"So, what were you listening to earlier?" Kayley asked me.
"At that moment, I was listening to Ray Charles. Beforehand, I was listening to Frank Sinatra." I answered.
"They are both very good. When I was a kid, my nextdoor neighbor was a nurse. She told me a story about one of Ray's songs." Kayley said.
This is interesting."Oh, really what about?" I questioned as we walked.
"Well, she worked in a nursing home. The place she was stationed in was where the elderly struggled with alzheimer's and dimensia. There was this one lady who used to travel to New Orleans, Louisiana, every summer. She would go on about the music, the lights, the dancing...and a few other things, if you catch my drift. " Kayley laughed before continuing, " Anyway, that lady would always wander out of her room at night. Usually, towards midnight or so, she would dance in the hallway- dressed in a poodle skirt with bright red heels. She thought she was dancing with her husband, she called for him often my neighbor said. She called him, 'Reginald.' My neighbor would try to get her to go back to her room to sleep, but she always said that she was waiting on Reggie. He never came back for the last dance. Quite sad, when I think of it, honestly. The only way my neighbor was able to get her to go back was to sing Ray Charles' song, 'Walking to New Orleans,' while she danced with her. I always wiped a tear or two while I laughed as a girl."
"Wow, that is both sad and funny. I wonder what ever happened to her husband?" I thought aloud.
"I never found out." she sighed. She sounded genuinely sorrowful in her admission.
"How long have we been walking now, do you think?" I questioned.
"About twenty minutes. Do you want to take a break?" she offered.
"We should be in front of the music store right now. If I remember correctly from the last time I was here, there should be a couple rocking chairs outside. Care to take a load off?" I asked.
"Yes, please." she said.
As we took our seats, I had two questions jump into my head.
"How is your leg feeling now?"
"Much better, thank you." she replied.
"Well, you know that I like Ray Charles and Frank Sinatra. What do you like to listen to?" I really did wonder about her musical preferences.
Kayley let out a frustrated breath, "That is such a hard question! Oh, I am really quite complicated when it comes to what I like. I find my taste varies exceedingly." she explained.
"Oh. Then, what style do you to listen to most?" I probed.
"Probably country." she confessed a bit sheepishly.
"Why do you sound so bothered by telling me you like country?" I chuckled.
"Because, most of the time, people respond weird to me when I say that. I still haven't figured out why, though." she admitted.
"I think country is nice. But, as I'm sure that you have figured out, I mostly prefer jazz." I said.
"Cat, that is so cool. I really dig ya, my friend. You just gotta feel it." she said in the lame attempt of a jazz master.
I took a deep breath and shook my head.
"What? Too much?" she asked.
I just nodded my head, "Yes."
