An old, old house with dim smoky lighting, creaky wooden floors and a sign that hangs on the door 'See Bartender for Service.' Old, overstuffed leather furniture, pool tables, fireplaces, framed pictures in black and white...and a band.This old, old house had been converted to a Blues Club & if you didn't know it before coming, you soon figured it out.

I left my friend inside for just a minute to fetch something from my car. Tossing spare tires and boogie boards from side to side of my trunk I was startled with a 'Whatchoo huntin'?'
I looked up at a big ole smile... gold teeth all across the top & thin, tarnished & blackened roots exposed on the bottom.
I smiled back 'Oh, nothing really, something silly.'
'You leavin?'
'Nope.'
'You married? You gotta boyfriend?'
'What?'
'Yo, you here alone?'
'Nope,' closing my trunk.
'You married?'
'Yep.'
'You gotta boyfriend?'
'Yep.'
'Which one you here with?'
I smiled, as I headed back towards the door. 'Not saying.'
He broke out into a rich laughter...'Girl, you full of it, aintchya?'
'Yessir.'
'Don't be callin me sir now. My name is Chris & it's a pleasure to meet ya.'
'Hi Chris. I hope you have fun tonight.'
'Oh, I will. You can count on that girl!'

So, Chris, with his shiny gold-grill, his ill-fated bottom teeth & his big ole smile came back through the doors with me.
Chris danced, I danced...everyone was having fun enjoying the sound of Prince gone Blues...and the night traipsed on in good times.

After midnight, I heard the couple at the table beside us talking to Chris.
'I'm a dentist. What did you do to your teeth.'
'I gotta grill, caintcha see?'
'Well what about your bottom teeth?'
'Aw I gotta get them done.'
'I think you look scary...I'd be afraid of you if I saw you in the parking lot. Is that what you wanted?'
'What? Afraid of me?'
Her husband piped in at this point. 'I'd be afraid of you too.'
'Awman, cmon now'
'Seriously, you look poor and shady.'
The husband continued ...'and desperate'
'I ain't desperate now people. I got me a job at Lockheed. My teeth? My teeth do that to you? I'm getting the bottoms ones done, I said.'
'They make you look poor.'
'Well I am rich in my own rights woman.'
'No, we are rich.'

Shoo....

Before the night was over Chris & the husband got into a ruckus.
Maybe they were trying to figure out who would be next to get some new teeth.
I don't know.
I don't know why Chris had gold teeth, nor do I know what was up with his bottom ones.
I don't know why the dentist lady & her rich husband had to give their opinions.

But I do know that different folks define things differently...