All My Love, Detrick (20 page)

“Yeah?”
Fred eyed the money.

“I want you to introduce me to the singer. What was her name?”

“Dorothy? Dorothy Silver?”

“Yeah, bring her over here. And here’s a little somethin’ fer you.” Tony pushed the bill over towards Fred’s hand.

Fred picked up the money and stood, turning the chair and pushing it against a table. “Stay right here. I’ll get her.”

52

T
he dressing room, a noisy place filled with girls sprucing up their clothes and makeup, immediately went quiet when Fred walked in.

“Dorothy….I got a man out here who wants to meet you.”

“You know I don’t go for that, Fred. I sing and that’s all. I don’t do no ten-cent dances or worse.”

“I ain’t askin’ you to. Just go on out and meet him. Have a drink,
and then go back on stage. By the time you finish, he’ll be gone. Come on Dorothy….when you needed a job, I helped you.”

She looked at Fred with affection. He had been there for her and so had Carol.
Well… I can survive one drink, Dorothy decided.

\\

53

“You?” Dorothy looked at Tony recognizing him from the street. “What are you doing here? How did you ever find me?” At first she thought she might explode with anger at his following her, then, looking at his expression, she could see how foolish he felt and she laughed.

“Can I buy you a drink?”

“Yes. Why not?”

They sat in uncomfortable silence sipping their drinks.

“How did you find me?”

“I’ll tell you, only you can’t get mad.”

She laughed again. “All right…I promise.”

“I followed the streetcar here. Then I bought a whole roll of dance tickets ‘cause I was hoping you would maybe dance with me.
But when you came out on that stage and you, well…you looked so beautiful… I asked Fred to introduce me.”

“You know Fred?”

“We just met.”

She laughed again. “You’ve made a lot of effort.”

“I think you’re worth it. I can tell.”

“Well, that is certainly flattering.” She felt the blush on her cheeks and was glad for the darkness of the club.

“Can I buy you dinner when you get outta work?”

“It would be more like breakfast by the time I’m off.”

“Breakfast, then?”

“You want to stay here the entire night?” Dorothy was amazed at his persistence.

“Yeah… I do.”

54

Every night for the next month, Tony appeared at the club. Sometimes he stayed, but often he came and left, only to return at the end of Dorothy’s shift to drive her and Carol back to the apartment. Most nights they dropped Carol off and went to breakfast at an all-night café.

On her days off Tony took Dorothy shopping. He bought her a white
ermine to make up for the coat he had splashed. As they left the store, she turned to him, kissing his cheek.

“You know, once, a long time ago when I lived in Germany, my girlfriend dated a boy whose mother owned a white
ermine coat. I thought her the luckiest woman alive.”

“Now you own one.” Tony swelled with pride.

She smiled up at him. He put his arms around her and pulled her close then kissed her.

“I like you a lot, Dorothy. I suppose you know that.”

She smiled.

That night they had dinner at a steak house. Following the meal, Tony asked if Dorothy would like to see his home.

She knew he wanted to bed her and she considered herself old enough. She just wished she felt more magic towards him, more passion, and more desire. There was no reason why she did not; he had good looks, lots of money, and wherever they went people showed him the respect he commanded. They were seated at the nicest tables, the storeowners bowed down with attention as he purchased expensive merchandise while the rest of the country struggled to eat. She could not figure out what he lacked….only that he did not excite her, not the way she wished he could.

55

Never had Dorothy seen such a magnificent structure. Tony’s home looked more like a palace than a house. Far from the street, set off by a long path surrounded by well-manicured lawns, the white house stood like a museum. They walked up a flight of stone stairs to a red wooden door. When Tony opened the door and flipped the light switch, Dorothy’s mouth fell open with surprise and admiration.

“That gold you see there in the marble floor…well…that’s real, authentic gold.” Tony smiled. “And the faucets in the bathroom are gold, too.”

Her heels clicked on the marble as she walked from room to room. The bedroom was larger than the entire apartment she had lived in with her parents and her uncle’s family. A thick white carpet covered the floor. She removed her shoes and marveled at the softness beneath her feet.

“This is beautiful, Tony.”

“You like it?”

“Yes, of course I do…how could I not?”

“Well…would ya like to live here with me?” He grinned.

“Oh, I don’t know. I...”

“I guess I ought ta tell ya…I’m married. But it don’t mean nothing. She and I don’t live together.”

“You have a wife?”

“Yeah…in name only…but you, well, you’re my baby.”

Dorothy was shocked, she’d never suspected. Tony had a wife.

Well, she thought
,
in a way it was good. At least he would not expect to marry her
.
And, she had wanted to shake her virginity. Who better to choose than a man who could not commit, a man who could never endanger her career? She looked at him. At least he’d been honest. And, well, let’s face it; she didn’t love him, at least not in that way. Perhaps his age had something to do with her lack of desire. She found her feelings towards him to be platonic, as she would feel for a father figure, rather than romantic. He always gave her anything she asked for, always proved more than generous and kind. So, what difference did it make?”

“Tony?”

“Yes?” He almost wished he hadn’t told her. If she left now, he would surely lose her forever. A cold chill crept across his shoulders.

“Let’s make love.” She took his hand and led him to the bed.

56

C
arol wiped her tears with an embroidered hanky when Dorothy told her she planned to leave, then gave Dorothy a big, lipstick-stained kiss on her cheek, and wished her luck. Dorothy gave Carol a tiny gold heart she’d purchased with money Tony had given her.

Although making love with Tony left much to
be desired, Dorothy tolerated the moments of intimacy in exchange for all of the gifts she received.

Life for Dorothy became a magical voyage through a fairy-tale land. Money, which
had been denied her for such a long time, now flowed to her freely. She purchased whatever suited her fancy, and went to the beauty salon twice a week for a hairstyling and a manicure. The masseuse arrived every Monday evening when the ten-cents-a-dance club closed, and she and Tony both enjoyed one-hour massages. Instead of cooking, they frequented the finest restaurants late at night following her performances. One evening, on Dorothy’s night off from the club, they sat in a large corner booth at a popular steak house.

“Doroth
y, why don’t you quit that joint? You don’t need that no more.”

“Tony…
I love to perform. I want to sing.”

“But, doll, not there. Not at
no ten-cents-a-dance joint.”

“Those are my friends, Tony. They have been my friends since I left home. They stood by me when nobody else would.”

“Yeah…Well… How about I get you a job workin’ at a top nightclub? How about I get you a job at the Chez Paree?”

“Really
, Tony? You can do that?”

“I can do whatever I want to.” He smiled at her; even after living with her for six months, she still managed to keep him fascinated.

“I would love to sing at the Chez Paree.” She moved closer to him and threw her arms around his neck, embracing him tightly.

57

“Fred, I need to talk with you.” Dorothy tugged on his sleeve when she arrived the following day.

“A’right, come on.”

They went into the tiny mess he called his office.

“Sit…
Now, what is it?”

“I am sorry, Fred. Please, I hope you won’t be angry. I know how good you and Carol have been to me.
And, believe me…I will never forget it. But, I am giving you my notice. I’ll be leaving.”

“Why? Are you goin’ home, kid?”

“No, I am going to work as a singer at the Chez Paree.”

“Holy cow!
That’s somethin’…I sure can’t fault you fer that. Well, we sure are gonna miss you around here, but I wish you all the best.”

“Thanks Fred. I’m going to tell Carol.”

“She’ll be sad to see ya go, but she’ll be happy fer ya too.”

And so
, after two weeks, Dorothy left the dark ballroom where lonely men paid just a dime to hold a woman in their arms for just a few moments.

58

The Chez Paree smelled like money. There were satin table linens, white gloved waiters, gold silverware surrounded by crystal chandeliers, and girls selling cigars, kewpie dolls and red roses. Coat-check girls waited in white gowns to take minks and sables for safekeeping, while their owners danced the night away. Dorothy looked around in awe as she waited for Tony to arrange her audition.

The elegant women in their expensive gowns, with diamonds dripping from their necks and ears, the men in fine, tailored suits and custom-made tuxedos, the celebrities in music, sports and art, all gathered to enjoy dinner or a drink, but more importantly, to see and be seen at the hottest spot in Chicago.

“Listen, she can sing….” Tony told his friend Mickey, who knew the owner of the club and owed him a favor.

“For you Tony….I’ll get her an audition.
And don’t you worry, she’s a sure thing. If not for a main act, at least to open. Would a couple of nights a week be enough?”

“Yeah…I want her around more anyway. This is just to keep her happy. Ya know?”

“Sure, Tony, sure - I’ll take care of it right away.”

Tony smiled self-satisfied…it paid off to be a member of the Mafia.

59

D
orothy drummed her red lacquered nails on the tablecloth, wondering when Tony would return. It seemed he’d been gone for more than half an hour.

Finally, he sauntered to her table, carrying a red rose and wearing a big open smile.

“You got an audition. You ready?”

“Yes, I hope so. Do I look all right?”

“You, dollface? You look beautiful.”

When Dorothy heard her name called over the microphone, she felt suddenly dizzy and out of breath. This club was a long, uphill climb from the one she’d come from. Her knees quivered as she stood in front of the audience. Then turning to the pianist she said, “Can you play 'Lover Man?'”

“Of course…and don’t worry. You’ll do just fine. You’re so pretty that no matter what you sound like, you're gonna knock ‘em dead.” James winked at her then began with a short opening on the piano.