Grey

Scary Lady Part II

Sorry, it's a long one.
to make up for my slackness I guess.

Picture this:
It's awesome Thursday.
Final performance of the production, each performance better (more awesome) than the last.
Also that night is when you're going to perform at the Old Bush Inn again.
You've set up the camera to capture this awesome show that you know will be full of energy, ad lib, and in jokes.

40mins before curtain your lead, whom you love oh so dearly because he's rather awesome, runs into a door and dislodges a front tooth.
40mins after curtain, despite the swelling mouth the lead and the rest of the awesome cast are ON FIRE, the camera for no apparent reason cuts out and you lose the second half of the show forever.

N.B no permanent damage toothwise, just a straw-diet for a few weeks.

Now, being a matinee show there was no real huge bash to celebrate closing, save for some munchies in the green room while everyone told each other how awesome ~~I am~~ they are.
Thusly nearly half the other awesome people came to the Old Bush Inn, in burlesque themed attire as declared by Eli I believe (spunks in corsets galore!), to see me be awesome performing.

And, to be modest, yes I was awesome.
Okay enough with the awesome usage.

There was a 4-song limit on sets, which suited me fine. I warmed up during sound check with Paul's Apartment (unfinished, hence the warm up), Jesse, Angry Song #45 Square One, brought it down some with Paper Lantern with some (sorry) 'awesome' harmonies by Ben on the melodian, then Missy Higgin's Don't Ever.

After this performance, Dirk, my awesome lead with the now slightly displaced tooth, told me 'it could be the $3.80 wine talking but you kick Missy Higgins in the vagina'... which I took to be a compliment of sorts.

Prior to me coming up on the playlist however, I was enlightening my rent-a-crowd cast and crew to last fortnight's events (see post 'Old Bush Inn' posted Jan 12th) when the subject of that story walked in. Of course, being the mature person I am.... I pointed her out so that all may see what the face of closed mindedness looked like.

Anyway, some time later after my set, somehow this woman... let's name her, I don't want to keep saying lady/woman/bigot... somehow Mavis and whom I assume to be her heterosexual male life partner were sitting on the couch opposite us - my crowd and I taking over the corner square of couches near the fireplace this fortnight due to our volume this week, the one 2 seater couch near the bar would not have sufficed for us all one iota. Plus we would have been in the way there, it being a high traffic area, and we didn't want to bother anyone.

Noticing her, we didn't give too much of a fuck, albeit for spotting a few dissapproving glances in our direction. These glances turned into outright stares when I laid on the couch, Dirk on top of me, everyone else on the top or arms of the couch, eventually Eli on top of Dirk, and me calling out underneath it all that it's my gay couch, get off!

The next time I turned in that direction, Mavis had gone. I think I saw her over by the stage and bar again when I went to the toilet at one point.

Some time later found us still at the couch closest to the stage. Me and Dirk actually seated, the other sprawled atop or behind so that the general flow of conversation was happening over the back of the seat.

We were all pumped from the show and my well-received performance. At some point some young guys - i think they were the crew's friends - sat on the opposite couch and tried to chat up some of the spunkier members of the flock, but I told them they were all mine and that's why they should become rockstars like me. Shot down, they left shortly after. One woman remained seated on the perpendicular couch openly watching us and listening to our conversation.

At first we took her to be one of Mavis' friends - her having a few people with her when I saw her - but I can honestly say I didn't take much notice of them to be able to recognise anyone other than her. But this woman wasn't really doing anything disapproving or nasty and we just commented to ourselves regarding her taking note of our admittedly explicitly gay-centered conversation.

Now let me pause here that we were just talking. And us talking just happened to include same-sex-attracted issues. It's not like we were talking about how many guys/girls respectively we pull a week... it was just a conversation between some cool open-minded folk.

Now presently Mavis returned and sat beside this other woman and began talking, reconfirming for me my assumption that they were mates. At one point I saw Mavis taking this woman's arm and rubbing it in the same way someone would try and warm one suffering from hyperthermia. By now everyone had honed in on her and the general half-hearted theory being passed around at that moment was that she herself liked other women and was just struggling to come to terms with it, illustrated by her rubbing her friends arm so much yet not wanting to touch me last fortnight once she found out I liked girls.

Dirk did mention that if she kept up staring at him he was just going to start making out with boys right there. I said to take photos for me.

Part of our conversation, which I made an effort to say clearly for all within earshot to benefit from, included me stating that I have nothing against heterosexuals. I have gay and straight friends and love each equally. I wouldn't slander heterosexuals even if I didn't like them because that's exactly what I as a same-sex-attracted person do not condone towards me. I try to keep a very 'each to his own' motto about all people, because I expect people to do the same to me even if they disagree with what I am doing. Sexual orientation or otherwise.

Now Dirk and I were kinda sat sideways to talk to everyone else, so that we weren't really facing Mavis and co. Ben had at some point, I didn't notice when, gone and sat on the other couch arm and was texting on his phone - he had told me earlier in the evening that he wanted to just flirt hardcore with her but I think he opted for his phone instead - and one of the spunky girls facing Mavis asked me 'did you see that?'

'No...?'
'She just went (flipped the bird) behind Ben's back...'
'Are you serious??'
'Yeah, she did. I'm pretty sure...'

Now you know how protective of my friends I am, and I turned to see wtf was going on and decide whether to say anything or if I'd see her do it again. On turning, I came in just in time to see her lean toward us, though eyes averted, and aim a rather loud "FUCK YOU" into our midst before leaning back again.

Gobsmacked, - damn I love that word - Dirk and I looked at each other, looked at her, then each other again. The following is a mixture of dialogue from each of us, during all of which Mavis kept staring straight ahead silently.

'Sorry?'
Nothing.
'Did you just tell us to fuck off?'
Nothing.
'Maybe I misheard, but I'm pretty sure you just told us to fuck off...'
To each other:
'Maybe our homosexual ears couldn't understand it properly...'
To Mavis and each other:
'What did we do to you?'
'We existed.'
'Oh right of course...'

Now in the middle of this I was alternating my gaze to both Mavis and her companion who kept eye contact with me... in my question of 'What did we do?' she shrugged and made motions with her hands to indicate that indeed she didn't share these opinions of Mavis, if she even knew her at all.

Retrospect on Tanya's run-in with her last time should have really reminded me that Mavis has random tendancies to approach complete strangers like she's known them all her life. So this would be the second time I mistook some stranger to be her friend if that was the case.

On this new revelation my gaze softened on her and I never really aimed anything her way after that. I concluded that she never really did anything to us, only listened to our conversation which I don't really care about; she kept her opinions to herself like normal people do and could have left anytime if she wanted but didn't.

Introspect aside, back to my recount.

The whole time we searched for an answer from Mavis she never looked us in the eye. Dirk did say 'You can't even look at us because you know you're wrong...' I remember inwardly agreeing with him.
I shrugged and turned back and said 'whatever, I'm still having a good time anyway... you guys all still having a good time?'
The response was cheers and laughs and general merriment. I resolved to let it go until I looked over at Ben and this time caught Mavis nudging the other lady and flipping the bird behind Ben's back again.

Again, the protector kicked in.

Now I don't recall this part too well because it all pretty much happened as before. Dirk and I asked her what she was doing, what we had done to her, what her problem was... during all of which she refused to acknowledge us. I mentioned about doing things behind our backs is truly cowardly and if there was something to be said, do it to our faces. I don't remember exactly what I said but I remember asking someone beside me if I was as PC as I'd earlier stated I wanted to be.

Another spunky member of our crowd asked if I wanted to go now. To which I replied yes I did, but I didn't want this woman thinking she'd scared us off. So we waited for Tex's set to end, which is kinda what I wanted to stay for anyway, he has a really good voice.

Once that was over I announced let's go - we were to be kicking on at the Blue Doors - and instructed everyone to collect their gay bags and gay phones and I still needed to get my lesbian guitar from the corner (incidently from behind Mavis).
Most of the guys and gals headed off and I said I'd catch up with them once I said goodbye to the rest of fans scattered through the pub who came to see me play.

Dirk told me afterwards that on his exit he apologised for any inconvenience we may have caused the other woman sitting by us. She was apparently very nice and said not at all and called him sweetie... yep, she's cool in my book.
Then he moved on to Mavis, telling her that first of all fleece was out (indicating her top) and that he hoped one day she would accept our lifestyle though he doubted she had what it takes.

"I hope you prove me wrong. I doubt you will. Fuck-ya-mother-goodbye"
By all reports the other lady cacked herself laughing as Dirk left.

Ben looked after my guitar while I said my goodbyes and got hugs and summarised the goings on from the corner to various parties. I received full support and huge shock from everyone, including the pub regulars I've never properly met but spoken to, and being told "it's her problem, don't let it get to you."

I agree. It is her problem, and in a way it doesn't get to me so much as it makes me sad. To see that this is still a mindset today - granted Willunga is kinda in the sticks but it's really not that country...of the whole pub full of locals she seems the only bigot to my/our sexuality, it's not exactly a secret. Even those who haven't spoken to me, if they listened to my music they'd hear I mention girls not guys alot in my relationship songs etc.

And it's not even her opinion that upsets me, as I said each to his own, you don't have to like something just respect that others do... it's her cowardly unprovoked disrespect that bothers me... regardless what her problems with me was... I'd still be just as annoyed at that same disrespect even if it was just that she didn't like the type of shoes I was wearing.

I say this to everyone and everything: You don't have to like something, but just understand that others may. It's something I try my hardest to live by nowadays.

On a completely separate note, for another perspective on the same day - Eli's blog here recounts both the production and the Old Bush Inn lastnite. She wasn't really around us much, Tex distracted her alot methinks.

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