Kinda Crazy

by Enola Jones



Song used, "Ooh, It's Kinda Crazy" by Soul Decision.

Charlotte was back.

She'd returned to the nightclub with her husband, her chin up as if saying 'see, you won't beat me. I'll do whatever I damn well please.' And she might have gotten away with it, too. Her husband knew nothing of her indiscretion with a long-haired rock guitarist.

Only trouble was, the band knew. And they were enraged over her callous disregard of their friend's feelings. They'd told her off once, but obviously she hadn't gotten the point. So they reacted in the way they did best.

They wrote a song and arranged it. They practiced it till it was second nature, never once playing it in public.

Until the pair showed up and sat in the second row of tables, openly flirting with each other and acting as though nothing had ever happened.

When the Magnificent Seven hit the stage, they played four songs. Then they stopped the music and began to rearrange things. Ezra explained, "There is a special guest in the audience tonight, and we wish to dedicate our next song to her. For you, my dear, this is 'Kinda Crazy'." He stepped back and lifted an eyebrow to Vin.

Vin nodded, turning on the headset mic that now held his hair in check and covered part of his mouth. He moved forward to his place beside Ezra --

No guitar. Just him.

The audience buzzed. This was very rare, and Vin never used a headset mic. He rarely moved around that much. What was going on?

Ezra nodded to Josiah, and the keyboardist set up a soaring single-note riff with underlying tones.

Chris, Ezra and Vin harmonized the first line. "If you want my love, help me heal the pain in my life...."

Then Ezra and Vin fell into a slight shuffle-step, clapping their hands to the rhythm as -- Chris! -- sang the first solo. The audience fell dead silent -- they sensed something was about to happen. Chris's strong tenor rippled out:

"Ooh, it's kinda crazy,
I've been thinkin' maybe
Gotta get you out of my mind.
First you say you want me
Now your mem'ries haunt me --
Why don't you just give me a sign?"

Ezra smiled and stepped forward, lifting the cordless mic to his lips and beginning his solo.

"I thought I had
Someone that
I could fall in love with,
Someone who would treat me right --
So I tried
To be so kind,
I thought for sure I'd make you mine,
But something's preying upon my mind..."

Vin then moved forward, his hands stabbing for gentle emphasis as he began a solo in a voice liberally laced with anger, audible even in song.

"Why don't you take my hand
And help me understand,
Cause I can't figure out
What you're thinkin' about.
Why don't you let me know,
Don't wanna be alone,
Goin' outta my mind
Waitin' for the day you say you'll be mine--"

Chris and Ezra harmonized, "If you want my love--"
Vin soloed, "Why don't you show me, babe?"
"Help me end the pain in my life...."
"I know you want me...."
"If you want my love--"

Anger crept in Vin's voice again, "Why don't you tell me,
Cause I've had enough of
Lousy people wasting my time!"

Chris sang his solo part again--
"Ooh, it's kinda crazy,
I've been thinkin' maybe
Gotta get you out of my mind.
First you say you want me
Now your mem'ries haunt me --
Why don't you just give me a sign?"

--Followed by Ezra doing another verse.
"I thought I had
Someone that
I could really care for --
Someone who won't waste my time --"

Vin broke in, pointing toward the audience in the general direction of Charlotte's table, his harmonized line dripping fury.
"Don't lead me on!"

Ezra smiled and resumed his verse.
"But now I find
That you lied
You're always out with other guys,
Is that your way of playin' with my mind?"

Then Vin did the same riff he'd sang earlier, but with more force in his motions, even through the harmony with Chris and Ezra -- exactly the same as before. Chris sang his solo verse one more time, then he stepped back and struck a hard guitar riff, punctuated by JD's drums, as Vin leapt off the stage and marched right over to Charlotte's table.

His eyes bored right into hers as he spat out the next part:
"Showed you all that I had and I treated you well,
Gave you half of my heart, but you tore it to hell!
Needed someone who won't lie and won't cheat on me --
Baby, up in my room, it's exactly what you asked of me baby..."

Chris and Ezra harmonized,
"If you want my love....
If you want my love..."

At her husband's shocked look at her, Vin could not resist a musical, "Ooh yeah..." Her husband's eyes narrowed as hers widened, and Vin went on as they'd planned,
"Why don't you just take my hand
And help me understand,
Goin' out of my mind,
Waitin' for the day you say you'll be mine..."

He turned back toward the stage as Chris and Ezra kept singing, "If you want my love..."

Vin took Ezra's hand and used it to lever back onto the stage, singing, "I've had enough..."

Chris and he finished the song round-robin style, with Chris beginning,
"Oooh it's kind'a crazy..."
"I've had enough..."
"Gotta get you outta my mind..."
"I've had enough..."
"First you say you want me..."
"I've had enough!"

And the song ended abruptly, with the three singers shooting daggers from their eyes at Charlotte.

Soon everyone in the club was as well.

She sat there, looking around as though dazed, spurred into action only when her husband stood up. "...William?"

He looked at her. Without a word, he tugged his wedding ring from his finger and dropped it in her water glass before turning on his heel and storming out of the nightclub.

"W-William, wait!" she ran after him, panic in her voice.

Behind her, Vin sagged in relief and the club exploded into raucous cheers and whistles.

Mission accomplished.

THE END





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