Malachi moon, p.29
Malachi Moon, page 29
As on cue, a G-chord on the piano filled the place with a harmonious sound only to be followed by an A-chord from Blind Man Willie’s guitar. Lilith smooth soprano voice took hold, as she began to sing the blues.
“What you gonna do when your old man steps out on ya...What you gonna say when he ain’t home by eight...It’s hard to let him go when ya in love...Cause love is that painful thing ya keep in your heart...No matter how many times he sees ya crying...That man and his mean spirit is gonna keep on lying...He gonna keep on lying. And lying...and lying.”
Malachi listen to the next chords, as Charlie P entered with a whining, strong E-minor chord from his guitar to back up Lilith. He walked to where Lilith stood and began plucking the strings with dexterous fingers as he stood beside her. He placed the guitar between his legs and began plucking it as he stayed in tune with everyone else. Removing the guitar from between his legs, he fell to his knees with the guitar on his chest and leaned back as he continued playing it.
“I know he’s showing off again, ain’t he?” Blind Man Willie said. “I hate doing gigs with Charlie P. Get off your damn knees and let Lilith sing. You bum!”
Malachi, AB, Egghead and Lady Marmalade laughed.
“My man’s heart is gone down a different road,” Lilith continued, as she began to shake her hips to the music. “It’s a road I ain’t about to take with him and no other woman...If he can’t be mine...He won’t be yours. “I’m a woman...a woman...with pride,” Shrieked Lilith as she stamped her foot to the beat. “Ain’t no man...no man...gonna knock me to my knees with love while sticking a thorn in my side...For love is a rock that can sink your heart...And make you drown in sorrow...It’s a painful thing, this thing they call love and it will be there tomorrow...This thing they call love can break your back...It’s through strength and patience that’s keeping me from snapping my man’s neck...Love can make you mean...Love can make you evil...But ain’t nothing like a cold plate of revenge to make things sweet when everything has gone sour...My man is gone now...I’m feeling a little warm...I’m feeling another man’s heat in my bed at night...It’s okay with me...Cause I got his arms around me tight when I fall to sleep.”
Malachi couldn’t believe how strong Lilith voice was. He had to admit; the song and the instruments were beautiful, as they all seemed to blend together. He started clapping his hands when he heard the trumpet come into play.
Lilith danced around letting the music take hold of her.
AB leaned into Malachi. “Ain’t this grand?” he asked.
“Uh-huh. I never seen anything like this before,” Malachi said.
“Are you going to go into business with me?” AB asked.
“I don’t know, AB,” Malachi said. His eyes transfixed on the stage.
“It’s a good business venture. We can buy Patrice’s store and add a few things more to it. We could make a killing in profit,” AB said.
“I don’t know, AB,” Malachi said.
“Go ahead. Finish listening to the music. We’ll talk later,” AB said.
Malachi turned toward him. He opened his mouth and closed it. Several chairs behind him, he saw a skinny white boy with pale skin wearing a pair of worn out blue jeans and a cream colored shirt that had seen one wash too many sitting at a table three rows behind him. He was smoking a cigarette and had an expression of enchantment as he listened to the music. At first Malachi thought he was a girl because of his effeminate features, but his mannerisms said something different. Malachi turned to Egghead.
“Who’s that back there?” Malachi asked. Tossing a thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the young, white boy.
“White boy with black, greasy-like hair?” Egghead asked. Not taking his eyes off the stage.
“Yeah,” Malachi said.
“He’s okay. I let him in when we have this jams. He likes listening to the Blues,” Egghead said. “A white boy with a Blues soul. Isn’t that ironic?”
The music ended. Everyone began clapping.
Malachi stood up and clapped hard.
“Come on up. You carrying that guitar for a reason, ain’t you?” Lilith asked.
Malachi stopped clapping. He looked at Lilith with apprehension frozen on his handsome face.
“Go ahead, Malachi,” Egghead said. “That group doesn’t let too many mix with them. If they asking you to join, then go ahead.”
Malachi nodded and reached for his guitar. Taking in a deep breath, he headed for the stage.
“Give it your best, Malachi,” Lady Marmalade said.
When Malachi hurried pass her, Lady Marmalade slapped him on the butt. “Go get them, big boy,” she said, as she exploded with laughter.
Standing on the stage, everyone watched Malachi as he placed the strap around his neck. Malachi tuned up his guitar. As he was about to strike a chord, everyone stopped playing.
“That’s dangerous toy you got there, son. You know what to do with it?” Charlie P asked.
“If he doesn’t, he better learn how to play that thing between his legs, cause this ain’t no time for us to be teaching him,” Blind Man Willie said. “Anybody got a match. My stuff went out.”
Lilith walked up to Malachi. “You know how to read music?” she asked. Malachi shook his head. “Can you play by ear? Malachi nodded. “Cat got your tongue, huh? Take our lead and come in when you’re ready. When I point to you, that’s your cue.”
Malachi didn’t say anything as he watched Lilith walked back to the microphone. He was fascinated by her simple beauty. He thought she had the prettiest lips he’d ever seen. They were small and full. She couldn’t have been more than nineteen. He sighed when she walked away, as he took in the smell of rose perfume that trailed after her. He licked his dry lips, and tried to concentrate.
“We going to go instrumental on this one, boys,” Lilith began. “When I point to you, you got the floor. If you can’t keep up, you lose your spot. “Ya’ll ready?”
No one said anything.
“Four...Three...Two...One,” Lilith said. She pointed to Jack.
Jack saw her. He smiled as he began to play the piano as if his life depended on it. He hit one chord after another with a fluid motion of professionalism. He smiled. He knew how to showboat when it came to making the piano come to life. He would start at a high-pitch and casually bring the chords into a blending mixture that made the audience clap.
Lilith quickly cut Jack off by running a finger under her neck and pointing to Buddy. Buddy didn’t mix his turn. He was standing in the back and didn’t say much, because he let his music speak for him. He came on with a powerful blow from his trumpet. A high-C that caught everyone’s attention as it flowed beautifully. He continued to blow the trumpet with unbelievable speed and heart-stopping rhythm. Malachi listened as Buddy made the trumpet sound as if it were a different instrument by changing the notes emanating from it with fluidity and ease.
Lilith continued by pointing to Charlie P. Charlie P, the flamboyant professional, ran toward the edge of the stage while continuing to play his guitar. When his feet looked as if they were going to fall off the edge, he leaped back, did a split and struck an ear-splitting B-minor chord followed by an A-minor chord, which he strung along so wonderfully, that it made Lilith smile. Charlie P began to inch his way back up on his heels while playing. When he was completely up, he placed the guitar behind his back, and began playing it. That act got him a rousing ovation from Lady Marmalade, Egghead, AB, and the effeminate young white boy sitting in the back.
Lilith ended Charlie P’s play with a hand slice through the air. She turned to Blind Man Willie. “Your turn, Willie,” she said.
“Well, come on. I ain’t got all damn night,” Blind Man Willie said.
“Two...One,” Lilith said.
Blind Man Willie struck a chord that seemed to send a shiver through everyone’s spine. From there on, his guitar appeared to pulsate with rhythm as he followed that chord with a B-flat chord, and immediately continued with an A-minor chord and a C-minor chord that blended magnificently.
“That’s enough, Willie,” Lilith said.
“What? Hell, I still had a few more chords in me, girl,” Blind Man Willie said.
Lilith smiled. “I know you do. All right, young man. Let’s hear what you got,” she said.
Malachi could feel his hands sweating. He was a little nervous. He looked at Lilith.
“Three,” Lilith began. “Two...One.”
Malachi hit the string on his guitar hard, making it reverberate. He followed that up with an impressive combination of chords that had everyone looking at him and nodding their heads at the sound he was creating. The music was something new. Something fresh.
“All right. Everyone join in,” Lilith said as she walked to the microphone.
With everyone taking Malachi’s lead, all the instruments became a symphony of beauty to the ear. Lilith began to sing.
For two hours they played music, and for those two hours, Malachi had to admit, he’d never felt so at home in his life.
Chapter Twenty
Malachi and AB stood in the middle of the street watching the sign being placed on the building in front of them. Two weeks after the jam session. It had begun to rain lightly. AB passed Malachi an umbrella.
“What do you think?” AB asked.
“It looks... Um...good,” Malachi said.
“Good, huh? But?” AB asked, as he took a step closer to get a better look at the sign.
“I thought we agreed on a different...name,” Malachi said.
“Huh? Well, we did, but after I sat down and put it on paper, I realized—and I know you would’ve thought the same way—that it didn’t look right. The name now shows more promise,” AB said.
“So the name M.A.L.A.B.A. sounds good?” Malachi asked. He scratched his head.
“Sure. I took your four first letters and added it with my two, and created the name,” AB said.
“MALABA?” Malachi said. He looked at AB. “That’s the best you could’ve come up with?”
“It will grow on you. MALABA supplies is a decent name,” AB said.
“Let’s go in and see what the place looks like,” Malachi said.
They both walked into the store. When the door closed behind Malachi, he stopped and slowly looked around.
“Looks...Okay, huh?” AB asked.
Malachi rubbed his face. He, being a businessman, cursed himself for not going with AB to finalize the deal of buying the store last week. He had got caught up in the news from the telegram Stump had sent him regarding his mother being sick. The next day he had begun to pack his clothing to go back home while at the same time listening to AB with an half ear as to him not needing him there at the closing of the deal. Malachi simply gave AB his half of the money and didn’t think anything of it. The next day, he’d received another telegram from Betty Mae saying his mother would be all right after seeing the doctor, and he shouldn’t worry. Now, as he stood in the store, he’d wished he’d gone with AB.
“Sure we got to do a few things to it,” AB began, as he walked further into the store, but it was worth it.”
As Malachi looked around, he nearly choked from the thick dust that was everywhere. He took a step forward, and the floor gave in. AB grabbed his elbow to prevent him from falling further. Malachi removed his foot from the hole as he glared at AB.
“All right, so it has a few rotten boards in the floor. Termites. We can fix that,” AB said. “Look, I know you don’t think it’s much, but we got this place for a steal, Malachi.”
Malachi shook his head as he fanned away the dust.
“We can make it work,” AB said.
Malachi continued to walk. He headed for the back of the store to see what the storage room looked like. He jiggled the keys in the lock. He had to play with the lock to get the door open. Using muscle to the point of straining, he opened the door.
Malachi looked around the room. There were stacks of old newspapers in the far left corner. Beside the newspapers there were empty wooden crates. Malachi stepped further into the room. His stomach was assaulted by the sudden stench of a foul, dead smell of rotten meat penetrating his nostrils.
AB had come up behind him and was looking over his shoulder. He placed a hand over his nose. “What the hell is that?” he asked.
“What happened to Patrice’s husband?” Malachi asked, as he placed a hand over his mouth, and slowly backed out of the room, closing the door.
“Who Sam?” AB asked. “You know, you might have something there. Patrice said that Sam had to go back east a few months ago to handle some family business. Rumor started circulating that she was having a little thing with the barber, Rome, during that time. He owned the shop down the street. No one put anything together. You think that’s Sam lying in there between those sheets?”
“If it is, then we know that it was done out of freedom rather than love,” Malachi said. “We better get the sheriff.”
Eight months later with a new paint job inside and outside the store had Malachi smiling like a child who’d been given everything he wanted for Christmas. As he stood behind the counter beaming with joy at the sight of fresh goods and other items that now filled the store. He greeted his first customer with a wave.
“How can I help you?” Malachi asked. He watched the man walking around touching cans and other items. “We have good prices here.”
Malachi watched the man. He realized that the man was white. He wasn’t too surprise considering since coming to the Willsburg, whites and blacks mingled without much fanfare. As he continued to stare at the white man, Malachi lowered his head and concentrated on the book that he’d been writing in before he entered.
“How are you? You got any peanut butter and bananas?”
Malachi looked up. He saw the effeminate young white boy staring at him.
“I’m fine. Yeah, we got what you need,” Malachi said.
Malachi walked from behind the counter, and headed toward an aisle in front of him. When he returned he was carrying four bananas and a small jar of peanut butter. He placed the items on the counter, and walked back around it.
“That’s it?” Malachi asked.
“You don’t like white men much, huh?” The effeminate white boy asked.
Malachi stared at him.
“I saw you play that night at the Egghead’s jam session,” the white boy said.
“I saw you there,” Malachi said. “Let me ask you something. It’s not that I don’t like white folks, it’s just that I don’t trust them much. Why does a skinny white boy who looks like a girl enjoy listening to the Blues?”
“Yeah, ain’t that funny? Anyway, I like it because it gives me peace of mind.”
“What’s your name?” Malachi asked.
“El.”
“El? What kind of name is that?” Malachi asked.
“I have a full name to it. I just like for people to call me El.”
“You are one strange white boy, El. You need anything else?” Malachi asked.
“You coming to the jam session tonight?” El asked, as he took the bag that Malachi had placed his things in.
“I might. You gonna be sitting in the back as usual?” Malachi asked.
“Egghead said that my white face might mess with the flow of things in the jam session. He let’s me in because I pay him two dollars every time,” El said.
“Egghead is white!” Malachi snapped. He shook his head and smiled. “What instrument do you play?”
El looked at Malachi. “How do you know that I play an instrument?” he asked.
Malachi rubbed his right index finger against the right thumb of his hand.
El raised his hand. On it, he saw the callous from playing his guitar everyday.
“One musician always can tell another musician,” Malachi said.
El nodded, as he grinned. “Yeah, I play the guitar,” he said.
“Why don’t you get on the stage?” Malachi asked.
“Egghead said I’ll mess with the color of things if I were to play with the band.”
“I don’t know how Egghead thinks. He’s as pale as chalk and he’s telling you that. Well, listen, I’ll see you tonight,” Malachi said.
Later that evening after closing up the store, Malachi headed to the boarding house. Since the evening had become a little colder, Malachi lifted the collar on his jacket. As he walked the near empty street with the lanterns on the tall poles to give the street some light at night, he saw a fleeting shadow to the left of him against the wall. He spun around. He searched the area as he strained his eyes looking out into the darkness. He didn’t see anything. Shrugging, he turned back around and began walking.
By the time Malachi reached the boarding house, he felt a little apprehensive and nervous. He didn’t know why, but the feeling he was having made him very cautious. Walking up the stairs, he was startled when the front door flew open, and AB came running out followed by Tom who was waving a knife. Malachi quickly stepped to the side to avoid being stabbed.
“You bastard!” Tom screamed as he circled AB with the knife out in front of him. “You knew what you were doing!”
AB, jutted from right to left to avoid the swing of the knife whenever Tom lurched at his knees and thighs. He was wearing only his boxer underwear.
“She—“
“I don’t want to hear it!” Tom shouted as he leaped up while swinging the knife at AB’s stomach. Making AB jump back. “That’s my future wife.”
Malachi walked to the swing on the porch and sat down. He smiled.
Lady Marmalade came out smoking one of her thin cigars. She leaned on the doorframe shaking her head.
“I was just trying to get her to bed. We were drinking and she damn near passed out, Tom. I wasn’t trying no funny stuff,” AB said, as he dodged to the right of him when he saw Tom lunge at him. “I swear to you, Tom.”
Malachi saw Tom’s chest rise and fall rapidly as he began to get tired. Tom stopped and looked up at AB. He bent forward while placing his hands on his knees to rest.
