, I didn’t need that reality check just yet,” Roni said. “Let’s not talk New York, at least not till Miami. Tonight it’s GTC and us. Now let’s get out and dance.”
Once they returned to the dance floor, Randal joined them, and then Norm, and then everyone was dancing with everyone. Paul kept pulling at Tara, and she would dance with him briefly before moving back to the group.
“Seems he’s smitten with you,” Roni said as they danced.
“Bullshit, he needs to find his girlfriend,” Tara said.
“I think she was out smoking pot with Randal. I saw them down on the dock when I came back from getting the wine.”
Roni danced close enough to Tara to not shout, taking small steps.
“Are you fucking kidding me,” Tara said. “How old are they?”
“Age doesn’t determine what you will and won’t do,” Roni answered as they danced around each other. “Like I said lots of ganja here.”
“True, guess it’s the rule rather than the exception.”
As they continued to dance close to the band Devin incorporated their names into his song as he had on other occasions. Devin smiled, his white teeth gleaming in the dark. Otherwise with only the small white lights on the tree the band members easily blended into the night.
“Hey,” Paul said, grasping Tara’s arm, pulling her backwards.
“Hey,” Tara said as politely as possible.
“You can dance with me now,” Paul said, slurring his words slightly.
She found his statement odd, but so many people just all danced together that she didn’t really care.
“You must have had enough liquid courage then?” Tara teased.
Roni followed Tara, attempting to dance with the two of them. Paul seemed to want to single her off. When he leaned into Tara, a bit off balance, Tara put her hand on his chest, holding him away from getting too close.
“You’re so beautiful,” Paul said.
“Well, thank you,” Tara said, pulling away, uncomfortable with his invasion of her personal space.
“No, I mean it,” Paul said, coming closer again.
“I believe you,” Tara said, laughing. “Where’s Emily gone off to?”
Tara figured if she reminded him that he was here with his girlfriend, he would back off.
“I don’t care. I wanna dance with you,” he slurred.
He reached for her quickly, grabbing her around the waist, and pulling her to him. Tara tugged at his arms to escape his hold.
“Wow, big boy,” Roni said, helping Tara move away from him, “we’re just having a good time, you know. Girls’ night out.”
Paul stopped dancing and stared at her blankly.
“You’re here with your girlfriend, dude,” Roni reminded him curtly.
Tara started to laugh.
“Paul, I know you’re just teasing. Go find Emily,” Tara said as she grabbed Roni’s hand.
Paul didn’t move as he watched Tara lead Roni back to their table. When Tara sat down, he was still looking in their direction.
“What an asshole,” Roni said as she took her seat.
“He’s drunk,” Tara stated.
“Doesn’t give him a license to be an asshole,” Roni said.
“Don’t sweat it. Anyone of the Cockadoodles could take his sorry white ass. He obviously has the ‘I’m too sexy for my shirt’ complex, heightened by alcohol. The girlfriend must be into her own stuff or doesn’t care very much,” Tara said. “Or maybe they’re swingers looking for additional company.”
“Oh god,” Roni laughed, “gross.”
Lacy and Jenny were still out dancing, and just as Roni and Tara joined them again, the band stopped for another break.
“Perfect timing,” Roni joked.
“I’m so hot,” Lacy griped as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. “I need a time-out.”