OF DRUMS AND GUITARS
PART 2
LATER THAT AFTERNOON
Daphne still couldn't get over it. She now had her own stereo. Now she could really get ready for the dance contest! Her and Freddie still had not decided on which song they would use at the show, but she had some ideas. She was leaning towards "Wipeout" by the Surfaris, "Walk, Don't Run" by the Ventures, "You Baby" by the Turtles, or perhaps "Sweet Pea" by Tommy Roe. Maybe later on she would put on her cheerleader outfit and practice her moves to "Jam Up and Jelly Tight," another Tommy Roe song. Or perhaps she'd invite Freddie over so the two could practice for the dance contest. But right now she needed a break. She'd been dancing non-stop since her Daddy had finished hooking up her new stereo and that was nearly three hours ago. "I could use a snack right about now," she thought to herself. "I'll just head down to the pantry and grab a bite." So she left her room and headed down the hallway that would take her to the staircase and the pantry downstairs. Just before reaching the stairs, she approached Daddy's study and there, she heard some music coming from within. Brass instruments. "Oh boy, Daddy is going to treat us to some of his 'big-band' jazz again," she mused. But almost instantly she realized that the music she was hearing wasn't just "big-band" jazz, as this music was laced with some kind of weird drums. These drums sounded like "tom toms," low pitched, almost like jungle drums, playing in a rhythmic style she couldn't ever recall hearing before. Despite the unusual drumming and rhythms, Daphne felt a strange attraction to the exotic drum sounds. The more she listened to these "tom toms" (which she would later learn to be conga drums), the more it attracted her. She moved closer to the study. Now she could also hear bongo drums and every now and then, a rolling metallic drum that sounded like a cross between a steel drum and a snare drum (which Daphne would later discover to be the timbales). By now, cowbells had cut in, adding even more exoticness to the rhythmic mix. Daphne could vaguely recall hearing this kind of drum-heavy music before while watching old "I Love Lucy" reruns! By now Daphne was at her Daddy's study door, her ears and attention fully perked. She stood there for a few moments, soaking in the whole rhythmic experience. She could now hear a lead vocalist and a chorus, but they were singing the lyrics in SPANISH! Finally, she couldn't stand it any longer. She threw open the door, and the sight she saw astonished her. There was her Mom and Dad, along with Jenkins the butler, and Maggie the maid dancing with one another. They were swinging their hips, swinging each other around, obviously having the time of their lives! Daphne stood in the doorway for a few moments before shouting to be heard over the drums: "JEEPERS, WHAT'S GOING ON IN HERE?!"
"Oh, hi Cupcake," her Daddy said. "We're just in here dancing a little Mambo. I picked up some records while I was visiting my new bubble-bath soap factory in Puerto Rico. We like to dance too, you know."
"Mambo? So that's what you call it," Daphne responded. Then unable to resist teasing her Dad a little bit she added, "You said my music is nothing but drums. Well, the music you're playing has ten times the drums my music has!"
"I won't argue with that," her Daddy replied. "By the way, this music is also known as Salsa." By now, the first song had ended and another with a medium fast tempo was starting. Once again, the room was filled with exotic, drum-heavy music. George turned to dance with his wife, but before he got the chance, Daphne maneuvered between them. She tapped her Daddy on the shoulder and asked: "Daddy, may I have this dance?"
"I would be honored," her Daddy said. With that Father and Daughter kicked up their heels and twirled each other around. "You know, I'll always love rock n' roll, but I think I going to like this kind of music," Daphne said to her father as they danced around the room.
THE END