It’s snowing heavily outside when I come down to eat breakfast. Pop-pop walks away with his empty plate, looking pretty much like he did yesterday when his sister passed away. I wish I knew what to say to him to make him feel better, but that sort of thing is not my forte. I barely know how to deal with my own feelings.
I watch him as he picks up his guitar briefly, then puts it back down, and leaves out the back door. I remind myself to go out to his place and check on him later.
Q goes back to his room to mope and think about his sister Sophia, but a text message from Frank changes his mind. He changes his clothes and leaves to meet with the elder group at the Windenburg Inn. He walks in and is immediately glad he did. Gladys is out tearing up the dance floor. It immediately puts a smile on his face. He joins the rest of the group in cheering her on.
Q doesn’t see Frank, so he turns to Razari to ask about him.
Razari: He popped his head in for a moment, then left quickly, saying that he couldn’t remember if he turned his stove off.
Q can understand that.
Quincy: Aw, a senior moment.
Razari: It happens to the best of us.
Q and Razari strike up a quick conversation about their careers and families and talk until he’s pulled away to play “Don’t Wake the Llama” with Gladys and Evie.
Gladys: Miss Tammy – care to join us for a game?
Tammy: Sure, on my way.
Tammy walks over, and the four of them sit down to play. Evie takes the first turn by holding her wrist with her other hand.
Gladys: What the hell are you doing?
Evie: Steadying my wrist. You know I have some arthritis in my hand.
Gladys: *chuckles* Well, that’s not gone work, honey.
Evie manages to pull her piece out with no problem despite Gladys’s criticism of her technique.
It’s Q’s turn. He studies the pieces for a bit before choosing one. Then, he pulls out his piece with no problem.
Gladys: Good with your hands, I see. *pulls out her piece*
Tammy also manages to pull out her piece. But Evie makes the wrong choice and knocks the whole pile down.
Evie: Dang it! Let’s set it up again.
Evie sets up a new game while Q and Gladys chat.
Quincy: You were pretty good out there. Were you a dancer?
Gladys: Professionally, I was a primary school teacher. But music and dance have always been passions of mine.
Q perks up at that.
Quincy: Music? I worked in the music industry for years. What do you listen to?
Gladys: I enjoy blues and hip hop. I also sing at my church.
Quincy: Are you good?
Gladys: At singing? I’m okay.
Tammy: She’s modest. Our girl can really sing.
Quincy: Let’s put that to the test. How about some karaoke?
Evie: *annoyed* Now? But we’re in the middle of a game.
Gladys: Put the game on pause, Evie. I’ve been challenged and now have to prove myself.
Q and Gladys get up and walk to the karaoke stage. They look over the list of songs.
Quincy: The only duets available are country songs.
Gladys: Well, I know this one. Do you?
Quincy: Yeah, I can work with that.
Q begins…
Quincy: *singing* ♫ “Baby, when I met you there was peace unknown,
I set out to get you with a fine-tooth comb,
I was soft inside, there was somethin’ going on.” ♩ (source)
Gladys & Quincy: *singing together* ♪“You do something to me that I can’t explain,
Hold me closer and I feel no pain,
Every beat of my heart,
We got somethin’ goin’ on.”♬
Gladys & Quincy: *singing together* ♬“Tender love is blind,
It requires a dedication,
All this love we feel,
Needs no conversation,
We ride it together, ah-ha,
Makin’ love with each other, ah-ha.” ♩
Tammy sits and watches Q and Gladys’s performance. She can’t remember the last time she’s seen her friend so lively and having so much fun. It’s almost enough to make her jealous. Maybe she shouldn’t have told Q how well Gladys could sing.
Gladys & Quincy: *singing together* ♬“Islands in the stream,
That is what we are…” ♫
The performance continues, putting a smile on Tammy’s face. Of course, she already knew that Gladys could sing, but Q isn’t so bad himself.
Gladys sings her solo part of the song, and Q can see that Tammy is right; Gladys really can sing. Q enjoys their performance. Since Alida has passed, he hasn’t had so much fun. It eases the pain a bit and makes him feel a little flirty. He’s still not sure if he wants to get back out there and start dating, but it’s nice to make these friendships with ladies his age just in case he changes his mind.
(Generation 3 Chapter Summaries)
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