CHAPTER 14
In the Imaging Chamber, Al had SammiJo bring him back inside the bar while he checked on Frank. The current performer was destroying a wonderful song by doing a truly awful rendition of it. Al touched Frank's arm and pointed out the performer. "Sam will do a better job than that guy. So if you're worried about your reputation, don't." the admiral said encouragingly.
Frank pulled himself together and checked out the performer. "He's not so bad," Frank said about the performer.
Misunderstanding who the comment was about, Al agreed, "He's not so bad."
The next group of singers was beginning the spiritual "Operator" as Frank began to check out the 'scenery' at the tables. Laughter brought his attention to a large table in the corner of the room. About a dozen people in their 20's were partying together, the men outnumbered the women three to one. Frank brought Al's attention to the table and they walked closer. The group seemed to be in a discussion about which one's boss was the worst to work for. All the women at the table were lovely. The first one to catch Al's eye was Asian or Polynesian with long dark hair, jet black eyes and a Marilyn Monroe figure. The second woman at the table was a tall African-American with short natural hair. Her deep creamy chocolate skin was set off perfectly by the pale yellow of her cotton top that stretched just so wonderfully across her bosom.
"Are you sure they can't see us?" Frank whispered to Al.
"Or hear us either so you don't have to whisper," answered Al. "That's one of the perks of being a hologram."
Wistfully Frank reach out to touch the long dark hair of the first woman. His hand passed right through her head.
"And that is one of the problems." Al added.
Both men laid eyes on the remaining woman at the table and gasped. Frank was practically eating the woman with his eyes from her long legs to her tiny waist and full breasts right up to the deep red curls on her head. While Al always appreciated beauty, he definitely didn't like the way Parker was eyeing this woman. Then she lit a cigarette and Al realized that he had almost made the same mistake he had made a few years ago. This was not Tina, his Tina, but Delilah her sister.
"Wow" Frank didn't realize he had spoken aloud. Then a look of confusion crossed his face. "I've seen her somewhere before," he said to Al.
Al gave a quick snorted laugh, "Yeah, in your dreams, kid."
"No, Al. I'm serious. I've seen her somewhere before," insisted Frank. "I just can't place it right now, but I will."
"Sure, whatever." Al dismissed the thought.
Elvis the emcee was back to introduce the next performer, Nate Ramsey. Frank Parker spun around to face the stage so fast he almost knocked Admiral Calavicci over.
"Someone you know?" Al asked.
Parker was grinning ear to ear. "This is going to be sweet," Frank said. "I'll be able to lord this over him for a month," he gloated.
The music began, a 25-year-old country tune made famous by Mac Davis, and Nate began to sing. "Oh Lord, it's hard to be humble when you're perfect in every way." That was when Frank Parker lost it. Laughter overtook him so hard he lost physical contact with Al. The bar disappeared and Frank found himself back in the Imaging Chamber at Stallion's Gate, laughing his face off.
**************
Stallion's Gate
Frank Parker had recovered from his giggle-fit, at least enough to walk, escorted by Dr. SammiJo Fuller, back to the waiting room under his own power. Just before shutting down the Imaging Chamber, Al Calavicci centered in on Sam and told him that he'd catch up with him later. As he went through the Control Center, Ziggy reminded the admiral that Chief Reed was still waiting to speak with him. Al checked Reed's location and went directly there.
Socorro, Backstep HQ
Having returned from making amends with his former student, Isaac Mentnor went back to work with Bradley Talmadge on a suspect list. No one was jumping off the computer screen and shouting, "I'm a bomber" at them. At 2200 they shelved the work until the morning.
Karaoke Bar
Sam noted the increase in size of the crowd as he came back in. The dining room had not one empty table and the bar was packed four deep. Surprisingly, John Ballard was in that four deep throng at the bar in the company of three blondes. John raised a glass to Sam as he walked past on his way back to the table.
"Where were you, Mr. Parker?" Olga inquired of Sam as he reclaimed his seat at the table.
"You missed my performance, Parker," Nate complained.
"Ah, gee, Ramsey, I'm heartbroken," Sam sarcastically replied. "I saw John found 'other' entertainment at the bar," he added in a neutral tone.
"Par for the course," Ramsey answered matter-of-factly.
A couple on stage was doing a very bad Sonny and Cher imitation. The crowd loved them anyway. The rapidly firing synapses in the genius mind of Sam Beckett were still working on picking a song to sing. The duet reminded him of another duet, one by Barbra and Neil that was on an album that Katie played over and over ad nauseum one summer when he was home on a break from school. There was another song on the album; a song Katie liked but said had been done better. Sam scanned the music menu again. 'Good, it's there' he thought. Sam wrote down his selection and flagged a waitress to give it to.
After 'Sonny and Cher' left the stage, the parade of performers continued. A young man sang "Peggy Sue" reminding Sam of the gentle boy who worked at the Veterinary Clinic after school. Another man sang "Smoke gets in your Eyes" and after a few country tunes, a thirtyish man sang the King Thunder hit "Rock the Redhead". Sam sort of remembered having sung both "Smoke" and "Redhead" but the memories were very blurry.
"... came from her table." Nate Ramsey was saying.
"What?" Sam questioned.
"The rocker up there came from her table," Nate repeated, the word 'her' dripping with disdain.
"Whose table?"
"The little tease from Quantum Leap, Dr. Martinez-O'Farrell. She's sitting right over there with that group," Ramsey indicated the large table in the right corner of the room.
"Now really, Nate." Olga began to chide him. "I heard you practically dragged that woman off to 'interrogate her'."
"Salivating all the way I'm sure," Sam added dryly. He was looking at the large group in the right corner. He recognized no faces at that table as being PQL personnel and neither of the two women at the table resembled Tina.
Time passed and more singers sang, some were actually quite good. Elvis appeared between performers doing intros and jokes.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I have been told that the next performer has changed her mind." The crowd called out a huge "Aawwe". Elvis put up his hands to stop them. "She has decided to do a more upbeat number." The crowd cheered. Again Elvis put up his hands for quiet. "We just need a moment to cue the tape." A beat of silence passed, then Elvis began his intro, "OK, let's put our hands together and show a little 'Respect' for Bobbie Finklestein."
Instantly recognizable Motown music filled the room as the large nurse Sam had comforted outside took the stage. Sam was glad she had decided to do the song he suggested. She sang out strong and sure, picking faces out of the crowd to sing a phrase or two to. Although her pitch wasn't always on, she strutted and shimmied commandingly on and off the stage. In the middle of the song, she shimmied up to Sam's table. He smiled radiantly at her, conveying his pride in her courage. But she did not come over to him. Instead she put her ample bosom right in Nathan Ramsey's face as she spelled it out for him. "R*E*S*P*E*C*T, find out what it means to me." She turned away from his reddening face with a bump of her hip and flirted with the next man in her sight. The entire room was clapping along in rhythm.
When she had returned to the stage and finished, she received a standing ovation, begun by Sam Beckett. During the ovation Nate made a beeline for the men's room.
As they sat down Sam turned to Olga and asked, "What's with Ramsey?"
She smiled brightly at him and said, "He's probably embarrassed." Sam questioned her with his eyes. "Earlier this evening, he made a comment about her ... ah... appearance when she sang back up for a friend."
"So he's the jerk," Sam replied under his breath. Olga caught the comment anyway and questioned him with her eyes. Sam chose to leave the question unanswered and directed Olga's attention to the next performer on the stage.
As Nate made his way back to the table he ran in to John Ballard at the bar. Ballard commented about it being 'pumpkin time' for him and asked Nate to make his good-byes to Frank and Olga for him. Nate agreed and watched his coworker and friend wheel out the door with the three blondes. Shaking his head he returned to Parker and Vukovitch.
"So, Parker, when is it your turn?" Nate said as he sat down.
"Whenever they call, I guess," Sam answered with a shrug and another long draw from his beer.
Elvis was back. "Our next performer is a newcomer to our stage. Lets give it up for Frank Parker."
"I guess it's now," Sam said as he stood and walked onto the stage.
Olga's forehead began to tense as her body prepared for the assault her ears were expecting. Frank Parker is a multitalented individual but singing is NOT one of his fortes.
The music began and violins filled the air. Soft sleigh bells began a faster tempo than Sam had remembered but he began to sing anyway. "I may not always love you, But long as there are stars above you, You never need to doubt it, I'll make you so sure about it. God only knows what I'd be without you."
Most of Olga Vukovitch's fears melted away as she watched and listened to Frank sing. He had chosen a song written and recorded by her favorite group, the Beach Boys, and was doing it rather well. Whatever was going on with him, he was sending her a message that he would be all right.
In the Imaging Chamber, Al had SammiJo bring him back inside the bar while he checked on Frank. The current performer was destroying a wonderful song by doing a truly awful rendition of it. Al touched Frank's arm and pointed out the performer. "Sam will do a better job than that guy. So if you're worried about your reputation, don't." the admiral said encouragingly.
Frank pulled himself together and checked out the performer. "He's not so bad," Frank said about the performer.
Misunderstanding who the comment was about, Al agreed, "He's not so bad."
The next group of singers was beginning the spiritual "Operator" as Frank began to check out the 'scenery' at the tables. Laughter brought his attention to a large table in the corner of the room. About a dozen people in their 20's were partying together, the men outnumbered the women three to one. Frank brought Al's attention to the table and they walked closer. The group seemed to be in a discussion about which one's boss was the worst to work for. All the women at the table were lovely. The first one to catch Al's eye was Asian or Polynesian with long dark hair, jet black eyes and a Marilyn Monroe figure. The second woman at the table was a tall African-American with short natural hair. Her deep creamy chocolate skin was set off perfectly by the pale yellow of her cotton top that stretched just so wonderfully across her bosom.
"Are you sure they can't see us?" Frank whispered to Al.
"Or hear us either so you don't have to whisper," answered Al. "That's one of the perks of being a hologram."
Wistfully Frank reach out to touch the long dark hair of the first woman. His hand passed right through her head.
"And that is one of the problems." Al added.
Both men laid eyes on the remaining woman at the table and gasped. Frank was practically eating the woman with his eyes from her long legs to her tiny waist and full breasts right up to the deep red curls on her head. While Al always appreciated beauty, he definitely didn't like the way Parker was eyeing this woman. Then she lit a cigarette and Al realized that he had almost made the same mistake he had made a few years ago. This was not Tina, his Tina, but Delilah her sister.
"Wow" Frank didn't realize he had spoken aloud. Then a look of confusion crossed his face. "I've seen her somewhere before," he said to Al.
Al gave a quick snorted laugh, "Yeah, in your dreams, kid."
"No, Al. I'm serious. I've seen her somewhere before," insisted Frank. "I just can't place it right now, but I will."
"Sure, whatever." Al dismissed the thought.
Elvis the emcee was back to introduce the next performer, Nate Ramsey. Frank Parker spun around to face the stage so fast he almost knocked Admiral Calavicci over.
"Someone you know?" Al asked.
Parker was grinning ear to ear. "This is going to be sweet," Frank said. "I'll be able to lord this over him for a month," he gloated.
The music began, a 25-year-old country tune made famous by Mac Davis, and Nate began to sing. "Oh Lord, it's hard to be humble when you're perfect in every way." That was when Frank Parker lost it. Laughter overtook him so hard he lost physical contact with Al. The bar disappeared and Frank found himself back in the Imaging Chamber at Stallion's Gate, laughing his face off.
**************
Stallion's Gate
Frank Parker had recovered from his giggle-fit, at least enough to walk, escorted by Dr. SammiJo Fuller, back to the waiting room under his own power. Just before shutting down the Imaging Chamber, Al Calavicci centered in on Sam and told him that he'd catch up with him later. As he went through the Control Center, Ziggy reminded the admiral that Chief Reed was still waiting to speak with him. Al checked Reed's location and went directly there.
Socorro, Backstep HQ
Having returned from making amends with his former student, Isaac Mentnor went back to work with Bradley Talmadge on a suspect list. No one was jumping off the computer screen and shouting, "I'm a bomber" at them. At 2200 they shelved the work until the morning.
Karaoke Bar
Sam noted the increase in size of the crowd as he came back in. The dining room had not one empty table and the bar was packed four deep. Surprisingly, John Ballard was in that four deep throng at the bar in the company of three blondes. John raised a glass to Sam as he walked past on his way back to the table.
"Where were you, Mr. Parker?" Olga inquired of Sam as he reclaimed his seat at the table.
"You missed my performance, Parker," Nate complained.
"Ah, gee, Ramsey, I'm heartbroken," Sam sarcastically replied. "I saw John found 'other' entertainment at the bar," he added in a neutral tone.
"Par for the course," Ramsey answered matter-of-factly.
A couple on stage was doing a very bad Sonny and Cher imitation. The crowd loved them anyway. The rapidly firing synapses in the genius mind of Sam Beckett were still working on picking a song to sing. The duet reminded him of another duet, one by Barbra and Neil that was on an album that Katie played over and over ad nauseum one summer when he was home on a break from school. There was another song on the album; a song Katie liked but said had been done better. Sam scanned the music menu again. 'Good, it's there' he thought. Sam wrote down his selection and flagged a waitress to give it to.
After 'Sonny and Cher' left the stage, the parade of performers continued. A young man sang "Peggy Sue" reminding Sam of the gentle boy who worked at the Veterinary Clinic after school. Another man sang "Smoke gets in your Eyes" and after a few country tunes, a thirtyish man sang the King Thunder hit "Rock the Redhead". Sam sort of remembered having sung both "Smoke" and "Redhead" but the memories were very blurry.
"... came from her table." Nate Ramsey was saying.
"What?" Sam questioned.
"The rocker up there came from her table," Nate repeated, the word 'her' dripping with disdain.
"Whose table?"
"The little tease from Quantum Leap, Dr. Martinez-O'Farrell. She's sitting right over there with that group," Ramsey indicated the large table in the right corner of the room.
"Now really, Nate." Olga began to chide him. "I heard you practically dragged that woman off to 'interrogate her'."
"Salivating all the way I'm sure," Sam added dryly. He was looking at the large group in the right corner. He recognized no faces at that table as being PQL personnel and neither of the two women at the table resembled Tina.
Time passed and more singers sang, some were actually quite good. Elvis appeared between performers doing intros and jokes.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I have been told that the next performer has changed her mind." The crowd called out a huge "Aawwe". Elvis put up his hands to stop them. "She has decided to do a more upbeat number." The crowd cheered. Again Elvis put up his hands for quiet. "We just need a moment to cue the tape." A beat of silence passed, then Elvis began his intro, "OK, let's put our hands together and show a little 'Respect' for Bobbie Finklestein."
Instantly recognizable Motown music filled the room as the large nurse Sam had comforted outside took the stage. Sam was glad she had decided to do the song he suggested. She sang out strong and sure, picking faces out of the crowd to sing a phrase or two to. Although her pitch wasn't always on, she strutted and shimmied commandingly on and off the stage. In the middle of the song, she shimmied up to Sam's table. He smiled radiantly at her, conveying his pride in her courage. But she did not come over to him. Instead she put her ample bosom right in Nathan Ramsey's face as she spelled it out for him. "R*E*S*P*E*C*T, find out what it means to me." She turned away from his reddening face with a bump of her hip and flirted with the next man in her sight. The entire room was clapping along in rhythm.
When she had returned to the stage and finished, she received a standing ovation, begun by Sam Beckett. During the ovation Nate made a beeline for the men's room.
As they sat down Sam turned to Olga and asked, "What's with Ramsey?"
She smiled brightly at him and said, "He's probably embarrassed." Sam questioned her with his eyes. "Earlier this evening, he made a comment about her ... ah... appearance when she sang back up for a friend."
"So he's the jerk," Sam replied under his breath. Olga caught the comment anyway and questioned him with her eyes. Sam chose to leave the question unanswered and directed Olga's attention to the next performer on the stage.
As Nate made his way back to the table he ran in to John Ballard at the bar. Ballard commented about it being 'pumpkin time' for him and asked Nate to make his good-byes to Frank and Olga for him. Nate agreed and watched his coworker and friend wheel out the door with the three blondes. Shaking his head he returned to Parker and Vukovitch.
"So, Parker, when is it your turn?" Nate said as he sat down.
"Whenever they call, I guess," Sam answered with a shrug and another long draw from his beer.
Elvis was back. "Our next performer is a newcomer to our stage. Lets give it up for Frank Parker."
"I guess it's now," Sam said as he stood and walked onto the stage.
Olga's forehead began to tense as her body prepared for the assault her ears were expecting. Frank Parker is a multitalented individual but singing is NOT one of his fortes.
The music began and violins filled the air. Soft sleigh bells began a faster tempo than Sam had remembered but he began to sing anyway. "I may not always love you, But long as there are stars above you, You never need to doubt it, I'll make you so sure about it. God only knows what I'd be without you."
Most of Olga Vukovitch's fears melted away as she watched and listened to Frank sing. He had chosen a song written and recorded by her favorite group, the Beach Boys, and was doing it rather well. Whatever was going on with him, he was sending her a message that he would be all right.