Those Old Familiar Places-Chapter 1:The Letter XII
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Jason narrowed his eyes in disgust at Lila who was primly patting at her lips after taking a sip of her daiquiri. Her smile was entirely hidden by the linen cloth while she met Jason’s suspicious gaze with a wide eyed disingenuous one of her one that telegraphed, “who me?” as clearly as though she had said the words alound.
Jason did the right thing, the only thing in the circumstances and it absolutely didn’t hurt that it was also precisely what he wanted to do more than anything in the world. “Then you must allow me to escort you home, Elizabeth. It’s late and the streets of Port Charles aren’t as safe as they once were, before the war.”
Elizabeth lips curved in a gloriously happy smile as she inclined her head in acceptance. Lila looked at her brother in mock offense as she demanded, “What about me? I suppose it’s all right if your little sister gets accosted by some big hairy creature as long as Elizabeth gets home safely!” Jason only response was a snort of irritation that was entirely belied by the sparkle in his eyes as he looked at her affectionately, fighting the impulse to smile at her antics and losing the battle.
Just then Carly reappeared to claim Spinelli. “Let’s go, Wolfie, it’s time, the band is back from their break.” She was all business and not in the mood to brook any denial of her wishes.
“Valkyrie,” he tried pleading with her, “The Wolverine will cheerfully do your bidding, but” he swallowed nervously as he looked around at the packed club, more people were spilling in through the door even as he spoke. “Can’t it be at a later hour…when things are quieter?”
“Nope,” Carly shook her head adamantly, she wasn’t to be swayed. “It’s now and it’s tonight. C’mon, up and at ‘em.” She reached for him, pulling him up from his seat and started shepherding him toward the stage.
“Stone Cold?” Spinelli tried one last time.
Jason spread his hands in a gesture of helpless defeat. “Sorry, Spinelli, you know Carly makes all the club decisions.” He tried to sound insouciant as he said encouragingly, “It’ll be fine, you’ll see.” Lila was watching the exchange closely, her curiosity once again piqued. For all his attempts at calm acceptance, Lila could see that Jason was just as agitated in his quiet way as Spinelli was with his much more melodramatic expression of anxiety.
Dragging his feet, Spinelli responded to Carly’s insistent hand on his arm as she pulled him further away from the safe haven of the little table. Resigned to his fate, he muttered under his breath, “For those of us about to die, we salute you Caesar!”
“He did not just say that!” Lila said torn between amusement and bewilderment as to what was occurring. “Where’s she taking him?” She prodded Jason to get a response.
He just looked at her enigmatically and said, “You’ll see soon enough.”
Now Lila was all impatience and even Elizabeth had disengaged her attention from Jason and was tracking Carly and Spinelli’s progress across the dance floor. They climbed up on the stage and Spinelli went over to the piano player while Carly approached the microphone.
“Good evening, everyone and welcome to Sonny’s. I hope you’re all enjoying yourselves tonight,” She paused, her innate showmanship coming to the fore while she waited for them to stop talking, to make sure she had their attention. “Now I know you have all appreciated the effort of our fine little band up here tonight. You’ve certainly been cluttering up the dance floor! How about a round of applause for all their hard work!” Carly turned towards the band and started clapping while the club patrons followed suit. “Now,” she said turning back and grinning conspiratorially out at them. Lila marveled at her ease in front of so many strangers, it would seem looking at Spinelli, who looked pale and dazed, that he didn’t share her confidence. “I know that Sonny’s has been lacking a vocalist, someone to croon to you as you sway in the arms of that special person. Well, tonight I plan to rectify that situation. Ladies and Gentleman, please put your hands together for Sonny’s very own Wolfie Spinelli!”
She had wound the crowd up so expertly that the room exploded in applause and even a few whistles. Lila and Jason looked at Spinelli with concern as he actually winced at the unexpectedly enthusiastic response of the audience. “Wolfie is going to sing? Wolfie sings?” She asked incredulously as she looked at Jason accusingly. “Why didn’t you ever tell me this?” She demanded, affronted that such a vital piece of information about the young man should have been kept from her.
“You never asked,” Jason responded with a shrug, not removing his uneasy gaze from Spinelli’s face. It was as though he was trying to communicate strength and support by simply keeping in eye contact with him. The problem was that Spinelli wasn’t looking at anyone, he had come up to the microphone and Carly relinquished it to him, stepping back and down off the stage.
Lila’s heart was in her throat as she looked up at Wolfie with trepidation. She had no idea if he was a good singer or not but right now she was primarily concerned with whether or not he even could sing in the heightened state of near panic that appeared to grip him. Out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of the blonde WAC sitting at a nearby table with her friends. They were whispering to her and pointing at Spinelli and Lila was both angered and appalled at the look of open contempt on her face as she looked up at vulnerable Wolfie alone and nervous in front of the microphone. She felt opposing desires, neither of which she could act upon within the boundaries of convention. Part of her wanted to rush up to the stage and pull Wolfie off, bringing him safely back to their table. The other part yearned to walk up to the WAC and yank on her hair or throw a drink in her face or at least tell her off for being so cavalier with such a precious gift as sweet Wolfie’s regard.
It was all a moot point because the band had started up and the minute the first familiar notes reached Lila’s ears, she froze. “It couldn’t be,” she whispered to herself, “It simply couldn’t be…” But it was.
Spinelli’s voice was a melodic tenor, full and true, his nerves had dissolved and his fidgeting stopped the moment he opened his mouth. The familiar haunting words wound their way into Lila’s heart where they placed themselves perfectly over their perpetually etched counterparts-I’ll be seeing you in all the old familiar places that this heart of mine embraces all day through...She couldn’t get over the fact that it was this very song, their song-hers and Edward that Wolfie had chosen for his debut. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes and she shut them tightly in a vain attempt to keep them from spilling down her cheeks. Edward’s beloved face was imprinted on the interior of her eyelids, he was grinning at her and holding out his hand as he asked her to dance, that first night, the evening this became their official standard as Lila was sure it belonged to so many couples across this land, torn asunder by this terrible war. She ached under the sweet torture that was Spinelli’s voice wanting nothing more than for it to stop, wanting nothing more than for it to go on endlessly.
The song was short, it was already over and they along with everyone else were clapping and shouting, this time the whistles of approbation had been well earned. Lila opened her eyes, they were still filmed over with tears and she found both Jason and Elizabeth regarding her with concern. Laughing shakily, she reached into her purse for a lacey handkerchief and tried to deflect their attention, “You know what a sentimental silly goose I am, both of you. That was so beautiful, what a voice that boy has, he could charm the birds from the trees. Look how happy he is…” She had been successful in covering the true reasons for the tears, in redirecting their attention toward the stage where Spinelli stood beaming from ear to ear amazed at his reception, the fervent response of the crowd. Lila stole a quick glance at the table where the WACs were sitting, the little hypocrites clapping as loudly as everyone else as though they hadn’t just moments ago been laughing at Spinelli and cruelly reveling in his expected humiliation. The only one that wasn’t applauding was the blonde that Wolfie had taken such a shine to, she was sitting there quietly looking up at the stage a totally bemused expression on her face as she tried to reconcile the wondrous voice with its gawky and socially inept possessor.
“Serves her right,” Lila thought to herself with satisfaction, “That will teach her that things and people aren’t always necessarily as they appear on the surface.”
“Lila?” It was Jason and he was standing, holding out his hand as he offered to dance with her.
Lila looked at Elizabeth she smiled back at her and made shooing motions with her hands. “Go on, dance with your brother.” It had been Elizabeth’s idea that he ask her to dance. She had seen how distraught she had become when Spinelli was singing and she suspected some secretive entanglement of the heart. She would coax it out of Lila eventually but for now a tilt of her head in Lila’s direction as she looked deeply into Jason’s eyes was enough to get the idea across.
They headed out onto the packed dance floor. Spinelli was singing once again, this time it was “I’ve Got a Crush on You.” They merged with the other couples and Lila allowed herself a moment’s respite, a lowering of the ever present brittle armor that hid her aching heart as she rested her head on her beloved brother’s shoulder and closed her eyes.
“You okay?” He spoke softly but there was concern evident in his voice. He had fallen hard for Elizabeth this evening but that in no way impacted the deep and abiding love he felt for his cherished sister.
She leaned back and looked up at him, smiling wanly. “Just peachy, big brother. I am rather exhausted though. Do you think after this we can collect Elizabeth and head on out?”
He nodded his head in agreement. “Can do. So what do you think of the kid?” He asked the question diffidently, but with clear pride in Spinelli’s accomplishment.
Lila glanced up at the stage where Spinelli was singing. This time his eyes were fixed unswervingly on one area of the club and Lila didn’t have to turn her head to know that he was singing to an audience of one. She fervently hoped the snippy blonde would have some compassion for him, she didn’t want to see him get his gentle, loyal heart broken.
“I think he’s marvelous in all ways,” she said with perfect sincerity.
“Yeah,” came the contented response from Jason as he rested his chin on her head in familiar companionship.
“I must say,” the teasing side of Lila could never stay long in abeyance, “This is a delightful surprise. I don’t believe I have ever before danced with you where you haven’t stepped on my toes at least once.” She was laughing up at him and he was glad to see the sparkle back in her eyes after the unanticipated break in her composure he had observed back at the table.
“If you’re feeling nostalgic, I’m sure I could arrange for a trip down memory lane,” he offered, matching her mood.
“Don’t you dare! My feet are aching enough as it is. You men, you have no idea how we suffer for fashion.” She retorted.
“Don’t ever intend to either,” he grinned at her as he dipped her with a flourish right at the moment Spinelli sang the last note of the song.
“Come on Dear Elizabeth,” Lila caroled as she walked back to the table with Jason in tow. Her lacerated heart once more firmly tucked away from public scrutiny. “We have ourselves the most handsome escort in all of Port Charles this evening. Aren’t we a pair of lucky ducks!”
The trio left their table which was immediately reclaimed by the same sailors who had gallantly surrendered it previously. They said their goodbyes to Carly who barely acknowledged them, busy as she was. Spinelli was yet again singing, his popularity growing every time he opened his mouth. They collected their coats and with one last poignant glance at the room that was everything and nothing to her without Edward on her arm, Lila allowed herself to be escorted from Sonny’s. They walked up the stairs from the old speakeasy and the transition was complete. They had moved from light and laughter, a frenetic, semi-successful attempt at pushing back the ubiquitous intrusion that was the war directly into the somber reality of it as they stepped into the chilly, bleak, gloom of a blacked out Port Charles.
Suddenly, Carly popped up on stage and introduced young Wolfie of all people. I had no idea he could sing. He turned to the band and had an indistinct conversation with them and came hesitantly up to the microphone. I stole a glance at the little WAC and she had such an expression of disinterested contempt on her face, I wanted to shake her! He nervously wiped his hands down the side of his pants legs and I desperately desired to go up and rescue him from certain mortification.
Then he opened his mouth and it was a miracle, he sang like a nightingale and, oh the song, Edward-the song! I am sorry, the no tears rule, I am breaking it now that is what those blotches on this letter signify. He sang our song-‘I’ll Be Seeing You’-and I was, oh, how enthralled I was, Edward. Each all too short moment we shared passed before my eyes as he with exquisite delicacy reached into my heart and wrung It dry of tears, of love, of my future all because of a song, a voice, and memories-always those traitorous memories that stalk me daily giving me absolutely no peace.
When he was done, there was no reaction, nothing, just dead silence. Once again I looked at the hard blonde and she was undone, she looked shattered as though he had done to her precisely what he had to me. Then the applause began and he was startled, awoken from a reverie. It was clear that he had been only singing to one person and the rest of us were incidental.
I quickly wiped away the tears streaking my cheeks and tried to achieve my usual air of sang froid in order to divert both Elizabeth’s and Jason’s concerns and suspicions. He would be escorting both us this evening I determined. Someone needed to be chaperoning them!
Edward, life continues on but it is colorless and bland without you. I am reduced to being an observer of others’ love affairs when all I so desire is to be a participant in my own. I can hardly wait until we can declare our love to the world at large. That will be a day only eclipsed by our wedding day. Darling, be safe, be true and be secure in my love,
Ditto,
Lila
Spinelli tossed and turned in a restless approximation of sleep. His fevered brain cast up images from the letters he had read, he populated his agitated dreams with those he knew in an elegant alliance of past and present…
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