TWELVE
"What took you guys so long?" Lou asked as Elwood pulled the Bluesmobile into Garrett Drew's garage.
"We had to make a little detour," Elwood explained as he hopped out of the car.
"Is there still food?" Zee asked, half-stumbling out of the car from hunger, "I didn't get anything at the restaurant!"
"He's got a few leftovers still warm if you want them," Steve said, pointing to the door leading into the kitchen of the quaint country home that was to be the party's refuge for the night.
"Give me the big portion!" Zee stumbled into the kitchen. Laughing, most of the rest of the Brothers followed him in.
"I'll wait a little," Elwood told the Band, "I ain't too hungry yet."
"Of course. You never eat enough," Willie shrugged as he and his band mates went inside.
Elwood stepped outside the garage. "Nice place, ain't it Jake?" he commented, "A lot better than what most of the kids in our generation could have hoped for."
"No kidding," Jake said, "Some of them are already up there with me—drugged themselves out in the 60s and 70s—and they didn't really do much better than we did. Actually Elwood, we've had it luckier than most people if you think about it. We actually had our fifteen seconds of fame. Most of them never got even close to theirs."
"Now if only we could extend those fifteen seconds longer," Elwood mused. Armstrong trotted over, his stomach full from the chicken. "Be glad you're a dog, Armstrong," Elwood said, scratching his pet behind the ears, "You don't got the baggage that we humans do. All you need is food and water."
"Yep, you're right there," Jake agreed, "Sometimes when I see the whole of humanity up there in heaven, I wonder why some more deserving species wasn't made the dominant one. I mean, none of the rest of them has to tear down all the forests and pollute the air to live."
"If you'd said that while you were alive, I'd think you'd flipped," Elwood said. He lit up a cigarette. "So Jake, did you ever decide who the front man's gonna be?" he asked his brother.
"It's still not too clear, to be honest," Jake admitted, "They've each got their pluses and minuses. I might wait until after the Gator Bay gig before picking my true successor."
"Well I hope you boys make up your mind soon, or you'll look real sloppy," came Curtis's voice behind them. Jake and Elwood jumped in shock at their mentor's sudden appearance. "Curtis, didn't I tell you to knock?" Jake said teasingly.
"I figured the door was open," Curtis shrugged. He walked forward out of the darkness, glowing slightly. "What do you think about the lead singer, Curtis?" Jake asked him, "I don't think I can decide on my own."
"The choice is entirely yours, Jake, but I saw your performance last night, and personally I've never seen the act more disorganized," Curtis said, "Somehow you've got to get that old symmetry back you used to have."
"Well it's kind of hard to get it back if Jake's dead, Curtis," Elwood pointed out.
"I meant that you need to look and act like a well-tuned machine, not a bunch of wannabes who've all got different agendas," Curtis said, "I have a solution for you, though. Before you go to your next gig, check in with Clarence Craycroft in Baton Rouge."
"Clarence Craycroft?" Elwood asked, impressed, "THE Clarence Craycroft? The guy who dominated the rhythm and blues charts for four years running in the forties? The uncrowned king of blues?"
"And my old partner," Curtis added.
"Whoa!" Jake exclaimed, "You never told me that, Curtis!"
"There was no need to until now," Curtis said, "You see, Clarence and I put together a successful act for a few years and swept through the heartland like a tidal wave, but then my mortal jealousy got the better of me. I wanted a bigger role in the act, and Clarence, who was rightfully the better singer, refused. So after a while we parted company, and he became a star and I ended up working with you orphans for the rest of my life. He's fallen on hard times himself now, and I think it would give him one more breath of life if he could bring back the blues again. Make him feel like a winner just one more time. And it would give me the satisfaction that I could make up for my stupidity in life, knowing he'd be helping my protégés, namely you two. Ask him to help you bring the band together, and if he doubts where you're coming from, give him this." He handed Jake a glowing card of some kind.
"I will Curtis," Jake said, pocketing the card, "Any word on the intelligence front?"
"Word has it that Hell will be making some heavy moves very soon," Curtis said, "And seeing how you boys have already incited a lot of people in this realm already so far, I'd advise you to keep as low a profile as possible for at least the next three days until we know for sure what they're up to. You've done a great job with the Relic so far, but getting the remaining pieces will be much harder."
"We'll be careful, Curtis," Elwood said, "So, ya wanna go in and see Cab while yer here?"
"I can't," Curtis said, looking very dejected, "The rule says that you can never have any contact with children you sire illegitimately, and thus Cabel and I are doomed to never meet face to face."
"That stinks," Elwood commented. Then he felt the urge to ask the one burning question that had been eating him up for the last day or so: "Curtis, whatdya think about that modern jazz the kid talks about us doin' good playin'?"
"Use your own thought, Elwood," Curtis said, and with a smile he vanished.
"Boy, he sure goes quick," Elwood said, doing a sort of double take.
"Oh yeah, he does it all the time," Jake said. He checked his (still broken) watch. "Well buddy, it's time for me to recharge again," he told Elwood, "I saw a church about two miles up the road when we came in here. See ya when I get back."
"I'll be waitin'," Elwood said as he brother galloped off. "Can ya believe it, Armstrong, Clarence Craycroft!" he told the dog, shaking its face around, "I've always wanted to meet him! He was an idol of mine, just like Toto was probably yours. If he can't get the act in shape, no one can!"
"What took you guys so long?" Lou asked as Elwood pulled the Bluesmobile into Garrett Drew's garage.
"We had to make a little detour," Elwood explained as he hopped out of the car.
"Is there still food?" Zee asked, half-stumbling out of the car from hunger, "I didn't get anything at the restaurant!"
"He's got a few leftovers still warm if you want them," Steve said, pointing to the door leading into the kitchen of the quaint country home that was to be the party's refuge for the night.
"Give me the big portion!" Zee stumbled into the kitchen. Laughing, most of the rest of the Brothers followed him in.
"I'll wait a little," Elwood told the Band, "I ain't too hungry yet."
"Of course. You never eat enough," Willie shrugged as he and his band mates went inside.
Elwood stepped outside the garage. "Nice place, ain't it Jake?" he commented, "A lot better than what most of the kids in our generation could have hoped for."
"No kidding," Jake said, "Some of them are already up there with me—drugged themselves out in the 60s and 70s—and they didn't really do much better than we did. Actually Elwood, we've had it luckier than most people if you think about it. We actually had our fifteen seconds of fame. Most of them never got even close to theirs."
"Now if only we could extend those fifteen seconds longer," Elwood mused. Armstrong trotted over, his stomach full from the chicken. "Be glad you're a dog, Armstrong," Elwood said, scratching his pet behind the ears, "You don't got the baggage that we humans do. All you need is food and water."
"Yep, you're right there," Jake agreed, "Sometimes when I see the whole of humanity up there in heaven, I wonder why some more deserving species wasn't made the dominant one. I mean, none of the rest of them has to tear down all the forests and pollute the air to live."
"If you'd said that while you were alive, I'd think you'd flipped," Elwood said. He lit up a cigarette. "So Jake, did you ever decide who the front man's gonna be?" he asked his brother.
"It's still not too clear, to be honest," Jake admitted, "They've each got their pluses and minuses. I might wait until after the Gator Bay gig before picking my true successor."
"Well I hope you boys make up your mind soon, or you'll look real sloppy," came Curtis's voice behind them. Jake and Elwood jumped in shock at their mentor's sudden appearance. "Curtis, didn't I tell you to knock?" Jake said teasingly.
"I figured the door was open," Curtis shrugged. He walked forward out of the darkness, glowing slightly. "What do you think about the lead singer, Curtis?" Jake asked him, "I don't think I can decide on my own."
"The choice is entirely yours, Jake, but I saw your performance last night, and personally I've never seen the act more disorganized," Curtis said, "Somehow you've got to get that old symmetry back you used to have."
"Well it's kind of hard to get it back if Jake's dead, Curtis," Elwood pointed out.
"I meant that you need to look and act like a well-tuned machine, not a bunch of wannabes who've all got different agendas," Curtis said, "I have a solution for you, though. Before you go to your next gig, check in with Clarence Craycroft in Baton Rouge."
"Clarence Craycroft?" Elwood asked, impressed, "THE Clarence Craycroft? The guy who dominated the rhythm and blues charts for four years running in the forties? The uncrowned king of blues?"
"And my old partner," Curtis added.
"Whoa!" Jake exclaimed, "You never told me that, Curtis!"
"There was no need to until now," Curtis said, "You see, Clarence and I put together a successful act for a few years and swept through the heartland like a tidal wave, but then my mortal jealousy got the better of me. I wanted a bigger role in the act, and Clarence, who was rightfully the better singer, refused. So after a while we parted company, and he became a star and I ended up working with you orphans for the rest of my life. He's fallen on hard times himself now, and I think it would give him one more breath of life if he could bring back the blues again. Make him feel like a winner just one more time. And it would give me the satisfaction that I could make up for my stupidity in life, knowing he'd be helping my protégés, namely you two. Ask him to help you bring the band together, and if he doubts where you're coming from, give him this." He handed Jake a glowing card of some kind.
"I will Curtis," Jake said, pocketing the card, "Any word on the intelligence front?"
"Word has it that Hell will be making some heavy moves very soon," Curtis said, "And seeing how you boys have already incited a lot of people in this realm already so far, I'd advise you to keep as low a profile as possible for at least the next three days until we know for sure what they're up to. You've done a great job with the Relic so far, but getting the remaining pieces will be much harder."
"We'll be careful, Curtis," Elwood said, "So, ya wanna go in and see Cab while yer here?"
"I can't," Curtis said, looking very dejected, "The rule says that you can never have any contact with children you sire illegitimately, and thus Cabel and I are doomed to never meet face to face."
"That stinks," Elwood commented. Then he felt the urge to ask the one burning question that had been eating him up for the last day or so: "Curtis, whatdya think about that modern jazz the kid talks about us doin' good playin'?"
"Use your own thought, Elwood," Curtis said, and with a smile he vanished.
"Boy, he sure goes quick," Elwood said, doing a sort of double take.
"Oh yeah, he does it all the time," Jake said. He checked his (still broken) watch. "Well buddy, it's time for me to recharge again," he told Elwood, "I saw a church about two miles up the road when we came in here. See ya when I get back."
"I'll be waitin'," Elwood said as he brother galloped off. "Can ya believe it, Armstrong, Clarence Craycroft!" he told the dog, shaking its face around, "I've always wanted to meet him! He was an idol of mine, just like Toto was probably yours. If he can't get the act in shape, no one can!"