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his own career whether Sugar Doll came along or not.

Chapter Five
     
    “C’mon now! Ya’ll put your hands together! Who says the blues is dead?” Bertrand was a handsome, imposing young man now. He smiled at the crowded nightclub. The bar was open to the street so that people passing by on Bourbon leaned into the windows to join in the jamming. “Ladies and gentlemen, Remy Gaudeaux!” A handsome young man with flashing blue eyes straddled the stage. He is magnificent in his performance. The club went wild with excitement and dancing. “Boy, you’ve got charisma!” came a shout from the audience.
    “Now that’s a big word ya’ll, you got to dumb it down for a country boy like me.” Remy flashed his beautiful smile again and continued to sing.
    Tonya ran along the narrow cobblestone street to grab Sugar Doll from behind. “C’mon girl, Bertrand already started. He’s gonna be mad.” Tonya pulled Sugar Doll by the elastic band in her skirt. It started to come down.
    “Ah, Tonya, can I please keep my clothes on? I’m coming okay.” She giggled at her friend’s excitement.
    “I just can’t believe that your grandma let you out of the house. I’m so happy for that!” Tonya jumped up and down in glee.
    “Girl, I’m twenty years old now, she can’t tell me nothing.” Sugar Doll said proudly.
    “You just turned twenty so shut up; I’ve been twenty for six months now.” Tonya pouted as the two girls ran arm and arm toward the nightclub in which Bertrand was playing.
    They could barely get into the door. It was very crowded and the sidewalk was full of onlookers. “I’m part of the band, please let me through.” Sugar Doll lied. She was just here to hear Bertrand play with the popular new singer Remy Gaudeaux. All of the girls down home had a crush on him. Now she would see in person what the fuss was all about. They pushed through the crush of people trying to get to the stage front. Remy was onstage in a clean cut suit with his tie dangling askew in a precarious position. He was imitating an Elvis move but singing blues. He was too young for the mature song but it suited him somehow. There were many alternative types of music but New Orleans was and always would be its own universe. That universe mixes rhythm and blues in a swirling concoction of antiquated and modern. The brew was refreshing and kept people coming to the innovative and fun nightspots on the strip called Bourbon Street.
    “Wow! He’s sexy!” Sugar Doll whispered in Tonya’s ear.
    “Yeah, he is for a white boy, you just remember that.” Tonya admonished.
    “Girl please, it’s 2005! People don’t care about that kind of stuff any more.” Sugar Doll brushed her off.
    “Yeah it may as well be 1965 here in New Orleans. Just cause they mix with us and party with us don’t mean that they want to date us or introduce us to their mommas. You’d best remember that.” Tonya turned around seriously even in the crush of the crowd.
    Sensing her seriousness, Sugar Doll acquiesced, “Okay Super Momma. I was just talking out of my head.” The girls approached the stage. They waved at Bertrand for several seconds before capturing his attention. He waved for them to come up on the stage. Both of the girls went to the side of the stage and climbed up to directly behind Bertrand.
    “Hey now!” Bertrand yelled gleefully into the microphone. “This here is my girl” he pointed at Tonya while he continued playing the piano.
    “And this here is my cousin.” The crowd cheered. “And they both can sing, they church girls ya’ll.” Bertrand winked at the crowd. Remy walked over and grabbed Sugar Doll and began dancing with her while singing.
    “Can you sing Sugar?” Remy asked handsomely.
    As an answer, Sugar Doll turned to Bertrand, “Lover man” in “G”. In her best Billie Holiday impersonation Sugar Doll began to sing, “It don’t matter what I say, it don’t matter what I do, I can’t stop loving that man of mine.” Her