You Couldn't Hide It - Melody Cryns

Okay, so he’s kind of an older guy – at least that’s the impression I get when I see him or hang out with him. But there’s something really fun-loving about him – the way he grabs my hand and pulls me around the dance floor and next thing you know we’re swing dancing to Mike Osborn Band playing high-energy rock n’ roll music – just the way I like it. Heck, I don’t even know how to swing dance, yet this guy makes it possible for me to do it…he leads me in such a mellow way. “Don’t think about it!” he says, “Just do it.”

So there I am at the Cardinal Lounge on a Saturday night – with its retro 1970’s look – the red lighting and the plastic leather red chairs that make me think of what it was like to go out in the 1980’s back in the days when I was in my 30’s. I know it sounds crazy and I don’t know why, but I actually kind of like this guy Harold.

My friend Vikki sat at our table and watched us dance and all the other nutty people out on the dance floor – but mostly she watched the Mike Osborn Band. I could see her smiling every time she looked over at us though. Mike Osborn is an amazing guitarist whom Vikki and I stumbled upon at a benefit show at this dive restaurant in San Jose called the Line Shack. We wanted to support Doc, this older guitarist guy – to help him get his license back. We hadn’t even heard of Mike Osborn before – and when we saw him, we both admitted that we felt all tingly all over. I mean, this dude is over the top – he plays guitar with his tongue even and looks like he’s making love to his guitar.

So mostly all the girls are looking at Mike Osborn and I can’t say I blame him. Turns out he’s a nice guy too – with four kids even, whom he had to raise partially by himself. I don’t blame the girls for looking at him – he’s pretty hot.

But here I am swinging around the dance floor with Harold, a middle-aged, tall thin guy who likes to talk. He actually helps out the band – sets up their sound system and makes sure everything is going smoothly.

As we danced and talked, he said, “This isn’t really my day job, but I love the music and just being out here…”

“Cool,” I said and smiled.

When I finally sat back down next to Vikki she leaned over and said, “You’d better watch out or you’ll have another Allan on your hands!” We both laughed. Allan was this guy who hung out at Woodham’s where we went to jam night, an older guy with white hair put back in a ponytail. He seemed like a gentle soul, but he was chasing me big time…I made the mistake of giving him my phone number when he asked and didn’t realize he’d start calling me every single night. It’s hard to avoid him now whenever I go to Woodham’s. He always wants me to play pool with him and I’ve told him time and again that I’m not interested in playing pool – I’m there to hear the great live music.

“But, Vikki, you know what? I actually like this guy! He’s not like Allan.”

“No, he’s not.” Vikki nodded. Vikki is having a thing with her next door neighbor who is 20 years younger than her – we had laughed because she admitted that now she was officially a “cougar.” I found younger guys attractive most of the time, but there was something about Harold that was cool…

So I went out on the dance floor for more fun and Harold invited me to San Juan Bautista where Mike Osborn Band would be performing again. “I’d love to see your smiling face again!” he said and winked at me. I knew he liked me. I could just tell and I was right. I couldn’t hide it anymore – I sort of like him too.