Big wheel keep on turnin'...

Thursday’s spin class at LeFittes was taught by substitute teacher Troy. This is the guy that I have nicknamed Drill Instructor Troy (DIT). DIT knows how to make a person sweat and he makes you “feel the burn.”

When DIT started the last song of the class, I started to grin because from the first three notes of the introduction, I knew it was Ike & Tina Turner’s Proud Mary. DIT looked at me and said, “I had to play this song.” As I’m spinning to the “big wheel keep on turnin'…”, I had a:

FLASHBACK

Picture this. New Orleans. August 25, 2001. 3:00A. Clover Grill on Bourbon Street. It is my last trip to The Big Easy before I turn 40 and Jim has joined me for my weekend get-away. We have walked every inch of The Quarter and are trying to make our way back to the apartment on Ursuline.

We stop at Clover Grill for a Cadillac Hubcap Cheeseburger and a Geaux Girl Waffle. Oh…did I mention we were over-served with adult beverages? We have to sit at the counter. I’m on the end, Jim is to my left and to his left is a man with no “teef.” Behind us is a table with two girls and a guy.

I notice that one of the girls is taking off her bra without taking off her dress. Jim is still talking to the man with no “teef.”
And then it happens. The opening notes to Ike & Tina Turner’s Proud Mary starts to play on the jukebox. I love the way Tina says, “Ya know, every now and then I think you might like to hear something from us nice and easy…”

Well, at some point during the intro, I have the bra on my head. Jim happens to turn to his right and just stares at me. Mr. Toothless doesn’t seem phased.

OK. So now the song is picking up. You know when the trumpets start to play and Tina lets loose. At that point Braless Girl assumes the role of Tina Turner, her friends jump up and I jump off the stool and we are now the Ikettes (me with the bra on my head.)

We are doing our best imitation of Tina & The Ikettes when I look out the window. There is a guy and girl looking in and he has the video camera rolling. Funny thing is…he doesn’t have the audio of what is happening inside. LOL The song ends and life goes on at Clover Grill.

I have romanticized what happened with the videotape. The couple looked German so I figure it ended up on some German tv show: Americans Do The Funniest Things or some bar in Berln figured out it was Proud Mary, added the audio and 6 years later is still showing it on comedy night.

I do remember Jim looking at me and laughing and saying, “I can’t believe you’re going to be 40.”

See what happens when my mind wanders during spin class?!