"Release the Bind" -Inspired by AC/DC YOGA

 

At the open mic night at Los Ponchos Cantina in Mazatlán Mexico, Sandra sat on the piano bench, barefoot in her sundress.  The room continued to bustle around her.  Waitresses delivered drinks, people chatted.  But Dani, Miranda and Deandra sat still and silent as their new friend took the stage.

Sandra had said very little all week. She was agreeable, cordial but there was a quietness about her, like there was something she wasn’t saying, but wanted to. She had not intended to play, but Steve had challenged the group all week during the yoga retreat to “Get out of your comfort zone!”

So far, everyone had obliged:

 Hunter cut his hair, burned his spandex shorts and admitted he hated being a vegan and missed his days at the fraternity. He ate an entire steak, got in a fist fight, vomited on the beach and admitted his undeniable attraction to older women . 

Deandra finally called and told her mother she was a lesbian. Dani bought her a codependency workbook and purposely made her mad so she could learn to get in touch with her anger, which triggered Dani abandonment issues. Dani commented that Deandra was a very maternal lesbian. Deandra replied that it was the best compliment she had ever received and she agreed to be a mother figure to Dani. 

Miranda took the group dancing in the disco and dressed like a bad-bitch.  She showed the group how to twerk so well that Chuck almost cried. 

Chuck shared his regrets as an absentee father and how his adult kids wont answer his calls.  

Dani went parasailing and finally took off her face-mask.  Later the same evening she had a rigorous and unsanitary one night stand with the Yoga teacher, Nacho from the neighboring resort who wore leopard speedo style yoga shorts and "has a thing for thick girls."

It was Sandra's turn.  So, she sat at the piano, like she had so many years ago.

 “Oh boy…here we go...”  Sandra’s husband Dale rolled his eyes. “…back to the Lilith fair!” Sandra only exhaled. She closed her eyes, ignoring her husband’s jape.

Steve shot Dale a displeased look. He noticed Dale had made comments like that to Sandra all week.  Dale shot Steve a look right back and challenged. “What? It's a joke!”

“Here we go Sandy!” Dani let out a yell of encouragement. Chuck clapped his giant hands in thunderous applause. Hunter followed suit...and so did the rest of the room followed by silence.

Finally, Sandra let her finger roll along the keys and began her song.

The girls’ ears perked up.  “Oh shit!”  Dani exclaimed, “Is she playing Tori right now? Fuck yeah!”

 

        “Excuse me but can I be you for a while

                                             My dog wont bite if you sit real still

                                             I got the antichrist yelling at me in the kitchen again

                                             Yeah I can hear it…”

 “Remember that…”  Miranda whispered.  As Sandra lost herself at the piano, another time and place came back to her.  She part straddled the piano bench as a slightly more animal part of herself was released.

 “I told you!” Moaned Dale.  “It’s all she knew how to play before I met her.” His voice carried and Sandra started to whither a bit while she played.

Dani looked over at Dale in disbelief.  “What? It’s true!”  He retorted and gulped the last of his IPA.

Dani stood suddenly and joined Sandra in the song and walked toward her.

 

                              “But what if I’m a Mermaid,

 in these jean of his with her name still on …”

Miranda stood and joined in too.

“But I don’t care cause sometimes I hear my voice and it’s been

Here…. silent all these”

And Deandra started to sing too.

                              “Years go by will I still be waiting for somebody else to understand

                              Years go by if I’m stripped of my beauty and the orange clouds raining in my head”

And finally, Hunter stood somehow also knowing the words, clenching his fist.

                              “Years go by will I choke on my tears till finally there is nothing left

                              One more casualty you know were too easy, easy, easy…”

Chuck and Steve rose to their feet. “You know this one?” Steve asked.  “Never heard it!” Both the men held each other’s hands and joined the rest of the group around Sandra.  As she finished the song by herself the room roared in thunderous applause.  Sandra looked up from the piano and smiled in a way that none of her new friends had seen all week.

Steve, who had been perplexed by her reclusiveness, was enchanted by her joy and he stood across the piano, elated for her true happiness just gazing at her. She was beautiful.

 Everyone in the room stood for her, except Dale who checked his phone and gave her a dry unimpressed look.  Seeing this, Sandra's face fell, and she stood from the piano and walked out of Los Ponchos by herself. As the group followed her, Deandra stopped short and sneered at Dale, “You’re a dick!”

“I thought that was you!”  Dale quickly retorted. “Oh wait, did you say dick, or dyke?”  Dale looked at the other men, chuckling at Deandra.  But no one else laughed and Steve lunged toward Dale. But before he could get to him Dani raised a surprisingly nimble leg and roundhouse kicked Dale’s face and knocked him out cold.  He fell to the floor and for a moment everyone was still and silent.

“Wow!  Thank you, Dani!” Marveled Steve.  

“Where did you learn to do that?” asked Hunter in disbelief. 

“Take-back-the-night self-defense classes on my college campus in the 90’s!” Answered Dani as she followed Deandra and Miranda out the door to catch Sandra.