Ruby Tuesday

Chapter nineteen

A.N. On the right we have a bit of Slade for ya and also a picture of Jane Fonda who I would have cast as Angie. Is she how you pictured her? :D

    My eyes trailed off of my boyfriend’s face and locked onto the acoustic guitar that Brian was twiddling around with. It was mesmerising to watch his fingers skitter up and down the neck with such speed yet with such tenderness that I found it all slightly breath taking. Jack leapt a step backwards as he strutted about doing his weird peacock/chicken dance which always made me chuckle. My eyes locked back onto him as he pouted and jerked his arms and legs about before sashaying back up to the microphone and started singing once more.

    “That’s Brian isn’t it?” Angie breathed into my ear as she tried to sway me along to the music. I mumbled a little distractedly, nodding. “I like his hat. He always wears groovy hats. I think I might try and steal it from him.”

    I laughed and stepped away from her dangerous allure so I could grin at her, “You can’t steal his hat!”

    She raised a shoulder, “I could do a lot worse.” And with that she laced her fingers through mine and waggled her hips like a professional seductress as she lured me onto the dance floor which was rapidly starting to fill up with other couples. “C’mon,” she giggled as she tossed her head back, her blonde hair flicking out around her lavishly. “I’ve seen you dancing in your bedroom! You can dance better than this.”

    I gave her a sort of pleading look but she refused to give up, “I can’t!”

    “No such word as can’t,” she stuck her tongue out playfully and stepped forward and with perfect ease held our hands up in the air so she could spin me. As I spun to face her she caught me and whispered in my ear, “Dance like nobody’s watching.”

    “You mean my striptease song?” I joked and Angie nodded vigorously before cracking up as well. So I let her twirl me about and eventually she twirled my nerves and self consciousness right out of me and I found myself laughing, mimicking her moves as we danced away pretending that there was no one else in the room.

    “That’s it,” Angie wiped a tear of laughter away from her eye as I danced outrageously. “You’ve got it! You’ve got it!”

    After a couple of songs mum permitted Brian and Jack to grab themselves a drink before continuing. In that time she stumbled drunkenly up onto the stage where I watched slightly embarrassed as she beckoned for Charlie to join her. Mum couldn’t sing to save her life and her duets with Charlie weren’t particularly much to brag about either…At all in fact. Charlie slung his guitar strap over his shoulder so I decided to interviene and protect both of their reputations when Angie grabbed my hand tightly and yanked me back to her side.

    “Oh no you don’t,” her eyes twinkled with mischief although I pulled a face. “Don’t give me that look Rubes, you’re mum’s the bride and the bride gets what the bride wants.”

    “She’ll look like an idiot,” I raised an eyebrow cutting straight to the chase. Angie laughed and clapped her hands together excitedly.

    “Even more reason to let her carry on.”

    “Well you can watch her but I’m going out to get some fresh air. It’s so stuffy I feel slightly sick,” I muttered trying to hide up the fact that hearing and watching my mum make a complete fool out of herself was too humiliating to bare but Angie shrugged and went to get a drink.

    Lighting up a cigarette I headed outside and was surprised to see how much time had passed. The sun was already beginning to set casting long, dark shadows over everything. I went and sat down on the second bottom step and gazed out at the long gardens stretched out before me. Mum couldn’t have picked a more picturesque place to have got hitched.