MINNIE & HAWK
                                                                  By: Kelly O'Kelly

    Minnie felt good as she sat at one of the tiny tables in the front row of the Cat's Paw Club. She listened to the blues sound
coming from the saxophone man on the stage; her man Hawk.  Standing almost seven feet tall, he became predominant in
most any room he entered.  Hawk had played small clubs and gigs most of his young life and seemed to still be doing the
same thing now.  Minnie watched his dark glasses as he pointed them toward her table.  A tiny little wave brought an "in
rhythm, bow," form him to her.  She kissed the air toward him and her lips said, "I LOVE YOU!"  His high notes became
very shrill and very strong.  "Give it to me boy,"  she said to him.  Hawk fell to his knees, his back arched backward.  Pushinghis horn high into the air, blew some sounds that could not be done on a sax.  The people screamed and clapped for the performance.  He bowed to the esthetic crowd and came to sit at her table.  "Right on Hawk, Right on Man!"

    "Hey Baby," he took a sip of her drink.  "You looking special good to me tonight baby."  Minnie twirled the little beaded
purse on the ends of one of her fingers.  "Thank you Hawk,  You know good when you see it, don't you baby?"  She stuck
her little finger in the cold icy drink and put it to his lips.  "You all of it girl."  His lips parted and accepted the cold, wet
offering that she presented.  "All of it is what I want to be baby."  She kissed him and wiped the perspiration from his
forehead.  "Hot up there under those lights Hawk?"  Minnie waited for her answer.  He smacked his lips together and pushedher little finger back into the icy drink.  "Not when I suck something cold and sweet as you are."  He put her icy finger back into his mouth.  "Whoooo," she chilled out, where is the bathroom cause I got to go."  She pulled her finger from his lips causing a popping sound.  "He pointed, "Right there Baby." She straightened the felt skull cap and shook the fringe of her red dress down as she stood up. "Be right back baby."  Him and most of the other men in the club watched as she shimmed across the floor.  "Last Call," he herd the bartender call.  This was his Que.' to do his last and final set for the night.  He felt alive and invigorated as he stepped to the center of the stage with the gold horn in his hands.  "She makes me what I am, she makes me a high note."

    Hawk played that night like he had never played before, never knew that those notes was there, not ti'l tonight.  His crowd applauded and cheered his sounds as the evening drew to a close.  Packing his horn in it's case, he took Minnie in one arm...
and the case in the other and opened the door to the neon lit street.  "Come on up to my place tonight baby," he motioned
with the case as the doors to the club swung closed behind them.   "Only three blocks baby," just a short walk to heaven
Minnie."  Hawk smiled his fine white toothed smile down at her and pulled her closer as they walked.  Minnie looked up at
her man, "you sound special good tonight darling."  "I felt something tonight Minnie, I felt something that I have never felt
before baby."  "Like, what did you feel tonight Hawk?"  He stopped on the busy, dancing, neon sidewalk and sat his case at
her feet then turned to face her.  "I felt that I LOVE YOU Minnie."  Her mouth fell open and her thoughts did a fast forward
as she tried to think of what to say next.  "I love you so very much Minnie that.....that....I want to MARRY  you."   "I love
you Minnie; do you love me too Minnie?"  She shook her head yes.  "I want to marry you Minnie; do you want to marry
me?"  Her eyes glistened with the tiny tears that fell down upon her rosy cheeks, there to linger and reflect all the lights of the
city. "YES HAWK, YES."

    The old apartment door closed with a hundred years of rattles and bangs but the love was what was inside the lover, not
the thin outside shell of reality.  Reality able to change with each day and each circumstance. Reality, and there was no such
thing at all. "Reality,"  he whispered as he took her in his arms. "Reality is you here in my arms tonight Minnie."  She cuddled
and cooed to his touch.  "I like being here in your arms Hawk, It's right where I want to be."  She looked up into his
loving face, their lips fell open and as their eyes became hazy with the billowing white clouds of love, their fiery young lips
touched igniting a boiling volcano of the thin flowing lava of love.  "You control me Minnie, you make it happen."  He felt her
grip on his long waist tighten.  "And you make it happen for me Hawk."  "Click," the light in the room went off leaving only
their glowing scillouetts.  "You look iridescent Hawk."  His reflection changed with the signs flashing color.  "I love you
Minnie."  He stepped backward with her in his arms.  "Come on with me Minnie and let me show you all the colors in the
Rainbow."  Minnie smiled through her tears as she placed her loving arms up around his neck, "please Hawk....., please make it colorful for me."
                                                                                            Kelly O'Kelly