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CHAPTER 36

A Little Music

      THINGS WERE going to be all right after all, Lucy thought.

      The band members had set up their stuff pretty smartly, moving a few tables from one side of the room to make space. And they were so polite to Bobby that, if he was doubtful about them, he kept his opinion to himself. He only said, "Well, they don't look like much, do they?"

      When Lucy asked him, Gene said he could spare Shark to play during these next three evenings, if Lucy could see her way clear to have Melida come work with him in the kitchen. Gene even came out and talked to Raton for a while in Spanish, and he told Lucy that Raton was a legal immigrant and not a wetback, and that he seemed like a nice enough fella.

      And the biggest relief of all was that they played the same good old Elvis-music that was on the juke box. And they played it pretty well.

      Once they'd warmed up, Clive and Tagg, and the others who came in every night got to really enjoying themselves, listening. And as the evening wore on, it began to look like a real Saturday crowd, as more and more people came to check things out and then stayed on. By closing time, there was over a hundred dollars more than usual in the cash-box!

      But the thing that stood out in Lucy's memory was how, close to the end of the evening, after Shark had finished up in the kitchen, he stood out before the band and said: "All right now, ladies and gentlemen, here's the best part of the show. Mr. Gallatin Shark is going to sing a few pieces as a sort of preview for the big dance. So . . . here he is, your friend, and my brother — Gaaaallatin!" Who would have thought Shark could talk up like that.

      There was no microphone, of course, and no spotlight, so Gallatin only stepped forward one step, still holding his guitar.

      He spoke very softly, and the room quieted down to hear him. To Lucy, it seemed almost as if there were an invisible spotlight shining on him, because he looked so clear and distinct as he began to speak.

      "Goin' to do a couple of favorites tonight, for your pleasure . . ."

      And then, it was almost as if the invisible spotlight had grown brighter. The music began very softly in the background, and just as everyone recognized the tune, Gallatin began to sing, "Are . . . you . . . lonesome tonight . . . ?"

      It took them all by surprise. The sound of his voice moved like a living thing among them, and it held the sadness of waking in the hours before dawn, and the longing of missing someone you love. It roused all the old griefs that lie hidden in everyone's heart. And yet it was filled with the promise that all these grieving longings could be answered and fulfilled.

      While she listened, Lucy was not even aware of what it was she was hearing, only of what she was feeling because of the sound of it.

      The sweetness of those feelings took her away from herself. And at the same time, she remained alone within her own emotions — reaching out with longing for the love that music promised her. It was right there — it was everything she had hoped for; it was waiting for her like a returning lover, with open arms reaching out to take her into love.

      In the silence that fell when his singing ended, the memory of his voice made her eyes sting with loss. She'd wanted that feeling to go on forever.

      When Lucy looked up through her tears, she could see Swan and Bobby looking at each other. And the look in Swan's eyes was a mirror of everything Lucy had felt.

      Except that what Swan wanted was right there in front of her — in the form of Bobby, who loved her so dearly. The look they gave each other was so beautiful that it made Lucy shudder with sadness, and she had to look away.

      Where was the love that would fill her own empty life?

      As she turned from Swan and Bobby, somehow she found herself looking toward Gallatin.

      And he was looking right at her. Right at her.

      In that moment, it was as if her heart stopped beating.

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