Discretion. Remember that word.
As I have been trying to teach myself to play guitar I’ve consumed countless hours of YouTube guitar tutorials. Most of them are really good but some stand out among the others. When I take a break from the tutorials I check out gear review videos.
A few years back I came across a video of some players checking out a store called Norm’s Rare Guitars. I soon learned that this place held a certain level of esteem amongst the guitar community with the owner being well-respected. So every now and then the store videos are suggested.
Last week I was on YouTube checking out some new rhythm guitar players when a video of Tony Maiden at Norm’s popped up. For those who don’t know, Tony Maiden is the guitarist for the band Rufus and Chaka Kahn. Rufus and Chaka Kahn’s music is a large part of the soundtrack of my life, particularly my youth. Too many songs to mention but “Tell Me Something Good”, “You’ve Got The Love” and Sweet Thang” are among my favorites. “Everlasting Love” and “Any Love” aren’t far behind. But….”Live In Me” resides in a particular place in my consciousness, in my spirit, in my heart, in my coming of age, in my life.
As I was listening to Tony play I started to reminisce about some of Rufus and Chaka’s music. Before long I was shuffling through songs from different albums. When I got to the song “Any Love” from the Masterjam album I decided to listen to all of the tracks it contains. I did not know what to expect when I got to the song “Live In Me” as it had been many years since I heard it. As Chaka sang the first verse I still did not recognize the song, but when she got to the chorus…”Live In Meeee”.
Upon hearing Chaka sing those lyrics for the first time in over 45 years something magical happened. My body levitated about two feet of the bed. My eyes became fixated in space. I had no control of my body as I was transported back in time. Every detail of the following events came flooding back to my memory. Funny how music can be a time machine.
Seventh grade. It was the last day of school or the day when report cards were issued to take home. Just like any other last day of school I eagerly anticipated boarding the bus to arrive home and start the summer. There was nothing else on my mind. I entered the bus and my usual cast of character friends were already seated having rushed to the bus as early as possible. Okay cool. So I take a nearby empty seat which leaves an extra space. Just before the bus pulls off the seat is filled by a young lady that I will, for the purpose of this post, refer to as “Ms. Discrete”.
This, of course, was not her real name nor her nickname. It was a name I assigned after a conversation between us. Ms. Discrete was two years my senior. As I had just completed the seventh grade she had just completed the ninth. While cordial we were never really friends due to the age and maturity difference. Our social circles didn’t overlap much as Ms. Discrete hung with a much older crowd than I, even though my friends tended to be older than me. But this end of school bus ride changed EVERYTHING!
She sat down quietly and comfortably with a confidence a soon to be sophomore should have when seated next to seventh grader. “Hi Randy. What did you get on your report card?” Her question caught me off-guard and I hesitated slightly as I realized her interest. “Its okay”, I state assuredly. She smiles. “Uh, huh. I bet your report card grades can spell EDDIE can’t they?, she questioned. “Naw, not really”, I smirk with brows raised. “Let me see”, she demanded. I deliberate then offer, “Here it is. Let me see yours.”
Upon opening the manila envelope and retrieving my report card Ms. Discrete’s face loses its’ casual smile and morphs into a serious expression, mouth agape. She proceeded to stare at that card for at least five minutes, seemingly studying every line. After slowly returning the card to the envelope Ms. Discrete hands it back to me expressionless. She stares at me quietly and then smiles, with lips closed, for the remainder of the bus ride.
Arriving at our home destination we all exit the bus. Rowdy, loud and impatient junior high school kids eager for summer break. As I proceed to my home via my usual route accompanied by my homeboys I notice Ms. Discrete trailing a few feet behind, away from her familiar route. “Randy”. I stop. Tell the fellas I’ll catch them later. Then she approached. “How discrete are you?”, she asks. I stutter, “Um, what does that mean?” She throws her head back, laughs tauntingly then sarcastically states, “And you’re supposed to be smart”. “Do you have a girlfriend? Do you tell your business? I answer no to both questions. And then I ask, “Are you discrete?” That elicited a surprised expression and an uneasy laugh. You see, the word on the street was that Ms. Discrete dated a boy in high school two years older than her. Was actually like a big brother to me as well. She gave me her phone number with explicit directions as to calling her. From that day forward we were not to be seen together at all. Okay……
Our initial phone conversation revealed that Ms. Discrete had privately admired my maturity and newfound status among the in-crowd girls. She was impressed with my commitment to school and appreciated me not following the crowd. It was very pleasing to have older girls appreciate my school accomplishments. The feeling was mutual on all accounts with me assuring Ms. Discrete that I did not fail to notice her physical attributes: pretty brown skin, soft eyes, really sweet smile, well developed body. Oh yea. We all noticed. So did the high school fellas!
The phone conversations continued for a few days. They became more personal and more suggestive. Then one day Ms. Discrete says she wants to play me her favorite song. I tell her that I love music so I am eager to listen. Guess which song she played: Yep. “Live In Me” by Rufus and Chaka Kahn.
To be continued……
The Real Life Corner 