I watched her, the woman with the trombone, who played with such panache and added gravitas to the mood of swing in the songs. She accompanied the gravel voiced singer who sang with passion but needed carriage to project himself. She seemed to know of her uncommon importance and with aplomb she played. Timing is everything and she knew she had it. One song after another, she invoked a call to move, sensuous and with grace. Then the music stopped, the band had a break and I watched her as she sat and watched those around her, as they talked, bought drinks, laughed, went to the toilet and shared the moment.
Then the band came on again and she didn't join them. The mood of the music was lighter, suffused with tintinnabulations that were light and flippant. The mood was lost, there was no galvanizing unity to the music and the crowd was lost to mayhem. She continued to sit, concentrating on the rhythm of the music, her foot tapping but her mind seemed elsewhere. She pulled her shirt at the bottom and at the same time thrust her chest forward so that her breasts were more prominent and her cleavage more tempting. Yet no one went to her, she sat alone.
I wondered about her, what was she like? Was her voice soft and sensuous or loud and confident? Somehow I thought she must be confident, but loud- I didn't think so. There were so many questions queued up and for some reason it seemed important to know the answers. I checked myself, zip up and shirt tucked in, I went to say hello.
"Hello!" I said. She looked up at me, quietly studying me for a moment.
"Dance?" I asked. She nodded, stood and quietly we made our way to the dance floor. It was an old fashioned waltz and we came together. She knew what she was doing, I was the shy one and as we danced our contact increased with the confidence we gained. Then rock and roll and she moved with grace, I was flattered to be her focus. The floor was almost empty, not like when she played her trombone and people jostled for space.
The bracket ended and I returned her to her table.
"Mind if I join you?" I asked.
"You're welcome!" I pulled a chair out for myself and sat.
"Would you like a drink?" I offered. She shook her head.
"I'm driving." I told her. For a moment we were silent.
"You dance well!" she complimented me.