SATURDAY,
January 6, 1979, age 29, the disco years
RISK ASSESSMENT
|
|
Due to some serious pent-up
frustration, Joanne and I continued for four hours. Why not? Once the dam
breaks, what's the point of holding back? Following
our Dangerous
Liaison, Joanne left the house late that afternoon. The moment
Joanne left, the words of my former therapist rang in my ears. "Stick to women who
know how to protect themselves."
Uh oh. I had
overlooked that part of my risk assessment. So my conscience and I
reviewed my decision a second time. There was no reason for me
to feel guilty. Consenting adults, no deceit, no
promises. Joanne followed me home with her eyes wide open. I
had given her exactly what she wanted. So the question boiled down
to this... Did Joanne know how to protect her heart? Or maybe a
better question to ask was what did Joanne expect would happen next.
I had no idea; it was not discussed.
I spent the afternoon mulling over
what came next. Now that I had played with fire, what were the risks? What lines
had I crossed? What would be the consequences? I reviewed the
Temptation
Triangle starting with Joanne. I assumed my greatest risk
was Joanne's vulnerability. I had broken my personal code today.
By violating the Fair Game rule, I had picked on a young woman who was not
only fragile
and lonely, but someone who had a huge crush on me. Surely
she had to know I had no desire to date her. Or did she?
How would Joanne feel if
Patricia came back in the picture? I pegged the odds of Patricia's
return at 1 in a 100. However, if there was one thing about
Patricia that was weird, she had the strangest habit of changing her
mind just when things seemed completely hopeless. Thanksgiving,
Christmas Party, and the Rock Star Argument were three situations when I
gave Patricia up for dead. Each time the Demon had used her
spell to reel me back in.
What would I say to Joanne
if Patricia had another change of heart? Fortunately, I had that
possibility covered. I had distinctly warned
Joanne that Patricia might still be in the picture. Despite my warning, Joanne
had been more than willing to move forward. Besides, what was I
worried about? Patricia was Gone! Gone as in Gone for
Good, Gone with the Wind. And good
riddance! Her decision to see George was a particularly nasty way
to say sayonara, but it was also very effective. I had no
illusions that she would be back. Nor did I want her back. No, I
was in the clear with Patricia. It was Joanne's feelings I was
worried about. But here again maybe I was worrying too much. Joanne had left the house
with a warm smile on her face. She clearly approved of what had taken place. I doubted
seriously Joanne would do anything to hurt me. That was not her
style. Joanne knew the score, so what was I worried about?
As for Victoria, hmm, last
time I checked, I could have sworn the Diva had a ring on her finger. Whatever happened between
Joanne and me was none of her
business. As for Patricia, I didn't
give a shit. Let her rot in hell.
Having completed my careful risk
assessment, I concluded there was NOTHING for me to worry about.
In Hindsight I can say that was the
single worst risk assessment I
ever made in my life. These were 'Women' I was dealing
with. Need I say more? And so the Countdown to Disaster continued to tick
away. Like I say, just because you think you have hit Rock Bottom
does not mean you can't sink further.
|
SATURDAY,
January 6, 1979
BLINDSIDED
|
|
After Joanne
left the house, I could not settle down. I was on edge.
Not only did Patricia's insult continue to inflame my psyche,
I was dismayed to find my act of revenge had failed to calm my
nerves. If anything, I was worse off because I had the
unpredictability of
Joanne's feelings to worry about. All
afternoon I was haunted by moods
of rage at Patricia and guilt for Joanne. As it grew dark
outside, I was bouncing off the walls with anxiety.
As it turned out, I had
an offer. While I had been at the studio with my
private lesson, someone had left a message on my home phone.
Assuming it was a student calling for information, I ignored
it due to Joanne's presence. However,
after Joanne departed, I replayed the message. It was
Victoria. She was back in town and wanted
me to join her and Michael plus another couple at the
Pistachio Club for dancing tonight. Victoria added she
was going stir-crazy from the Holiday break. "I
sure wish you would join us, Rick."
I noticed Victoria did not mention
to bring Patricia along. Interesting omission.
|
 |
Following the
Christmas Party, I had seen Victoria only once. She
had come to class the following Tuesday as usual.
We talked after class and I apologized profusely for not
dancing with her first. Victoria had sharp words about
my lack of consideration, but eventually said she would get
over it. After that she and Michael left for an extended
Holiday visit with both sets of Stephanie's grandparents.
I had not seen or spoken to Victoria in over four weeks, so
going dancing tonight seemed like a pretty good idea.
Maybe the activity would help me escape these killer mood
swings. Besides,
I could really use Victoria's friendship right now.
I showed up at the club
around 9 pm. Since that was early for a Saturday night,
the floor was relatively empty. Looking across
the semi-deserted dance floor, I
saw Victoria
with Michael with her friends Dave and Midge in their usual spot towards the
back. Victoria beckoned for me to
join them.
As I walked
towards the back, I turned my head to the right to see if
there were any interesting young ladies. After all, I
was officially a free agent. During my afternoon
contemplation I had thought about
dating Joanne, but it was out of the question. We
inhabited two completely different life spaces. Take
away the dance floor and we had little in common. I
really liked Joanne as a friend, but our adventure this morning was
strictly one and done. Strangely
enough, the moment I thought of Joanne, there she was waving
at me!
I was so shocked I nearly tripped. I had
not seen Joanne until now because my eyes had been locked on
Victoria. Sure enough, that was Joanne sitting on the opposite
side of the dance floor.
Oh shit!!! What the hell is
Joanne doing here? A terrible jolt of anxiety ripped
through me. Was she too goddamn stupid to see Victoria
was here? Why didn't she have the sense to leave!?!
Riddled with
despair, I thought, "Oh my God! What have I done?!" I was consumed
with nausea as a series of fatalistic outcomes raced through
my mind. Joanne despised Victoria, Victoria felt
threatened by Joanne. Would there be a new Clash of the Titans?
Would Joanne become the mouse that roared and try to upstage
Victoria again? Would Victoria crush defenseless
Joanne to death with her all-mighty sharp tongue? Try as I might, for the life of me I
could not visualize a single positive outcome. For
that matter, would I survive? I was
caught in the middle of a deadly trap.
Now if this was
a Rom-Com, I suppose a gifted director would emphasize the
comedic elements of my dilemma. However, I saw no
humor in the situation. I was terrified, especially
when Joanne caught sight of me and wildly gestured for me to come
over. Joanne had to be out of her mind.
What was she doing here? Did
Joanne not realize Victoria was her mortal enemy? Did
Joanne not realize she endangered my career by antagonizing the woman
who held the key to my dance program? Well, now
that I thought about it, Politics was not one of Joanne's
strengths. With a sick feeling, I realized Joanne did
not have a clue the amount of trouble her
presence tonight had caused me. In that instant, I knew I
had made the worst mistake of my life by sleeping with her.
How could I have been so blind? I should have known
better. I had just given Joanne the power to end my
dance career, not because she wanted to, but because she was
too love-struck and naive to know better. There it
was. Joanne was in love and I had opened the door.
A plaintive
lament formed in my mind. Oh, Joanne, Please leave before it
is too late!
I hate to use
the word 'Stupid', but the thought crossed my mind.
Joanne was just plain stupid to be here. She thought
her enemy was Patricia when in reality Victoria was the one
to watch out for. At the Christmas Party a month ago I
had discovered the hard way that Victoria had a serious mean
streak. She would slit Joanne's throat if necessary
for trespassing on her Kingdom. Meanwhile Joanne was practically blowing
wet kisses
from across the dance
floor. A shudder passed through me. Shoot me now and put me out of my misery.
Never in a million years
would I have
anticipated Joanne would come here tonight.
Considering how shy she was, after the hostility Joanne
received from the Dueling Divas of Disco at the Christmas Party, I never
expected to see
her here again. Why would a coward like Joanne
deliberately invite trouble by coming tonight?
Probably because Joanne didn't know any better. Maybe Joanne did not
realize Victoria was
by far the
more dangerous of the two divas.
Patricia had screamed bloody murder at me following our
dance performance while Victoria had been forced to conceal her anger due to
Michael's presence. Joanne took one look at Patricia's fury,
then take off running. Since Joanne had the sense not to stick
around, she did not know Victoria was by far the
more upset of the two women. Joanne's dance ability
plus her obvious interest in me had seriously threatened Victoria's
grand scheme to be crowned the Supreme Diva of Disco. Furious
that Joanne had shown her up, Victoria had subsequently drawn a line in
the sand.
"Rick,
from now on, keep that woman out of my sight or else!"
Joanne had just
crossed that line. If she limited her transgression to
one toe over the
line, maybe I could patch this up. But more likely
Joanne would blunder deep into enemy territory and cause
Victoria to explode. Beware the wrath of
a woman scorned.
Was Joanne's
presence a coincidence? No. She had made an
educated guess that I
might go dancing tonight and knew exactly where to find me.
It was Saturday night, the perfect night for dancing, so why
not take a chance and see if I showed up? I had no
problem with that. I would have been
happy to dance with Joanne under normal circumstances.
But not tonight. Joanne
should have left the moment she saw Victoria. Joanne
may not like Victoria, but how
could she not realize the spot she had put me in?
Given that Victoria had singlehandedly
drawn over 300 people to this club in December, I could not
afford to lose her.
I had seriously
blown my Risk Assessment. I had assumed Joanne understood what happened this afternoon
could never happen again.
Joanne had concluded just the opposite. From her point of view, Patricia was toast.
If so, then I was available. In that case, Joanne was
first in line, so why not press her advantage? Joanne had come here tonight looking for a repeat
performance of this morning's fireworks. Give the girl credit for a bold and clever move. However, from
my point of view, Joanne could not have possibly put me in a more
difficult
situation with her surprise visit. Earlier I said
Joanne was the stupid one. Change that. I had
been the stupid one. I never saw this possibility
coming. Talk about Blindsided! This was all my
fault. I should have never broken the Fair Game rule.
|
SATURDAY,
January 6, 1979, the disco years
TRAPPED
|
|
Victoria is on
my left, Joanne is on my right. Caught between two women
who seriously disliked each other, I was trapped. One mistake
with either woman could ruin everything. Who do I go
to first? Victoria was
closer, but Joanne seemed out of control. Figuring
Joanne would be too shy to cause a scene, I waved to her,
then went to Victoria
since I had been headed that way. I stayed long enough to greet the foursome, then
quickly excused myself with a lame excuse.
"Please forgive me, but I just noticed my friend Joanne is
here. Let me give her a quick hello and I
will be right back."
Ignoring the
look of distress on Victoria's face, I changed direction and went to
Joanne to begin a dangerous round of shuttle diplomacy. Trying to sound casual, I said "Hey, Joanne,
what a surprise! What are you doing here?"
"I haven't
been dancing in ages, so I took a chance I might catch
you here."
"Hey, good
guess. I'm really glad you're here [total lie].
I haven't been dancing in ages either. Hey, please
forgive me, but I am kind of caught in the middle here [no
kidding!] Victoria invited me to come tonight, so
it would be rude not to sit with her friends for a moment.
Let me handle my obligation and I will be right back.
Save me a dance!"
I left abruptly before
Joanne could protest. I saw the
look of concern that crossed Joanne's face, but figured I
had said enough to keep her at bay. My whirlwind
visits had bought me patience with both parties, so now it
was time for damage control. Arriving at Victoria's
table, I took a seat as she gave me a dirty look. Fortunately Michael
and the other couple, Midge and Dave, greeted me warmly, so I pretended
nothing was wrong. I prayed Victoria would be forced
to behave due to the presence of her companions.
Victoria wasted
no time.
"Where is Patricia?"
That caught me
off guard. I was so preoccupied with Joanne, for the
first time in a week I had
forgotten about Patricia. "Um, she's out of
town on business. She'll be back soon [but not with
me]."
Now Victoria glanced
at Joanne. "What is she doing here?"
"Oh, Joanne?
Like everyone else, she hasn't been dancing in a month.
I had no idea she was coming here tonight."
Victoria raised
an eyebrow and gave me
an inquisitive smile. "You didn't invite her?"
"No. I'm
here because you invited me."
"Your little
girlfriend certainly has a way of showing up
at the most inopportune times, doesn't she? If I did
not know better, I would assume her presence here was not an
accident."
Unwilling to
take the bait, I
deflected Victoria's questions by turning to Michael and
his friend Justin. As I talked to the boys about
topics such as the upcoming Superbowl, Victoria surveyed me
with probing eyes.
I was so tense I could scream. Feeling
light-headed, I had the
distinct feeling Victoria was a mind reader digging for clues.
|
 |
Victoria
need not have gone to the trouble. Joanne made it easy
for her. Whenever I looked up, Joanne's gaze
was upon me. Her longing was so apparent that
anybody in the room could have guessed she had a giant
crush on me. Joanne had love cooties
oozing from every pore. Her eyes held so
much endearment they crossed. What
on earth was Joanne thinking? Well, obviously
she was thinking of me. That meant I was in so
much trouble.
Every time I looked up, Joanne was staring at me
with big brown mushy Cow Eyes. Moo!!!
How was
I supposed to talk to these people with this sword
hanging over me? This was
ridiculous. Did Joanne misinterpret the events
of the morning? I suppose she saw this as her
big chance. I was an idiot to give her reason
to hope by telling her about my problems with
Patricia. I was in so much trouble that my rage towards Patricia
was a forgotten memory. I was terrified over
the damage Joanne's crush might cause to my
relationship with Victoria.
Out of the
corner of my eye, I noticed Victoria study Joanne
carefully.
The disgust
on Victoria's face
said it all. Joanne
could not have been more obvious. She could
have just as easily have held it a sign for
the whole club to see.
'Hey, Rickie,
you're so Fine! You're so fine you
blow my mind! Hey Rickie!'
Even better,
while she's at it, why not honk a horn for good measure?
|
I had a pounding
headache. In the back of my mind, Gaye's famous last
words repeated over and over like a broken record.
"Stick
to women who know how to protect themselves."
Oh my God, why
did I break my rule?
No time to think about that now. It was time to face the
music, pun intended.
Realizing I could not
ignore Joanne any longer, I excused myself
and returned to dance with Joanne. To the sounds of Donna
Summer's 'Love to Love You, Baby', we entered
the floor. Although I toned it down, we still made for a
very graceful
dance couple. As we danced, Joanne whispered, "Throw me in the
air!" Oh great, that's just what I need.
I whispered this
was not a good time for that, not with Victoria here.
Joanne didn't care. She still had no idea that
Victoria was sharpening her knives at this very moment.
Instead Joanne beamed with joy.
Joanne didn't smile very often, but tonight she was
in love. This was her big
moment in the spotlight with her new boyfriend... or so she hoped.
Even though I was trying hard not to show off, it was
impossible to escape notice. We were
easily the best dancers in the club. Several people in the crowd
moved to the railing to get a better look. Joanne
could see their excited faces and grinned. Joanne was
really starting to like this Diva stuff!! She
wouldn't mind doing this every night for the
rest of her life. Joanne's
dream had come true. She had dancing and she had me.
Although I skipped the
acrobatics, it made no difference. Our dancing drew significant attention from the crowd. That
crowd included Victoria who watched every move with growing alarm.
Was it my imagination or was steam coming out of her ears? Recalling how
Victoria had reamed me out back at the December
party, I was pretty sure what was coming next.
I groaned. Oh
no, not
this again...
After the song
ended, I walked
Joanne back to her seat. Joanne seemed reassured for the
moment. However, Victoria
was a different story. Even though she was far across the
room, I could tell she was deeply unhappy with this development.
It was time for damage control with Victoria, but first I had to
gently excuse myself from Joanne. How could I
extricate myself from Joanne without making her suspicious? That is when I had a
great idea. Why not invite Joanne to come with me?
"Listen, Joanne,
since Victoria was the one who invited me here tonight, I need to
spend more time with her. However I would rather spend it with
you. I have a suggestion. Why don't you come with me
and let me
introduce you to Victoria and her friends?"
Talk about Risky
Business! This move was an
inspired gamble on my part. Since Victoria's husband and friends were
here, in the unlikely event that Joanne accepted, Victoria would
be forced to be
polite. However, more likely, Joanne would decline. As I figured, Joanne
scowled at the
idea.
"Uh, no thanks. I don't think Victoria likes me very much. You go
talk to them, then come back. I want to dance some
more."
I sighed with
relief. This ploy achieved the much-needed goal of
keeping Joanne isolated without feeling I had brushed her
off. Joanne was content to sit quietly and remain blissfully unaware of the danger
she presented for me. Divide and conquer! Who knows?
Maybe I could escape this night unscathed. Wouldn't
that be wonderful? Hmm.
Guess again.
|
Victoria rose to
meet me when I returned to her table. Pointing to the
far corner next to the Exit Sign, she wished to
speak in private. Victoria took me to the
same spot where she had chewed me out at the Christmas Party. I could not help but
notice the worried look that crossed Michael's face.
Based on the tone of her voice, he knew something
was wrong.
The moment we
reached the corner, Victoria whirled to face me. From the
look in her eye, I was in serious trouble. Indeed, the
sands of time had run out. The looming Disaster that had
hovered like an evil shadow ever since the Christmas Party had finally arrived. Here in this dark
corner, Victoria threw a fit.
"Rick, is
there something I need to know about you and
that woman!?! I could have sworn I told you I did
not
want to see her again."
"This is a free country. Joanne has just as much right to
be here as you and I. I told you the truth. Her appearance tonight is a
complete surprise to me. She showed
up of her own accord. I asked her to dance out of
courtesy. After all, she is my friend. She also
helps me with my Monday class. To
ignore her would be rude."
"Is there
something else this woman helps you with? She seems
unusually happy to see you."
I froze.
How far was Victoria going to take this? If she dug
any deeper, I could be in deep shit. Rather than let
my words betray my fears, I said nothing. Seeing me
struck dumb by her onslaught, Victoria resumed her Tirade.
"I
have not forgotten being upstaged at my own party by that woman back in
December. Tonight I invited you to the Pistachio
Club expecting to dance with you and socialize.
But the
next thing I know, you insult me by letting that woman
tag along.
You should have just told her to leave. So here we go again. That woman
means more to you than I do, that's plain to
see."
"That is not
correct, Victoria. I came here specifically to see
you. However, Joanne showed up unexpectedly.
Joanne is my friend just as you are. For that reason I would hope you
understand it would be rude of me not to speak to her."
"Well,
considering you are supposed to be my guest, why did she get the first dance?
For that matter, why does she ALWAYS get the first
dance? I honestly think you do this
to me deliberately. Furthermore it is my observation
you are
showing her a lot more interest than an accidental
meeting would call for. That includes the honor of
tonight's first dance. Considering the efforts I
have made on your behalf, I cannot imagine why you feel
compelled to repeatedly slight me."
Again I said nothing
lest she use my words against me. I hated Victoria
for doing this to me. Where did Victoria get her
nerve? However, if I lost my temper,
then Victoria would realize I was hiding something. Better
to pretend to be cool.
"For a man who typically expresses himself
quite well,
you seem rather quiet tonight. Do me a favor. Will
you explain the meaning of that woman's rather intense stare in
your direction?"
I glanced over at
Joanne. She was watching us like a hawk. I quietly
cursed to myself, then spoke to Victoria. "What is there to
explain? Joanne likes to dance just like you do. She
came here to dance and was excited when I showed up. She
asked me to dance, so I danced with her, end of
story. Why do you make more of this than necessary?
I came here tonight to be with you and Michael. So I
apologize if there has been a misunderstanding." After a
brief pause, I added, "Would you
like to dance?"
Nice try, but
Victoria said no. So much for my evasive maneuver. I was really
sweating now. Just my luck that Joanne was wearing her
heart on her sleeve. The last thing I wanted was to give
Victoria a reason to open a line of questioning about Joanne,
but her crush was too obvious to miss. I never anticipated
my dalliance with Joanne would backfire like this.
Seriously, if Victoria got one whiff of today's Liaison, she
would go ballistic. Sure enough, Victoria resumed her
investigation. How was I ever going to talk my way out of this?
"What exactly
does Joanne's giddy smile suggest?"
"I don't know.
You tell me."
"It
means Joanne is thinking of you in a certain way. I've been
around a few women in my time. I happen to know what
that shit-eating grin means. That
Look says the two of you are having sex. So tell
me, Rick, are you having sex
with Joanne?"
My heart stopped
beating. Good
grief,
Victoria knew, I was sure of it. They say a woman
always knows.
"Of course
not!" I lied. "Don't be
ridiculous. Joanne is a friend, nothing more."
My denial
did no good. Victoria was not about to let me off the
hook.
"Guess
what, Rick? I
don't believe you!! You had sex with her, I know you did.
Quit lying and admit
what you have done."
Victoria wanted
me to confess, but to do so would risk seeing my benefactor turn
her back on me. Besides, since when is my love
life any business of hers? Why not just walk away?
At this very moment, a soothsayer whispered that Victoria's tentacles
controlled every aspect of my dance program. That
uncomfortable realization left me no choice but to
stand here and
take my punishment. Since saying as
little as possible wasn't working, I decided to bluster
instead. Deny! Deny! Deny!
"Victoria,
take a chill pill. You are making way too much out of this. Joanne is my friend from the dance studio.
For the last four months she has been a volunteer on
Mondays. I appreciate her loyalty just as I appreciate
yours. Okay, you are right about one thing. Joanne's presence
is not an accident, she came here looking for me. However I did not invite her."
Victoria smiled, but
not a pleasant smile, more like a gotcha smile. "And
why did she come looking for you? This
better be good."
Time for some
creativity. Why not try a kernel of truth?
"Before I got your
message, I met with Joanne earlier this morning. She was at
the studio to help me teach an acrobatics lesson. When
she told me she hasn't danced in month, I told her the same
thing. When
she asked if I was going dancing tonight, I said that sounded
like a good idea, but added I had not decided yet. When I got home, I got your message.
That
was the determining factor in my decision. In the meantime, Joanne decided to show up
based on the outside chance I might be here. So there is
your answer. Joanne doesn't
know anyone here, so it makes perfect sense that she focuses on me. Is there some reason I
can't have two friends in the same building?"
Plausible.
But would it work? No. In a very loud voice, Victoria
went on the offensive.
"Don't
you dare lie to me! Someone
needs to teach you how to lie properly. That woman is in love with you and
I think the two of you have had sex. What
about Patricia? What is
Patricia going to think?"
Just then Victoria
blinked. For the first time tonight she realized Patricia
was nowhere in sight. "By the way, where is she?"
Patricia
was the least of my problems. However, instinct suggested this was
a terrible time to let Victoria
know that Patricia was permanently out of the picture.
Hmm. That gave me an idea. Thinking fast, maybe I
could use Patricia's absence to my advantage.
"Patricia is out of
town on business. I don't care what Patricia
thinks. I've done nothing wrong."
"How well does
Patricia know about this Joanne woman? What do you
expect her to say about this? Or better yet, what
will Patricia say when I speak to her about this?"
Oh lord, when it
rains, it pours. Having the
Diva and the Princess exchange notes
was the last thing I wanted to happen. But then I came
to my senses. Victoria would never speak to Patricia for
the simple reason that these two would never meet again. I had to say
something, so in the calmest voice I could muster, I pretended
we were still together
"Patricia does not
worry about Joanne and neither should you. She knows
Joanne has a crush on me, but unlike you,
Patricia doesn't make a federal case out of it."
Which was the truth.
The
subject of Joanne had not come up again since the Christmas Party.
Unfortunately, Victoria was getting frustrated.
The more I stonewalled, the angrier she got. Raising her voice
again, she
got ugly.
"You want to know
something? You really suck at lying. I know that
'Look'. A woman gets a mush-face like that after she gets laid. Her
precious goo-goo eyes are so laden with love they are practically falling out of their sockets.
I have never seen anything more pathetic. That woman is sick in love
with you. I demand to know how long has this been going on!"
Dying a million
deaths at the accusation, I did everything in my power to keep
a poker face. Since Victoria wasn't
buying any of this, her cross-examination was relentless.
As for me, I had turned white as a ghost.
Thank goodness it was dark in here. Curious, I checked on Michael and Joanne. Sure
enough, they were both watching intently from a distance. I was grateful that Victoria's angry voice was erased by the
loud music. Nevertheless, they both could see Victoria
was royally irritated. Her gestures and angry expressions
were unmistakable.
Feeling desperate, I tried a different approach.
"Victoria, you
are wrong. There is nothing going on here. By the way, did you notice Joanne was waiting for me?
If this was a date, we would have come in together.
If Joanne has a big crush on me, that is her problem, not mine.
I pay attention because Joanne is
a loyal friend who deserves my attention. I am also loyal
to you, Victoria. I am sorry you have misinterpreted her
appearance, but there is nothing for you to be alarmed about.
Do me a favor and lighten up. Come on, let's
dance."
I reached for her,
but Victoria brushed my hand away. Victoria was so
mad she was
shaking. At that moment, she
glanced back at her husband and realized everyone at her table was
staring in shock. Noting the concern on his face, she flinched.
This did not stop the crossfire, but
it forced Victoria to regain control. In a slightly
calmer voice she continued.
"Damn
you anyway. I've been
busting my ass to make your dance program successful and
you show no respect. Well, I'm sick of it.
I would appreciate it if you showed some gratitude for my
hard work, but no, you want to chase the little dance
bunny behind my back. You should be ashamed of
yourself."
I do not take
tongue-lashings well to begin with, but this lecture from a
married women about my personal life was tough to bear.
I might add that my nerves were already frazzled to the bone courtesy of
Patricia.
Fed up, I came within an inch of losing my temper. I was
dying to grab Victoria's hand and shove her wedding ring right in
front of
her nose where she could see it better.
If I had a backbone, then yes, that is what I should have done. However,
if I lost my tempter, a direct confrontation would
likely cost me the
services of the woman who was making my dance program
special. In some ways it takes more guts to accept
the abuse. Since my dance career was more important than my pride, I bit my tongue.
|
 |
As Victoria
continued to rant and rave, I dreaded what I
was seeing. Victoria was
behaving like a jealous girlfriend. In Victoria's
mind, I was her property, I belonged to her. Where did she get
the nerve? For crying out loud, her husband was
watching this Tirade. That minor detail did
not seem to stop
Victoria from revealing her possessiveness.
Victoria's tantrum
was taking place with her husband and friends watching in horror
from twenty feet away. It bothered me immeasurably that Victoria was oblivious to Michael's concern.
I was very confused. Did her marriage mean nothing to her? What must he be thinking? Michael could see
his wife was out of control, so why did he remain so
passive? Why didn't he do something?
Recalling
Victoria's anger
at the Halloween Party and the Christmas Party, this was
the third time she had publicly revealed her temper. Of
the three incidents, this Tirade was
by far the most vicious. There was something wrong with
Victoria. Joanne's Cow Eyes had flipped the woman
totally off kilter. To me, this was Jekyll
and Hyde behavior. Victoria's mean streak stood in sharp contrast to the sunny extrovert I was
accustomed to seeing. Victoria had to be the strangest woman I had
ever met.
|
Worried what
direction the conversation might go next, I attempted to
take control. "Victoria,
that's enough. You've made your point. We can
talk more about this on Tuesday. But right now you
need to cool down. We came here to dance, so let's
dance. Let's practice the Latin Hustle that Glen
showed us."
When I grabbed her hand,
Victoria resisted. The moment I saw Victoria glance with a
look of fear in Joanne's direction, I could see
she
was insecure about Joanne's superior dancing. Victoria did not want Joanne to see her dance, but I insisted.
This was the only way to shut her up. I had to practically drag Victoria out there,
but thank goodness it worked. Although it is true that
the lady's part is more glamorous than the man's, the
woman also has to work harder. Leading a series of
non-stop patterns, Victoria was not only breathless after
two songs, the intense dancing seemed to snap her out of it. By the time the music ended, Victoria
was almost normal again as
I walked her back to her group.
Although I hid it the best I
could, I was seething with anger.
After what Victoria had subjected me to, the last
thing I wanted to do was sit down with her group and pretend nothing was wrong.
Since I did not have that kind of acting ability, it was time to disengage. I thanked Victoria for the dance, nodded to Michael and the other
couple, then addressed them all.
"Listen,
guys, please forgive me, but my
friend Joanne is sitting all by
herself. Victoria, I'll see you on Tuesday and I will see
the rest of you in
dance class on Friday!"
I glanced at
Victoria long enough to see another flash of fury cross her
face. But
what could she say with her husband at her side? I
returned to Joanne and asked her to dance. Joanne was gloating. She had
just caught on that Victoria was nowhere near in her
league as a dancer. Plus Victoria's temper tantrum
made it clear the woman had some serious emotional problems of her own.
Now it was Joanne's
turn to pepper me with questions. "What was that all about, Rick?"
"Oh, that.
Victoria hates it when I dance with you. I think she is
pretty envious of your dance ability."
Joanne
positively beamed with delight. Nodding, she said, "Yeah, that's
what I thought too."
I was shaking
inside. If Joanne only knew the trouble she had caused
tonight. But my frustration with Joanne was nothing compared
to my anger at Victoria. I gave way to my temper in an
unusual way. Just then one of the great
Disco songs of the era came on. Boogie Woogie Dancing Shoes was a fast song,
energetic
with a strong, pulsating beat.
I whispered to
Joanne, "Showtime!" Joanne knew
exactly what
I meant. Joanne directed a defiant smirk at
Victoria, then proceeded to go Supernova. Like a burning comet,
Joanne lit up the dance floor. Sure enough,
a look of pure hate crossed Victoria's face. That is
when I decided to pour it on. I wasted no time
going to the Acrobatics. To the oohs and aahs of the
crowd, I threw Joanne in the air and helped her land with
precision. Next came a cycle of dips, flips,
and drops. I wanted to show
Victoria I wasn't intimidated by her stupid temper tantrum. For the second time today Joanne and I used each other for revenge
upon a common foe. Dancing hard for two songs in a row, Victoria knew
exactly what was I doing. She was really angry, but
what could she do about it?
I eventually
lost interest in annoying Victoria and took satisfaction in
dancing with Joanne. Dancing with her was like riding
a powerful thoroughbred at break-neck speed. Joanne
had such great balance, I could keep her under control with
no effort at all. Joanne's confident dancing was a
sight to behold. As before at the Christmas Party,
when Joanne did her multiple spins
the centrifugal
force lifted her dress to reveal those long, shapely legs.
I smiled as the watchful
men on the railing were hypnotized.
They no doubt blessed me for making this wonderful vision
possible. Joanne was sensational. When it is done well, Disco dancing can be
thrilling to watch.
Victoria,
however, was not amused by the vision of Joanne's long legs.
Victoria had visions of her own and they weren't pretty.
Something along the lines of mutilation, maybe a baseball
bat to Joanne's shin or a hammer to my head. Watching
the crowd applaud for Joanne must have been a bitter pill
for Victoria. Seeing her face contort in
anger, I decided I had made my point. There would
undoubtedly be a price to pay for my defiance, but sometimes
when a man gets mad enough, he stands up to a bully.
At the end of
the song, Joanne looked at Victoria and whispered "In your face, bitch."
I agreed with her. But right now it was too dangerous
to stick around. I gave Joanne a big hug, then said goodnight.
I waved at Victoria and her group, then turned and raced for
the exit. I did not look back for fear someone might
be following.
Victoria's
Tirade was the final blow in perhaps the longest, most
difficult day of my life. Although I was able to
extricate myself, that did not mean the damage was averted.
Hardly. It simply meant that my Dangerous Liaison had
remained a secret. But Victoria was on alert, so I
knew she would redouble her efforts to see if Joanne's Cow
Eyes meant what she thought. This had been the day
when the poison seeds planted at the Christmas Party reached
their terrible outcome. However, my problems
were not over. I fully expected the repercussions of
tonight would lead to further rounds of Diva Warfare.
I comforted myself with the thought that at least I did not
have Patricia to worry about. But would Victoria
return to the studio on Tuesday night? And would
Victoria's friends return on Friday night?
In retrospect, I
should have had a long talk with Michael. Working
together, perhaps we could have avoided the coming train wreck. If so, I
could have wrapped this book up right here and lived happily
ever after. But we all know that bad choices make for
great chapters. And we have many great chapters ahead.
Welcome to The Year of Living Dangerously.
|
|
