10.

"Isn't she great?" Peg was standing over Sam. They were watching Rhin sing on the stage at the Greenhouse.
"She's making me dizzy with all that hair twirling." Rhin was stomping around in a grand enthusiastic manner. She'd let her long kinky brown hair fall in front of her face, hiding her hands and the microphone. She'd sing this way a while till the music reached a peak, then she'd whip her hair
around again and gesture expressively at the crowd.
"Don't you just absolutely love her?" asked Peg.
"She's very powerful."
Peg looked back at Bette and Rebecca. "I'll see you in a bit, Sammy." She put her mouth near Sam's ear and said, "The redhead's real cute." She picked up her tray and walked to another table.
They were sitting at a table on the dance floor. From where he sat, Sam could see the band clearly: guitar, bass, drums, keyboard, and Rhin. They were playing the song "Thirty Days In The Hole". Bette was talking closely with Rebecca. She was pointing to the guitar player. Sam couldn't hear them. The music was too loud.
"Hey there. You made it." Jammer sat abruptly in the empty seat next to Sam. "What's shaking? You find what you and Blondie were looking for?"
"Yeah."
Jammer squeezed his nose a few times. "Who are your friends?"
"This is Rebecca. This is Bette." Sam pointed to each of them in turn. They both nodded hello. He leaned toward the women and said, "This is Jammer, the band manager." He looked back at Jammer. "What is your real name anyway?"
"Clyde." He laughed. "No one ever calls me that."
"What do you play, what kinda instrument?" asked Bette.
"Uh, none." He scratched his nose. "That's kind of a joke, my name."
The band slowed the song as it reached an end. Each of them sang the last chorus while the drummer rolled the finish. Rhin said, "Thank you. We'll be right back." The stage lights went out.
Rhin stepped down from the stage. She crossed the dance floor with a kind of feline grace that reminded Sam of Corrina. "Well how was that?" she asked Jammer with a slight Irish lilt.
"Much improved. You guys were very tight."
She sat next to Jammer. "Well I for one am going to get much much tighter." She raised her arm. "Peggy!"
Peg was already on her way over. "Hey guys," she said. "Rhin, have you met Sam? He's staying with me for a while."
"Hello." She looked at Sam. Sam smiled back.
Peg looked around the table. "Does anyone need anything?"
"I need an Absolut martini," said Rhin.
"I need to go to the john," said Jammer. He glanced at Sam.
"Good idea," said Sam. He stood up with Jammer and followed him across the dance floor. They went around a corner and into an empty bathroom. Sam walked to a urinal and said, "The band sounds very good."
Jammer locked the door. "Yeah, we work hard at it." He took out a folded slip of foil, opened it, and scooped out some cocaine with a matchbook cover, folded back. He snorted it quickly through his left
nostril. He did the same with his right. "Want a blast?"
"Yeah thanks." Sam zipped up his pants and walked to Jammer who held the matchbook with one hand and the foil with the other. Sam inhaled. Some of the cocaine fell to the floor. "Sorry. I'm not used to doing it this way."
"No problem." Jammer scooped out more and held it up.
"Here." Sam got it all this time.
"Thanks." He checked his nose in the mirror. Jammer went into one of the stalls and closed it. Someone knocked on the bathroom door. Sam unlocked it and let in a large black man with flip-up sunglasses. He recognized him. He was the bass player.
"Hey, you're great," said Sam. "Solid."
"Thank you." Said slowly.
Jammer heard his voice. "Hang on Dex. I'm on the can."
Sam went out. He heard the door lock behind him. Crossing the the dance floor, the room seemed very different. Many people were talking. Glasses, silverware, and plates were jingling, rattling, and
tapping. Cars were running their engines outside. Sam was beginning to feel the rush.
Rhin was near the stage, apparently taking a request from a man and woman. As the couple left Sam walked to her and said, "Hey lady." His voice was mockingly nasal. "Do you know D'yer M'ker?"
"Now that I wouldn't mind playing." She stirred the plastic sword in her drink. "I am so tired of being pleasant with tourists."
"You want to go smoke a doob?"
She looked at him brightly. "Absolutely. It's been dry as a bone since we got here. Just bullshit homegrown that tastes like human flesh."
"You like human flesh?"
"I don't eat meat." A slight smile. "The set'll start soon."
"I'm right behind you."