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When JJ mentioned I was going out with his mom, I wasn’t expecting to be standing on stage in front of a smoke-filled room, with a bar, and a touch screen jukebox that plays karaoke. I don’t even know how I mustered the courage to get up here.
Mrs. Jourdan, a guy name Jeremy, another one named Crane, and a woman named Mya sit at a table top bar in front, smiling and cheering me on. When Mrs. Jourdan told me that her friends were in town, I didn’t realize she meant Mama’s friends too. I know them, and they’ve known me since I was little. They’d all been at the funeral, but I was too out of it to remember.
I listened while they exchanged stories about my mom. I think that’s what gave me the courage to get up here because they talked about how she was never afraid of anything. For a split second I thought I could be courageous too, but now that I’m up here, I’m not so sure.
The room is dim and all I can see is the glow of orange wristbands worn by the 21 and up crowd. I wipe my sweaty palms on my pants. I chose a song by accident and couldn’t figure how to change it or stop the countdown. When Mrs. Jourdan sang, she got a standing ovation. I didn’t know she had such a beautiful voice. Mya went next. Her voice wasn’t great but people still clapped. It takes guts to sing in front of a crowd of people but I seriously think my guts might spill all over the floor.
I wait for the music to begin and inhale slow, then exhale. I try to give myself an internal pep talk. I’m brave. I can do this. If I can get my nose pierced, then this is a piece of cake.
The song is upbeat but old school. I try to dance to help calm my nerves. The words turn yellow which I think means I’m supposed to sing. My voice comes out all wrong but Mrs. Jourdan and her friends keep cheering. One of them holds up a lit flame from a lighter. The other shines his phone light into the air. Their antics make me laugh and I start falling behind on the lyrics.
Mrs. Jourdan cups her hands around her mouth.“Come on Clove. You got this, Dearest!”
I sound awful, like a turkey gobbling and warbling. Oh goodness this is terrible.
“That’s alright!” Crane tells me. He stands up to clap. Then all of them stand and start dancing. I sing the chorus with more confidence because that’s about the only part I know. It’s also the part of the song I can relate to; wanting to dance with someone who loves me or maybe even just likes me.
There’s this rush of energy inside of me and I start dancing, getting more into the song.
When the music stops, everyone claps, including the people at the bar. I know I sounded pretty bad, but I appreciate the enthusiasm.
Mrs. Jourdan hugs me. “You did so good!” I know she doesn’t really mean it.
“Cheers to courage!” Mya puts her drink in the air. We clink glasses and then Jeremy asks me how I feel.
I’m out of breath like I’ve just gone for another run. “Pretty good,” I say. “It was scary but exciting at the same time.”
Jeremy nudges Mrs. Jourdan’s arm. “Adele, you should’ve brought Jonah,” he tells her. “This would’ve been perfect for getting him to combat his shyness.”
That’s silly. JJ can’t sing. If he were here, I definitely would not have gotten up and sang that song the way I did or at all for that matter.
“Clove, have you ever heard Jonah sing?” Mrs. Jourdan asks.
I shake my head no and, in my mind, I can’t even imagine him singing.
“Hmmmm, well I’ll have to fix that then. He’s got a beautiful voice and I’m not just saying that because I’m his mom.”
That’s just preposterous. Next, I suppose she’ll tell me he can dance too. I’ve never seen him do either one of these things.
“He does have a good voice,” Crane affirms. “Is he still thinking of going to college at Belmont in Nashville?”
Mrs. Jourdan talks to them while I try to envision JJ singing. He can sing? What? I don’t believe it. Talk about multifaceted. I never expected to hear that my nerd...I mean my best friend, could actually sing. He’s like a Boy Wonder, both smart and talented.