Practised
at Alexander's last Friday as Andre has booked us to play at his
restaurant for Valentine's Day. It was freezing cold in the
summerhouse, but for some reason Alexander insists on practising
there. I get the impression maybe Simone doesn't like to be
disturbed. As we were setting up, Alexander mentioned that Kieron's
been running through our pieces on his bass and has asked if he could
join us. Both Michel and myself could see no problem with this. He
was just about to tell us about Kieron's mother turning up when the
door was pushed open and Kieron appeared, carrying a tray of tea and
coffees. As we were still waiting for Ines I took the opportunity to
ask about his family. He said his mum had phoned him a few days ago
and was not at all happy. She'd turned up at the campsite with his
two young sisters only to find an elderly German couple living in the
caravan. She blamed Kieron as he'd been left to look after the place.
Far from being upset he mimicked his mother's angry voice and laughed
about her shouting at him. He said the caravan was a dump. It had no
running water, no electricity, was freezing cold in the winter and
boiling hot in the summer. What made his mum angry was the response
of the campsite owner. She had threatened to call the police but the
manager told her, as the couple were paying rent each week, as far as
he was concerned, they were entitled to be there. Michel said it must
have been awkward for the couple living in the caravan and asked
where his mum is now. She's staying at another camp site and refuses
to see or speak to Kieron. He doesn't seem bothered. After all, his
mother abandoned him when she made the decision to return to England.
He's still working at the cafe in Carnac and he likes living at
Alexander and Simone's. I think he did the right thing.
When
Ines arrived, she apologised for her behaviour at our last gig,
assuring us it wouldn't happen again. She seemed very subdued;
probably still embarrassed.
I
was impressed with Kieron's bass playing and we agreed he should take
part in our gig on the Saturday. Alexander asked if he'd like his
mother to come and watch. He laughed, saying she wouldn't be at all
interested and it would be a waste of time asking.
On
Saturday we arrived early to set up. The place was fully booked. It's
very popular both with locals and tourists. Ines was the last to
arrive as usual, trailing behind Gavin, who was dressed in a full
length smoking jacket with a red rose pinned onto the top pocket. He
had brought his elderly mother with him and made a big show of
finding their table and getting her seated. I was dismayed to see
him. I glanced over at Alexander who raised his eyes. (He can't stand
him either and thinks he's full of himself). At least Ines was sober.
We played the first few songs; Quando, Quando, Quando, The Girl from
Ipanema, a couple of instrumental pieces and One Note Samba. As soon
as Alexander announced we would be taking a short break, Gavin
approached the stage and took the microphone from Ines. He unpinned
the red rose from his jacket, handed it to her, then began to sing O
Sole Mio whilst gazing into her eyes. I couldn't believe it! Ines was
taken in. She just stood like a statue with a fixed smile on her
face. The diners seemed to love it, clapping enthusiastically. I made
my escape out into the cold night as they demanded an encore.
The
others were already outside; Michel, smoking and chatting to Kieron
whilst Alexander was pacing up and down in a rage. He was tempted to
tell Gavin to get lost, but reluctant to make a scene in public.
While it could have been worse and we were lucky the audience enjoyed
his singing, we still couldn't believe the cheek of the man. When we
went back into the restaurant I noticed Gavin and Ines were sitting
at his table, talking to his mother. During the second half I took a
few glances over towards their table. His mother was slumped in her
seat and appeared to have fallen asleep. Neither was Gavin paying any
attention to Ines' singing. He was studying something hidden in his
lap. Of course he was texting someone on his phone. The man is
unbelievable!
We
were tired at the end of the evening but pleased with the way the
playing went. Kieron had fitted in really well. We were
congratulating him when Gavin made his way over towards Ines and,
once again, took over the microphone. Alexander asked him what he
thought he was doing, but Gavin waved him away dismissively and began
to sing. Most of the diners had left but a few remained to listen. A
few bars into his rendition, he was accompanied by a ring tone to the
theme of Nessun Dorma. Ines leapt towards Gavin's jacket pocket,
pulled out his phone and demanded to know who was calling. She paused
for a moment then hurled the phone across the room where it landed on
a table, just missing a couple of guests. There were a few shocked
gasps from the audience as she turned and marched out. Thank Goodness
most of the guests had gone. I couldn't believe Gavin didn't go after
her but carried on singing to the end. He finished with a theatrical
bow, ambled over to his table and shook his mother awake.
Michel
was amazed at this and asked why Ines puts up with it. Alexander and
myself decided it would be best if Gavin doesn't come to any of our
gigs in future. (Who's going to tell him I wonder? Hopefully
Alexander).
Back
at the cottage Coco was curled up on my sofa. I must have shut her in
when I left. I made a coffee and listened to some possible
arrangements for our next gig. I'm starting to wonder how much longer
Ines will stay with us. I'm convinced Gavin would be quite happy to
see her give up singing altogether.
"The descriptive writing is excellent" Goodreads review
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