A SENSUOUS WOMAN
He was just an old country singer on the road with his band. They pulled the big tour bus into the hotel's parking lot and let the hotel handle their suitcases. He hung his western attire up in preparation for tonight's show and took a nap.
He dreamed that he was singing "Woman, Sensuous Woman" and felt a hush over the audience. When he awoke, he decided to add that song to tonight's show; he hadn't done it in ages.
After a hot shower, he joined his band for a supper of fresh trout and new potatos. Man, they sure knew how to cook in Atlantic Canada!
The stage was brightly lit for them as they took their places behind the heavy, pale blue curtain. He stayed down in his dressing room and did his deep breathing exercises. At aged 72, he could not sing as loud and as long as he used to.
He heard the band warming up the audience; it was a fully packed house tonight. He couldn't believe that people younger than himself, even knew who he was. The radio seldom played his hit records anymore.
He waited offstage for his introduction and smiled to himself. He had a great group of guys in his band "Po' Folks" and he thought of them and the bus driver as close family now.
He'd been divorced so long he couldn't even remember what it felt like to be a married man. But he lived it through his songs and his memories on long, hot summer nights. A good woman was hard to find these days and he'd quit looking. Besides, he was much too busy and having too much fun. He'd been a millionaire for over 5 decades now!
"Ladies & Gentleman, live from Nashville, Tennessee, country music's #1 sonwriter and a great singer.............give it up for MR. BILL ANDERSON!!!!!!!!"
He ran out onstage to the cordless microphone, picked it up and with a huge smile on his handsome face, began to sing one of his old hit tunes "Bright Lights & Country Music".......
The crowd was on their feet as he entertained them and some were even dancing! It made him feel so good. He was far from home and hadn't been too sure how Nova Scotia would take to his kind of music but obviously, they'd done their homework. They knew every word!
Then he saw her!
She wasn't standing up; she wasn't dressed in pearls; she wasn't shouting. She was watching and listening; a smile on her tanned face. He wondered if she was getting her money's worth tonight?
He studied her some more and was pleased that she was having such a good time. Perhaps she'd be outside for the autograph session after his show and they could have a chat.
He ended his show with a religious hymn but an encore was asked for and he gladly ran back onstage to do "Po' Folks." The crowd was still clapping 10 minutes later; he could hear them from his dressing room where he was changing his shirt. It had been a great show and now he could hear the traffic outside as they all drove back to their lives.
A half hour later he was facing a smaller crowd of autograph seekers. Some were buying his T shirts, CD'S, etc. He carried a bottle of water as he went to sit down at the table, picked up a pen and smiled for the first of many pictures.
She was last. She had waited patiently near the end of the line and almost all of the fans had left. He stood up to shake her hand, smiled and said "Hi, I'm Bill; thanks for coming out tonight".
It was then he realized she was not standing up. He looked down to see why not and saw that she was in a wheelchair. They spoke briefly and he signed both of her CD's that she had bought.
"What's your name?" he asked before he signed them.
"It's Elizabeth" she replied. She watched as his big strong hands wrote to her; he passed them back and she thanked him before putting them in her handbag. Their hands gently touched; her skin was tanned and warm and soft.
Suddenly, they were the only two left in the large room. He opened his bottle of water and took a sip. She began to turn her chair around to leave when he found himself asking: "It's not quite 11 o'clock. Would you care to have a bite to eat with me in the Hotel restaurant?"
He was tall; she rolled the arms of her chair and kept up with him as they were shown to a table. After some delicious home-made blueberry pie and three hot coffee's later, he walked her to her room. His was on the floor above hers and as he said good-bye to her at the door, he leaned over to kiss her forehead.
"I sang to you tonight but you probably didn't even realize it." He smiled as he said it, delighted in the surprise on her face.
"Oh?" she asked.
"Yes; it was "WOMAN, SENSUOUS WOMAN"; because you were the only one with-in view who fit the words."
It took a long time for her to fall asleep that night knowing he was just one floor above. Little did she know that he was having the same problem. There was no such thing as love at first sight; was there?
The band had checked out early and was long gone when her car arrived to take her home. At the front desk, she prepared to pay her bill when the desk clerk informed her it had already been taken care of. "Mr. Anderson paid it himself" he said.
And then he brought out a lovely bouquet of fresh flowers and laid them on her lap. She was shocked when he said "And he asked me to give you these; he wrote on the card......."
She waited until she had gotton home and had tipped the driver; then she opened the little card.
"Thanks for giving me much pleasure last night; it's been a long time since I had the company of a beautiful and classy woman. Best always, Bill."
The flowers were by her bedside every night for almost a fortnight. And she blushed........
He was just an old country singer on the road with his band. They pulled the big tour bus into the hotel's parking lot and let the hotel handle their suitcases. He hung his western attire up in preparation for tonight's show and took a nap.
He dreamed that he was singing "Woman, Sensuous Woman" and felt a hush over the audience. When he awoke, he decided to add that song to tonight's show; he hadn't done it in ages.
After a hot shower, he joined his band for a supper of fresh trout and new potatos. Man, they sure knew how to cook in Atlantic Canada!
The stage was brightly lit for them as they took their places behind the heavy, pale blue curtain. He stayed down in his dressing room and did his deep breathing exercises. At aged 72, he could not sing as loud and as long as he used to.
He heard the band warming up the audience; it was a fully packed house tonight. He couldn't believe that people younger than himself, even knew who he was. The radio seldom played his hit records anymore.
He waited offstage for his introduction and smiled to himself. He had a great group of guys in his band "Po' Folks" and he thought of them and the bus driver as close family now.
He'd been divorced so long he couldn't even remember what it felt like to be a married man. But he lived it through his songs and his memories on long, hot summer nights. A good woman was hard to find these days and he'd quit looking. Besides, he was much too busy and having too much fun. He'd been a millionaire for over 5 decades now!
"Ladies & Gentleman, live from Nashville, Tennessee, country music's #1 sonwriter and a great singer.............give it up for MR. BILL ANDERSON!!!!!!!!"
He ran out onstage to the cordless microphone, picked it up and with a huge smile on his handsome face, began to sing one of his old hit tunes "Bright Lights & Country Music".......
The crowd was on their feet as he entertained them and some were even dancing! It made him feel so good. He was far from home and hadn't been too sure how Nova Scotia would take to his kind of music but obviously, they'd done their homework. They knew every word!
Then he saw her!
She wasn't standing up; she wasn't dressed in pearls; she wasn't shouting. She was watching and listening; a smile on her tanned face. He wondered if she was getting her money's worth tonight?
He studied her some more and was pleased that she was having such a good time. Perhaps she'd be outside for the autograph session after his show and they could have a chat.
He ended his show with a religious hymn but an encore was asked for and he gladly ran back onstage to do "Po' Folks." The crowd was still clapping 10 minutes later; he could hear them from his dressing room where he was changing his shirt. It had been a great show and now he could hear the traffic outside as they all drove back to their lives.
A half hour later he was facing a smaller crowd of autograph seekers. Some were buying his T shirts, CD'S, etc. He carried a bottle of water as he went to sit down at the table, picked up a pen and smiled for the first of many pictures.
She was last. She had waited patiently near the end of the line and almost all of the fans had left. He stood up to shake her hand, smiled and said "Hi, I'm Bill; thanks for coming out tonight".
It was then he realized she was not standing up. He looked down to see why not and saw that she was in a wheelchair. They spoke briefly and he signed both of her CD's that she had bought.
"What's your name?" he asked before he signed them.
"It's Elizabeth" she replied. She watched as his big strong hands wrote to her; he passed them back and she thanked him before putting them in her handbag. Their hands gently touched; her skin was tanned and warm and soft.
Suddenly, they were the only two left in the large room. He opened his bottle of water and took a sip. She began to turn her chair around to leave when he found himself asking: "It's not quite 11 o'clock. Would you care to have a bite to eat with me in the Hotel restaurant?"
He was tall; she rolled the arms of her chair and kept up with him as they were shown to a table. After some delicious home-made blueberry pie and three hot coffee's later, he walked her to her room. His was on the floor above hers and as he said good-bye to her at the door, he leaned over to kiss her forehead.
"I sang to you tonight but you probably didn't even realize it." He smiled as he said it, delighted in the surprise on her face.
"Oh?" she asked.
"Yes; it was "WOMAN, SENSUOUS WOMAN"; because you were the only one with-in view who fit the words."
It took a long time for her to fall asleep that night knowing he was just one floor above. Little did she know that he was having the same problem. There was no such thing as love at first sight; was there?
The band had checked out early and was long gone when her car arrived to take her home. At the front desk, she prepared to pay her bill when the desk clerk informed her it had already been taken care of. "Mr. Anderson paid it himself" he said.
And then he brought out a lovely bouquet of fresh flowers and laid them on her lap. She was shocked when he said "And he asked me to give you these; he wrote on the card......."
She waited until she had gotton home and had tipped the driver; then she opened the little card.
"Thanks for giving me much pleasure last night; it's been a long time since I had the company of a beautiful and classy woman. Best always, Bill."
The flowers were by her bedside every night for almost a fortnight. And she blushed........
