Solace & Rosanna Ch. 21

2003: “Leander, What the hell are you doing?” Casey shrieked in horror. She had stopped to check on Leander’s progress with the decorating. She thought it would be safe enough to leave him with the simple task of artfully draping blue streamers around the guardrail of the roof garden. She should have been more vigilant. How had he sneaked the hugest bag of cotton-balls she had ever seen passed her?

In the ensuing weeks since they had decided to have the party, they had learned that they definitely had divergent tastes in terms of decorating. Leander wanted drama and glamour while Casey wanted casual and simple. Casey had thought they had reached a happy medium. But she now watched in disbelief, her mouth agape, while the man carelessly tossed cotton-balls on chairs, tables, the floor and on every available surface.

“I’m creating atmosphere, Case!” Leander said innocently, continuing to toss handfuls of the puffy, white globes.

“Of what--an emergency room?” Casey returned sarcastically.

“No, silly. The cotton-balls are supposed to represent snowflakes. They were the closest things I could find. They’ll give people the illusion that it’s cooler. Have some imagination.”

“And when did we discuss an impending snowstorm, Leander?” Casey asked, arms on her hips.

“Well, we didn’t—“he began.

“Exactly. Now pick up those damned balls! They’re gonna get all trampled on and stick to peoples’ feet and sandals. Can’t I trust you with anything?” Casey sighed in exasperation.

“I will not! We’re supposed to be working on this shin-dig together, Missy, and so far, all you’ve let me do is nod my head in agreement with your suggestions.” Leander said huffily.

“That is because my suggestions have been the best ones.”

“Says you!” Leander bellowed. “I don’t even know why I’m helping you with this. You obviously want to do it all yourself. You’re such a control hag.”

“Listen, Leander. This is my scheme and we’ll do things my way—this time. When you want me to help you lure someone in, we’ll do things your way. Okay?” She dropped the tablecloth and advanced on him menacingly, her fingers outstretched in tickle mode. Seeing what Casey had in mind, Leander ripped the bag open even wider and whirled around, the cotton-balls swirling out, flying and falling in every direction.

“Leander!” Casey screamed. She reached out and began to tickle him. He squealed and doubled over under her merciless onslaught. He was hopelessly ticklish and Casey used this to her advantage. She wondered if Rosanna was still ticklish. This thought caused her to think about tickling Rosanna and having it lead to other more sensuous activities. She stopped abruptly.

“Listen, Leander, if anyone has an accident because of your strewn balls, you are going to pay their medical bills,” Casey said, retrieving the tablecloth and spreading it over a long table they had rented for the occasion. “They’re going to be cool enough because it’ll be evening. They won’t need any illusions.”

Through gasps of breath Leander said, “Please! I think my balls are a nice touch.” They looked at each other, their eyes gleaming with mischief, and broke into hysterical laughter.

“All right, but you’ve been warned.” Casey said, returning to her bare tables. The morning’s heat gave a hint of the sultry day to come and Casey decided not to press the issue. She had more important things to ponder—such as her choice of outfit, hair and makeup. All Leander would do was throw on a pair of shorts and a polo shirt. Where was the thought process in that?

Leander dumped the now empty cotton-ball bag into a large trash bin. He sauntered over to Casey, brushing stray cotton-balls from his curls, and began helping her with covering the remaining tables.

“Did you get the band?” he asked casually.

“Yes, I did. They came highly recommended,” Casey said without looking up.

“Really? By whom?” Leander asked suspiciously.

“By Sedilla,” Casey muttered.

“Sedilla? Have you gone nuts? Sedilla doesn’t know the first thing about good music. She thinks elevator music is cool. What possessed you to ask her?” Leander shrieked. He groaned and flung a hand over his eyes.

“Well, we were talking and she said she’d gone to this cool concert given by this band, who handed out cards. She told them about the party and they gave her a reasonable price—“ Casey did not get a chance to finish.

Leander dropped his end of the tablecloth. “I bet that’s all you heard—reasonable. I can’t believe you entrusted a party so important to that nut! Okay. You are nuts!”

“Come on, Leander. Have a little faith. Sedilla’s taste in music isn’t that bad. She just tends to go towards the schmaltzy stuff. Besides we do want them to be a bit on the romantic side. I am trying to catch Ross. Remember?” She decided not to mention that the group’s name was Light 106, which was a play on an easy-listening station.

“The woman is tone-deaf and you entrust her with providing the music. Well, all I can say is you better start praying to whatever deity you believe in because I’m sure we’re going to need some divine intervention.”

“She is not tone deaf, Leander. She can’t be; she sings in a chorus.” Casey countered.

“And has she ever invited you to a performance, Casey?

“Well…no, but—“

“I rest my case—so to speak.” Leander picked up his end of the tablecloth snapped it, wrenching it from Casey’s hands. They might as well have been a comedy act and it was only by sheer willpower that they were able to complete the final preparations for the evening.

Casey dabbed Jasmine oil behind her ears, on her wrists and between her cleavage. She stepped back surveying herself in the full-length mirror affixed to the closet door. She smiled at her reflection. Rosanna would have to be unconscious not to respond to what Casey considered a pretty sexy package. Her outfit consisted of a strapless powder-blue sundress, high-heeled sandals, which she hoped she’d could dance in, if not, she would kick them off). She had piled her thick auburn hair up in an elegant bun with combs, leaving loose strands framing her face. She thought this style might serve two purposes: to look great and to keep her cool. She applied light makeup as she knew she would be lucky if it lasted for half the evening. Casey wanted to dazzle her Rosanna as the object of her lust came through the entrance to the roof garden. Merely thinking of Rosanna caused her to want to throw herself on to her bed and indulge in one of her favorite activities with her little buddy. There was, however, no time for that. With a little luck, and some heavy flirting, the delectable Ms. Romero would be hers for the taking. She grinned wickedly at the thought of seeing Rosanna in summer attire. She bounced up and ran to her kitchen to retrieve a bottled water.

Casey’s intermittent e-mails and phone calls over the past months had paid off. Rosanna had finally relented and decided to attend the B-party, as she and Leander had dubbed it. Casey’s initial attempts to lure Rosanna to her apartment were met with terse responses and adamant refusals. Casey was nothing if not persistent. She promised, pleaded and played on their high school friendship. The last tactic had turned out to be the best one. They reminisced about old teachers, students and escapades and realized why they had been such good friends in the first place.

Although Leander had warned Casey several times about inviting Solace to the party, she could not resist the evil streak that ran through her. She knew it was wrong to involve Solace but she thought it would definitely add a bit of spice to the evening’s proceedings. Always one to leap first and then look, she did not think of the consequences of the two women meeting for she did not know the extent of their relationship. Leander had simply told her that Rosanna had called Solace’s name as she dropped off to sleep--or something like that. Leander was such a drama hound, though. They were probably nothing more than good friends. The fact that she had not mentioned the presence of either woman to the other did not weigh heavily on Casey’s conscience at all.

Leander vigorously shook first one then the next four containers. He grinned as he thought of the contents in the lovely decanters. His great grandmother’s recipe would certainly liven up the party. He hadn’t made it in a while so he was careful to follow the directions to the letter as he wanted it to have a kick but not deliver a blow that would render the unsuspecting individual unconscious. He was, however, aware of the drink’s addictive nature. He would make a sign, warning party-goers of the potency of the potable and he and Casey would have to make sure no one who had the drink would be driving home. All that would be taken care of once he got dressed. He planned to wear his new khaki walking shorts, a blue tank top and sandals. He had been working out and wanted to show off what muscle definition he was developing. He sighed as he posed and flexed in the mirror. At least Casey had agreed upon the blue theme. He suddenly grimaced when he thought about the music. Good grief, they’d be fortunate if Sedilla’s group played even one decent dance tune. He should have insisted that Casey let him pick the band. Leander sighed in resignation. He stopped suddenly, trying to remember if he had told Casey about his special brew. Oh well, no matter. It would be a crowd-pleaser for sure anyway.

L. D. growled as she donned the navy blue slacks and matching sleeveless shirt. Navy blue was at least close to her beloved black. She was also trying out a new hairstyle, with a bang falling rakishly over her left eye rather than brushing it all back. Why she was going to this ridiculous blue party she could not fathom, but secretly she hoped that Solace would be there. Only the light at the end of this blue tunnel would make the event worth attending. Casey had casually mentioned that she had invited Solace, but that she was going to get back to her to let her know if she could definitely be there. As L. D. had not wanted to drop her cool façade in front of Casey, she had simply smiled and affected an air of nonchalance upon hearing this news. Inside, however, everything was fluttering and beating wildly.

Since their first heated kiss, they had shared several of similar intensity, but Solace had not allowed L. D. to go further even though the heat and passion between them was incredible. L. D. was aware that she could not continue to rehearse and perform with Solace for too much longer without making love with her. She picked up a black handkerchief and wiped her forehead. She did not wear makeup, so she did not have to worry about smudging it.

L. D. walked over to her answering machine and pressed play to listen to her messages. Matilda wanted to have lunch with her. She would call her later. She thought, with mild interest that she had neglected to tell Matilda about her invitation. Had she merely forgotten? Well, she and Matilda had not had one of their sessions in about a year. They seemed content to simply exchange e-mails and phone calls. That was fine for L. D. She was certain that Matilda had moved on to someone else—someone she could mold into her image of perfection. L. D. was certainly not that person.

Solace ran to unlock the door to her apartment, narrowly missing a cushion as she scrambled back to her bathroom for some last-minute touch ups. All Jessie saw was a blur of blue and white cotton followed by Solace’s wild mane fanning out behind her as her friend dashed into her bedroom.

“Well, at least you’re dressed. That’s something,” Jessie said as she dropped into her favorite cushion. Bizarrey the Cat appeared and jumped onto her lap for their usual petting session. Jessie sighed thinking that she would now have to brush any stray cat fur off her blue slacks. She did, however, stroke the soft little head and received purrs of contentment from the friendly feline.

Solace emerged and twirled in front of Jessie. She wore a white sundress with spaghetti straps and tiny blue flowers. The dressed flared slightly at the waist and looked cool and comfortable. Solace had wrestled her unruly locks into a ponytail and wore blue low-heeled sandals. She decided against wearing any makeup as it was just too warm.

“How do I look, Jess?” she asked breathlessly.

“Great. Are you after someone?” She asked suspiciously. Jessie moved and Bizarrey the Cat scampered from her lap. She stood, brushed her slacks and straightened her blue and white striped tee-shirt. She checked her white clogs for smudges, noticing none and awaited Solace’s reply.

“No, but if the opportunity presents itself, who’s to say? I’ve decided to try to enjoy life again and not wait around for Rosanna to call me. She’s not coming back and I am not going to spend any more time pining over her.” Solace’s stomach tightened at the thought of her lost love, and she made a valiant effort to maintain her composure.

“Okay. Well, let’s go,” announced Jessie. “Do you have all your stuff, Solace? Do we need to look for anything? Please say you have everything together.”

Solace’s mind flashed on Rosanna and her many attempts to organize her life. She picked up a small shoulder-bag, where she had tried to remember to put everything she might need.

“Unbelievably, I think I’m ready? Do you see my cane?”

“What?” Jessie screeched.

“I’m just kidding. Keep your tee-shirt on, which is really nice, by the way My cane’s by the door. Let’s go.”

It was only once they were on the bus that she remembered that she had forgotten to leave extra food for Bizarrey. Now, she would worry all evening. Had she left any food? Oh brother! I’m a horrible mother! She wouldn’t stay too long.

Rosanna boarded the downtown bus on her way to Casey’s place. Her royal blue shorts and white sleeveless shirt showed off her smooth coffee-colored complexion and well-muscled physique to maximum advantage. She garnered quite a few admiring stares from both male and female passengers but was oblivious to all. As she searched for a seat, locating one in the rear, her mind flashed back to the night she had seen Solace kissing the woman in black. She had raced home in a blind rage and punished her body on her exercise machine and her fingers on her piano until she had collapsed exhausted. She had to stop thinking about that fateful night. Her mind betrayed her, however, each time she stepped on a bus. The image of the woman hovering over Solace in such a possessive stance caused her blood to boil and her temples to throb. This was not the attitude she wanted to foster when going to a fun beach party. She huffed and willed the unbidden thoughts to disperse. She calmed her breathing and sat holding the beautifully wrapped bottle of white wine she would give to Casey. She would do her best to enjoy herself this evening. Casey was a character and Rosanna was certain that she and her friend, Leander, would make sure that everyone had a great time.

Upon her grandmother’s return to New York, Rosanna had pounced on her for advice. She had also told her about the unsettling encounter with the homeless woman. Her grandmother had listened patiently and offered these words..

“Rosita, you must go after Solace if she is the one in your heart. She seems to be. That Matilda was an unnecessary distraction and now you have hurt her as well. Why do you want to cast aside those you love? Don’t let your doubts cloud your judgment or your future. Solace won’t wait for you forever, mija. You did a strange thing by letting her go and now you’re miserable. And now you must do all you can to get her back. You won’t be content until you do.” Rosanna had thought, but I don’t want to be hurt again either.

It had taken Rosanna several weeks to gather the courage to face Solace and then she had seen her with that woman. She would have to forget what she had seen and remember that she loved Solace. For now, she would drink and dance and have a good time.

Light 106 arrived two hours early to check out the space and set up their equipment.

“We need to become a part of the space,” mumbled the lead guitarist, who could easily have doubled as a male model, his chiseled features almost feminine in appearance. Casey and Leander looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

Ah chew! The lead vocalist, a pretty African-American woman with dread-locks, admitted to having a bad head cold, which she swore she could “sing through”. “I’b taking bassive doses of zinc, so I should be okay,” she said through an obviously stuffy nose. She grabbed a handkerchief from the breast pocket of the guitarist and blew her nose with a resounding honk. Leander and Casey tried to conceal their giggles.

“Do we get food, too?” asked a large, beefy young man while setting up a drum set.

“Of course,” Casey answered.

“Cool, ‘cause I’m starved. Do we have to wait until after the gig or can we help ourselves now?” He left his preparations and headed for the tables.

Before Casey or Leander could respond, the bass player boomed,

“We have to tune, people. We have to practice.” He then directed his attention to Casey and Leander. Do you have anything you’d like us to play—a special song?”

“Well, we—“ They began but were interrupted by a surprisingly loud belch coming from the drummer. He was in the process of piling a plate high with appetizers.

“Put that plate dowd, Ian.” croaked the singer. “We’ll eat after the gig.”

“But what if there’s nothing left?” whined Ian. His band mates glared at him and he slunk back to his drum set, sitting heavily on a small stool that seemed incapable of holding such a large individual.

Through this exchange, the keyboardist said nothing. He looked to be of Asian extraction with shoulder-length black hair and intense black eyes. Everyone jumped as he sounded a loud chord.

“I’b gonna save by voice till I have to do it for real,” announced the singer. She sat down, put on a pair of headphones and commenced to make sounds possibly only heard by visitors to an aquarium. Casey and Leander stared in horror.

“She’s just vocalizing,” provided the bass player.

“I am going to kill Sedilla.” Casey muttered. Leander simply stared at her and then the members of Light 106. They strummed a few chords, tweaked some knobs and pronounced themselves ready.

Leander disappeared to enhance the punch with his recipe and Casey went to greet their arrivals. She had left instructions to the roof garden at the desk. She could not believe that Solace and her guest would walk up the stairs, but she left those directions as well.

People began trickling in at about five-thirty. To Casey’s pleasure, so far everyone was dressed in some form of the theme color. When L. D. arrived, Casey was shocked to see that she had actually deigned to wear blue and she looked excellent. The new hairstyle was also noted. She pulled the woman close to her for a peck on the lips. L. D. was polite, but extricated herself before Casey could take advantage of the greeting. She headed for the bar, fixed herself a drink and sat in a secluded corner to watch the arriving guests. She sprang to attention as Solace entered—with a lovely African-American woman. Oh Goddess, Solace looked so beautiful. She would have to get over the burst of hot jealousy that was simmering and ask her to dance, but first she would observe. Was it horrible that she did not make herself known to Solace right away—knowing that Solace would not know she was there? She was unsure of the etiquette and sat frozen—her drink forgotten.

The roof garden quickly filled and the band began to play. There seemed to be something not quite right about the music, but L. D. could not put her finger on it. She decided that they were not quite in sync. It was as if they were separate instrumentalists. And where was the singer?