One More Weekend (Sapphics in the City #5)

7. Sy

7

SY

A droning string twinkled at the back of the bar as a light piano cued Jenna to begin. She hummed the opening lines, long locks of light brown hair falling over her shoulders.

“It’s raining, it’s pouring. My love life is boring me to tears after all these years.”

I knew it was the Barbra Streisand and Donna Summers duet, No More Tears (Enough is Enough) . A classic ballad, Jenna only ever pulled it out when she was getting over someone.

Or maybe she was getting over somewhere. The thought made my chest contract like a snake had wrapped itself around my entire body as I watched her sway to the beat.

Taking her time, Jenna took in a deep breath and let her voice soar. “I’d always dreamed I’d find the perfect lover. But he turned out to be like every other man.”

A shiver ran down my spine as she hit the note. It was easy to forget what she’d originally come to the city for. Moving all the way across the country with hopes of being a singer. She’d had big plans.

But she changed her major, decided something more practical and business-minded would be better.

Her eyes fell on me as she gestured her hand to me. “There’s nothing left for us here.” She smiled as she let her voice lower an octave.

Looking at me, a smile on her lips, she prepared for her big line. Starting low and ending high, Jenna put her all into Bab’s final ballad line. “And we won’t waste another tear.”

Before the note could end, the groovy beat picked up to a 70s disco vibe. Jenna took on the duet like it had always been meant to be a solo. Seamlessly, she moved into Enough is Enough, hopped off the stage with the mic, and paraded around the bar.

I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. Dancing around the sticky, wood floors, Jenna was bringing everyone into her moment. She’s electric.

The smile on my face kept growing. I couldn’t have asked for a better best friend. If everyone had been as lucky as I was, no one would ever feel alone, or scared, or bored.

Jenna stepped onto a stool by the bar and held the mic out to Bennie, who obliged her with an “Enough is enough is enough.”

Keeping it moving, Jenna winked at me as she whisked past. Her sweet smell somehow cut through the sweaty, alcohol smell of Winnie’s Bar and wafted into my nose.

She jumped back onto the platform for her final notes. “Goodbye mister, goodbye sugar. No more tears.”

As I watched it dance out the last few bars of the song, my mind flooded with an idea. I couldn’t let her leave this city, our city. Not like this. Not in defeat like she’d been pushed off by a brutal, gnarly industry that refused to make room for her.

I had to show her that there was something left for her here.

Her song came to an end to an uproarious applause from the twice-impressed college kids. Throwing in my claps, I watched her come back to the table. She wiped the thin layer of sweat from her brow. “How’d I do?”

“Killed it.” I smiled as she took her seat. “I have an idea. You can say no.”

Raising an eyebrow, Jenna sipped her cocktail as she prepared her ears for my pitch. “Go for it. But just know, as a former Management company intern, I hear a lot of pitches.”

No pressure.

“What if I take you on a tour of New York?”

Jenna opened her mouth to argue, but I slammed my index finger into her lips to silence her dissent. I knew I needed to tread carefully, no matter what I did or said, there was nothing I could do to convince her to stay if she had her mind set on leave.

Hell, I wouldn’t want to convince her… it would just be a convenient benefit.

“Let me finish,” I winked as I pressed my finger into the flesh. “You just said that you didn’t ever do as much here as you wanted to. So, what if I show it to you? I’ll give you a goodbye tour of New York City. At least then if you decide to move at the end of the lease, you’ll have seen all it has to offer.”

Jenna fell silent, letting the tone-deaf teens fill the emptiness. Lifting her cup to her lips, her mind worked through the offer.

Eventually, she sucked her teeth. “But that tourist shit is expensive and we’re both about to be tight on money.”

“Let me figure that out.” I waved her off, hoping it was convincing enough on its own.

Taking in a deep breath, Jenna nodded. “Okay, but this is a goodbye tour that I’m allowed to change my mind on.”

Pumping my fist, I smiled at her. “Of course, we can stop at any point and it's your choice if you want to stay here or not regardless.”

Jenna eyed me suspiciously, a part of her knowing there must be something else behind all of this. But she stuck out her hand and grabbed mine. “Deal.”

Just as the words leave her mouth, the college students step off stage and I know I’m up. I still had no idea what Jenna had chosen for me but I was about to find out.

Maybe it was a good thing I didn’t have to make the choice. I was about to have to plan a whole summer of iconic friend dates all across New York. And my entire friendship – and living situation – hinged on its success.