“Haunted Mango Trees and The Electric Jesus,” said Jerry as he flipped through the new release records at the record shop.
Carmen looked up from her inventory sheet and brushed her blue bangs out of her eyes. She sighed from some unstated and undefined exasperation.
“Yesh, they’re supposed to be like, good or something. They played on some late-night talk show or something. I mean I wouldn’t know since I don’t watch that stuff, but I guess there was like a lot of buzz about them so we ordered their album so we’ll just have to see like, if they even sell or like, what they’re all about or whatever,” said Carmen.
Jerry nodded and looked at the back cover of the brightly illustrated album. Haunted Mango Tree and The Electric Jesus had 12 songs listed on the back of their album. The song titles seemed centered around either lost love, drinking about lost love, or happy to have lost love but found drugs. Jerry read some out loud to Carmen, who was chewing on the end of her pencil.
“Snow without you; Rain in your hair; Bottle of Passions; Drunken Larva Love; Sex in Cuba; - Sheesh, what is this band all about really,” said Jerry.
“I love Sex in Cuba,” said
Carmen, still chewing on the pencil.
“The song,” asked Jerry.
“Nope,” said Carmen.
Carmen winked at Jerry and she put the pencil down and folded the inventory sheet in half and jammed it into a drawer of the store counter. She flicked her hair off her forehead with a quick snap of her head and then spread her arms wide and rested against the long blue record store counter top. It was covered in band stickers and posters and quirky nostalgia crap from too many time periods to name. She picked at the edge of a Black Flag sticker near the counter’s edge near the register.
Jerry was still sorting the new releases and putting them in their respective displays. He looked up as Carmen sighed again.
“Do you think anyone will come into the store today,” asked Carmen.
Jerry tugged at the bottom his tee-shirt hem, pulling it down over his ever-growing belly. All his band shirts were getting small, or he was getting too big for them.
“I certainly hope so. We could use it,” Jerry answered.
Jerry returned to sorting the new albums from the shipping box they came in. There was a mix of all new releases, from new rock, to old jazz, to alternative hypno-funk. Most of which Jerry was not familiar with. He knew his time in music was passed. He hadn’t been to a show in years and had no real desire to do so any longer. He looked up at the wall clock over the door.
“Should we put on that record,” asked Carmen.
She sneaked from around the
counter and was pointing at the Haunted Mango Trees and The Electric Jesus
album.
“Sure,” said Jerry, mildly
reluctant since he wasn’t really all that interested, “might as well see what
it is all about.”
“Yesh,” said Carmen with a half-hearted
fist pump.
She plucked the album from the display and twirled around toward the record player behind the counter. Her punk rock schoolgirl skirt fluttered around her as she did her playful twirl. Jerry looked but knew it wasn’t for him. He was more surprised by her veiled enthusiasm for this new band.
She turned the record player on and carefully removed the record from its sleeve. She was young but treated records with the reverence Jerry appreciated. It was why he hired her. She delicately put the record on the turntable, switched it on and gently placed the needle.
A heavy bass line from a bass guitar rumbled from the store’s speakers and Jerry nearly covered his ears. It was almost too loud. He stopped himself though because he didn’t want to look like a dork in front of Carmen. She closed her heavily eye lined eyes and was already bobbing her head. Jerry smiled.
The bell over the front door jingled and a young man in a pork-pie hat and a purple scarf walked in to the store.
“Is this Haunted Mango Trees and
The Electric Jesus,” he asked, pushing his glasses up.
“Yesh,” said Carmen, still bobbing her
head.
“Awesome. I heard that this was coming
out today,” said the young man.
Jerry smiled and nodded politely. He
liked having customers, but preferred they didn’t linger.
He much preferred
that if they did linger, that they bought something first. Then they could stay
all day for all he cared. This guy, was
just standing there.
The bell jingled again as a young woman pulling her mother along entered the store. The young man moved.
“See mom, I told you it was
HMTTEJ!” said the young woman.
“HMTTEJ,” asked the bewildered
mom.
“Haunted Mango Trees and The
Electric Jesus, gawd Mom!”
“Okay honey, whatever you say,”
said mom as she cringed at the loudness.
Carmen was still bobbing her
head. The young man was unfurling his scarf. The young woman ran over to the
display to hold a copy of the record in her hands. Jerry moved out of the way
and went over to the counter. Sensing a sale. He moved behind Carmen, who
playfully nudged him in the hip with her butt as she danced in place. Jerry made an “oooof” sound as she did it. He
immediately turned red with embarrassment. He wiped his face with his hand and stood
behind the counter.
Ready.
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