Page 117 - Some Dance to Remember

Some Dance to Remember 87

Reel Two

Send in the Clones

1

Clarinet intro. Then bass and soft piano. “Maybe next time, I’ll be Kan-
der.” Kweenie parodied the blues, doing Liza doing Judy. “Maybe next
time, he’ll be Ebb.” In the baby pinpoint spot, she was all bowler hat, big
eyelashes, red lipstick, and spit curls pasted on each cheek. “Maybe next
time for the best time...” Her red-sequined Judy-jacket reflected darts of
spotlight around the supper club. “...he’ll be totally gay.” She blew a kiss
to her drummer brushing her beat. “He will do me? Fast! I’ll be homo?
At last!” Outing her lust for gay men, she teased the lyrics. “Not a ‘lady’
anymore like the last hag and the hag before.” She picked up the chorus.
“Everybody loves a lover.” She expanded. “So everybody loves me.” Her
green fingernails clawed the air above her head. “Lady Castro. Lady Fol-
som. Take a big look at me!” She hit all the right poses to make them love
her. “When all you boys are in my corner, I’ll blow you all away!” Chan-
neling Judy’s invincible voice, she became Liza the Conqueror. “Call me
Kweenie! Call me Kweenie!” She thrust jazz hands up framing her face.
As the audience rose to their feet, she exploded. “Maybe next time, maybe
next time, you’ll love me!”
The supper crowd at Fanny’s loved Kweenasheba. She was as good
as Ryan at being other people, but she, singing torch usually best sung
by divas one scotch-and-soda past their prime, knew when to quit. She
finished her set and came to my table. “What movie am I?” she asked.
Before I could say, “Cabaret,” she said, “Imitation of Life.” She affected
a certain world-weariness.
“Seen much of Ry?” I asked.
“Not since Kick moved in.” She had an envious look in her eye. “Do
you blame either of them?”
“Solly says Ry’s writing some top-secret project.”
“You sound like a reporter for the National Intruder,” she said. “Are
you keeping notes?”
“The unexamined lifestyle is not worth living.”
“Magnus, dear Magnus.” She took my hand. “You’re such a bag of
©Jack Fritscher, Ph.D., All Rights Reserved
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