The Reconstruction of Walter Emanuel

“Ah Louie, Louie, oh no, said we gotta go…”

Walter’s jaw nearly dropped off of his face; not only had she picked a song he loved, but she was signing along like she didn’t care if anyone heard her!

“… yeah, yeah, ya said ah Louie, Louie, oh baby said we gotta go…”

Her voice echoed clearly around the entire bar and while she was by no means a professional singer, the young woman could carry a tune much better than anyone Walter knew. As she rounded out the opener, he desperately hoped that she wouldn’t butcher the first verse too badly.

“…a fine little girl, she waiting for me, me catch a ship, across the sea…”

Walter’s chest began to swell in pure elation; she knew the lyrics and wasn’t just mumbling words!

“…me sail that ship, ah all alone, me never think how make it home…”

In a move that even he could not have predicted, Walter jumped out of his seat. His elation erupted into pure joy as the young woman finished the first verse with the correct lyrics. Only a devoted fan of the Kingsmen would bother to learn the lyrics of Louie, Louie when even the liner notes on the album had gotten them wrong. In that moment, something inside of Walter Emanuel changed once again. A combination of gears and computations deep inside his brain finally clicked over and before he knew it, Walter had decided that he too was going to sing again.

“…Ah Louie, Louie, yeah, nah nah, now, said we gotta go…”

As the words rolled off his tongue, Walter’s voice grew both steadier and louder. He’d always been able to sing, but had rarely pursued the activity because of his own social anxiety issues. Now he was lustily throwing himself into the second verse of Louie, Louie with a young woman he’d only just met. They didn’t even know each other’s names! Somehow, this felt right and normal, while all the normal things he’d tried to do all day had been miserable failures.

“…three nights and days, I sailed the sea, me think of girl, ah, constantly…”

The two of them gleefully ripped through the second verse in almost perfect harmony and it was all Walter could do to keep from laughing openly in delight. As the guitar solo changed into the third verse, even the sneering bartender joined in, adopting a comic baritone to play off the pair’s harmony.

“…me see Jamaica, I’ll move about, it’s ten feet long, me see me love…”

The young woman burst out laughing, before squealing “that’s not how the lyrics go Ryan!”

The young bartender just smiled and winked at Walter, while making up the lyrics as he went along. Finally, the song drew towards its riotous close and the three of them joined in together.

““… yeah, yeah, ya said ah Louie, Louie, oh baby, said we gotta go…”

Then, just like that, a mere two minutes and fifty seconds later – the moment was over. The jukebox hummed softly, waiting for more quarters. For a few seconds in the dreadful quiet of the room, Walter could feel his anxiety building. Then the young woman laughed, which made the bartender laugh and before Walter knew it, he was laughing too.

“So, I’m Rachel and as you probably guessed I like to sing in empty bars. What’s your name?”

The effortless way she spoke disarmed Walter immediately and without realizing it, he discarded his plan to lie about his name during this trial-run period of his new life.

“I’m Walter Emaneul and I work at an advertising firm nearby, thank you for asking. I’m delighted that you know the real lyrics to Louie, Louie. I can’t imagine it’s a popular song on the radio today.”

“My mother was crazy about The Kingsmen, I probably heard that song a thousand times before I was ten years old. The lyrics aren’t that hard if you listen closely. By the way, thank you for not being a creeper, no offense Walter but I made you for a John when you walked in the door. This place attracts the periodic dirty old man during business happy hour” she replied smiling.

“Oh no, miss, I mean Rachel. I actually have a little bit of trouble just talking to people regularly. I think it’ll be a little while before I’m worried about dating. Besides, if you don’t mind my saying so – you’re a bit out of my league young lady and I’m almost an old man.”

Rachel laughed again, but her eyes gave Walter a long, cautious stare as if to assess his honesty and intentions. Walter really couldn’t blame her; he supposed that she’s heard every pick-up line in the book from all manner of pervert by now. After all, he’d owned an internet connection for far too long to believe otherwise. A moment later, her warm, genuine smile returned.

“Well Walter, I wouldn’t sell yourself so short, I bet you were a rake back in the day sir. Were you a big fan of Louie, Louie in the sixties? Are you even old enough for that?”

Walter blushed slightly. “Surely you jest, but thank you for the compliment. Actually, I was born the year after the song was released. I just read a lot of interesting things on the internet and the lyrics to Louie, Louie have made plenty of people very angry over the years. Did you know that the FBI once conducted a 30 month investigation into just what exactly the lyrics of the song meant?”

“No! Did that really happen, why?” she replied.

“Apparently, Hoover thought there was some kind of satanic code hidden in the lyrics if you played the song at varying rotations per minute. Eventually one of the agents in charge of figuring it out said that the song was indecipherable, at any speed!”

Rachel’s eyes flashed with delight, “wow that’s a great story Walter, and you say you’re not good at talking to people? I find that hard to believe now.”
Walter could only smile back in reply while miming incredulity before their brief conversation was interrupted by the now-friendly bartender.

“Do you guys want any more drinks before the evening crowd comes in? We have a Rolling Stones cover band setting up in a half hour; the place is going to be crawling with wannabe high-rollers and soccer moms. It could take you a long while to even get a pop later.”

“Oh no, I can’t. My night class at the University is starting at eight and if I don’t leave now actually, I might be late” replied Rachel, looking down at her watch.

Walter winced inwardly at this news, but quickly realized that he was not ready to experience a live concert and a room full of talkative people, yet.

“No thank you Ryan, it was a pleasure to meet both of you but I should settle up my bill and get back home myself. Thanks for sharing a song with me, that’s the most fun I’ve had in a very long time.”

As he downed the last of his lager and Ryan rang up his bill, Rachel gathered her belongings and shouted “goodbye” on her way out the door. Walter slid a twenty dollar bill across the mahogany bar, chuckling quietly to himself.

“What’s so funny Walt? Here, let me get your change…”

“Naw, you can keep it” Walter replied, still chuckling.

“What?”

Walter looked up from his wallet at the bartender and said “well, I was just thinking how funny perceptions are and how much they affect our lives. I honestly thought Rachel was here on business and I can tell by how you were looking at me when I walked in here, that you didn’t think I was up to any good either. “

“Honestly Walt? I thought you might have a drinking problem. Only guys with drinking issues show up here smack on the dot at five, hours before the night crowd shows up. I know Rachel though; she goes to college around here and hangs out during the evenings, when it’s empty. That’s why she orders all those rum and cokes without the rum, she’s gotta stay sharp for class.”

Walter’s face burst into a wide grin despite himself.

“And to think Ryan, if not for Louie, Louie, I’d still think you were the least friendly bartender in the entire city” he called backwards fondly as he stepped out the door, and onto the wet pavement. Since he’d arrived at the Rexington, a drizzle of rain had broken the clouds.

Drawing his jacket up around his shoulders and stepping out into the light rain, Walter Emanuel found inspiration. The poster store he’d wanted to visit before work didn’t close until nine and it was only now coming on eight. He would go to the poster store, he would discuss options with a clerk and he would purchase something colorful to decorate at least one of his drab apartment walls. He wasn’t ready to take off the training wheels yet, but for now, simply interacting with random people would be enough. It was important to share your life with others; he’d need to thank Doris for reminding him about that as soon as he got back home. With a tune on his lips, a spring in his step and laughter in his heart, Walter calmly walked towards the poster shop – softly singing Louie, Louie under his breath.

• Nina Illingworth