Week 9 Story: I'm So Blue

 

Photo by Victrola Record Players on Unsplash

Story Source: Nina Paley's film, Sita Sings the Blues, is a full-length animated version of the Ramayana.

Judith was a wonderful blues singer, she frequented clubs that allowed her to sing at them and was able to make enough money to live off of. She wasn't quite famous, but she aspired to get there one day. When she was a child she was married off to a man named Richard in her family's attempt to give her a good home. 

Richard was the jealous type, but he was able to support them and give them a nice place to live. Judith felt unfulfilled in life. She loved Richard, but knew she was made for more than sitting at home and cooking a man dinner. So she decided to sing, and it was something she loved to do. One day Richard found out about her career in blues and was furious.

"Those bars are a dangerous place for a woman, Judy. You need to be careful! Stay in the house, that's the only way I can protect you." Richard said, very obviously concerned for his wife's safety. "I am going to work, but I will leave my friend Kenneth here with you. He can give you company and make sure you are safe." Judith hated this idea, this meant that she couldn't go to her blues bar and do what she loved to do. So when Richard left, she tricked Kenneth into leaving her alone. 

"Kenneth, Richard just called me. He forgot his lunch at home... I would bring it to him, but I know that I am not allowed to leave the house. I don't want to leave the dog by himself either. Would you mind bringing it to him?" Kenneth agreed, knowing Richard would prefer it that way. Once Kenneth was out of the house, Judith was able to sneak out with her heels in her hand. She made sure to put the dog in his crate before she left. She ran and ran to the bar that she was supposed to sing at that day. On the way there, a man in a convertible stopped her. 

"You, young lady... where are you going?" Judith was suddenly frightened, but knew that she would be okay if she just kept walking. "Ma'am, please I need help finding some place." Judith didn't wish to be mean so she slowed a bit,  but kept walking. 

"Where is it you want to go?" She said making sure she kept focus on her surroundings. "I want to head to the blues club called Ayodhya Blues, have you heard of it?" She nodded and didn't want to seem too eager because that's where she was running to and it was all the way across town.

"Yes, that's actually where I'm headed. Just go straight for three miles and turn right on Rama road." She said half smiling. 

"Well, if that's where you're headed. Let me help you, please. You aren't wearing shoes and if it is three miles down the road you're going to be exhausted before you even get to sing!" 

She appreciated the kind man's help, after all, he wouldn't call out the club she was going to by name if he had any bad intentions. She started to get in and then realized, "wait, how did you know I was singing there?" 

The man smiled, and said very clearly, "You just seem like that kind of girl." Before she could shut the door he drove off in the complete opposite direction that she pointed him in. She started to panic and didn't quite know what to do. What was Richard going to think? He would never forgive her for what she had done.  

***

Back at Richard and Judith's house, Kenneth returned from delivering Richard's lunch to realize that Judith was nowhere to be found. When he saw that the dog was in his crate, he knew she had run away. Kenneth called Richard up and they tried to figure out where she would've gone. They called up the blues club they knew she sang at, but the manager said she didn't come in today even though she called to confirm she would.

At this point the two men knew she had been taken. They took to the streets and walked around. Realizing their dog was sniffing around, Richard bent down to see one of her heels left on the street. 

"We've got to save her Richard," Kenneth said worried. Richard looked very glazed over, he knew what he had to do, but he was so angry. He knew that if she was taken by a man, that she would have not been faithful to him. The dog sniffed around until he stopped at a door. The men banged on the door and when there wasn't an answer Richard broke in. Storming into the abandoned shop, they saw Judith's other shoe lying at the door. 

Judith was in the back of the room tied up to a chair. The man who kidnapped her was holding her at gunpoint and demanding that she gave him all of her money or he would make her pay. She saw that her husband was coming in and looked so scared. Kenneth snuck up behind the man, and knocked the gun out of his hands. Richard grabbed the gun and pointed it at the man, he realized he knew who this man was. It was his enemy at work, Clint. 

"What the hell are you doing Clint?" Richard said angrily. Judith was able to get herself out of the chair and run over to Kenneth and the dog, glad to see them. 

"I wanted to teach you a lesson about how I will always be one step ahead of you Richard, always. I got my hands on your wife and next I will take your job."

Richard took Judith back home, but he could never rest quietly knowing that Clint had gotten a hold of her. Things could not be the same. 

______

Author's Note:

I wanted to highlight the Blues theme of this film and also comment on the overarching plot of the Ramayana. Since the video I chose to watch had Sita singing blues songs over important scenes of the Ramayana, I thought I would include this element to my story. I decided to make the characters just normal people living in the 20th century. I think giving the plot a more realistic (ok not really realistic) and less mystical property to it allows for us to conceptualize what the character motivations are. I wanted to give the Rama character of Richard more protective asshole vibes since Rama banished Sita after she was kidnapped since he couldn't verify her purity. I think it just goes to show that we should not victim blame, and also Rama kinda sucked for that. I wanted the Sita character, Judith, to have real goals and motivations to leave the house. The only motivation Clint or the Ravana character had really was his own desire and he didn't really care what it took to get what he wanted. I also wanted the dog to be a sort of nod to Hanuman as well.