In celebration of MiniMe’s 21st birthday, and my quasi-retirement, we decided to go to a local piano bar. The last time I was there they asked if there were any requests and I shouted out, “A new barmaid.” Luckily, the old barmaid didn’t recognize me and graciously seated us right next to the pianos and stage.
Being a regular at this establishment, I brought plenty of cash and accessories for the evening. Sadly, as Sleepless pointed out, we forgot the tambourine. Nothing worse than not having a tambourine to make the scene. Fortunately, we had our good looks, lots of Washingtons (George, not Denzel), and Sleepless’ lunch money (four one dollar bills and four quarters in a Ziploc bag) to get us through the evening.
As we were singing to the classics – Wilson Phillips, Twisted Sister and John Denver – Dr. BJ arrived, looking dapper as ever. One of the piano players was drawn to him and after several minutes of him being there, approached him and said, “Denzel, nice to have you here.” If you google ‘Denzel Washington,’ the IMDb description is tops the list and ‘Actor. American. Gangster. Tall. Strikingly handsome…’ are the descriptors. With the exception of gangster, Dr. BJ is all of these things.
As we should and would, we totally took advantage of this celebrity opportunity. Denzel, aka Dr. BJ, did his Single Ladies dance moves which resulted in us having every request played – even if we didn’t use Sleepless’ lunch money to pay for it. When Dr. BJ left, the piano player announced his departure, “Denzel is leaving us.” We, of course, stayed and closed the place down. As we were heading out, Sleepless advised us, “I’m drunk, but I’ve got a reservation.”
Unlike MiniMe, who wasn’t sure if she was going to go home or sleep at my house after the festivities, Sleepless knew exactly what she was doing and reminded us throughout the evening, “I’ve got a reservation for the small suite in the back.” Yes, Sleepless did have a reservation to stay in my back bedroom and had made her text deposit several days previous. MiniMe, on the other hand, just had expectations. “Looks like you’ll have to sleep on the couch or in the basement,” I advised her. Being a creature of comfort and a lover of dark spaces, MiniMe chose the basement. But who can blame her, it was the former living quarters of the famous Denzel, aka, Dr. BJ.