Smoke and Blues

Smoke and Blues

There’s a thin woman standing on a stage, smoking her cigarette and laughing. She’s singing a bit of blues, with smoke in her voice.
“That’s Baby, there. That’s Baby singing the blues.”
The young man, Ricky, is at a table, right up the front. Lifting his drink to her and winking when she looks. She’s young to have such a voice, and such a story to sing. That’s what Ricky loves about Baby. He’s getting excited. He nudges the older silver-haired man next to him again.
“She sings the blues nice, right? Don’t ya think, Frank? My Baby. She does, right?”
Frank nods, smiles a bit, and tips back his glass. Baby, singing out her smoke, is looking at him and dancing. She winks and he raises his glass, nods again.
“See that? She’s a good woman, Baby is.”
Baby rolls her hips from one side to the other and leans forward, singing to the older man. Ricky looks to his companion, Frank, who’s looking at Baby. Ricky looks back up to the stage, at his Baby, whose eyes are now closed as her hands slide up and down over her hips. Her voice goes soft and she tips her head back. She sings so soft, her breath almost gone, and Ricky feels a chill up his neck and over his scalp.
“She’s really beautiful, right? My Baby.”
“Yeah, she’s somethin’ alright.”
Baby smiles and slowly steps down from the stage. She slinks towards their table, still singing smoke, and stops in front of them.
“You’re so beautiful, Baby! You sing the blues so nice.”
She smiles affectionately at him before stepping to the side, in front of Frank, with the silvery hair. Baby stretches out her hand and strokes it down the side of his face. She smiles and takes his drink from him, tipping the rest down her throat.
“Baby sure is good at singing.”
Ricky looks from Baby to Frank, back to Baby and the glass in her hand, a cigarette hanging from her lips as she hums through the bridge. He looks at this guy that he picked up from work, and looks at how beautiful his Baby is. She’s now smiling that slow smile of hers, at this guy, Frank, from work.
“Baby- Baby, you sure are a beauty...”
Baby leans in to the man and touches her lips to his cheek, and sings her smoke and blues to him. Frank has a hand on her waist now, and Baby lowers to sit in his lap.
“See, she’s a good woman right, B-Baby, real friendly right?”
Baby looks over and gives him a smile, then sings until all the blues and smoke are out.