The Blues

Chapter Four

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            Staying in yet another roach motel started to take its toll on Carlos. Thankfully, the one they stayed in along the western border of Illinois would be the last one they would stay in the state. The following morning, he woke up praying that the motels in Iowa were more accommodating.

            "Guys!" He heard Ashlyn just as she rushed out of her motel room to meet him and Seb outside theirs. She was still high on the energy brought from their impromptu performance yesterday at Mama Murphy's. "I just booked us a gig!"

            "And by 'us,' you're clearly referring to El-J and Juliet," Seb gathered.

            "Well, yeah," Ashlyn clarified.

            "Wait, where did you book them?" Carlos asked.

            "The Kings and Queens Club in Waterloo," Ashlyn disclosed. "It's just eight hours from where we are now. We should make it in time for them to perform there tonight."

            "Isn't that a gay club?" Seb recognized. "I doubt they'll allow any blues performers onstage."

            Ashlyn hesitated to divulge on her next bit of information. "Uh, yeah...when I made the arrangements, I didn't exactly mention El-J and Juliet were blues performers. I had them listed under a fake band name."

            "You what?!" Seb and Carlos both blurted.

            "Seriously, Ash? What kind of plan is that?!" Carlos protested. "I think Miss Jenn's habits of deception are starting to rub off on you."

            "I know it's a stupid thing to do, but I was just so pumped after what happened at the diner!" Ashlyn acknowledged.

            "El-J and Juliet are either going to be extremely flattered or extremely pissed," Seb weighed on the situation. It was at that moment when Ricky passed by with a rather pensive look on his face. Noticing it, Seb asked, "Ricky? You O.K.?"

            Ricky almost didn't even see Seb, Carlos, and Ashlyn. "Huh? Yeah...I-I'm fine."

            His unnerving tone said otherwise.

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Ricky: "Why was I so out of it this morning? Alright, I'll tell you why. Soon as I get out of my motel room, I pass by Juliet's. The shades were wide open, so I could see practically everything inside – including Juliet doing yoga...butt naked...except for her sunshades. Let's just say that woman has a lot of tattoos in places I didn't think you could get them...a lot."

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            As the group crossed the state, word eventually got around to El-J and Juliet about Ashlyn's deceptive booking at the Kings and Queens Club. They were more impressed than infuriated, reminded of how their Uncle Jake once did something similar at a honky-tonk in Kokomo, Indiana.

            Motivated by Ashlyn's tenacity, they arrived at the Waterloo club, just an hour before their scheduled gig.

            Kings and Queens was a lot flashier than advertised.

            Ninety percent of the decor was rainbow-colored, either through a paint job or strobe effects dashed across the ceiling. At the time they arrived, the place was packed to the gills with patrons who were millennials, zoomers, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community, raving on the biggest dancefloor El-J and Juliet had ever seen.