Karaoke Night at GoGoKaraoke
gogokaraokelv.com

As usual Duncan was prepared. He reserved a VIP room (25+) at the GoGoKaraoke. It was the #1 karaoke place in Las Vegas - and opened at 6 PM rather than, like many, at 8 or 9. He was amazed at just how cheap the room was - a mere $50 an hour. They made their money on food and drinks. He made it simple for the staff. He prepaid for the whole night - though he suspected they would only use it for about 4-5 hours as most had to work the next morning. He paid for 4 limos in advance - to pick up at the diner and drop people at their homes as needed. He explained to everyone attending that fluorescent ID stamps would be applied on minors to prevent them from being served alcohol. He, was still under 21 himself.

His plans included having appetizers constantly refreshed as they were consumed. Food and drink would be free - the full menu. In short, the entire tab was on him. And he placed a solid deposit to cover costs.

For this occasion he chose to dress up stylish. He was bringing his own sound equipment - two guitars - a Martin and a Gibson. He also brought his own keyboard. Clearly he was planning to have fun. He had mentioned that he didn’t do well in a crowd. This clearly did not apply to speaking to a crowd or being the center of attention. He could perform. It was being jostled about in the middle of a crowd - trapped confinement - that bothered him. As the evening approached his energy began to peak. He was having to force himself to be patient and let others get up and sing.

But perhaps, above all this, he was looking forward to seeing if Aliyah would sing.

Aliyah couldn't have been happier. This party she and Duncan had thrown together was absolutely amazing. She was greeting coworkers, and their families. Once everyone had shown up, she was informed she should make some sort of speech. She walked to the stage and took the microphone.

"First of all I want to thank you all for coming, although anyone who has worked in the industry knows the minute you say free food we are all in." She joked. "So, as most of you know the reason for this little get together is that I am no longer with Omlette House." She paused for some of the groans to quiet down. "I know I know, this is upsetting to some of you because now you'll actually have to work on your shift." She again paused for the laughter. It seemed that as much as Aliyah avoided being the center of attention, she thrived in the spotlight.

"So, I know there are questions about where and why I am leaving since I think at the last Christmas Party I was voted most likely to never retire." She laughed before continuing.

"As some of you are aware, I had the great fortune to meet someone, and yes... I did meet them at work, I have no other life as we all know. Duncan swept into my life with out so much as a by your leave, and cheerfully turned it upside down." She grinned at Duncan and gave him a wink to show she was again teasing.

"Duncan has asked me to join him in traveling the world, and I have agreed. So we decided to throw this little gathering to give me a chance to say goodbye, and thank you all for being such wonderful friends and coworkers over the years."

She handed the microphone back to the KJ and made a beeline for Duncan. She pressed her back against his chest wrapping his arms around her, staying secure in his embrace. She had no intention of singing tonight, but it seemed her friends had other ideas. It hadn't been long before her name was called. She glanced around her but no one would admit that they had submitted her name.

She sighed and headed back to the stage where the KJ let her know that it wasn't just one request, he had a stack of them he would be inserting in with the others all night long.

Aliyah took the microphone and tried to look grumpy. "Alright guys... You win." She admitted taking a small sip of her beer. She did drink some, but she drank very slowly.

She grinned as she saw the song flash on the screen. It seemed her coworkers knew her musical tastes well. m.youtube.com/watch?v=F81XpfDKbQI

She finished her song and headed back to Duncan with a grin. "Well that was interesting."

Duncan restricted his drinks to fruit juices, IBC root beer (“because it’s the best!”), and Virgin Mary’s. He even had himself stamped as Under 21 to set the example. He even admitted he was turning 21 in late September - which wasn’t so very far off. But he gave no other explanation as to why beyond the letter of the Law. (He didn’t want to dampen the mood.) Aliyah, however, already knew the truth by now. His natural father had abandoned him and his mother when he was 3 and a half years old and dying in the hospital of spinal meningitis. He had arrived at the hospital so late that the doctors, with all their medical know how, still recommended prayer and offered a very poor odds of survival with a high probability of brain damage. His father had been an alcoholic. Two years later his maternal grandparents had asked him to make a promise. Age age 5 he swore never to smoke, drink or do drugs.

Duncan took his promises very seriously.

When it came time for him to step up he grinned. “Hello everyone. I am Public Enemy #1, the guy absconding your Aliyah. I am Duncan Moran. For those who were wondering if I am THAT Duncan Moran, the answer is yes. I wrote science fiction. And yes, if any of you are fans of my books and want me to autograph one, just say so. I’ll leave my number with your managers just in case you didn’t know. We plan to be in the area a bit longer taking care of travel arrangements. We plan to visit every continent on Earth. And who knows, we may even take a trip into outer space. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that one to Aliyah.” He laughed. “I am almost certain I mentioned planning to say hello to the Penguins.

“I have been traveling my whole life as a military brat. For the past 5 years I settled down to concentrate of college. Now I wanted to travel again. But there is no real joy in seeing the world alone. The best way to see the world is in the eyes of another. I met Aliyah here and … “ he flushed a little. It took him a moment to recover. “Truth is she swept me off MY feet. Not literally. She’d have thrown out her back trying to do that. But in her I found someone I wanted to show the world.

“Now I could come up with a zillion songs and take up the whole evening - for as long as my voice lasted. But I limited my selection to a few. The first is one I sang for a school play in high school. Yes, I did all the dance moves, painful as they are. A am going to do a modified version as I don’t have a football team here to catch or pick me up. I did, however, bring my very real football jersey. I was a Kicker. Lots of stories there, but I’ll keep this short. Okay … let’s do this. For those who know the parts the crowd takes up, feel free to join in.”

Ridiculous - Descendants
youtu.be/U4WPjBZy-7s

Duncan had fun with the song and even wore his old football jersey so he could remove it and toss it to her. Afterwards he laughed. “Yes, I took some entertainment classes in school. Now this next one will be a bit more serious.

All of Me
youtu.be/450p7goxZqg?list=PLZo-A9S0Yz9..

When he was done with the second song he took a bow and smiled about as comfortable as he could be. Then he smiled impishly, that devilish look in his eyes. “But I am going to need you all a lot drunker than this if I am going to sing Loving Feeling …”

Aliyah laughed and tugged his jersey over her head, and simply because of the height difference she still swam in it. When he was done and off stage, she pulled him close giving him a kiss. "Thank you for this." She told him glancing away as the microphone squealed as the next performer stepped too close to the speakers while getting ready.

She looked back at him still grinning. "We never did have much chance to get together outside of work, other than the yearly Christmas party. I think this has been fun for everyone."

Aliyah stood close to Duncan for most of the evening, keeping him behind her when possible. It was very comfortable for her like that. Once in a while she would notice one of the other of them getting overwhelmed by too many people. That is when she would make her way with him in tow to a quiet little corner giving them a few minutes alone, away from the group.

The night fairly flew by, and before she knew it people were seeking her out to say their final goodbyes. She had lots of requests to get a facebook, so she ended up giving out her email address. Once she had one, which she was going to have to get and soon, she would deal with all the friend requests. A few even told her she should start a blog so everyone could 'travel with her.' She laughed and brushed off that suggestion reminding them that Duncan was the writer, not her.

Soon it was just the two of them and Aliyah looked around with a soft sigh. "I can't believe how many showed up." She said. "It really was a lot of fun."

Duncan enjoyed wrapping his arms around Aliyah. He did his best to behave sociably as they bid the last guests farewell. They had slept in and Duncan still felt like he was staying up past his bedtime. Of course, he had a ‘bad’ feeling that the night wasn’t over just yet. He kissed the back of Aliyah’s neck and told her he had to take care of the bill. He had placed a deposit that probably more than covered everything. But he wanted to thank their hosts anyways. He got a little help loading up his instruments - which he hardly used. As it turned out there were more than enough people who wanted to get up and ‘make fools’ of themselves.

One of the best reasons to rent a place was that they didn’t have to clean up after themselves. Duncan hated making a mess when he ate. You could always tell when he was done with a meal when he started putting the salt and pepper shakers back where they belonged and he started neatly folding napkins, placing paper trash in a tidy pile. Aliyah could tell that even now he was fighting the urge to start picking up after the group. But he was consoling himself with the fact that he had tipped VERY nicely.

Then he was finally back to wrapping his arms around Aliyah. It had hit him that he was doing a great deal more than just offering to take her around the world. That was practically a pick up line. Truth was, SHE was taking HIM around the world. He would probably have forced himself to make trips to all the continents - just to do so. But he wouldn’t have enjoyed it as much. Traveling the US wasn’t going to be as much fun as traveling the world - for him. He had already seen much of the USA. Historical sites like battlefields barely interested him - especially the Civil War. But scientific achievement sites he cared about. And geologic sites, astronomical, and archaeological sites he did. Sites devoted to people like writers were mildly interesting. Interactive sites he knew he’d enjoy.

++++++++++

It had been a few days since the karaoke night. Duncan had asked the employment agency to send first class travel arrangements to both of his butlers. And had their payroll start immediately. Yes, he was paying them for the travel time. It was a little unusual. He went through another round of interviews for accountants, property managers, and such. He learned that his RV had arrived in New York City and finally cleared customs with all the modifications complete and tested. It had had to clear safety inspections for use in the USA and Canada. Plus he had had it rigged to tow the limo.

Duncan presented Aliyah with what looked like a very expensive touchscreen hybrid gaming laptop. It was way more than she’d ever need. But he had no end of fun showing her some of the options she’d enjoy most. He also suggested they take some classes. He had actually liked the Facebook idea and starting a multimedia blog - even though he hated social media and lacked a facebook account of his own. Well, he had an account, but never used it except as a way to log into other accounts.

(Posting what I have. Getting lots of interruptions from work …)

Aliyah had loved spending the evening wrapped in Duncans arms, and as things finally wound to a close she relaxed back into his embrace. It had been a very enjoyable evening. She took one last glance around the room as they finished gathering everything up. Luckily a room full of servers left very little mess, as they knew what it was like for those having to clean up after them. She was practically vibrating with the excitement from the night, that was until she slid into the limo. She promptly rested her head on Duncan's shouler and was sound asleep almost before they were out of the parking lot.

------------------------------------------

The next few days with Aliyah would have tested the patience of a saint. She was not used to a lot of downtime. It wasn't until Duncan presented her with the laptop that she had something to keep her busy. She greeted the gift with a lot of excitement, especially as he showed her a lot of the things she could do. She agreed with taking some classes with him, but she was definately having fun playing around with it.

The benefit of it having a touch screen was it was much easier for her to manipulate things to create her own designs for cross stitch. While Duncan spent his days taking care of business Aliyah spent her time playing on her laptop working on new designs.

Duncan actually carried a sleeping Aliyah into Caesars grinning from ear to ear and explained as quietly as he could manage about her farewell party and the karaoke. When asked, he claimed she sang like an angel.

+++++++++++++++

For time fillers together, Duncan started with things he knew Aliyah enjoyed doing. One of the first was learning how to shoot a pistol. Duncan was a little better than he thought. But it was something he had no clue what he was doing. He asked occasional technical questions noone could answer, but shrugged if noone and said it was fine. While Aliyah shot he’d jot down some sort of physics equation and have an ‘educated answer.’ But even that he limited to something like “don’t poke your finger in the business end to stopper it up.” By the end of the lesson he was shooting pretty accurately. He asked about a pop up target course, something he thought Aliyah might have fun with, and made an appointment.

He seemed to have lost sight on seeing the world. He was having fun just spending time with Aliyah. He took her on a picnic - with catering services that fed the homeless - while he worked with it like a soup kitchen - getting extra server help from the same catholic mission he had made the benefactor of his date leftover funds. He started an employment agency for the homeless that did more than just find them jobs. It prepared them. He created an employment agency specifically tailored for veterans returning from overseas.

He had all sorts of fun trying to pull off a cosplay event for kids in need of prosthetics. He arrived in a suit of armor that had been 3D printed. It had working parts. He asked Aliyah to go as Pepper. He even managed to get legal permission to do the cosplay - and got the real actors to show up. The real shock for him was to meet Stan Lee and the rest of the the Avengers. Duncan had heard of a program that Robert Downey Jr had been involved with that allowed kids to be fitted with a cool prosthetic for a mere $450 that was 3D printed. Duncan dropped a couple million for the printers and programs.

Duncan also sponsored a Shriner’s Circus event. And it was very clear that the most important part of the event was the fact that all these were tax writeoffs, it was watching the looks on the faces of the kids.

Of course he also had fun on the go cart track, playing mini golf, taking Aliyah on a romantic gondola ride. He took flying lessons …. Yes flying lessons … in a Cessna. He also went on a scenic biplane ride. They took motorcycle lessons.

drive.google.com/open?id=1UonI8-vVtvZp..

And then it was time to drive to Albuquerque to meet the new butlers - Marcia Adams and Masumi Fujita. And Aliyah had a chance to see Duncan ‘hovel.’ Of course, she knew it wasn’t going to be a hovel. He kept smirking mischievously every time he used the word. Duncan had a feeling that Aliyah wouldn’t really like the house. Sure, she might find it impressive. But it wouldn’t have the familiar home feel that her old place had. That sort of thing took time to build. But he still had to torture with the suggestion that he was interested in her input on turning the place into a home. The place lacked much in the way of furniture. Duncan put Marcia in charge of selecting some things for the home including her own needs and gave her an expense account for that purpose.

(For an idea of the type of home, look at a map of Albuquerque at the road furthest north - hwy 565 I think - and the large southwestern ranch styled homes. There is a subdivision called Eagle Rock. Go West and there is a lone house. Duncan’s home is shown yet. It is a bit west of there and is a home twice that size built on a lot the size of a subdivision and gated for privacy. Not exactly the most sociable sort of home.)

He showed Marcia where he might have a POD of Aliyah’s things dropped. He introduced Masumi to Gary. After that he had three days of running about taking care of business. He was almost angry when his business took more than 6-8 hours of the day. He wanted time to spend with Aliyah. But he had had to have face to face meetings at some point with a lot of signatures to make.

But this was home for Duncan. And he knew of a few things to see and do in the area. Sandia Peak was either a 2 hour drive or a tram ride up. And really it was far from the most scenic place he knew of. Old Towne was a tourist trap. Probably his favorite place to go was the Jemez Mountains. They weren’t very much mountains. The Appalachians were more than this place. But it had great camping and fishing - as well as a hot spring. Nearby Soda Dam had been closed due to tourists abusing the place.

A month on Las Vegas had gone by fast. A week and a half in Albuquerque had flown by. And now they were getting ready for real travel. He brought up the possibility of using an RV. However he found that most RV’s lacked the space to bed four people comfortably. But he tossed the idea out for Aliyah to give her thoughts.

Aliyah loved spending time with Duncan. It turned out she was still a fairly decent shot. It took her a while to settle back into a comfortable rhythm, but once she she did, she nailed it. She loved just spending time with him. Some of the things they did were absolutely crazy to her, but she went along with it.

She spent a lot of time snapping pictures of everything happening around them. She and Duncan had discussed using facebook and a blog to share their adventures, so she took lots of pictures. Thankfully it was digital, or she would need a separate vehicle to carry film.

Aliyah said nothing as they approached his home, but she did look over at him and start laughing. She just shook her head as they drove through the gates. It was HUGE. It was far more space than they would ever need, but she just went with it. She did bitch that she needed a map to get around though.

Aliyah thought about it and sighed. "I don't know, I could go either way. Have you asked Gary his opinion?" She temporized as she started googling information on luxury RV's

(Sorry my brain is still working on functioning LOL)

Duncan explained two things that sold him on the house. First, it had a two story library. He was a book collector - sci fi paperbacks up until now. He also collected books on technology - how to do everything from make a stone knife to a nuclear generator. There was a main section to the house and two wings and a half wings, plus a large basement with storm cellar and vault. There were a whopping 12 bedrooms plus the master bedroom. He had almost suggested Marcia enjoy the master bedroom, but she very firmly nixed that idea. She almost managed to sound cross with him for even suggesting it. Then she turned to Masumi and told the other butler that a little education in etiquette was in order. Masumi gave a slight bow and explained that Duncan had already made that one of her duties. But she was politely holding lessons until later, after she had a chance to observe his strengths and weaknesses.

Gary was completely ambivalent about the RV idea. He did point out that an RV added the need to find a place to park - and that they could always bring a tent. Duncan nodded. He looked up 3 room tents and came up with one that could be ordered and picked up at Walmart for under $300. It was actually a 12 man tent. Each room could fit a queen sized air mattress. “I am adding an air compressor. There is no way I am going to blow up multiple air mattresses in one sitting.” He looked at Masumi. “Not to worry, tenting is only for those really off the beaten track locations where there are no hotels.” Duncan began explaining more in detail about his plans to see the USA, then Europe travel either east to Europe or west to Australia or Japan. He added that he was interested in Masumi and Gary’s input.

The problem Duncan really had with all the RV’s were their floorplans. Most had a single master bedroom, plus a sofa hide-a-bed. A few added bunkbeds. It it was just he and Aliyah, the decision would be easy. Gary would probably have been fine with a sofa bed given his military past. But adding a butler complicated things.

Surprisingly it was Masumi who pushed the decision back toward the RV and “roughing” it. She asking if she could have time to put together a spice rack, a tea set, and if they were, like many Americans, coffee drinkers a way to make proper coffee. With a very few luxuries Masumi was up for the challenge on a long term basis - to include the yachting trip.

Duncan smiled and looked at Masumi. “Aliyah, remind me to pick up some extra photo gear. Actually, we should ALL go shopping for clothing suitable for travel and fun. Hiking, swim suits, and such. Okay … I have an RV picked out. It’s only downside is the sleeping arrangements for Gary and Masumi. One of the floorplans has two sofa hide-a-beds. I think there is a privacy screen.”

“I also think I have an initial plan. Part of me wants to go north to Los Alamos. There are a couple interesting things to do there. But south is Bosque del Apache, Elephant Butte, and Gila Cliff Dwellings. Carlsbad Caverns are down there too. But if anyone here is claustrophobic, that might be out. And if so, not a problem.”

Aliyah was less than thrilled about the idea of shopping, but saw the necessity, and agreed that it was probably a good idea. She had kept very little of the stuff from her place, mostly because she didn't really care for a lot of it.

She was rather surprised that Matsumi was so much for roughing it, although she was fairly certain that in a luxury RV, that life would be far from her definition of roughing it. It was going to be an interesting experience, that was for sure. She made a mental note to do what she could though to help Matsumi.

"I have no problem with going either direction." She told Duncan sliding in front of him so her back was against his chest. She tilted her head back so she could look up at him. "But Sunscreen, lots and lots of sunscreen. It may have escaped your notice but I share the same skin tone as a guppy. " She said with a laugh. She reached her arms up so she could slide her fingers through the back of his hair pulling him down for a kiss. She was far more comfortable with displays of affection than he was, but she would through repeated application get him at least used to it.

Duncan looked at Aliyah with an odd expression for a moment after she kissed him. He was becoming more and more comfortable with public displays of affection. Masumi and Marcia seemed to be the presences making him uncomfortable now. And that was probably because they now worked for him. But as with all things Duncan seemed to adapt quickly. And to their credit neither butler gave any indication of a reaction.

Marcia seemed to study Aliyah when she thought the younger woman wasn’t watching. And that was likely because she could see what might very well be happening. Duncan didn’t treat Aliyah like a date, and barely like a girlfriend. He treated her more like a wife. And that fact didn’t escape Marcia at all. She realized she might be looking at a future co-employer. And as such, needed to be treated as such.

Masumi seemed more concerned about Gary. If Duncan was going to get an RV, then something was going to have to be done about sleeping arrangements. That particular fact was clearly what vexed Duncan to no end. Most RV’s have a main bedroom and a sleeper sofa. The sleeper might be a queen sized, but it would have to be shared. Either that or Duncan would have to get a family RV and most of those weren’t as nice. Only a custom RV would serve his purposes.

“Mind in the gutter,” Duncan was explaining with a sheepish grin. Then he examined his arms. “Yeah, you wouldn’t know it, but I am actually part Cherokee. Only 1/16th. It showed slightly more in my mother. But the benefit is that I don’t sunburn easily. I do burn though. Yes, suntan lotion … and aloe.” He grinned broader as he examined Aliyah back and kneaded her shoulders. “I suppose SOMEone will have to put the lotion on…” he laughed.

“Not a problem,” Gary needled.

Duncan took the bait. “No no .. can’t shirk my duty.”

++++++++++

Duncan had a surprise for Aliyah. He decided to take him to his high school to meet one of his teachers - specifically an English teacher. What he failed to mention was that his Creative Writing teacher had been Kassandra Soleil, a mystery novel author who had put out over a dozen best sellers. She looked like she might be Romani or Persian. It was really hard to tell. But the rumor was that she didn’t know her real name. She had been a child born of human trafficking and never knew her parents. Kassandra Soleil was a name she made up and eventually made her legal name.

She was also known to have worked with NYPD some years ago as a ‘psychic.’ She insisted that it was mentalism and that there was no such thing as magic. But even Duncan found her abilities amazing. He described the woman as ‘way smarter than him.’

Aliyah loved spending time with Duncan, and they seemed to fit together like a well oiled machine. They worked side by side planning things, ok so he planned and she agreed or suggested small changes to the plans. She noticed Marcia paying extra attention to her, especially when she was with Duncan, but she just put it off to Marcia wondering what this girl was doing here.

-------------

Aliyah was thrilled at the idea of seeing pieces of Duncan's past. She was practically vibrating with excitement as they approached the school. She listened to him talk about the things he did, and the ball games he played. She slipped her hand in his as they walked down the now empty halls towards the class room where she would meet his favorite teacher.

He led her through the door and she did a double take. She knew of Kassandra Soleil, anyone who read more than a book a year did. She looked at Kassandra, and then again at Duncan then back to Kassandra before clearing her throat and managing to squeak out a greeting.

Her hand tightened in Duncans for just a moment before she extended it to Ms. Soliel. "It is truly a pleasure to meet you." She said, not moving far from Duncan's side.

drive.google.com/open?id=1HDV1tpeZavdL..
Note: This profile would be 5-6 years out of date. She’d be 30 ish and very likely have a kid or two. She married a man named Sean Reed. But I wanted an image.

+++++++++++++++

Duncan was more than a little embarrassed as they passed the shrine to him in the sports case. He actually tried to walk right past it and ignore it. He had led the team to two years of consecutive championships, from last place and plans to terminate the program. He had set a new field goal record for points in a season, then nearly broke it the next year. He had been MVP … and in his senior year, the Team Captain.

He just shrugged. “And to think. The day I arrived I got in a fight with half the football team. But … things worked out.”

++++++++++++++

Kassandra grinned and shook Aliyah’s hand. Duncan gave a whistle. He never strayed far from Aliyah’s side either. They might as well have been joined at the hip. “I never did get to see that sparkler Mr Reed laid on you.”

Kassandra grinned. “Ouch, you know that would make him feel old. Congratulations by the way.”

“You heard. Mrs Reed .. or is it Soleil … or hyphenated somehow? Ouch?”

Kassandra’s nose wrinkled. “I walked into that one. I normally use Soleil because of my books.”

Duncan nodded. “And that is partly what brings us here. Aliyah is a big mystery novel fan. I thought she would love to meet you. And yes, I thought to bring some books … if it’s okay?”

“Of course,” Kassandra nodded. She looked at Aliyah. She was studying the body language of the two. “Duncan was one of my best students. So, tell me, how did you snare the single most sought after bachelor from Albuquerque Academy?” She smiled at Duncan’s discomfort. “They used to keep all sorts of vital statistics on him. You know how high school girls can be. He was the unobtainable. And many a girl tried to turn his head.”

“They DID turn my head,” Duncan objected.

“Shh … this is a girl - girl talk,” Kassandra winked slightly. “I have a feeling you don’t need any hints, cues or advice though Aliyah.”

Aliyah noticed Duncan's mild discomfort out of the corner of her eye. She knew her touch calmed him, as often as not, but she did notice that her holding him was still hard, so she tugged him gently behind her. She leaned back against his chest letting him be in control of the embrace as she spoke with Kassandra.

She laughed a little as she told the story of how they met, and how she played lets make a deal over date night. "Duncan and I do alright." She said with a smile. "I am sure at some point we will disagree, but for the most part we see eye to eye on most things, well except he delights in making my poor frugal heart skip a beat or three." She teased leaning back into Duncan a little.

"I can see why he was so sought after though. He really is an amazing person." She said tilting her head back to give him a smile. Her fingertips running lightly over his arms soothingly as they chatted.