Street Find Ch. 05-06

"Me?"

"Uh huh. Ever since I had that melt-down a while ago, you've been a different guy on stage."

"Different how?"

"More confident. More powerful. More in control. Sexy."

"Sexy?"

She nodded, looking at me with narrowed eyes. "Yeah. Sexy. Like you were projecting sex. Fran and I have been working on getting some personality in our act. You hardly need to do anything and yet you put out that message. I was watching those young girls in the front rows and they had their eyes fixed on you."

"Huh. Maybe I should have hung around afterward and checked them out," I kidded.

"Don't you dare," she said immediately, smacking me on the arm.

"Easy girl, I was only fooling. Besides, I've seen the drool coming off the young studs up front as they fix their eyes on you."

"Those boys don't have a chance ... and you'd better be just fooling," she warned.

"Oh ... uh ... and that's because?" I asked not so innocently.

"You are mine!" she said, turning toward me and straddling my lap.

"Oh ... since when?" I might as well see this to the end.

"Since ... a long time ago," she said, now seemingly flustered.

"Spit it out, Gina. What are you telling me?"

She had a hard time looking me in the eye. "You just are. I keep waiting for you to make a move, but you never do."

"Gina, you know I won't do anything to upset you or Fran. Both of you are too important to me."

"That's just it. I want you to do something ... anything. I want you to feel something more than just ... protective. I want you to want me."

"Hey, that sounds like a good title for a song," I kidded, trying to lighten the mood. It didn't work.

"Don't make fun of me," she snapped. "I'm serious. You're ... you're ..."

"I'm what?" I smiled, my arms now going around her.

"You're what I want. I want you, Ed. But it's no good if you don't want me," she groaned.

"What makes you think I don't want you?"

"I told you. You don't make any moves toward me. That hurts, you know."

"I don't want you to hurt, Gina. That's the last thing I want for you. But you have to tell me how you really feel before I'm willing to tell you how I feel."

"Why won't you go first?" she whined.

"Because that's the only way I'll know if I'm right. You won't understand, but trust me, that's what I want to know first."

"I ... I ... I'm in love with you, Ed," she said, tears now showing.

"That a girl. That's what I wanted to know," I smiled. "And that's a good thing ... because I've fallen in love with you too."

"You have? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because until tonight, I wasn't sure it would be returned. I had to know that the way I felt for you wasn't in vain."

"Oh," she said, realizing what I'd implied.

"When did you know," she asked.

"About the time you ripped me a new one in rehearsal," I grinned.

"Really? I don't get it."

"If you didn't care about me, you wouldn't have gone off on me that way. It was a very personal attack, and at first I was hurt. But ... when I thought about it, you showed a lot of courage and determination. And more importantly, you were right. I was just a passenger. But you cared enough for me that you insisted that I do more. You wouldn't accept me giving you less. I think that's when I realized there was something happening between you and me."

"I think you're full of shit," she said with a frown. "I was pissed off, plain and simple."

"Wait a minute. I just gave you the storybook ending you were looking for. Were you just toying with my affections?" I said with as straight a face as I could pull off.

She smacked me on the arm again. "This is serious, Ed. It's not some joke. I just told you I've fallen in love with you and you've told me you are in love with me. What's with the smart-Alec jokes?"

"Okay ... truth time. I don't exactly know when I fell in love with you. Maybe the day I met you. Well ... maybe not. That was more lust than love. I can't answer that question, Gina, but I can tell you this. I know ... I know for certain ... that I am in love with you. You are all I think about all day long. And I don't mean only sexually. I knew you cared for me because you kept doing and saying things that told me so. It wore on me until one day, in the dim recesses of my mind, I began to see the light. You felt for me the way I felt for you. I guess that's when I knew. But ... I didn't time stamp it. Sorry."

"Don't you take anything seriously?" she asked, this time more curious than frustrated.

"Yeah ... I take love seriously. But I try not to over-analyze it. Love has been around as long as man has been on earth. Everyone has a different definition of it, but we all seem to know when we are affected by it. I'm affected by it. That comes from you. I'm sure I love you. Not just because you are beautiful ... which you are ... but because you affect me. You make me want to be better. You care about me, and so I care about you. I don't know which came first ... it's a chicken and egg deal. But I do know I love you, Georgina Cryder. That you can take to the bank," I finished before pulling her in for deep, tongue searching kiss.

It took a while before we broke the kiss. She was gazing into my eyes, a slight smile on her lips.

"Why didn't you tell me that in the first place?"

"What? And spoil my fun."

"Bastard!" she growled, smacking me on the arm once more.

"Sticks and stones, Baby. Sticks and stones."

"I'm not going to let you get away with anything, you know," she warned.

"I would expect nothing less from you. However, in an equal partnership, one must expect an equal response."

"What does that mean?" she said as she rubbed her lightly covered breasts across my chest.

"Tit for tat," I chuckled, stroking her breasts with the palm of my hand.

"That's all you men think about, isn't it," she growled, attempting to appear angry.

"When put in a position like I am in right this moment, I would say that you are perfectly correct. Especially the tit part."

I put up no resistance when she hauled me into the second bedroom and stripped the last remaining pieces of clothing from my body. I responded by removing her top and panties as she lay back on the bed, her arms outstretched, waiting for me. For the first time I could take in the total magnificence of her body. It was flawless, a genetic masterpiece. I wondered how I could have been gifted with a woman so rare.

I spent a good deal of time on foreplay. I wanted to worship every inch of her. But soon, Gina was anxious to complete our union. Soon, she wanted me to enter her and bring this strange episode to its natural conclusion. She was as anxious as any woman could possibly be. Both of us were on the knife edge of control, and it didn't take much before we fell. We tore at each other with a passion I'd never known. Gina was just as overheated with lust. Somewhere in there was the love we professed for each other, but it might have been hard to detect at that moment.

When it ended almost too soon afterwards, we lay gasping in each other's sweaty arms. But sticky or not, we had no intention of separating at that moment. There was more to come, and this time we would savor the experience. We lay back in near exhaustion when our joining was completed. I would have been happy to spend the rest of my life in this moment, but I also knew that was not my fate.

When we were done, she held me in her arms and cried. I was worried at first that something was wrong, but I let her get past it. She'd tell me in her own time.

"I'm scared, Ed. I've never been in love before. I don't know what to do."

"You don't have to do anything. Just let it happen. If it's right for you, you'll know it. I'll be right here with you for as long as you want me. There's no rush. I think we'll know soon enough if this is right for us."

I saw her eyes begin to close and I knew the day was done for both of us. I lay beside her and held her as we both fell asleep. I couldn't have been more content than I was at that moment.

~*~

Gina and I didn't pretend nothing had happened that night. I know she sat with Fran and explained what had taken place while her sister was asleep. A while later, Fran came out and sat with me.

"I'm happy for you, Ed. I'm happy for Gina, too. I'll miss you in my bed, but we both know it's what's best for both of us. I'll go on hunting for someone I can love. I do love you too, Ed, but it isn't the kind of love that you are looking for ... or me either. Gina loves you the way you need to be loved. I wish it could be me, but that's not how it is. I know that," she said with a few tears, and hugged me tightly to her, then kissed me. I was close to tears myself. This young woman was very special and we would be close no matter what became of Gina and me.

~*~

Life returned to what would become the new normal the next Monday. Fran was at the feed mill and my new love and I were at the music store. My boss was extremely tolerant of my hours, largely because business was better since people began to realize the store was the gathering place for us and other musicians who wanted to hear about our success. That was Gina's job, and she dressed the part. Hell, some young guy who could maybe only pick a handful of chords on his guitar would feel guilty if he didn't buy something after ogling my lady. Yeah, I was bragging. Wouldn't you? We weren't keeping our relationship a secret, but we weren't broadcasting it either.

We were rehearsing Tuesday and Thursday evenings each week. We spent quite a bit of time working on a variety of play lists. That meant we had to spend time learning new music. We got to try out most of our new items at the Palomar, now our regular home. Audience reaction would tell us which were the hits and which were not. In the meantime, Stan was doing some market research. He and Doreen knew a lot of people in the business and they wanted to know what to expect on the county fair circuit.

The answer was varied. It seemed like many of the rural fairs leaned much more strongly toward the newer country music; no surprise, I suppose. The larger town and city fairs were more middle of the road with some country and some contemporary. That wasn't really a problem for us. We could fashion our music to meet whatever the audience wanted. Often, that meant we could use the same song, but change the arrangement. Some of the music we chose was intended to be cross-over, satisfying both markets. That made our lives much simpler.

All the while, Gina and Fran were working on their part in the group. I pretty much left them to their own devices unless they asked for my help or opinion. I didn't realize just how hard they were working until I saw Gina talking to a client at the store about a Martin six string. She took it down, gave it a quick tune, and picked out a familiar melody. I didn't know she could do that. I thought she was still a four-chord strummer.

While the girls had been working on their singing, they had also been working on their instruments. Fran's keyboard capabilities had also expanded and when I listened to them working on a new tune or a new arrangement, I began to realize just how much they had progressed. Once again, we were going to have more to offer.

I told Stan what I'd learned, and he just shrugged and grinned as if it was what he expected.

"I told you, Ed. When you and those two girls joined our group was when everything changed."

That was an undeniable fact. When I thought back to those first few weekends that I filled in for Rollie, the missing keyboard player, I couldn't believe the difference. There was no comparison to what Stan's band was and what Street Find had become.

Gina was now a commissioned sales person for Mark Kline, the owner-manager of the store. She was a magnet for customers, particularly male, and could charm anyone with her hot look and her dedication to find what they were looking for. Mark was willing to take trade-ins. He didn't give a lot for most of them, but then he didn't mark them up much for resale, either. A lot of young people who started their interest in music on a Sears and Roebuck six string or a Casio keyboard, moved up to something better if they stayed with it. He was well known in the business, but then he was the only fully dedicated music store in the region.

I was sorting out the sheet music racks one morning when I was approached by a big, middle-aged man.

"Would you be Ed Murchie?"

"Yes sir, I am. Can I help you?"

He nodded. "I'm looking for Frances and Georgina Cryder. I was told you'd know where to find them."

I looked him over and decided there wasn't anything about him that spelled trouble, but I would be careful.

"I can contact them. Who shall I say is looking for them?"

"I'm Arden Cryder, their father. I've lost contact with them, and I want to see them both."

"Mister Cryder, you know why Frances left, I'm sure," I tested.

He nodded again. "Of course. My wife threw her out of the house and our family. I was too weak to stop her, but no more. I want to reunite with both of them."

It was my turn to nod. "Okay, I can understand that. How did you know to come to me?"

He smiled. "I saw your band at the Palomar last week. I nearly fell over when both my daughters appeared on stage. I had no idea they were in a band. Anyway, I asked the manager of the club and he gave me two names; a fellow named Foxwell ... and you."

"Fran is working at Palouse Feed and Grain, north of town. Gina is here in the store with me. Is there going to be fireworks if I call her to come and see you?"

He shook his head. "No. There will likely be some tears, but no fireworks," he said solemnly.

On a hunch and a prayer, I asked him to wait and I'd see if Gina could come.

She was busy with a customer, so I waited until there was a break in their conversation before I interrupted.

"Gina, there's a gentleman out front who wants to see you. Shall I tell him to wait?"

"Yes, thanks. I shouldn't be too long," she smiled.

I walked back to the front of the store and approached Arden Cryder. "She's with a customer presently, but she'll be out as soon as she's done."

"Thank you. I also wanted to tell you how impressed I was with your band. I knew my girls could sing, but I was really surprised at how good they were."

"Yes, they have really improved the band's sound. And it's not my band, Mister Cryder. I'm just one of the members. Stan Foxwell is the head man."

"It's good to hear that both of my daughters have a place to live and jobs. Do you know if they are living together?"

"Yes," I said warily, "they both live together."

"That's good. They've always been close and very protective of each other."

I nodded but didn't add any more information.

It was five minutes later that Gina came out of the back of the store and stopped dead when she saw her father.

"What are you doing here?" she snarled.

"Gina, I came to make amends for my lack of courage. Fran didn't deserve to be kicked out of the house and I should have stood up for her. I knew it would mean that you would leave as soon as there was an opportunity," he said humbly.

"Excuse me, Mister Cryder, Gina, would you like to use the office?" I offered. "This is a private conversation and you don't need anyone else to overhear it."

Both of them looked around and agreed. They entered the unused office and closed the door. I wouldn't be far away and I would be able to hear if there were any raised voices. I went back to sorting the sheet music, one ear on the office nearby. Five minutes later, I heard some harsh indistinguishable words from Gina, but then nothing. After ten more minutes, I was reasonably confident there wasn't going to be any more drama. At least, not verbal drama.

It was over twenty minutes before Gina and her father opened the office door and returned to my area. I could see the tear tracks on both of them and figured some sort of reconciliation had taken place.

"Everything alright, Gina?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yes. Dad and I are okay now. I'll tell you about it later. I think this is going to be more difficult for Fran. I told Dad about you saving her life and taking her in when she had no one and nothing to live on."

"I owe you a very big debt of gratitude, Mister Murchie. You did a very kind and Christian thing when you saved Frances from freezing to death. A father doesn't forget things like that. I'm also ashamed of myself for letting it lead to that situation. I don't know how I can make it up to Frances, but I'm going to try."

"That's all you can do, Sir. It's up to Fran to forgive."

"Ed, you and I will have to talk to Fran tonight and let her know that I've talked to Dad," Gina said. "I want her to at least talk to him. I don't think that's too much to ask, do you?"

I shrugged. "It's hard to say how Fran will react, Gina. It's been a few weeks since it happened, so may she's had some time to think it over. I guess we'll know tonight. I gather you want us to see if she'll meet with you, Mister Cryder?"

"Yes ... and it's Arden," he smiled, holding out his hand.

"I'm Ed to everyone," I smiled as I shook his hand and promised we'd give it our best effort.

When her father had left, I turned to Gina. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Yes. I'm glad he came, Ed. I'm glad he got to tell me his side of the story."

"Good," I smiled. "Even if it's only you that reconciles, it will take some of the burden he carries off him."

"Fran is not a vindictive person, Ed. She's very forgiving. I think I can talk her into at least giving Dad a chance to explain. He told me he's left home too; left both Mom and Harman. He's living here in Spokane now."

I nodded and smiled. "Let me know if I can help."

To Be Continued