I'm Too Sexy For My Turban By (who else?) LesliWeird Hadji blinked at the glaring stage lights. He couldn't see Jonny or Jessie through the brightness. He couldn't even make out the rows of seats in the high school auditorium. At least he could take some small solace in the fact that only his two friends would be there on such a beautiful Saturday. "Are you ABSOLUTELY sure there is not something else I could do?" He asked. "No way, Hadji!" Jonny yelled back, "You bet you would sing if you lost!" "If I had known you meant for me to sing this..." Hadji began. "It's like you always say, 'a blind man can't take the sunrise for granted'." "What does that have to do with anything?!" Hadji demanded. He sighed and rotated his shoulders backwards. It was getting hot. "Just remember, Jonny, you promised not to bring a camera." "Hadj, please!" Jonny retorted, managing to sound faintly offended while suppressing a laugh. "Music's ready, Hadji," Jessie said, looking from the control board. She had wired the sound to a portable control so she could sit on the front row. She wouldn't have missed this for the world! "You ready?" "Give me one last moment of dignity." Jonny leaned over and whispered into Jessie's ear. "Too bad for us he made me promise not to bring a camera," he said ruefully. She grinned back at him, an evil gleam in her eyes in the dim light. She pulled out one of the books she had brought to help her with the wiring. "Too bad for him he didn't make me promise!" She flipped open the book to reveal a small video camera. "Alright, I am ready," came Hadji's resigned voice. Jessie flipped a few switches. Fog poured in from the wings. The lights switched to blue. A strong beat resounded from the speakers. Hadji, standing in the middle of it, tapped his foot to the music. When he began to sing, his voice was deeper than the one he usually spoke with. "I'm too sexy for my shirt, too sexy for my shirt, so sexy it hurts!" Stepping across the stage in time with the music, he pulled of the overshirt he had been wearing. Jonny burst out laughing and it was all Jessie could do to keep from joining him. She patted her hidden camera lovingly. "And I'm too sexy for my city, too sexy for my city; Calcutta and Delhi!" "Sure are," Jessie said under her breath. "What was that?" Jonny asked. She smiled at him innocently. "I'm a model, yah. And I do my little turn on the catwalk," Hadji spun on one foot. Jonny and Jessie balked. He looked absolutely professional. "Where did he learn to do THAT?!" Jonny asked. "He never even watches MTV!" Jessie shrugged. She was just as stumped as he was. "I'm too sexy for your party, too sexy for your party. No way I'm disco dancing." Hadji dipped into a disco move. He swayed and stepped, his turban and white undershirt contrasting with his coppery skin. "He can't be this good!!" Jonny's jaw dropped to the floor. "What did he do, practice for this?" "He couldn't have!" Jessie exclaimed, "I only told him about it today!" "I'm too sexy for my turban, too sexy for my turban, so sexy I'm burning!" He twirled his hand over his head and before he had finished his line, his turban was neatly wrapped around his forearm. Both of his friends' eyes bulged. "I'm a model, yeah, and I do my little turn on the catwalk." Hadji turned away from the audience, laced his hands behind his head, and swung his hips. "I think he's enjoying this!!" Jonny said accusingly. "I know I am," Jessie said quietly grinning. "Huh? I didn't catch that." "Shhhh!" Hadji spun again, ending up in the center of the stage, feet together, facing straight forward. "And I'm too sexy for this song." The music cut off. Jessie flipped a switch, turning the lights back to their usual white. "That was GREAT!!" she said, setting aside her switchboard, and hopping up to the stage. "You think so?" Hadji asked, blushing as he wound his turban back around his head. He smiled at Jessie as she tossed him back his discarded shirt. "I am glad you liked it. It was rather nice to 'let my hair down' so to speak." "Where did you learn how to dance like that?" she inquired as they hopped down off the stage and left the auditorium. Jonny watched them leave, dumbfounded. With a sudden look of determination he scrambled up on stage. He blinked at the stage lights. Well, he thought, if Hadji can do it so can I! He launched himself into a twirl. Jonny felt a rush of air and a sudden downward pull as he spun wildly off the front of the stage. "Oh, Jonny," came Jessie's voice from the hallway, "could you turn off the lights? And get my ca- I mean my book? I left it ON the seat." The crumpled heap that was once Jonny Quest twitched spasmodically. It was just not his day. |