We danced at The Tajara Nightclub every fifth day of the week. The fifth day of the week was usually the nightclub’s slowest night. The Tajara Nightclub was the last Level One Nightclub on the main street of Ave Roxie in the Roxie and Penelope District. The Level One Nightclubs were considered the best nightclubs in the district and attracted the most patrons who wanted to enjoy a night on the town. I had to drive pass Darcie’s and the Mango Nightclub as we entered the district from the north. Percy Braxton, owner of The Tajara, did not want his nightclub next to the other two Level One Nightclubs and believed he had an advantage over them because of where it resided. The Tajara became the nightclub many patrons ended up for the rest of the evening after visiting Mango or Darcie’s or some of the Level Two Nightclubs.
Percy Braxton wanted Guanamamma music and dancing played at his nightclub. He had opened The Tajara a couple of years before and heard about our dancing at the Mango. Percy was a friend of Delia and they had created a similar agreement to ours with Antonio at his nightclub. After what had happened over the past two days, I felt uneasy about performing at The Tajara that night. My thoughts went from getting fired at the Mango to Frank Parris leaving our teaching session to Raphael Reynolds’ impromptu performance at the Wall of Walter’s Declaration. I was not in the right frame of mind for our performance. It felt like the people of my beloved city had decided to push out Guanamamma music and dancing. My father always told me that Walter Fuente wanted this music and dancing to be the thing that brought everyone together. I didn't think that sentiment was true anymore and if we got rejected at The Tajara after our performance, then we would only have The Festival of Josette left to showcase our tradition.
The patrons of The Tajara were more receptive to Guanamamma dancing than they were at the Mango. The Tajara had an L-shaped layout and the dance floor was at the end of the L near the back. You had to walk down a long hallway and turn left before you got to the dance floor. We were allowed to set up in the back room near the dance floor before that night’s performance. Latisha smiled and placed her hands on my face. I gave her a kiss and knew it was time to focus on our performance for the night. We still had a place to perform Guanamamma dancing and must show these patrons that it still mattered.
***
“Welcome to The Tajara, the finest nightclub in the Roxie and Penelope!” Percy Braxton announced over the microphone. He was a tall, sharply-dressed man with a regal presence. He always wore a pristine white jumpsuit and shiny black shoes. Percy stood almost seven feet tall and carried himself like he was the regnator of the city. We had just elected a new regnator, Hassan Felipe Montoya, last year. Many people thought Percy Braxton should have run against him to become the leader of our city. However, the wealthy that lived in the West Walter’s Grove District would never allow a nightclub owner to become regnator of our city. Especially one with jet-black skin like Percy Braxton, no matter how well he dressed or presented himself to the public.
“I’m delighted to welcome our regular dannzas, Ciscoe and Latisha Maldonado, to get our evening started at The Tajara. Please give them a warm welcome as they dance to the Walter Fuente classic, Kammara, Kammara.”
The patrons had filled a section in front of the dance floor. They gave us a solid applause much better than we received at the Mango. Percy walked off the dance floor as we entered from the left.
Kammara, Kammara
Your water is so blue
Your water is so vast
I long to cross you
Like Hendric did all those years ago.
Kammara, Kammara
Your waves are calling me
Entering my dreams
Like a distant lover that I want to be with
Kammara, Kammara
I long to cross you
I chose Kammara, Kammara as our song for that night’s performance at The Tajara. I did not want to do our normal three-song set. Latisha and I discussed in practice that we wanted to do one song for the patrons of The Tajara. I felt we needed to dance to our best song for our performance. Kammara, Kammara was the song we had danced the most for all the years we had been together.
Kammara, Kammara was considered one of Walter Fuente’s most popular songs. This was the last major song he updated from the original Kammarice version into a Guanamamma version. He sang about the Kammara Sea and how the first voyager, Hendric Terrance Goltz crossed it for the first time and landed in the area that would become the city of Terrance. Even though the Kammara Sea was several hours east of our city, I connected with this song and Fuente’s love for that body of water. The song began with a wailing altophone horn sound that seemed like a call out to sea. I led Latisha in the back-and-forth step after the altophone horn ended. We did our customary steps four times before heading into the first point of the dance as Walter began to sing.
Kammara, Kammara
Your water is so blue
Your water is so vast
Will I ever cross you?
Kammara, Kammara
I come to the beach
And stare as far as my eyes can see
I hope that Megaro, the Sea God
Is not there
Kammara, Kammara
The Sea God controls everyone
That tries to cross this vast blue sea
Maybe I will be the first one
To cross into the beyond
Without the Sea God controlling me
This song spoke about Megaro, the Sea God who controlled the Kammara Sea. It was said the gods who ruled that part of the region, South of the Great Forest, for generations, created the city of Terrance. We knew about the goddess Marrimba here in Walter’s Grove because of her connection to Walter Fuente. She gave him the vision to start a new city. The story went that Megaro, the Sea God, was her younger brother and ruled the Kammara Sea. He was looking for a voyager from the east that would believe in the Sea God as the only true god of that region. Hendric Goltz was the first voyager that agreed to the Sea God’s wishes in order to cross the Kammara Sea. However, the voyager wanted to return to the east after landing in the area that would become the city of Terrance. Goltz became homesick and pleaded with Megaro that he might return to his homeland. The Sea God refused Goltz’s requests many times and the voyager decided to return without Megaro’s blessing. Hendric was killed out at sea by Megaro because of his action. Walter’s song paid homage to the Sea God’s power and Goltz’s determination to return home.
We made it to the second point after I twirled Latisha four times in step with the music. She smiled at me and knew I was focused. I glanced away to notice the patrons staring at us as we danced. I saw a couple mimicking our back-and-forth steps and twirling their partner. Several other couples were mouthing Walter’s words. I got a much better vibe from the audience than the one at the Mango. I started to feel better about the performance.
“It is going to be alright, my love,” Latisha whispered in my ear as we moved to the third point in the dance.
Kammara, Kammara
Your water is so vast
Your water is so blue
I want to stare at you forever
Will Megaro let me cross you
Like The First Voyager
However, I don’t want to worship
The Sea God
I want to cross the sea
And go as far as the ship will take me
Kammara, Kammara
Kammara, Kammara
Please take me away
“That was Ciscoe and Latisha Maldonado getting our evening started here at The Tajara. Thank you for dancing to one of the greatest Guanamamma songs that has been ever recorded, Kammara, Kammara,” the announcer said, standing near the sound system in the corner of the dance floor.
The patrons clapped much louder than they did at the Mango. Latisha and I bowed before leaving the dance floor. Guanamamma dancing still had a place in the Roxie and Penelope District.
We walked back to Percy’s office and saw him talking on the phone as we tried to enter the room. He held up his hand indicating that we had to wait before we could enter the office. He was having an intense discussion. Percy closed the door to continue the discussion.
“Let’s go eat,” Latisha said.
I got an odd feeling that we had something to do with the conversation he was having on the phone.
“We danced great tonight, no matter what happens,” I said softly.
My wife nodded as we left the nightclub. However, I wanted to know who Percy was talking to on the phone and hoped the same thing would not happen as it did at the Mango.
We crossed the street from The Tajara and walked a block east to Ave Evelyn to our favorite restaurant, Saahib’s. Many patrons came to eat at the restaurant after a night of partying. It was the main eating establishment of the Roxie and Penelope District.
“Hello Sis and brother-in-law. You both are a little early tonight,” Saahib said, as he seated us at the back of the restaurant.
My brother-in-law, Saahib Harrell, had the same dark brown complexion as his sister. He was a couple of inches taller than Latisha and looked like her twin even though he was four years younger.
“We just finished dancing at The Tajara and I thought it was time to leave early,” Latisha answered.
Saahib frowned. “I heard what happened at the Mango. I thought Antonio would let you both dance Guanamamma for as long as you wanted.”
“I thought the same, brother-in-law,” I interjected. “He made a promise to both us and my father that Guanamamma music and dancing would always have a place at the Mango.”
A waitress brought our food and drinks to the table. We never had to order food from the restaurant. Saahib knew I wanted tortas every time we came to eat. Tortas were mango slices, corn, and finger-shaped beef strips laid on a piece of circular, chalky, white bread. The bread absorbed the juices from the mango, corn, and beef to make it extra chewy. Delicious. My father made the best tortas and would always comment that it was the best thing that came from the city of Adrian. Adrian was known for the liquor called Javann but my father did not drink. Tortas was our main food at home and I had never got tired of eating them all these years later. Saahib made them just as well as my father did and he always provided a full plate each time we came here after dancing. Latisha always wanted the Bohanni dish that consisted of steamed collard greens covered by yellow rice, blackberries, and grilled chicken. Also, Saahib created a spicy Bohanni sauce that added an extra kick to the dish. The Bohanni dish had become a favorite of the nightclub patrons and Saahib always made sure to have a fresh plate for his big sister every time we came to eat. I liked the Bohanni dish, but not over Tortas.
“Our city is losing our connection,” Saahib lamented, after the waitress left the table. “I will admit that I like Piccanta music but we cannot push away Guanamamma music.”
“Do you like She’s Got It over Kammara, Kammara?” I shot back after taking my first bite of the tortas.
“My love,” Latisha interjected.
Saahib raised his hand to stop my wife. “It’s okay, Sis. I know how passionate brother-in-law gets about this subject. Of course, I believe Kammara, Kammara is a much better song than She’s Got It. However, that song gets people dancing and has great energy.”
“Saahib is correct, my love. The people love that song and others like it. You know people want to let loose these days. No one wants to dance Guanamamma anymore.”
“People want to get lost in the drums and percussion these days, brother-in-law. They don’t want to think or listen intently to the music. Piccanta music lets people get loose.”
“Thanks for the encouragement, Saahib. At least your tortas are still great.”
Saahib placed his left hand on my right shoulder. “I know what this music means to you. You can always dance at those parties in the West Walter’s Grove District. Those rich folks still love Guanamamma.”
I sighed and finished my food. “I know, brother-in law. Those house parties don’t have the same energy as here in the Roxie and Penelope. I don’t fit in with those people in the West Walter’s Grove District. My people are here but they don’t like Guanamamma anymore.”
Saahib nodded. “You are still dancing at The Festival of Josette. I hope you can keep dancing there every year.”
“There you are.”
“You were looking for us, Ralph,” I replied.
Ralph Johnson was one of the security people employed at The Tajara. He looked every bit the part for his job. He had a muscular build that filled out his blue uniform. Ralph’s bald head and piercing eyes created an intimidating presence that kept everything in order at The Tajara.
“Percy wanted you to have this,” Ralph continued, and handed me an envelope. “See you around.”
Ralph had a blank look on his face as he turned to leave the restaurant. I opened the envelope and read the letter.
“What it is, my love?”
“We just got removed from The Festival of Josette.”