Not a day passed
when I did not feel like an Underdog in some way or another.
Maybe it was a cutting remark from Lance Stevens about my
lack of dance ability. Maybe it was something
remarkable that Victoria did which reminded me of my lack of
social acuity. Or maybe it was my daily criticism from
Patricia on how a college graduate was stupid enough to
pursue a low-paying job as a dance instructor.
"What's
wrong with you, Rick? I know ten men who graduated
from Johns Hopkins. Nine of them are doctors and
then there's you who walks around thinking Disco is
going to last forever."
However, I was not the
only Underdog in this story. Joanne did not have a
friend in the world. She was so lonely the highlight
of her week was our private lesson. Joanne got off work at 5
pm. Every Monday she fought rush hour traffic to
arrive at the studio in time for our 6 pm private lesson.
I estimate the 10 mile drive took at least 30 minutes, quite
possibly even longer. Westheimer was without a doubt the
busiest street in the city. There were a
dozen traffic lights plus a huge bottleneck at the popular
Galleria shopping area.
Not once was
Joanne late. Not once did Joanne miss a week even
though her service was voluntary. She was not paid for
three hours of help nor was she reimbursed for her gas.
So what did
Joanne get in return? My attention and the chance to
practice dancing, the great joy of her life. Why so much devotion? Joanne was a girl
in love. I say this because she wore her heart on her
sleeve.
However, Joanne
was realistic. She did know
about Patricia, but she suspected Victoria had an interest
in me that went further than it should have. Assuming
that Victoria was not the only woman curious about me,
Joanne knew she faced long odds in the Romance Department.
But that did not stop her from hoping. Joanne was willing to bide
her time.
|
NOVEMBER 1978
THE HUMAN DYNAMO
|
|
 |
Victoria and I
never discussed the Clash of the Titans. Some things
are better left unsaid. Following the Halloween Party,
Victoria was on fire. She was the best
salesperson and promoter I ever met. PT
Barnum had nothing on this girl. Victoria had
Charisma that left me shaking my head in wonder.
Victoria was equally popular with men and women. She
was funny. She infused people with a sense of
importance. She knew everyone's name and probably
their phone number as well. In particular,
Victoria was a master at
persuading students to sign up for the next level of dance
classes. I had never seen anyone like her.
Victoria knew
she had scored big with her October Graduation Party.
For the first time, our students realized that we were
putting together a social program to match our dance
program. Indeed, the momentum from her Halloween Party helped
my dance program take a Quantum Leap forward.
Using this
energy to her advantage, Victoria persuaded one student
after another to sign up for a new round of classes in
November. Victoria didn't have to twist their arms
very hard. That Graduation Party made a powerful
impression on everyone who had been there. Victoria
had taken 80-90 strangers and turned them into one big happy
family. These students realized that taking the next
set of dance classes was a surefire way to stay connected to
Victoria's growing social group. In other words, by
taking the next level of dance class, they would continue to
see their new friends. This was a major reason to
continue. Victoria had them Hooked on Disco.
|
Why not let the
numbers tell the story? I kept careful
track of my 1978 dance classes. I had the potential to
teach 3 hours of classes per night from 7-10 pm Monday
through Friday. That would add up to 15 hours per
week/60 hours per month. Any number above 60 hours
per mean would mean I added 6 pm private lessons, Saturday private lessons and
lessons outside the dance studio to the total.
In August, I
taught 65 total hours, but things tapered off in
September. Down to 50 hours, I was worried the Disco
Tidal Wave had begun to lose its surge. However,
I was wrong. Starting in October, suddenly
the momentum turned back in my favor. Although
Class Factory
played a role, Victoria was the main reason for the October
surge. Then came November. That was the month my dance program
exploded thanks in large part to the successful Halloween
Party. Keep in mind
Victoria worked for free. Not that she cared.
Seeking popularity, recognition, and achievement, Victoria
received the acclaim she desired in abundance from her many
admirers.
|
|
January -
10
hours |
February -
17 hrs |
March - 26
hrs |
April - 31
hrs |
May - 36
hrs |
June - 36 hrs |
|
July - 49
hrs |
August - 65
hrs |
September -
50 hrs |
October -
75 hrs |
November -
98 hrs |
December -
111 hrs |
The combination of
Class Factory and Victoria was potent indeed.
With a steady supply of new students thanks to Class Factory
and word of mouth, Victoria worked her magic on them and my
program grew by leaps and bounds.
My greatest
triumph took place on Tuesday in November. Do you
remember how I was forced to merge my 7 pm Class Factory
class with an existing 8 pm class in October? It had
been my hope to take the Class Factory
students from my initial September-October class on Tuesday
and flip them into 'Rick Archer students' for a
November-December Intermediate class. That plan worked
to perfection in November. In the process, 30 students
signed all of their checks to me. This was the moment
I had been waiting for. It proved that I could convert
half-price Class Factory students into full-price Rick
Archer students. This development boded well for my
plan to quit my day job at the end of December and work
full-time on my Disco career in 1979.
I wanted to take
full credit. After all, this was my idea all along.
However, it was Victoria who got it done. As we
recall, Tuesday was the night for Victoria to be my 'Assistant'
wink wink. The students absolutely loved Little Miss
Sunshine. Starting back in September, Victoria had
taken every one of those new Class Factory
students under her wing and lavished attention on them.
Her personal touch paid off handsomely. Thanks to
Victoria, I estimate 90% of the September-October Tuesday
class re-upped for November Intermediate.
Victoria
collected the checks, but the checks were written out to me.
Teaching three hours every night, in November, I had 15
classes total. Four of these classes belonged specifically to me.
1. Victoria's
ongoing Friday night private class was due to graduate at
the end of November.
2. The new Tuesday Intermediate class at 8 pm. It was
due to graduate at the end of December.
3. A Wednesday Beginner Class Factory class had started
in October. It was due to graduate at the end of
November.
4. A new Monday Beginner Class Factory class that started in
November. It was due to graduate at the end of
December.
Here was the
plan. I expected to promote all four of the classes to
the next level in January while greeting new Beginner
classes as well. So what about the other 11
classes I taught in November that belonged to Lance Stevens?
Here
is the crazy thing. After two months, Lance Stevens
had still not figured
out what was going on behind his back. Why not?
Because the Cold War was still in effect. Stevens rarely
talked to me anymore. He could not stand me, but he
did have a thing for Victoria. Who could blame him?
Victoria was a serious looker who exuded ample charm.
And guess who she saved her most radiant smile for? Lancey-poo.
Stevens might ask Victoria what class that was. She
would smile
and say those were some friends of hers from some
woman's club. That was good enough for him.
Victoria would compliment him on his haircut and he would
walk off grinning. Too bad I did not have a similar effect.
Nevertheless I had no trouble letting Victoria run
interference for me. I was hardly the first man to
ever hide behind a woman's skirt.
|
NOVEMBER 1978
THE DANCE
SCHEDULE
|
|
Victoria's
Halloween Graduation party really got people's
attention. Listening to people's comments, I detected a consensus that my dance program was on the move.
Consequently, following the Halloween Party, no one had any
desire to leave the bandwagon. Now that everyone was sold on
Victoria's magic, practically every
October dance student signed up for the November-December
dance semester. My hours
jumped from 75 to 98 in November based mostly on energy
generated by the successful Halloween Party. In addition, there was a
new phenomenon. For the first time, students could
pick up a dance schedule complete with my home phone number.
This requires some explanation. In mid-October,
Victoria had pulled me aside. "Rick, your classes
operate on a two-month cycle. Why don't you
have a November-December schedule?"
I shrugged.
"Probably because I don't need one."
Victoria
disagreed. "Yes, you do. You have a Beginner
class starting in November that belongs to you. Why not
publicize it? Give them a schedule they can show to
their friends. Not only that, post your phone
number so people can call for information."
|
 |
I blinked.
Victoria had a point there. Now that I was growing a
side business independent of Lance Stevens, this might be a
good time to let my current students know what was going on.
Victoria
continued. "If you let
your students know about what night you have new classes
starting, maybe they
have a friend who would like to take a class from you.
Word of mouth might bring some new students your
way."
I was not
sure where she was going with this. "Word of mouth
sends students to Lance Stevens, not me."
Victoria said,
"That is exactly my point. Don't you see, Rick?
As it stands, no one realizes that they can sign up directly
with you. If you print a schedule with your home phone
number on it, people can begin to call you instead of
Stevens."
Hmm. Why
hadn't I thought of that? "What gave you
this idea?" I replied.
"Because
when I talk to people on the phone about the Halloween
Party, often they ask when our next class is
starting in November. Here, let me explain it to
you. Over the past 10 months, you have acquired a
good reputation as the teacher to see for Disco lessons. So let's say David wants to take dance lessons and
mentions this to his buddy Ralph. Ralph says, "I
know a guy named Rick Archer who's perfect. He
taught me a couple months ago and I highly recommend
him."
And David
replies, "That sounds great. When does his next
class start?"
Ralph
answers, "I don't know, but you can call Stevens of
Hollywood and find out."
"Yes, I get
that. So what are you suggesting I change?"
"When
someone asks me about future lessons for a friend, up
till now I've been telling them to call Class Factory.
For example, you have a Beginning Class Factory group
scheduled for the first Monday in November. During
the Halloween Party, that is what I told people about.
However,
lately I've been thinking you would make more money
if they called you instead."
A giant light
bulb flipped on in my brain. Victoria was right. Word of Mouth could work
for me instead of Class Factory or Stevens of Hollywood.
Wow! Including
October, I had been teaching for 10 months. Over the past 10
months, I had generated considerable word of
mouth. However so far all phone calls had gone directly to
Stevens of Hollywood. Victoria was suggesting a
radical change.
 If
David called Stevens of Hollywood, it would not make a bit
of difference to me. David's money would go to
Stevens.
If
David called Class Factory, 50% of that money would go to
Class Factory and the other 50% would go to me.
If David called me directly, 100% of his tuition would go to
me.
"Okay, Victoria,
that's a really good idea, but that Monday class belongs to
Class Factory. I don't have a class with my name on
it."
"So add your
word of mouth people to the Class Factory class on
Monday."
My mouth dropped
open. Why didn't I think of that?
"You don't think
Deborah Gordon will object if I snuck a few Rick students
into her scheduled class?"
"I don't see
why she should. The room holds 40 people.
Class Factory has sent you 20 people two months in a
row. Who cares if you add 10 students or so who
pay you directly? The more the merrier."
"Should I run it
past Deborah?"
"Absolutely
not. Do not give her a reason to think she can
tell you how to run your own program. You are
paying rent for that room, so you have the right to
defer your costs. Her students will receive the
same amount of group instruction either way.
Furthermore, the day may come when Deborah only has two
students to send you. If you add students of your
own, you will tell Deborah to send the two students over because
your Word of Mouth students will make it worthwhile to
teach the class. In the
long run, Deborah will benefit from your reputation just as much
as you do."
"What will
Stevens say if he sees the schedule?"
"I have a
question."
"What?"
"Has Stevens
said a word to you about teaching your own classes?"
"No."
"Has he
cashed your rent checks for September and October?"
"Yes. He
makes me pay in advance."
"In case,
everything is kosher. Stevens does not have to see
the schedule. We will hand the schedules out in
class behind closed doors. I doubt Stevens will notice, but if he
does, so what? You are paying him rent for these
rooms, so it is no big secret. Why worry?"
I decided
Victoria was right. Following her advice, I put out
a printed schedule for November-December that contained two pieces of
information. I listed "Beginning Disco Partner
class taught by Rick Archer, 8 Mondays in November-December,
$25 a person", then added my home phone number.
Thanks to Victoria's idea to
print a schedule, I began to receive calls at my
home during the day. Not many at first, but as students began to catch on that they could call
me directly for information instead of Lance Stevens,
naturally they preferred to call me. Lance Stevens still got calls
as well, but they were dwindling. Fortunately he still
got enough calls to keep him from being suspicious.
In November,
Victoria's wisdom and knack for promotion paid off. I added
5 'Word of Mouth' students who paid me
directly to a Class Factory group of 22 half-price students. The
combined tuition added up to $400. Subtracting $120
for room rental, my salary was $35 per hour, an impressive
jump compared to the $15 an hour Stevens paid me when I
taught for him. This was amazing. If I could
continue doing things this way, I could easily support
myself with just my Disco job in 1979.
Stevens' wife Cliann
was no longer a
problem. For reasons no one bothered to explain to me, Cliann stopped bugging
her husband to get rid of me. Without Cliann's
scrutiny, my fledgling dance program continued to fly under
the radar. Students who previously would
have gone to Stevens were now being diverted to me.
Hard as it was for me to accept, there were two businesses
operating under one roof, but Lance Stevens had still not
caught on. I did not know what was more unbelievable, Stevens'
ignorance or Victoria's brilliance. How could Stevens
not know what was going on?
And what if
Deborah Gordon found out I was piggybacking her classes with
students of my own? Would she insist on a cut? I was well aware I was
walking a tightrope here, but at the same time the chance to
dramatically increase my income made it worth the risk.
However, there was one threat I had no answer for.
Little Miss Sunshine.
|
NOVEMBER 1978
Victoria spreads
her tentacles
|
|
 |
In the space of
two months, Victoria had grown my program from 50 hours in
September to 98 in November. In other words, Victoria
had doubled my business and tripled my salary. I was working 6-10 every
week night and adding private lessons on Saturday.
Furthermore, Victoria's idea to create a schedule had shown me
how to redirect the invaluable word of mouth traffic from my
boss to me. Thanks to her advice, here in November I had
several
students making their checks out to me with the promise of
more to come in the new year.
So I should be
happy, right? Well, I was kind of happy.
Victoria was making me rich. But I was also worried.
Every now and then, Patricia's voice of doom echoed in my
head. "Victoria
is a clear and present danger. Mark my words, she will
ruin your life."
Lot of good
Patricia's
warning did me. That's like telling me to get rid of
an All-American quarterback or a basketball superstar. Victoria was on a roll. Where she got her energy was beyond
me. Seriously, this woman was a Human Dynamo. In fact, she decided she was not busy
enough. Bolstered by the success of her Halloween
Party, Victoria said she wanted to become even more
involved.
I immediately
froze. Victoria had far too much control over my job
as it was and now she wants more? Sensing the
invisible tentacles wrapping around my dance program, I
swallowed hard. "Uh, what do you
have in mind?"
|
Victoria gave me
the sweetest smile. "I would
like to volunteer for an extra night of dance classes."
Hmm. That
much I could do. "Sure.
What night?"
"Thursday."
Before I could
answer, Victoria changed her mind. "How about
two extra nights a week? What about Monday too?"
"That's the
night Joanne helps me. How about if you just come earlier
on Friday?"
"I prefer
Monday. What do you need Joanne for? Ditch
Joanne and let me take over."
"No, Victoria,
Joanne is my friend. Let's keep things the way they
are. Besides, you don't need to be here every night of
the week."
To my surprise,
Victoria did not argue. "Okay, Tuesday, Thursday, it
is. But I will pass on coming earlier on Friday."
I looked at her
funny. Why was this woman so gung-ho? She scared
me to death, but I couldn't turn her down. Here was a
woman who had magic in her fingertips. Meanwhile,
Victoria was full of surprises. During the first week
of November classes, Victoria showed up on Monday night
again with her
card table. I had warned Joanne she might be here
tonight, so around 6:40 we stopped practicing and went
outside to chat. When Victoria showed up, I asked Joanne to stay. Joanne gave me a dirty look and
said, "No thanks. I will see you next week."
Then she wordlessly walked out the door. I don't think
Victoria even noticed her.
Irritated, I
returned to speak to Victoria. "What's going on?
You already did this registration back in October."
"I know, but
I thought I would do it again and catch any people I
missed plus your new Class Factory students. The biggest problem at the Halloween Party was
that nobody from certain nights knew who I was and vice
versa. I won't let that happen again. So
I've decided to update my master list as a way to reinforce my presence and maybe get
some feedback about the party. This way I can meet everyone and
introduce myself. By the way, where's your little
helper?"
Feeling
protective, I lied. "She's not here. I think she
lost interest."
Seeing Victoria
raise an eyebrow, I decided to deflect by quickly changing
the subject.
"Victoria, why are you
going to so much trouble with this registration?"
"Well, don't
get too nosy just yet, but I have a new project I am
working on. Besides, if Lancey-poo ever
has the nerve to fire you, this List will give us a way
to contact our students directly. Look at my List
as a safety net. Besides, I think it is time you
start promoting your classes by mailing out your
schedules. For that reason, let's make sure we have everyone's
address."
My mouth dropped
open. Mail out the schedule? The idea had never
crossed my mind before, but it made perfect sense.
Victoria's mailing list idea was brilliant because it
reduced the threat of Stevens pulling a stunt to sabotage my
growing program. If I had to suddenly move, I would
have
a way to contact everyone by mail or phone thanks to
Victoria. Furthermore, let's say a student took
November and December off from dance class. By mailing
out the schedule, this student would be reminded about the
new class in January. I was pleased at the good idea,
but yet again I also felt very stupid. Why had this never
occurred to me? I already felt
overshadowed by the success of the Halloween Party.
Well aware that Victoria was running circles around me, I felt
humiliated.
|
 |
I should
have been ecstatic at this mailing list idea, but
instead I felt a renewed pang of anxiety.
There was something not quite right about Victoria's
increasing ownership of my dance program. For one
thing, although Victoria had never said a word about
that awkward Clash of Titans encounter, her extreme rudeness
still bothered me. Why had Victoria been so
upset? Nor could I forgive Victoria's rudeness to Joanne.
For that matter, Victoria had stopped
just short of telling me to get rid of Joanne to
make room for her on Mondays.
Showing up here at Stevens of Hollywood
all these nights to do Registration was a lot of work. I could
not help but wonder why Victoria did all this work
for free, never asking for something in return. I also noticed Victoria called them 'our students'.
Interesting choice of words. I was
starting to get a very uneasy feeling about
Victoria, one of those 'Beware of Greeks Bearing
Gifts' sort of feelings . Did Victoria
have a secret agenda? In the back of my mind,
an ancient soothsayer issued a warning.
'Beware the woman who promises to double your
business. If she has the power to double,
she can also turn your business to rubble.'
I
immediately dismissed the thought. When a
woman is in the process of doubling a man's business
at no charge, maybe the boy should have the sense to
show gratitude and not question her motives. I
chose to passively step aside and let Victoria
expand her control.
Victoria
took registration in every class during the first
week. When
Victoria finished her update, our Master List had
grown close to 400 names. Although my dance program
was hurtling forward at an amazing clip, Victoria's
superiority continued to embarrass to me. Time
after time Victoria would make a suggestion and I
would ask myself the same distressing question, "Why
didn't I think of that?"
|
NOVEMBER 1978, the disco years
Victoria's
Christmas Party
|
|
Was there
anything romantic in my relationship with Victoria?
No, not even a hint. Victoria was happily married and
I was fixated on Patricia. However, we were becoming
close. I noticed Victoria had slipped into some sort
of Big Sister role. That became apparent one night in
the mid-November. Victoria noticed I was slipping into a funk.
Out of the blue she commented that
Patricia wasn't my type. Maybe it was time I started
looking around.
I said nothing, but I shivered inside. Victoria was right. Patricia was
sucking my soul dry with her constant attacks on the utter
stupidity of wasting my 'Vast Talent' on teaching
dance.
I was angry at
myself for hanging on to Patricia. I needed to find
the guts to say 'hasta la vista'. However,
each time I worked up the nerve to break it off, I would
change my mind and decide to give it a little more time.
Maybe things would get better. Think about all that 'Vast
Potential'!! But I doubted there was much hope.
Without saying it, Patricia and I knew our relationship was on life
support.
Unfortunately
Victoria wasn't much good for my confidence either.
Sad to say, but my feelings of inadequacy were back. Between Patricia's dominance and Victoria's superiority, the
confidence I had gained from the Summer of 78 was gone.
I was the under the thumb of both women. Between Stevens insulting my dance skills, Patricia putting
me down for wasting my education and Victoria outclassing me
at my own job, I was locked in a pretty serious depression.
Then it got worse.
|
Just about the time I hit my low point, there was yet
another embarrassing moment. Victoria was now helping
on Thursdays as well as Tuesdays. On Thursday the
16th, one week before
Thanksgiving, Victoria came up to me.
"Rick, why
don't we approach the Pistachio Club about
having a private Saturday night party in December?
We can call it a Christmas Party. I think if I play it right, we could have the entire
dance club all to ourselves! Better yet, I bet we
can get it for free. We wouldn't have to pay a
dime."
Was Victoria out
of her mind? Why would a thriving dance club hand over
its space on a Saturday night, the busiest night of the
week, and not charge us any rent? After a few
questions, I realized this was the secret plan Victoria had
been
hinting about. She intended to persuade the manager to
let her use the event as a way to sell private memberships.
|
 |
"But first I
need your permission!" she exclaimed enthusiastically.
I was impressed. "What a great idea, Victoria!
After you run that idea past the manager, let me know what
he says!"
Just then I noticed an odd
expression cross Victoria's face. That is when I
snapped to the truth. "Wait a minute,
you've already spoken to the manager, haven't you?"
A guilty
expression flashed and Victoria turned red. Busted.
Victoria had just fibbed to me. But why? Why fib
about something this trivial?
"Yes, I did,
but then I realized I should have checked with you
first."
This was
pathetic. Victoria was an aggressive woman,
a firm believer in the axiom 'Better to act first and beg
forgiveness later'. She advised me to
put out a printed schedule without speaking to Lance Stevens
first. She advised me to secretly add students to
Deborah Gordon's Class Factory courses without asking
permission. Now she was doing the same thing to me. Victoria never
checked with me first about anything. Maybe I should
just hand my program over to her now and look for part-time work cleaning
toilets. That's about how I felt at the moment.
However, I rallied slightly and decided to play along.
"So tell me
more. What is the manager's name? And what did
he say?"
"His name is
Larry. I pulled him aside last Friday night and
ran the plan past him. Larry was all for it, but
said he needed to check with the owner and get back to
me. Larry and I get along. He was the one
who kept that section in the back open for us at the
Halloween Party last month. He was very impressed
with the size of our group. I think he is
impressed with me too. At least I hope so. I
have spoken to Larry several times on the phone
since the Halloween Party. He called me on the phone this
morning to give me confirmation. Our party is
scheduled for the first Saturday in December. It
is a done deal."
Hiding my 'here
we go again' sentiment, I said, "Good for you,
Victoria! That is very impressive. Is there
anything I need to do?"
"Yes, Rick,
definitely. We only have two weeks to spread the
word. The sooner we begin promoting this
event, the more word of mouth we will get. I want
you to prepare your January-February schedule of classes
and get 500 copies printed
so we can mail it out next week. Be sure to place an
announcement about the upcoming December Pistachio Party
at the top. Let's get a flyer in the mail
just before Thanksgiving. "
|
Tuesday, NOVEMBER 21
GLEN HUNSUCKER
|
 |
|
|
 |
It was Tuesday,
November 21, two days before Thanksgiving.
That night Victoria
told me before class that she needed to speak to
Larry,
the Pistachio Club manager, about details regarding
the upcoming
event. Would I mind coming along after dance
class tonight?
"Of course,
Victoria, I will be happy to come along."
I assumed Victoria invited me along so I could pretend like I
mattered. Since this Christmas Party was her idea all the
way, as expected Victoria did the talking. All I did was tag along.
However, to my surprise, this was the night I
met my guru. Well, maybe not my 'guru', but rather
the dance teacher I had long wished for. His name was
Glen Hunsucker.
Although I was far too depressed to be thinking much about Fate
these days, I did notice it took a convenient coincidence to
link us up.
The rectangular
dance floor of the Pistachio Club had a four foot wall
surrounding it to create a box-like effect. As we
entered the club, I noticed a steady stream of people
leaving the dance floor. These same people turned around
to line the perimeter wall in order to watch the dance floor.
Noticing a crowd three or four deep forming around the wall,
I assumed something was going on. Curious, Victoria
and I walked over to one of the few remaining spots to look.
|
I saw a tall man
about my age partner dancing with a pretty blonde teenager. They were dancing the Latin Hustle, the dance
I had been dying to learn. This man and his young
partner Paula Abbott were alone on the floor. They were so good
the entire floor had been cleared to make room for them.
I had heard of dance couples who were so good they cleared the
floor, but this was the first time I had ever seen it happen.
I was mesmerized.
The caliber of Glen's dancing was out of this world. Glen
was so good he seemed straight out of Saturday Night
Fever. Glen and
his cute blonde partner continued for two songs. In all, I
would say they were out there for at least seven, maybe eight minutes.
There was one move where
Paula kicked at the man's face
while he held both of her hands. Her spiked heel
missed his nose by an inch each time, but Glen never flinched.
That move seemed so dangerous it got everyone's attention,
so when they finished, the room exploded with
applause. Victoria and I agreed this was finest exhibition of Disco partner dancing
we had ever
witnessed in person.
|
 |
 |
After Glen and
Paula went to sit down, Victoria encouraged me to go find
out who he was. I wasted no time. I went over to his
table, complimented him on his performance, then asked if he taught dance.
Glen smiled and said yes.
He reached into his wallet and handed me his card.
When I got back
to my table, I showed Victoria the card. The man's name was
Glen Hunsucker. Although I had never heard of
Glen, I would later discover that he was one of Houston's
leading teachers of jazz dancing. I did not need to know his
reputation. Glen's dancing was all the convincing I
needed.
It turned out that Paula Abbott,
Glen's partner, had once been a star student of my friend Patsy Swayze. Paula, 14, was
now a member of
Glen's dance team. Paula was far too young to be
in this place. Her age suggested someone knew who she
was and let her in anyway. It also crossed my mind that
someone here at the club might have paid
Glen and Paula to perform here tonight. However I
did not think it polite to ask. I was just glad
they were there. Glen and Paula had
put on quite a show.
Victoria
went to talk to the manager about something she just though
of.
While she was gone, I
sat at my table
fantasizing about learning the Latin Hustle from Glen. When Victoria
returned, she said something
that caught me totally off guard. First Victoria took my
hand. Then she looked me in the eye and begged me to
include her in the private lessons with Glen. Victoria
said she would pay
half the expense.
I hesitated. My gifted dance
friend Joanne would have been my first choice.
Joanne's dancing was significantly superior to Victoria's. Furthermore, I knew my
touchy girlfriend Patricia would be supremely
irritated if I chose her rival Victoria as my dance partner.
I also had another reason to hesitate. With visions of
Victoria's tentacles dancing in my head, I was concerned over
her increasing
importance in my dance program. Plus I was tired of being
ignored at my own studio. Dwarfed by
the intensity of Victoria's radiance, it would be nice to move
out from under her shadow for a change.
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In addition I was suspicious of
Victoria's motives. Knowing Victoria's penchant
for long range plans, I feared where all this was headed.
Although Victoria worked for free, I had a sneaking suspicion that one
day a bill would come due. At this thought, the
soothsayer returned.
"Beware of
pretty blondes bearing gifts, especially women with pony
tails."
Victoria was
staring right at me. What was I supposed to say?
"Gee, Victoria,
it is increasingly clear that you think you're the
boss. I am sick and tired of watching you wrap your
tentacles around me. If you think I am going to hand
over my one remaining chance of retaining any independence
from you,
forget it!"
Did I really say
that? No. I did not dare. Seriously, what
choice did I have? I would be an idiot to refuse the offer of this
brilliant woman who had lit a fire under my nascent dance
program. Victoria had single-handedly propelled my
dance program to dizzy new heights. Furthermore,
with this December Christmas Party around the corner, to say 'no'
after all the things Victoria had done for me would have
been a huge slap. No, I did not trust this
pretty blonde bearing gifts, but at the same time, don't bite
the hand that feeds you. Victoria was definitely 'a clear and
present danger', but my hands were tied.
I
decided Joanne did not have to know about the private lessons
with Glen. As for Patricia, I was tired of being
bullied over the law school issue. So I said yes, but only if I paid
for the lessons. Victoria immediately objected, so I
put my hand up to silence her.
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"Victoria, you
have done many kinds things for me. You have done me
one service
after another for which I may never be able to repay you.
Please accept this small gesture as a sign of my
appreciation for your help."
The big smile
that crossed her face was all I needed to see to know I had
done the right thing. Victoria took both of my hands
and said thank you. Then as we got up to go, she
planted
a small kiss on my cheek.
"Rick, I love
planning this party with you. This is the happiest
I have been in ages. Before we leave, will you
dance with me?"
Victoria
practically walked on air as we entered the dance floor.
Based on her huge smile, visions of dance glory filled her
thoughts.
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22
THE MAILING LIST
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The following
morning, I went over to
Victoria's house. It was Wednesday, the day before
Thanksgiving. This was the first time I had been to
her house. Michael was at work, but I got to meet her
daughter Stephanie. Victoria was in
a very good mood as she handed me her Christmas Party poster. She had done an
impressive job. Very professional. But that was
no surprise.
Victoria was impressive in everything she did.
"I see you
remembered to include the start time for this party."
Victoria rolled
her eyes. "You noticed
that? I never make the same mistake twice.
Besides, this time you and I will be standing at the
door greeting guests as they enter. Your presence
will make a big difference!"
Victoria had
chided me several times over how little I had contributed to
the Halloween Party. I could not argue with her.
All told, roughly 80-90 students had attended. Did I
dance with any of the ladies? No. Did I dance
with Victoria? No. Here I was, the famous Disco
teacher who had not entered the floor one time the entire
night. This was still a real sore spot with me. How could I
participate with that damn Patricia preventing me
from hosting my own party?
On the other
hand, I could not get over the sensation that Victoria
was manipulating me. Victoria was trying
to make me feel like I was in charge of my own business when
in reality I had become her puppet. Caught in a trap between
two overpowering women who were used to getting their way, I
had a premonition of impending doom. My career was skyrocketing, but I
felt like I was plummeting to the Abyss instead. I
was beginning to wonder just how much credit I deserved.
They say behind every successful man is the woman who tells
him what to do next. That pretty much summed it up. What could I take credit for?
Half the time I gave credit for my success to God's
unseen hand. Now I was giving the other half to Victoria. I was feeling pretty helpless
these days.
While I spent
November trying to locate my lost self-esteem, Victoria
tirelessly worked the phones for
an hour or more every day promoting her December Pistachio
event. She had developed some sort of phone tree.
Victoria would phone ten women who in turn would phone ten
students with a message about the Christmas Party. The woman was relentless. When she was at
the studio, she would make announcements to the entire
group. When she wasn't there, she gave me orders of
what I was supposed to
say in her place. Victoria insisted these
announcements needed to be repeated over and over again
until people became hypnotized by the message.
Now it was time
to put the new mailing list to good use. Bringing the printed
schedules with me, we spent two hours folding,
addressing, and stapling. Victoria let her daughter Stephanie
lick the stamps and put them on each flyer. Then the three
of us walked over to the mailbox. We watched
as Stephanie systematically dropped 400 flyers into the
mailbox. Stephanie got a real kick out of her
assignment. She giggled with delight.
Victoria's
mailing list idea intrigued me. It was such an
obvious move that I wondered again why I had never thought
of using it to promote my classes. As always, I
felt humbled. Not only was Victoria superior to me in
social skills and organizing skills, she was just as good as
me at teaching. She was also better than me at running my business.
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However, since I
kept my thoughts to myself, Victoria had no idea I was
kicking myself. While I stewed there at the mail box,
she beamed at her daughter with pride.
"Good job,
Stephanie! Thank you for putting those schedules
in the mail box. And thank you, Rick. You
and I make a great
team!"
Yes, we did make
a good team. Victoria was the most talented woman I
had ever met. What a shame I was no match
for her. Nevertheless, that was no reason for sour
grapes. If anything, Victoria deserved praise.
With that in mind, as the three of us walked backed to her
house, I praised Victoria on her attractive Christmas Party
poster.
"Your 'Belle
of the Ball' idea was clever. I liked your idea.
Did you get that from Scarlett O'Hara?"
Victoria laughed
out loud. "Of course I did. Some girls grow up
dreaming of being Cinderella. Not me. I grew up
dreaming of being Scarlett O'Hara!"
I smiled.
Why was I not surprised?
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