The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

The next day, June called and told me that she wasn’t going to be visiting for a few days.

“What’s up, Baby?” I asked, knowing that June had no obligations to come over, and realizing that June didn’t just call to say she wasn’t coming over.

“Oh... nothing,” June said unconvincingly.

“Tell Doctor Oogie about it,” I coaxed.

Despite June’s low spirits, I heard a bit of a chuckle from June. However, her voice almost immediately turned serious again. “I got a letter from Tiny.”

Oh, shit. June NEVER called Archy by the nickname that she claimed to hate. “What’s up with Archy?” I asked.

“Oh... nothing.”

I didn’t answer, but decided to allow June to take her time. After a minute or two, June finally continued. “He says that his coach is being hard on him.”

“That’s what coaches are supposed to do,” I pointed out.

“I’m talking about his curriculum,” June said. “Archy wants to use football as a way to get a good education and maybe a good job. He loves animals and was thinking of becoming a veterinarian. His coach, however, is forcing him to take the jock classes... the ones that don’t teach anything and are there just for scholarship students to easily ace so they can continue playing.”

I could see where June was heading with this. From my short friendship with Archy, I knew him to be a very attentive student, even though we shared no classes together.

June continued. “If Archy goes along, the diploma he eventually gets will be essentially worthless. If he doesn’t go along, the coach has threatened his scholarship.”

This wasn’t fair! “That sucks!” I protested.

“Tell me about it!” June agreed.

“What sucks?” Kristen asked, walking out of the bedroom.

I put my hand over the transmitter and gave Kristen a quick summary of my discussion with June.

Immediately, Kristen took the phone out of my hand. “June, this is Kris... I’ll be picking you up at your house in...” She looked at her watch. “Forty-five minutes. I need to make some phone calls.”

Kristen didn’t wait for an answer, and hung up the phone.

“Jim, pack an overnight bag for us. Go downstairs and get a change of clothes for June. Ask Lynette if she wants to come with us. We’ll use her car.”

“What’s happening?” I asked.

“I told you what I want, Jim,” Kristen said, almost snapping at me. She was surprised that I didn’t just follow her directions blindly. “Now, get!”

Dismissed, I went to the bedroom to follow Kristen’s directions. I looked in Kristen’s closet, and didn’t know what kind of outfit that she’d want.

As if Kristen were reading my mind, she called out, “Jim, I need the grey button down shirt and the matching pants. They’re on the right side of the closet near the front. Don’t forget underwear!”

I found the outfit that Kristen wanted and then packed a pair of slacks and one of the collared shirts of mine that the girls seemed to like.

As I left the bedroom, Lynette was already in the living room with a small overnight bag. “I’ve got an outfit for June, Jim,” she said. “What’s going on?”

Kristen was talking on the phone. “How soon can you get to Lafayette? Really? What’s his name?”

I shrugged at Lynette.

Kristen turned her attention from the phone to the two of us. “I’ll be downstairs in a few minutes, Lynette.”

Lynette shrugged back at me as we were summarily dismissed by Kristen.

On the way downstairs, I told Lynette what little I knew about the conversation I had with June and Kristen’s taking charge immediately afterward.

“Lafayette? Kristen’s going to Purdue!” Lynette said.

I was a bit surprised, and hadn’t made that connection.

Almost as soon as we got to Lynette’s car, Kristen stormed out of the building. “Why aren’t you two in the car already? Come on, you guys!”

“What’s going on?” I demanded.

“Just get in the car! Lynette, we need to stop at June’s first.”

The three of us got into Lynette’s vehicle, and I sat in the back. “I’m driving you guys to Purdue?” Lynette asked once we were out the security gate.

“No,” Kristen said. “From June’s, we stop at the air field outside town.”

“Your uncle Jerry?” I asked.

“Yeah, he was already at the hangar and was just going to go for a joy ride. He said he’d be happy to take us to Indiana.”

“What are we going to do at Purdue?” I asked.

“Set some things straight,” Kristen said, her eyes flashing her anger.

I had never been to Purdue University before. I knew they had a nationally ranked football team, and I had been proud when Archy had been accepted on their team. He wasn’t a starter, but June said that his coach told him that he had great potential.

The only person in our entourage that seemed to know what she was doing was Kristen. From the air field in West Lafayette, she arranged for a cab to take us to the campus. When told how long it would take for a cab to arrive, Kristen hung up and called a limo company that had an advertisement at the hangar. The limo arrived about five minutes later.

“Are you familiar with Purdue?” Kristen asked the driver.

“Yeah,” the driver said.

“Take me to the administration building.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Kristen didn’t explain what she was about to do. I’ve seen her headstrong before, but there was a determination in her right now that was unusual. June, Lynette, and I looked at each other, not totally understanding what was happening.

Once at the administration building, Kristen told Lynette to stay with the limo and check us into the University Inn, which was nearby. Kristen already had reservations for a suite of rooms and a friend of Kristen’s would pick Lynette up from there and bring her to us.

I was surprised, but we all followed Kristen’s lead, and June and I followed Kristen as she started walking toward a red brick building.

A man that was standing nearby noticed Kristen and said, “Excuse me, are you Miss Kristen Swift?”

“I am,” Kristen said, looking at the man warily.

“Mike Shapiro sent me to find you,” the man replied. “My name is Willard Keesan, and his law offices contacted me. I’m with the financial aid department.”

Kristen smiled and offered her hand. “These are my companions, Jim Crittenhouse and June Rodgers.”

“Kris, Mike told you that you didn’t need to make this trip. We’ve already been contacted and your demands are already being worked on.”

Kristen seemed surprised. “Really?”

“Your father has influence, Miss Swift.”

“What demands?” I asked.

“We’ve arranged for the cancellation of Archy Jonas’ scholarship,” Willard said.

“Canceled?” June cried. She looked at the three of us, horrified.

“I’m covering his tuition, housing, and living expenses by underwriting a guaranteed student loan,” Kristen explained.

“He’ll have to forgo some things,” Willard said. He looked around nervously.

“His perks,” Kristen said, matter-of-factly.

“May I take the three of you to my office? I think we should not be having this discussion out here.”

“How far?” Kristen said, a bit suspicious and eying the building she had been ready to enter.

“A few blocks from here,” Willard promised. “It’s really taken care of.”

Kristen looked at June and me. June was still a bit shocked at what was happening so quickly in front of her. I looked at Willard and nodded slightly to Kristen.

“Thank you, Mr. Keesan,” Kristen said. “Your office.”

Willard Keesan’s office was close enough to walk, actually.

Once inside the office, we were led into a conference room.

“Miss Swift, as Mike told you, you didn’t really need to come. We work these sort of things every day.”

“Do your every day things include charges of fraud, malfeasance, and offering enticements outside the bounds of the NCAA rules?” Kristen asked.

Willard blanched. “There is no fraud or malfeasance involved, Ms. Swift.”

Kristen had fire in her eyes. “A freshman’s coach has told him that he could lose his scholarship if he doesn’t sign up for make-work classes. He came to this respected university to get an education. In return, he will offer his athletic skill to your Boilermakers. You are now denying him the education that you promised him.”

“I think the student misinterpreted his coach.”

“Shall we get Archy Jonas and the coach in question right here?”

Willard decided to change the subject. He reached into his briefcase and pulled out some papers. “On his application, Mr. Jonas has indicated a desire to eventually enter our School of Veterinary Medicine.”

Kristen looked at June, who simply nodded.

“That’s correct,” Kristen said.

“I’m sure our counselors will be able to help Mr. Jonas to arrange a schedule that is appropriate for the discipline that he has expressed an interest in. He doesn’t have to declare a major...”

“What perks was he offered?” Kristen asked, interrupting the man.

“The university officially has a policy that forbids the offering of gifts to members of our sports program.”

I was confused. I thought that Willard had said that Archy would have to forgo his perks.

“Mike told me how the game is played. If it’s not the university, it’s the alumni committee or somebody else. I don’t fucking care who offered something to Archy. I’m more interested in what he was offered.”

Mr. Keesan looked ashen.

We were interrupted by a secretary. “Mr. Keesan, Daniel Swift is on the phone asking if his daughter has arrived.”

Before Willard could answer, Kristen took charge. “Forward Daddy’s call to this room. I’ll talk to him.”

The secretary was surprised, and looked at Mr. Keesan, who simply shrugged.

As I said, this was the side of Kristen that I didn’t get to witness very often: “take charge and ambush” or “overwhelm and conquer.” There was a side of her that was ruthless when confronting a situation that she didn’t like.

The phone buzzed a few moments later and Kristen casually picked up the phone. “Daddy? Thank you... yes. I’m talking about that right now. I’ll call you if I need you. I love you, too. You’re sweet!”

Kristen turned to the lawyer that had lost charge of the situation. “Mr. Keesan, I’m not interested in trying to trick you into admitting knowledge of any offers that were made unofficially to Archy Jonas. I’m here basically for his benefit. I will talk with Archy later on, and if he wants to continue playing football despite the fact that he is no longer bound to a scholarship, he will. June has told me that he had always wanted to play for the Boilermakers.”

Kristen looked at June and smiled.

“My company, KISS Holdings, is underwriting all financial aid to Archy Jonas to an amount equal to his old scholarship. This will include housing and living expenses, and any and all perks that would normally be offered to him as a scholarship recipient. KISS will also pay Purdue University the standard service fee for managing the student loan. Standard loan terms apply in that no payments need to be paid until one year after Archy leaves Purdue, and will terminate ten years afterward. The interest rate for the life of the loan is one percent. Do you have any questions?”

“One percent?” Mr. Keesan sputtered. “The prime interest rate is...”

“The loan is already backed by KISS,” Kristen interrupted. “Purdue is getting a service fee for processing the loan, and the one percent is a bonus on top of that fee. Purdue has no exposure with this loan, and can only gain—even if only a relatively small amount—from it.”

There was a small amount of haggling of the finer details, but it was obvious that Kristen was on top of things.

When the discussion was ended, Mr. Keesan seemed to have a new respect for Kristen. He offered each of us a handshake as we started to file out of the conference room.

Before Kristen left, she turned to Mr. Keesan. “By the way, my friends and I would appreciate it if you could secure us a University car for the next twenty-four hours. You can bill KISS at your normal rates.”

“Sure thing, Ms. Swift.”

Mr. Keesan went to his secretary and whispered something to her. She nodded and got a pair of keys from her purse, and Mr. Keesan handed them to Kristen. “It’s the dark blue Buick in the parking lot.”

“We’re not taking your secretary’s car, are we?” I asked.

“Well, Mr. Crit...”

“Crittenhouse,” I offered.

“Mr. Crittenhouse, it’s the University’s car. Another will be sent to replace hers in about three hours, and she’ll get her car back when you leave.”

The secretary shrugged and didn’t look too put out.

“Thank you, Mr. Keesan.”

“Do you know where we would be able to find Archy?” Kristen asked.

“You could try his dormitory at the Hilltop Apartments, or the football field,” Mr. Keesan answered. He looked thoughtful for the moment. “They had practice earlier this morning. So he may be at his apartment or having lunch.”

“Can you please meet my companion, Lynette Robbins, and explain to her how to find Archy’s apartment? She was going to meet us with one of the lawyers my father secured at the other building.”

“Certainly, Ms. Swift.”

Kristen nodded and the three of us left. We found the Buick and Kristen drove. Kristen seemed to know her way around Purdue, as she drove straight to the Hilltop without having to consult a campus map.

“Have you been here before?” I asked.

“Will and I spent some time here a couple of years ago,” Kristen answered. “He was thinking of attending here.”

“Is that how Mr. Keesan knew your father?”

“Uh, huh,” Kristen said, smiling. She asked June, “Which building is Archy staying at?”

“Building five,” June answered.

“Ahh, that would be at the top of the loop,” Kristen said.

Kristen didn’t park in the parking lot, but parked illegally closer to one of the buildings.

“Isn’t this illegal?” June asked.

“Not for University cars,” Kristen answered. “That’s why I asked for one instead of getting a rental.”

June and I giggled at that.

The three of us, led by Kristen, entered the building. June knew Archy’s apartment number, and we knocked on his door.

The man that opened the door was enormous. He was big, black, and must have had about twenty-five pounds on Archy. “Yeah?”

June took the initiative. “I’m Archy’s girlfriend from Illinois,” she said softly. “These are my friends. Are you Sam?”

The large man smiled. “You that chick June?” He turned around. “Hey, little guy! Your old lady is here!” He opened the door wider and let us in.

The apartment that I was looking at was unlike any dormitory that I had envisioned. It had a separate living room, two bedrooms, and even its own bath. It was truly an apartment.

Archy came out of the bedroom wearing only his boxers. “June!” he said, running toward his girlfriend. He picked her up and they spent about two minutes kissing.

While Archy and June were getting reacquainted, I offered my hand to Sam.

“Let me guess,” Sam said. “You that guy they call ‘Oogie,’ and the other one must be Kristen. Am I right?”

I smiled. I could see my reputation was getting wider thanks to Archy. “Yeah.”

“Archy’s playing at the Marriott tonight.”

“Trumpet?” I asked, surprised.

“Yeah. Just him, a piano, and a drum. They do some old jazz stuff.”

“Cool!” I said, grinning. I couldn’t wait to see Archy back in action.

Archy and June had finally finished their hot kiss. “Sam, this here’s the guy I was telling you about. He’s the virtuoso—that’s French for talented dude—that taught me to read music.”

“I figured,” Sam said, his laughter booming. “Kristen, I’m honored to meet you.”

“Why are you guys here?” Archy asked.

“Kristen canceled your scholarship,” June said, grinning.

Both Sam and Archy reacted identically. “She what?” they shouted together.

“You are now on financial aid, backed by my holding company.”

“But he’ll lose the apartment!” Sam said.

“I have it arranged so that Archy loses nothing. However, your coach now has no hold over Archy. There’s a Mr. Keesan that Archy can visit that will arrange for a counselor to plan for your eventual veterinary degree.”

“You’re shitting me!” Archy said.

“I’d have a hard time passing you, Archy,” Kristen said sweetly.

I smiled, having gotten Kristen’s joke. Suddenly, Sam burst out in thunderous laughter. “She’s funny, Archy!”

Finally, Archy and June got Kristen’s little joke. “You’re serious, aren’t you? I keep the apartment, the car...” Archy stopped, thinking he may have said too much.

“It’s our car,” Sam said. “It’s a lease and Tiny Boy and I share it. That means he goes where I want him to go.”

“Well, we have our own wheels,” Kristen said.

“Did you bring the Camaro?” Archy asked.

“No,” I answered. “Kristen had her Uncle Jerry fly us to Purdue Airport, and we took a limo from there, and the University made a University car available to us.”

“No shit!” Archy said, laughing. “You can park that thing anywhere!”

“Of course,” Kristen said.

“Do you have practice this afternoon?” June asked.

“It was this morning,” Archy answered. “Tomorrow, we have a game. I haven’t been used yet, but if Sam here were to get a cramp in his sleep, I might play as a substitute.”

June looked at Archy with a wicked grin. “Did I ever show you how to administer a Charley Horse?”

Sam actually backed away from the diminutive June. “Don’t you fuckin’ dare! That boy is too eager for me to get an injury, and I’m defenseless against a lovely little woman like you!”

June moved toward Sam, but her motion had absolutely no threat in it. When she backed Sam against the wall, June gave Sam a hug and softly said, “Thanks for the compliment.”

Both Sam and Archy had an open afternoon and we sat around, allowing Archy and June catch up on everything that happened since Archy left for Indiana.

When June was explaining what she had been doing, I noticed that she carefully tiptoed around the “Oogie Stories” out of deference to the way I felt about them.

Still, June revealed enough that Sam finally interrupted. “June, I don’t mean to pry, and it probably ain’t my business, but are you telling your boyfriend that you have been sleeping over this guy’s house?”

June looked at Archy, who smiled broadly.

“Sam, it’s not a problem,” Archy said. “Jim is my best friend in the world. I’ve only known him personally since this past winter, but he’s the real deal. June has known him longer, but I have no doubt about her love for me. On top of that, I have no doubt about Jim’s love for that beautiful girl that’s snuggled against him right now. You’ve seen them looking at each other since they got here, haven’t you?”

Sam nodded his head. “That’s why I couldn’t believe it when your girl...”

“June is a lady,” Archy corrected. “Over the month or so that we’ve been apart, she is more of a lady than she ever was before, and I know that it’s due to their influence.”

I knew better than to open my mouth, but Kristen didn’t have anything stopping her from doing so. “Jim is the guy that I’m going to marry, just like Archy is the guy that June is going to marry. None of us is jealous of the other, except that Archy probably misses June enough that seeing her was probably the highlight of the month for him. I know that seeing Archy was the highlight of June’s month, and she’s had an active one.”

“Active?” Sam asked, confused.

Kristen filled in a lot of the missing pieces, omitting outright mentions of sex. She told the “Oogie Stories” that June had the good sense to avoid, and she had everybody with one exception laughing their asses off.

As for me, I just glared at Kristen. Finally, I couldn’t stand it any more and I finally put an end to her diatribe about how I was the best thing that ever walked the earth by pulling her close to me and kissing her.

The phone rang soon afterward, but I continued to kiss Kristen before she started telling those stories again.

Sam got the phone, but a few moments later, Archy was on the line. When I heard him say, “Oh, damn! That sucks!” I finally broke the kiss with Kristen.

The disappointed look on Archy’s face prevented any of us from saying anything. There wasn’t much more information to be gleaned, as Archy was most just listening on the other end.

Archy finally said, “Please wish him luck for me, OK?” and a few moments later, he hung up the phone.

“What happened, Archy?” June asked.

“It’s not as bad as it may have seemed,” Archy said. “John sounds like death warmed over, though. He tried talking with me, and then Julie took over and told me that John seems to have caught the cold that has been running around the campus. It’s a terrible one. Anyway, he’s out for tonight.”

“Out for what?” I asked, confused.

“It will only be me and Troy tonight. Drums and a horn.” Archy sounded quite disappointed.

I noticed June and Kristen both staring at me. I got the hint quickly. “Does John play electric or acoustic?”

“Electric,” Archy said, knowing where I was headed.

“Amplified, right?”

“Yeah, John has the equipment.”

Kristen gave me a smile, and simply nodded to me.

“Archy, it’s been a couple of months since we played together. Want to relive some happy times?”

“Does that mean I get to hear the great Oogie Woogie?” Sam asked, laughing. “Archy said you sing, which may be a good thing, since John was also the singer for the combo.”

“Was he?” I asked, surprised. It occurred to me that a trumpet player wouldn’t normally be a singer, but tell that to Louis Armstrong. “What kind of songs?”

“Ipanema, some Sinatra tunes, Wave...”

“I didn’t know Wave had words,” I said doubtfully.

“It may, but we do that as an instrumental.”

“Would Dion be out of place?”

“Well, we play mostly background music for the lounge.”

“Why not give them a show?” I asked. “One night only. It may increase attention for other weeks, and allow you to play songs you might prefer. You know, Moon Dance, Green Eyed Lady, Elton John, Beatles...”

Archy and Sam laughed. Sam asked, “You could put together a set like that in a few hours?”

I looked at my Goddess, who had a proud smile on her face.

“I could try. I’ve been practicing most of that stuff over the last month or so in my studio.”

“I don’t doubt that Oogie could put that together,” June said quietly.

“Dion?” Kristen asked.

“It was going to be a surprise, actually,” I said sheepishly.

“Which song?” Kristen asked, prodding me.

“Let’s leave that for a surprise. I know that Archy can play pretty well by ear, and drummers usually know the beat when they know the song. It’s just a trio, you know.”

Sam shook his head. “You told me that this guy was a virtuoso, and I guess I’ll see if he’s for real.”

I looked at my friends and smiled. “I owe Archy a big debt of gratitude, and I’d be honored to help him out, even if it’s just this one night.”

Lynette arrived shortly afterward, and we introduced her to Sam.

After Lynette arrived, Kristen asked Archy if she could see his phone book. Archy and Kristen left together to Archy’s room.

Meanwhile, June was updating Lynette on the news that I would be performing with Archy that night. Sam was still a bit in awe that I would actually help Archy out like that.

Lynette, of course, wasn’t surprised. “Oogie always helps out his friends. Didn’t Archy tell you the stories?”

Warning bells started ringing in my head. “Lynette!” I warned.

Lynette and June both laughed at my reaction.

Sam said, “Archy and Kristen told me about the Oogie Stories. I wondered how many of them were true.”

“All of them,” June and Lynette said together, causing Sam to laugh.

Kristen and Archy came back into the living room, and Kristen said, “Jim, Lynette, we need to get going. I need to get a hotel room, and I need some extra clothes if I’m going to a lounge concert tonight.”

Archy shook his head. “You could stay here, Kristen.”

Kristen turned to Archy and gave him a warm smile. “Thank you, Archy, but no. This apartment is meant for two people, or maybe even two couples. It is not really a good idea for six people. I am already booked at the University Inn, and I think Lynette already moved our luggage there.”

Lynette nodded in agreement.

Archy looked at June, who seemed a bit surprised and a bit embarrassed. “Um... if Archy doesn’t mind...”

Kristen continued to gather Lynette and me.

Before we could leave, however, June came running to me and gave me a kiss that was most certainly not chaste. “Thank you for helping Archy out!”

June then turned to Kristen and kissed her the same way. “Both of you!” I noticed that Archy and Sam were both surprised by that particular kiss.

Kristen, Lynette, and I left June with Archy and Sam, and got back into the University car.

“Where are we really going?” Lynette asked, knowing that Kristen had a mind of her own when it came to doing things.

“We need to get some equipment for tonight,” Kristen answered, taking the road that took us toward Lafayette.

“What equipment do we need?” I asked, a bit confused. “I thought Archy was going to get John’s equipment.”

“If we are going to help out Archy, then I would like to have a guitar so I’m not just a vocalist for you.”

If Kristen had meant to surprise me, she didn’t. I was used to her impulsive ideas and knew better than to talk her out of them when they were basically harmless. Besides, I had heard her play before, even if she didn’t know it.

Lynette, however, was surprised. “You’re volunteering to help Archy out as well?”

“Jim has been aching to get me to play with him,” Kristen explained. “I know he’s lining up a demo at Puppy Dawg’s and he’s asked me to participate. I also know that last year in the jazz band isn’t going to be enough for him. I have a feeling that he wants to play the piano, so that leaves me with the guitar. I don’t play as many instruments as well as Jim does.”

I nodded to Lynette. “Just piano tonight,” I corrected. “I was thinking of saving up some money to purchase an electric guitar for Kris for Christmas.”

Kristen was surprised by that. “You were? That’s sweet! I have a couple in my room in the main house, actually.”

I was quite surprised at this revelation. “Why didn’t you bring them into the studio?”

“That’s your studio,” Kristen said, softly.

Stunned by Kristen’s answer, I simply glared at her.

“You’re not mad at me, are you?” my Goddess asked, seeing my reaction.

“Kristen, you keep on going on as if a marriage between us is a given,” I said with a sigh. “You’ve just said as much to Sam and Archy. Music is important to me, and you know it. You are important to me as well, and you know that. Having you with me is much better than me just playing by myself.”

Kristen nodded, and turned into a grocery story parking lot. “I’m sorry, Jim.”

I saw in Kristen’s eyes that she truly meant it. I smiled.

I decided to change the subject. “Lynette? Do you play any instrument? Do you sing?”

Lynette shook her head. “I only sing in the shower, and only when I’m alone. Definitely not before an audience, Oogie!”

I considered Lynette’s voice. It was a bit higher than Kristen’s when she talked, and I thought she might be a good singer if she had some training. For now, however, I, decided to take her at her word.

Turning back to my Goddess, I said, “I know you’re great on the piano. How good are you on guitar?”

“That’s right, you’ve never heard me play,” Kristen said, avoiding an answer.

“Lead guitar, right?” I asked. Kristen was going to finally open up to me about her playing, and I didn’t want her to be upset that I had heard her entertaining our friends.

“Mom taught me bass first, then I learned chords, and I can play lead if necessary. I play acoustic and I taught Will how to play electric. He plays lead. When Will practiced lead, I played rhythm or bass with him.”

“That’s right,” Lynette realized. “Your mom used to be a performer.”

Kristen nodded, and she motioned toward the end of the shopping center, where there was a music store.

The three of us left the car and entered the store.

Once inside, Kristen asked the clerk at the register if she could see the manager, handing the clerk one of her business cards.

After a minute or two, the manager arrived. “Miss Swift?”

“Yes. My companions are Jim Crittenhouse and Lynette Robbins. I need to have some music equipment for a one-night gig. I’d prefer to lease everything, but if you cannot manage that, I’d be willing to purchase them as well.”

“When is the gig?”

“Tonight at seven.”

The manager laughed. “I’m not sure that I could arrange a lease in that short a period of time. What kind of equipment?”

Kristen turned around and looked over the equipment that was on display. Her eyes locked onto an Yamaha keyboard that I had noticed the moment I entered the shop. She looked at me, and she knew instantly that we were on the same wavelength. Her attention went to a few guitars, and she picked out two electric ones and an acoustic one. Finally, she picked out an amplifier.

“These,” Kristen said, “plus cables to connect everything. We’re from out of town and didn’t bring our own stuff.”

“That’s close to four and a half thousand dollars of equipment!”

Kristen shrugged and pulled out her American Express card. “Run this card through.”

The manager looked at the charge card, and then itemized a bill for the equipment that she picked out. The total was a little over $4,400.

“Could you add delivery to the Marriott by five?”

“A hundred dollars?” the manager asked.

“More like fifty. You know a guy with a pickup or a van, and it’s only a couple of miles.”

I grinned. Kristen was on her own turf, even in a music store.

The manager added the fifty dollar delivery charge, and then said, “Do you mind if I call my bank and verify the card? It’s a large purchase.”

Kristen shrugged.

The manager left with the card, and Kristen busied herself by strumming the acoustic guitar. She stopped and re-tuned it, and then started playing a few chords and smiled at me. Again she stopped, and then started to pick a song I immediately recognized as Vincent by Don MacLean. She was indeed talented.

Kristen stopped playing when the manager returned. “I’m sorry, Miss Swift, your credit is perfect. I hope I didn’t embarrass you.”

Kristen noticed the man’s name on his tag. “I’m not insulted, Mr. Helmut. Would you be able to have these at the Marriott on time?”

“Yes, Miss.”

“Thank you,” Kristen said sweetly. “We’re playing at the Marriott tonight, if you’d like to be entertained. This gentleman here is the great Oogie Woogie and you’ll be hearing about him in the future.”

I felt slightly embarrassed by Kristen’s announcement, but I just smiled at the manager.

“Is your other companion in the group as well?” the manager asked, intrigued.

Before Kristen could answer, Lynette said, “I’m his official groupie.”

Kristen and I both laughed at Lynette’s remark.

“Just the two of you?”

“We have a drummer and a very talented trumpet player who are students at Purdue,” I answered.

“What style of music? Light jazz?”

“That’s what they normally play,” I said, nodding. “We’re from out of town, replacing their sick piano player. We can play their repertoires, and I promised them that we’d expand their range for tonight only.”

The manager was surprised. “You came from Illinois to replace a sick performer?”

“Archy’s a good friend, but we didn’t come here specifically for that, but we’re always willing to help out a friend.”

The manager shook my hand. “You sound like a fine young man. You seem young for college.”

Kristen laughed. “He’s not in college, although he’s already got college credits back home.”

“I’m entering eleventh grade,” I added.

The manager’s eyes opened wide. “Really? Now I’m impressed. I’ll be at the Marriott tonight.”

We bade our farewells.