I disclaim. If only...
Tending Bar at the Cheatin’ Heart
The Cheatin’ Heart was full of drunk people, semi-drunk people, and one stone cold sober bartender. He was pouring drinks, polishing glasses, throwing out the drunk and violent, and, when he had five minutes to spare, listening to the anguished outpourings of those propping up the bar with ‘broken’ hearts.
As this was Salem, that meant he had to listen to half the population bewail their other halves having affairs with one another.
At one end of the bar, he had Greta bewailing Austin’s recurring visits to Sami’s house, Jen complaining that Jack was comforting his ‘Princess’ rather too often, Billie whining that Colin spent too much time with Jen, Hope grumbling that Billie kept running to Bo every time she saw Colin and Jennifer within fifty feet of each other, Marlena mumbling that John was altogether too interested in Hope / Princess Gina and the child they once thought was his, Chloe storming angrily at Brady and Philip for not having accepted her decision to date both of them, Nancy shrieking that Craig paid too much attention to Marlena and her step daughter Carrie’s slim figures, blonde hair and busts, Carrie was upset that Mike had spoken to Tigger-Ali on the phone and not told her about it, and Sami wanted everybody to butt out of her relationship with Will, his father, his uncle, and his step-grandfather’s ex-wife’s half-brother.
At the other, Austin kept repeating that Sami just wouldn’t leave him alone especially when he was visiting his nephew, Jack was angry that Jen couldn’t accept that he was friends, and only friends, with Greta, Colin was staring at his drink musing over the fact that his relationship with Billie was fraught with her insecurities and her insistence that while her relationship with Bo was strictly platonic, he had to have something going on with Jen, Bo continually muttered that he loved Hope and only Hope, John forswore any interest in anyone but his ‘Doc’, Brady and Philip were toasting each other drunkenly to successfully forgetting what’s her name, Craig grumbled that he had not been staring at Carrie and Marlena’s figures for anything but a scientific speculative in what made them so alike though they weren’t related, Mike brooded over his drink bemoaning Carrie’s lack of faith in him, and Lucas and Brandon were swapping stories about Sami’s deviousness over brandies.
All of that was giving the barkeep the worst headache of his life, and the angry wailing the DJ was playing wasn’t helping. The Cheatin’ Heart was, after all, not a jazz club like the Blue Note, and he shook his head, wishing he was there instead.
His thoughts were disturbed by John banging his glass down and demanding more alcohol. "Give me another drink, now! And hurry up, boy!"
Unfortunately, though the drink came with the bartender’s smile, Marlena had heard her husband, and became aware of his presence.
"Don’t you speak to him like that, John!" She yelled without moving from her barstool.
"I’ll speak to him any damn way I want!" John roared back.
"And don’t curse!" Marlena snapped at him. "I don’t care if you were Stefano’s mercenary, and a priest, there is no excuse for bad manners!"
"Oh," Nancy snarled, "and you would know all about good manners, would you Marlena?"
"Oh, God," the bartender murmured, moving quickly towards the phone. He was going to call the police, but then noticed that most of the on duty officers were either fighting with their significant others, drinking themselves to oblivion, both, or in the case of Abe and the reformed Lexie, cuddled up in a corner. He let the phone fall back down. If the police couldn’t help him, then he would have to call in the big guns. He signalled to the DJ to take a break. Then, for the first time in hours, the barkeeper grinned. Perhaps doing this favour hadn’t been such a bad idea after all.
Around the bar, battle raged as significant others hit each other with barstools, men slugged it out, and women pulled each others’ hair, smacked cheeks and threw handbags.
The tall bartender dodged his way onto the stage, took the microphone, turned it on, and yelled, "Everybody! Stop!"
No one did.
He shrugged.
"For your pleasure tonight, and mine," he winked cheekily at someone behind the curtain, "the Cheatin’ Heart brings to you one of Salem’s very own..."
A slender, elegant, small blonde walked onto the stage, wearing a designer dress, fancy high heel shoes and subtle make up. She smiled down at her warring family, noting that she was related to everyone in the fight by blood, marriage, or future marriage.
"Belle Black." He handed her the microphone and leaped off the stage to see if he could rescue at least some of the furniture. The fight had slowed, some had even stopped to stare at Salem’s perkiest resident.
"I want to sing this for all of you," she stopped, smiled, and her eyes met with another’s, "and for a very old friend of mine."
Belle closed her blue eyes and signalled to the DJ. She didn’t want to watch as her parents, brother, whole family continued to fight. The music, only taped as no band could be hired, started, and Belle counted the beats before she came in. When she did, it seemed as if an angel of peace had descended among them.
"Come to me now, And lay your hands over me," barstools dropped from hands, and they turned to stare at her. "Even if it's a lie, say it will be alright," Belle opened her eyes, and sang on. "And I shall believe…"
All weapons were forgotten, people straightened up and began to blush with shame.
Belle never stopped singing. "I'm broken in two, and I know you're on to me," she watched as they spread out, moving away from each other, "That I only come home, when I'm so all alone," she had to breathe, but it didn’t matter, because she could see it working. "But I do believe."
She caught the eye of every person by the bar in turn, and seemed to be singing to them, and them alone, "That not everything is gonna be the way you think it ought to be," she gave them a little sad smile, remembering all of her own troubles, "It seems like every time I try to make it right…It all comes down on me."
This was going to be the hardest part. Then she caught the last eye, and she knew that though things could be bad, she would never feel so all alone again. "Please say honestly," the words caught in her throat, and she would never know how she got them past that lump, "you won't give up on me," then it all became so much easier. "And I shall believe…"
Love flowed through the bar, enveloping everyone.
"Open the door, and show me your face tonight," she caught sight of the bartender’s wildly grinning face from behind the half wrecked bar, and her smile widened just a little further.
"I know it's true, no one heals me like you, and you hold the key," the multiple couples’ eyes caught, held, and slowly drew them together. "Never again would I turn away from you, I'm so heavy tonight but your love is alright, and I do believe."
They were moving together now, towards each other and the dance floor. Somehow, though they never took their eyes off their loved one, they managed not to crash into each other. The power of love, she guessed.
"That not everything is gonna be the way," Belle sang on, "You think it ought to be. It seems like every time I try to make it right, it all comes down on me," another killer smile flashed from across the room, and Belle’s heart accelerated. "Please say honestly," she was pleading now, knowing already what the answer would be, "You won't give up on me, and I shall believe…"
The old couples were all together now, dancing slowly, except somehow, Chloe was with Austin, Philip and Brady had found Mimi and Nicole to dance with, and Eric had appeared in Greta’s forgiving arms.
‘Eh,’ the bartender thought, as the closing bars of the song played. ‘Whatever makes them happy.’
Belle’s eyes were closed again, "I shall believe… and I shall believe."
She blushed as she finished, but no applause came. They hadn’t even noticed the song had finished. Everyone was still dancing, still happy in their own little worlds, and she wasn’t going to be the one to disturb that.
The dark haired, brown eyed, ex-Merchant Marine, one night only bartender put his hand out and helped the blonde haired, blue eyed, ex-model, one night only bar singer down from the stage.
"Thank you for tonight," Belle whispered as they slipped out the door, wrapped in her coat and his arms.
"Thank you," he whispered back.
She smiled, and he could see it shine in the half light. "Aren’t you glad we don’t fight like that?"
"I don’t know," he shrugged, teasing her, "maybe we should fight more often with the way we make up."
"Baby," she pulled him closer, "we don’t need to fight to do the making up."
"Are you sure?" He seemed unconfident. He said something for her ears only.
"Shawn Douglas Brady," Belle Black whispered back to him, "I’ll love you now, forever and always."
With a flash of romanticism, remembering her eleventh favourite movie was ‘Ghost’, he answered, "‘Ditto.’"
She laughed, "You sweet fool!"
"Maybe," his eyes were serious then, "but I’m your fool alone, Belle Brady gonna be. Yours, and only yours. To be with you and in love with you always and forever."
"Then let’s kiss to seal the deal." She offered.
He grinned.
They did…
And they were.
Artist: Sheryl Crow Album: Tuesday Night Music Club Title: I Shall Believe