Author Note: This chapter got away from me because I was having too much fun writing it – please note that I've never been to Orlando so I'm fabricating everything!
Chapter – 37 – Eric Meets Randy
"Guys, you remember Randy?" Donna waved Randy into the banquet area. He gave a small wave to everyone he recognized. "Randy followed me down here and we've been together for a couple of years. Dad loves him and well, he's a great guy!" Was there going to be a Donna/Eric reunion? Was Eric going to have a slugfest with Randy? Why was Jackie covering her eyes with her hand?
Eric held out his hand, "Nice to finally meet you Randy. I've heard a lot about you." The tall blonde with perfect hair received the handshake. "So I finally get to meet THE Eric Forman. You have the best parents in the world."
Eric invited Randy to sit in the empty chair beside Jackie while Donna shrugged and took the chair of honor by Kelso and Hyde. Jackie opened her eyes. There was no blood, no tears, no anything! Randy looked at her. "Do you have something in your eyes?"
She looked at him like he was dim. "What? No, I was just surprised. How have you been?"
Donna looked down the table slightly insulted that Randy wouldn't sit with her. Kelso grabbed Donna's attention and just started talking a mile a minute. The Saki and sodas were delivered to the table and Hyde started talking over Kelso. Brooke nudged Fez, "Hey, trade seats with me."
Fez and Brooke switched seats so Brooke could talk with Jackie and Rhonda without having to shout. Eric was having a decent conversation with Randy when Brooke noticed that Eric would frequently squeeze Jackie's hand or give her a small hug and she wondered if Eric was consciously aware of what he was doing. She smiled to herself – Donna's loss and Jackie's gain.
Brooke wasn't the only one aware of the unconscious hand holding and intimate gestures that went on between Jackie and Eric. Both Hyde and Donna's eyes were drawn to the opposite ends of the table wondering what was going on with their perspective exes.
Fez and Rhonda scooted their chairs towards Eric's end of the table so there were actually two different sets of conversations occurring. The small conversations were broken up when a waiter informed them the buffet was ready.
Eric took Jackie's hand and pulled her to the back of the banquet room as the group was leaving. He threaded a hand through her silky hair and kissed her. "Eric what are you doing?" she said breathlessly.
"Shhh," he replied, "They can hear us." He kissed her again and she closed her eyes feeling that bone melting sensation his kiss always gave her. She smiled against his mouth, "Are you making a feeble attempt to score more points?"
He chuckled softly, "No, I have other plans to make up those points. I just wanted to spend a few real minutes out of this surreal evening. All of this pretending to get along with each other is uncomfortable and you are the only anchor I have to what is real and normal."
She cupped his cheek. "Aww… you say the sweetest things. I can get bitchy on someone if you want me to."
He laughed out loud, "No... But I'll keep that in mind. Let's get some food and watch Kelso get a chop stick in his eye." Jackie squeezed his waist, "That sounds normal enough for me!"
*
Kelso artfully arranged several teriyaki sticks next to his eggrolls. He adorned the side of his plate some crab legs and spicy shrimp. He looked up, "Hey, where's Jackie and Eric?" Fez was on the other side of the buffet line, "Oh, they're in the banquet room making kissy noises again."
Donna looked at Hyde. He shrugged his shoulders, "They're a couple – or so I'm told." Samantha stepped on her husband's foot. "You said 'whatever'. Just ignore them." Donna wondered what this was all about. Eric and Jackie together… The midget and the nerd were dating? She almost laughed out loud at how preposterous it sounded.
The missing couple came around the corner holding hands and froze when everyone stared at them. Jackie glared back, "Speak one word and you pay for your own dinner!" Suddenly everyone was conscientiously paying attention to their own plates. Eric kissed her temple and whispered, 'Mean. You are very mean."
She giggled softly. "Brooke says I'm wickedly good." Eric handed her a plate and followed her in line. "Oh yeah, you're that too!"
*
Dinner was a solemn affair. Fez and Kelso dueled with their chopsticks while the rest of the party ate quietly. The soft oriental music played from hidden speakers and the clinking of forks against plates was the only other sound in the room.
Donna cleared her throat. "So Fez, you never introduced me to your girlfriend." Fez grinned, "But Donna, you already know her."
Donna blinked, "I do?"
Kelso grinned, "That's Big Rhonda. Remember from high school?" Donna looked at Hyde to see if this was some kind of burn. He only shrugged and focused on his cashew chicken.
"Really -the Big Rhonda, huh?" Donna asked.
"I started teaching water ballet classes and the weight just came right off! Fez just fell in love with me all over again."
"Wow." Seriously, that was all Donna could really say.
Jackie put her fork down. There was a rhythmic thumping coming from somewhere in the building. It was familiar and she couldn't place it. Eric looked at her, he heard it too. Like some kind of telepathy, Brooke, Rhonda and Fez stared at each other. They instantly knew what it was.
Fez stood up and wiped his hands on his napkin. "Donna, my red haired goddess, I would visit with you more but there is a karaoke machine calling my name." Fez smiled at Rhonda who nearly toppled her chair standing up. Jackie and Eric grinned at each other and Eric reached for Brooke's hand. Jackie grabbed Randy's and they followed Fez.
Kelso looked at the nearly empty table. It was him, Donna, Hyde and Samantha. Oh well, this was his party. "So Donna, did I tell you about my trained monkey?"
*
The back of the Golden Dragon was like a nightclub, the karaoke stage was lit up like a disco and the DJ was dressed in leather. The speakers were taller than Jackie. Randy didn't know what was going on, but he knew it was far better than where dinner was headed. Jackie took him to the DJ and helped him pick out a song.
"I can do that? Really? Cool!" He said. Eric and Jackie were much more fun than Hyde and Donna. Brooke and Rhonda chose a song for the ladies, while Eric picked another Van Halen tune. They managed to score a couple of bar stools near the front of the stage and sat back to listen to a young girl singing a very poor version of Olivia Newton-John's Physical. Fez reached over to Jackie, "Now she's killing the song. You do much better!"
Randy sat near Jackie and Febecause he didn't really know Brooke or Rhonda and then Eric was Donna's ex-husband but was still a pretty cool guy. There was a scattering of applause for the previous singer. Randy got excited for Fez when the DJ announced his name. Fez jumped up on stage and grabbed the mike.
The drums started beating and Fez's hips started swaying as he launched in to Copacabana by Barry Manilow;
Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl
With yellow feathers in her hair and a dress cut down to there
She would merengue and do the cha-cha
And while she tried to be a star, Tony always tended bar
Across a crowded floor, they worked from 8 till 4
They were young and they had each other
Who could ask for more?
At the Copa Copacabana
The hottest spot north of Havana
At the Copa Copacabana
Music and passion were always the fashion
At the Copa....they fell in love
When the story of old Lola began, the crowd was going wild. Fez was actually dancing the Merengue with a two-step beat and the Cha Cha. Randy was amazed that the audience was dancing and treating Fez like he was a star. When the song was over, Fez took a big sweeping bow and walked back to his friends.
*
"Oh, and then when the zoo keepers forget to empty the cages, I get to put them on report." Kelso was proud of his job; he barely saw that Samantha was nearly sleeping in her seat. Donna feigned interest in the monkey talk. "Oh, and I took Betsy to see the elephants and she cried. Man, I have the most awesome job."
"So do you have any pictures of Betsy?" Donna asked. Where did everybody go? She watched as Kelso started pulling out the contents of his pockets. A yo-yo, some gum, some change, a firecracker, his wallet, a skeleton key and two dollars. "Here, we took this one at Brooke's mom's house." He handed the photo to Donna who smiled at the cute little girl. "She looks a lot like you Kelso."
"Yeah, I make good babies. Brooke and I talked about having another kid a few years down the road. Maybe we'll get a boy next time. I don't think you can request those."
Donna nodded her head patiently and said, "Yeah, it's a 50/50 chance you'll get a girl or a boy."
"Hey, I like those odds. So if I have two more kids, then I'll get a boy! Thanks Donna!" Hyde's head fell with a "thunk" on the table. "Hyde, you gonna have any kids?"
Samantha woke up quickly. "Nope. Not at all – never gonna happen." Hyde looked up at her, "We talked about this." "No, you talked, I listened." She argued back.
Kelso suddenly heard a loud round of applause and his gut told him that his friends were having fun without him. "Hey, I gotta go – I can't miss this." He threw down his napkin and ran out to find the music.
Hyde looked at Donna who looked at Sam. "What the hell is that all about?" Samantha shrugged. "I'm going to hang out at the car and smoke a cigarette. You coming, Steven?" Hyde didn't want to go back out in the humidity. "Nah, I'm gonna go see what everybody is so excited about. You want to join me Donna?"
She threw down her napkin, "Yeah, this party is a bust anyways."
*
Next up on the stage were Rhonda, Brooke and Jackie. Brooke chose the song We Got the Beat by the Go-Go's because Jackie did a decent Belinda Carlisle. The drums started the beat and the guitars picked up the notes and Jackie launched the song.
See the people walking down thestreet
Fall in line just watching all their feet
They don't know where they wanna go
But they're walking in time
Brooke and Rhonda sang back up and all three girls danced as a group as though they had pre-choreographed their steps. Girls from the audience jumped out in front of the stage to dance to the drum heavy music.
They got the beat
They got the beat
Yeah!
They got the beat
Hyde and Donna were moving through the swaying throng, the music catchy, not what they would personally listen to but it was okay. Donna spotted Randy's tall form near the front of the stage when she grabbed Hyde's arm and stopped. He looked at her, "What?"
She pointed to the stage where the trio of girls was rocking to the end of the song. They were still dancing and twirling and smiling and the crowd was rooting them on. Hyde took off his glasses, "I don't believe what I'm seeing or hearing."
Everybody get on your feet
We know you can dance to the beat
Jumpin'-get down
Round and round and round
The song ended as Hyde and Donna pushed their way to the front of the stage. Randy smiled and pulled Donna over to sit on his chair. He shouted in her ear. "It's called Karaoke. You should have seen Fez!"
Hyde listened to the crowd of people applauding wildly for the three pretty girls – Jackie flew off the stage and Eric was right there to catch her with a kiss. Hyde closed his eyes, this was some major burn and he was on the receiving end. Jackie Burkhart couldn't sing!
Kelso found Eric who agreed to duet with Eric's choice of song. The DJ announced that Randy was up. Donna looked at her boyfriend. "You're going to sing?" She was stunned, he never sang!
Jackie and Fez and Brooke cheered him on and he awkwardly took the microphone. The DJ gave a quick explanation and launched the power guitar riff of Billy Squier's, Everybody Wants You. He looked down at Donna and waved. Hyde moved over to stand next to Donna, "What the hell is your boyfriend doing?"
Donna smiled, "He's going to sing to me!" The guitar sounded like a speeding car waiting to take off and then the drums started the familiar rhythmic beat. Randy looked like a rock star with his perfect hair, tall form and the commanding stance as he took holding the microphone. He sang:
You see 'em comin' at you every night
Strung on pretension, they fall for you at first sight
……..Never miss a play, though you make quite a few
You give it all away - everybody wants you
Donna was excited, Randy did have a great voice and he looked so handsome up there smiling at her with those perfect teeth. Hyde resigned himself to Randy's empty chair and crossed his arms over his chest.
You crave attention, you can never say "no"
Throw your affections any way the wind blows
You always make it, you're on top of the scene
You sell the copy like the cover of a magazine
Puttin' on the eyes 'til there's nobody else
You never realize what you do to yourself
The things that they see make the daily reviews
You never get free - everybody wants you
Every time Randy would sing everybody wants you, the audience would shout it back to him. The energy in the crowd was infectious. Donna noticed that her old friends were rocking with Randy, cheering him on and she smiled. This wasn't so horrible after all.
The more you understand, seems the more like you do
You never get away - everybody wants you
Randy strummed his air guitar, posed and strutted on the stage, really getting into the song he knew from listening in his car. The music ended and he bowed to the applause. He jumped off the stage and veered towards his friends. He threw his arms over the shoulders of Jackie and Fez, "Man that was a rush!"
He was smiling and looking for Donna. Jackie watched as Donna smiled and kissed him. They talked animatedly about something she couldn't hear, but Jackie knew Randy had fun! Jackie was sitting on a bar stool and Eric leaned back against her legs, his hand holding her slim ankle. Brooke was smiling and asked Michael what he was singing. "Eric picked it, you're gonna be surprised!"
The out of state group suffered through an old couple singing New York, New York and they applauded politely then it was Eric and Kelso's turn. Fez turned to Randy and Hyde, "This will be good, because those sonabitches always get the standing ovation!"
The drums and guitars wailed the beginning of Van Halen's, Dance the Night Away. Kelso took the lead shaking his ass and pointing to the crowd while Eric sang back up. The speakers were loud and the music came from the floor all the way through his body, Eric could swear he was actually in the band singing.
Have ya seen her?
movin with a style and ease
and I feel her from across the room
yes its love
in the third degree.
ooh baby, baby
won't you turn your head my way.
ooh baby, baby cmon
take a chance,
your old enough to dance
Dance the night away
And like they did with Randy, the audience sang dance the night away with the boys. Hyde didn't like to admit it, but Kelso and Eric actually were entertaining and sang well. He saw Brooke and Jackie looking all gaga at the guys but just ignored their apparent hero worship.
Like wine barely a beginner,
but just watch that lady go.
She's so fine
cause dancin gets her higher than
anything else she knows.
ooh baby, baby
won't you turn your head my way,
ohh baby, baby
well don't skip romance now
that ya old enough to dance
Dance, dance, dance
the night away
The song ended and Kelso took a bow, Eric took a bow and the applause was deafening. Jackie ran to the stage where Eric scooped her up and gave her a twirl. "You nailed it!" She shouted before she kissed him. "I love it when you do Van Halen!"
Brooke grabbed Michael by the waist, "Honey, you were great! David Lee Roth? Pfft! – You are The Man."
Kelso grinned at Randy, "Dude wasn't that the most AWESOME experience?" Randy nodded his head in agreement and high fived Eric. Donna didn't understand this new male bonding thing going on. Her current boyfriend and her ex-husband were having fun? Together?
There was applause and some chanting, and Rhonda said, "Listen." The group was yelling, "FEZ, FEZ, FEZ…" Fez realized they wanted an encore. He grinned and jumped back on the stage and the ladies hollered his name. The DJ put the Barry Manilow song back on and let Fez cha-cha while the crowd danced. Eric held out his hand and Jackie twirled into his arms. "Dance with me?" She smiled happily, "Always!"
Donna looked at Hyde, "When did Eric start dancing? He used to hate it. God, everything is so screwed up. Randy is singing - this is blowing my mind." Hyde smirked, "Yeah, and my wife is probably sleeping with the limo driver as we speak."
*