Chapter 13 - Encore

Lacking any pockets in her outfit, Star handed me the business card of the Elvised spectator. It read 'Simon Rubin,Talent Scout and Record Producer' followed by a phone number and assorted social media profiles. I wondered if there was any relation to the legendary Rick Rubin, producer of a large part of anything that became a hit, or a maybe even a first name relation to Simon Cowell. Probably not. On the other hand, if he is legit, maybe I wouldn't even have to choose a study after all...
Carefully pocketing the card, I prepared for the second leg of our performance.

Allana and Chris had written their own duet in the style of Grease, although the lyrics hinted more at Cheese. (They managed to outcheese Grease, which is an accomplishment in itself). Chris hammered away on a djembe while Joan accompanied them on the mouth organ, because that enabled the audience to actually hear the lyrics. Her artificial ginger hairdo nicely clashed with the rusted steel bracers she forged for the occasion. We think the song was a success, because the landlord appeared to slightly but erratically move to the rhythm, which was a first.

Mary, who had been a strong supporter of 'Condiment Ladies' as a band name (Spice Girls but more mature. Vetoed by me for reasons of gender identification), had acquired a Theremin at the thrift shop. The jarring sound had made her parents think they were living in a haunted house. This was not helped by Mary's tendency to wear wide clothing and navigate through the house by touch, rather than turning on the lights. This wasn't strictly necessary anyway due to the built in lighting caused by the radioluminescent lipstick she invented, which wasn't even close to reaching its decaying halftime. (on a dark night, you could trace Mary's crushes through the years)

Afterwards we got to talk to the Police officer and his brother, the criminal. Apparently, the advantage of having crime and justice organised in this manner was that the kleptomaniac urges of the younger brother could be satisfied while the solving rate of crimes was astronomical. Most burgled people could come to collect their stuff within a day, with the burglar making sure nothing fell into the wrong hands. He usually cleaned and sometimes repaired the stolen items, making it a win-win situation. The brothers had a dedicated room to display the loot for easy pickup. Some people forfeited the stolen goods to benefit people in need, who could take their pick during the monthly charity session. The younger brother's extensive knowledge on who owned what in the neighbourhood, could also be of great help if you needed to borrow something specific. He would directly point you to the most likely person to ask for it.