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Countdown to Disaster
01.
Rick's first dance lesson with Glen Hunsucker elevated his
skill so dramatically that he shined with Joanne later that
night.
02.
Joanne's
magnificent performance at the Christmas Party was the spark that
set the wheels of Victoria's Tirade in motion.
03. Thanks to Joanne
raising Rick's 'Value', Patricia changed her mind
about ditching him and took him home with her that night.
04.
Following Patricia's 'Kidnap'
following the Christmas Party, Rick remained under her domination
for three weeks in December.
05. The painful Rock Star Argument led
to Rick's
separation from Patricia for nine days without contact.
Rick assumed this was the end.
06.
What possessed Patricia to ask
Rick for a
date on New Year's Eve knowing full well she was going to see
George in L.A.?
07. How weird was it that Patricia
felt the need to inform Rick about George? What was the
point?
08.
Rick was so rattled by Patricia's
Bombshell announcement that he 'accidentally' forgot to turn off
the car
lights on Saturday.
09. How
fortunate Joanne was hanging around to notice something was
wrong with Rick's car.
10.
Rick was so rattled by
Patricia's
Bombshell that he 'accidentally' placed the battery cable
wires on the wrong terminal.
11.
How fortunate Joanne just happened to have a
readily-available friend who could fix Rick's car.
12. How
curious that Joanne stood in the
rain at the exact moment when Rick's need for revenge was
paramount.
13.
Catching
Rick at a time when his common sense had abandoned him, Rick foolishly broke his Fair Game rule.
14.
How convenient that Victoria
left a message inviting Rick to the Pistachio Club that night.
15.
A
lucky guess led Joanne to show up
'uninvited' at Pistachio the same night as Victoria.
Rick never told Joanne he would be there.
16.
Joanne's
unexpected appearance at
the Pistachio Club and her dancing set the trap that led to Victoria's Tirade.
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Rick Archer's Note:
The story of the
Temptation Triangle began at the December Christmas Party.
Due to a complicated chain reaction caused by the
interaction of 16 events, one month later Rick's dance career was in serious
jeopardy.
Before
we resume our story, I would
like to explain why I believe the 'Countdown to
Disaster' was created by the force of Fate. Although I do not expect my Readers to necessarily
agree with me, I hope everyone will at least
understand why I came to believe Fate was involved.
Let's
start with the unusual circumstances surrounding
Rick and Joanne's performance that night.
Although a Realistic person might dismiss our
excellent performance as a lucky fluke, I have every
reason to believe the Force of Fate was involved.
For example, 'by coincidence', a morning
dance lesson with Glen Hunsucker was all it took to
help me take a sudden leap in ability. Just a
few well-placed hints about footwork and leads was
all it took to enable my dramatic surprise
breakthrough.
Ordinarily a great performance is preceded by
intense rehearsal. Not in my case. I never planned to
help Joanne steal the show at Victoria's party. Seeing how
depressed she was, all I did was ask Joanne to
dance. Although our performance was unplanned,
the success was not a complete accident.
Starting in September, Joanne and I had practiced
once a week for three solid months. That said, both of
us were stunned at how all that practice came
together so quickly. I knew
Joanne was good,
but I had no idea she was THAT GOOD. Since this was
the very first time we had ever danced in public, I had no
idea Joanne was the best female dancer I would ever meet in
my life. For that matter, even Joanne had no idea she was
that good. Neither of us
imagined how perfectly our Monday get-togethers would
translate onto the dance floor. The point is that we
had NO BUSINESS BEING THAT GOOD. Unless of
course Fate was involved.
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Furthermore, I had no
idea Joanne would even be at the Christmas Party. Her
appearance came as a complete surprise. Joanne was in
the 'right place at the right time'. The resulting
Impact was incredible... and Disastrous. Due to the very
complicated chain reaction I refer to as 'Countdown
to Disaster', one month later my dance career
was plunged into great peril. Thanks to
Joanne, I had deeply
offended Victoria, the most important person in my life. After
Victoria's Tirade, I was terrified she would not
return to the
studio. But let's not blame Joanne too much. The
poor girl was following her heart. The real
villain here was Patricia. Were it not for
Patricia's Bombshell regarding George, never in a
million years would I have let Joanne get this close
in the first place. Due to my unconscionable
mistake, I would
pay a heavy price for my 'Dangerous Liaison'.
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There are those
who say Coincidence is a small miracle in which God chooses
to remain anonymous.
That is a bold
statement, especially since not all coincidences are equal.
Many coincidences are meaningless. I ran into an old
friend I had not seen for 15 years at a garden center.
We had a nice 10-minute talk and I never saw him again.
Sweet, but no big deal.
Then there are 'Suspicious'
coincidences that may lack Impact, but raise an eyebrow
nonetheless. I spent four
months trying to work up the courage to ask my line
dance teacher for permission to substitute-teach her class.
To my relief, when I finally got the nerve to say something,
Rosalyn said yes, let's do it next week. At the exact
moment I was ready to play music for the first time ever, my
students were panicked by a man who ran into the room
screaming bomb threat. The room emptied before I could
even put the needle back. Was this odd coincidence
important? No. In the Cosmic scheme of things,
my dance career was not affected. But the timing and
context was so weird that I was deeply shaken.
Some of my
coincidences have been spectacular, the Mistress Book/Vanessa
omen for example. Being the only Disco teacher in
Houston on the day Saturday Night Fever hit
town ranks high. My chance meeting with Deborah Gordon
that led to my Class Factory opportunity
definitely qualifies. Add Eric to the list. His
sudden demise was so unexpected, I actually did think in
terms of a 'Miracle'. These four
coincidences had enormous Impact on my dance career.
For that reason they were easy to add to my List of
Suspected Supernatural Events.
But what about my
'Countdown to Disaster'. Was this Supernatural in
origin?
I listed 16 curious incidents that contributed to my 'Countdown
to Disaster'. When viewed one at a time, none
of those 16 events were suspicious enough to make my
List. However, when viewed together, these 16 events
struck me as closely linked, a unified whole so to speak.
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These events fit together so perfectly that I recalled Carl Jung's description of a
Synchronicity, a series of small, seemingly
random coincidences that by themselves mean little, but
generate a powerful Impact when viewed together.
"The
problem of Synchronicity has puzzled me for a long
time... What I found were 'coincidences'
which were connected so meaningfully that their chance
concurrence would represent a degree of improbability that would
have to be expressed by an astronomical figure." -- Carl
Jung
The Countdown to
Disaster involved several minor coincidences plus elements of
potential Cosmic Blindness.
Although several of the curious situations could be
considered suspicious, by themselves they prove nothing.
But when these incidents are placed side by side, in my
opinion they struck me as
linked in a Supernatural way. Although it is difficult
to believe in the concept of Fate, when seen as a unified
whole, this avalanche of connected situations no longer seems
Accidental.
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For example, Victoria left a message on my answering machine
inviting me to come dancing. By itself, no big
deal. Joanne had nothing better to do on a Saturday night,
so she dropped by the Pistachio Club hoping to see me. By
itself, no big deal. However, by putting Joanne and Victoria
in the same place where Joanne had upstaged Victoria in
December, we have a recipe for disaster. Two events that
are unconnected when seen in one context become very much
connected when seen another way.
What I am saying is
every single event during the Countdown to Disaster could be
ignored. But when viewed another way, these 16 events unfolded with clockwork precision. We now see how
the Triangle relationship between two Divas and a
gifted Underdog managed to ensnare
me in the worst trap of my life. Indeed,
the machinations of the Temptation Triangle
have put my dance career on the brink of
ruin.
Regarding the Dangerous
Liaison, we will see how my fear of exposure will cause me to fall deeper under
Victoria's thumb. Having her tentacles wrapped around
every corner of the dance program was bad enough, but her
increasing volatility will raise the risk exponentially.
Since Victoria was the engine that powered my Magic Carpet Ride,
if she ever learned the truth
about Joanne,
my career could be in serious jeopardy.
I would do Anything to hang onto my
dance career. With my eyes firmly locked on my goal,
I wanted Victoria to continue her business wizardry.
Now, however, thanks to Joanne, Victoria was furious with me.
Was jealousy involved? I prayed not, but it seemed a
possibility.
Patricia dominated me, Victoria dominated me, and
Joanne was in position to impose her will as well. I was under the
control of all three women.
This is why I came
to believe the interactions between these three women
represented a Karmic Test. Trapped in a web of
entanglements, how I handled this situation would determine
the future of my dance career.
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RICK ARCHER'S LIST OF
SUSPECTED SUPERNATURAL EVENTS
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MAGIC CARPET RIDE: THE DISCO YEARS |
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071 |
Suspicious |
Synchronicity |
1979 |
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The Year
of Living Dangerously: Joanne's Christmas Party performance, Patricia's Bombshell, the
Dangerous Liaison, Victoria's Tirade and the subsequent Pandora's Box lead to an
entire year of serious trouble. |
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070 |
Suspicious |
Coincidence |
1978 |
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Joanne
appears out of nowhere to steal the show at Victoria's Christmas Party |
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069 |
Serious |
Synchronicity |
1978 |
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The Interaction of Victoria, Patricia, and Joanne
forms the Temptation Triangle |
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068 |
Suspicious |
Synchronicity |
1978 |
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Summer of 78:
Jenny, Marilyn, Karen, Francesca and Nancy prepare Rick for the Temptation
Triangle |
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067 |
Suspicious |
Coincidence |
1978 |
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The peculiar presence of
the Murray Bowen article in Francesca's car created the bizarre Golf Clothing
debacle at the Medical Center private dining room |
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066 |
Serious |
Lucky Break
Cosmic Blindness |
1978 |
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Lance Stevens' thoughtless decision to
allow Rick to rent
rooms for group lessons gives Rick the chance to start a competing dance
program under the same roof |
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065 |
Serious |
Lucky Break
Coincidence |
1978 |
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Deborah Gordon of Class Factory hands
Rick the break of a lifetime with a promise to send him students that
will belong to him, not to Lance Stevens |
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064 |
Suspicious |
Cosmic Blindness
Dance Curse 1 |
1978 |
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The Ritz Debacle is caused when the Ritz DJ loses his mind and
turns out the lights during Rick's performance |
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063 |
Serious |
Coincidence
Cosmic Blindness |
1978 |
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Eric loses his job after mysteriously challenging Lance Stevens.
Rick is so shaken he begins to wonder if he has been spared for a reason. |
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062 |
Serious |
Coincidence
Synchronicity |
1978 |
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Partner Dance Crisis: Gary, Sue Ann, Stevens, Janie, and Suzy act as surprise Messengers to help Rick create the 'New Yorker' partner dance system
despite long odds against success. |
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061 |
Serious |
Coincidence
Pay it Forward |
1978 |
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It was
very fortunate that Rick was in a position to help Maria Ballantyne's husband
Jay save his tropical plants from a menacing freeze. In so doing, Rick
received an invaluable lesson in the power of Pay it Forward |
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060 |
Serious |
Coincidence
Second Meeting |
1978 |
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Maria
Ballantyne appears out of nowhere to surprise Rick at his dance studio.
After inviting him to lunch, that afternoon she proceeds to tell Rick her life
story. |
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059 |
Serious |
Lucky Break
Coincidence
Synchronicity |
1978 |
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The
Crossroad Synchronicity creates the One in a Million Dance Teacher.
Stepping Stone Five places
Rick in the
Right Place at the Right Time when Saturday Night Fever hits town.
From there, the Spotlight Effect and
Surprise Effect place Rick at the top of the mountain. |
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058 |
Suspicious |
Synchronicity
Coincidence |
1977 |
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The Robert Stigwood Synchronicity: Following the amazing
script coincidence, Robert Stigwood, John Travolta, Nik Cohn, the Bee Gees and Norman Wexler
simultaneously experienced their Brightest Day |
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057 |
Serious |
Lucky Break
Coincidence |
1977 |
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Out of the blue, Lance Stevens offers Rick a Disco Line Dance class job.
Right place at the Right Time thanks to Dorothy Piazzos.
This job would prove to be Rick's Big Break, Stepping Stone Four |
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056 |
Suspicious |
Lucky
Break |
1977 |
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Rosalyn's Gift of line dance class at Memorial JCC becomes Stepping
Stone Three |
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055 |
Suspicious |
Coincidence |
1977 |
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The painful lessons learned at Melody Lane two years earlier help Rick
turn into a Pied Piper at Rubaiyat |
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054 |
Serious |
Lucky Break
Coincidence |
1977 |
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One week after a
bizarre bomb threat interrupts Rick's first-ever opportunity
to teach a line dance class, Rosalyn offers Rick a job teaching for the
summer at the JCC.
This becomes Stepping Stone Two |
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053 |
Suspicious |
Coincidence
Precognition |
1977 |
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Rick is so excited from teaching his first-ever class, he spends two
hours creating a syllabus for a class that does not exist only to
discover one week later his prayers have been answered. |
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052 |
Suspicious |
Coincidence |
1977 |
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Stepping Stone One. A
bomb threat at the JCC interrupts Rick's first-ever opportunity
to teach a line dance class.
Assuming the night is ruined, Rick's students ask him to continue
teaching in the parking lot. |
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SATURDAY, JANUARY 6, 1979
SUCH A CLEVER GIRL
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Following
Victoria's Tirade, I collapsed in bed when I got
home. What a horrible day! Thank goodness I had my two dogs to comfort me.
They jumped up on the bed
as I lay there exhausted and worried. My morning rage at Patricia,
leaving the car lights on, frying the
battery in my car, the Dangerous Liaison, and now the
Tirade. When added together, this had been one of the toughest days of my life.
So where did I stand? I was through
with Patricia. Following her George treachery, I never wanted to see her again.
Furthermore, now that I had discovered Joanne was a loose
cannon, my Dangerous Liaison was out there as blackmail
material. If anything, that made me even more
reluctant to see Patricia again. God only knows what
misery would rain down if Patricia learned about
my Liaison with Joanne. If Patricia found out, the secret was bound
to leak to Victoria sooner or later. Given Victoria's
volatility, that would be an
Extinction Level Event. The smart thing to do was to
forget about Patricia, thereby burying this secret even
deeper.
Patricia could
be replaced. For that matter, so could Joanne.
But not Victoria. She was irreplaceable. That is
why every decision I made, every action I took was done in
terms of placating Victoria. Unfortunately, there was
something wrong with
Victoria. She possessed an air of irrationality that baffled the imagination. What kind of woman
openly chews out a man who should have been an 'acquaintance'
in full view of her husband? I did not know if Michael
was the suspicious type, but I would have been
in his shoes.
I had escaped
Victoria's Tirade by the skin of my teeth, but I was not out of the woods.
Given how suspicious Victoria was, she would not let this rest.
Plus there was the issue of my defiance. Following the
Tirade, I had lost
my temper and risked incurring further wrath by dancing with Joanne
for two songs before leaving.
Normally I was more careful than that, but I was sick and tired of
being pushed around by women all the time. As a result Victoria wanted to strangle me, maybe even quit the
studio. The thing is, when someone gets mad enough,
that's when they do something stupid. Like giving into
sexual
temptation to spite Patricia, like dancing with Joanne to
spite Victoria. But my defiance meant I would have to
pay Victoria's price. How much would it cost me?
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My mind
turned to Joanne. Her unexpected visit to the
Pistachio Club had thrown a huge monkey wrench into my sense
of security. Like an idiot, I had given her blackmail potential.
Joanne was my friend, but she could ruin me if I angered her.
And even if she did not want to hurt me, her political
clumsiness was a serious threat. Thanks to Joanne's
crush, I was forced to tiptoe a tight rope with Victoria.
On the other hand, despite the fix
Joanne put me in, I was
proud of her. Joanne had played her cards to
perfection
throughout Saturday. She had waited four months hoping to
find the
right moment to seduce me.
Nor did she stop there. Her inspired guess
that I might visit my Pistachio lair later that same night was fairly
brilliant.
I
had seriously underestimated Joanne. She was nowhere near as helpless as I thought she was. When I first met Joanne, I had visualized
her as a passive, needy woman who was
being swept along by the swift currents of Life.
Over the past four months, not one thing had happened to
contradict my first impression. Her goofy embrace of
Westheimer Street as the only road in existence, her refusal to mix
with the Monday Night crowd, and her decision to run from
confrontation after our Christmas Party performance had
strongly reinforced my image of Joanne as an insecure woman
afraid of her own shadow.
Following the
Dangerous Liaison, I was convinced
I had used a fragile woman to satisfy my powerful desire to
even the score with Patricia. I
saw Joanne as a love-sick girl who had no idea what she was getting herself
into. That was then. This was now.
After Joanne's Pistachio stunt, I was forced to reassess my
image of her. My new image was a woman
determined to aggressively pursue the man
she wanted. To be honest, having sex had
not crossed my mind until I looked up and saw Joanne
standing in the rain. After bailing me out of serious
trouble with my car, Joanne saw her chance to parlay my gratitude into granting her wish.
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They talk about
guys who get lucky by catching a girl at the right moment
when her guard is down. There's even a joke about
it. "Tequila... lowering women's standards for hundreds of
years." Well, this time it was Joanne who got
lucky. If Patricia had not shattered my world with her
Bombshell, there was no way I would have cooperated.
Instead my need for revenge became my downfall.
Sensing I was vulnerable, Joanne refused to
budge in the parking lot rain until I made a decision.
Give the girl some credit. Joanne had seized her
opportunity very effectively.
My second clue
that Joanne was not quite as helpless as I first thought was her skill in bed. How do I
put this delicately? This woman was an experienced lover.
My third clue was Joanne's unexpected appearance at the Pistachio
Club. That was the move that opened my eyes. I had seen a
much different woman appear at the Pistachio Club. Joanne was hardly playing the part of the victim. Although I told Victoria
that I had mentioned going dancing later on to Joanne during
my morning private lesson, that was a lie I used to explain
Joanne's presence. Due to my morbid preoccupation with
Patricia, the thought of dancing later that night never crossed my mind. Therefore Joanne's bold move to track
me down was an inspired gamble that paid off.
Someone might
say Joanne was a fool to wear her feelings on her sleeve
with Victoria watching in alarm. In Joanne's defense,
how was she supposed to know she was dealing with a
madwoman? If Life was fair, Joanne had a far better
claim to my affection than Victoria. After all,
Victoria had a perfectly good husband sitting right beside
her. But let's save that for later.
My fourth clue
was Joanne's recognition of an opportunity. Following
our morning Liaison, Joanne was
determined to press her advantage. And why shouldn't
she? Knowing Patricia was probably out of the
picture for good, Joanne assumed I was a free agent.
If so, why not put in the
first bid to replace Patricia by tracking me down at
Pistachio? Clever move. I could
not believe how badly I had misjudged Joanne. Here
I thought I was taking advantage of her, but now I wondered
if she had taken advantage of me. Or maybe I should
just accept that it is okay for lonely people to take their
chances and leave it at that.
When I first met her,
Joanne had convinced me she was helpless. I was convinced she
was so naive that she clung to Westheimer as her only
friend in a world too large and too hostile to cope with.
In the process, I overlooked that Joanne had driven
cross-country from Pennsylvania to Houston all by herself.
2,000 miles, 20 hours by car. Joanne had nothing to
guide her but a map. If Joanne was smart enough to
find her way to Houston, then it was likely she had been
pulling my leg about being lost in the big city. How did I
miss this? Is it possible
that some women play helpless on purpose? Joanne was
probably fully
capable of negotiating her way around Houston, but
wanted me to think otherwise. Shaking my head in
appreciation of her cleverness, I had a hunch Joanne had
played on my sympathy.
What about her
silence around my friends in the Monday night Advanced
class? It was true that her lack of education put her at a real
disadvantage with my college-educated crowd. I now
believed her decision to keep her mouth shut was
deliberate. Better to keep them guessing than let
them know her secret. If she found a man she liked,
she would pounce. Just ask me. I thought
immediately of Nancy, the most secretive woman I had ever
met. Both Joanne and Nancy had deliberately used silence
to disguise their past and present. In so doing, they
drew a veil of mystery around them so thick that I had no
idea who I was dealing with.
So why did
Joanne run away at the Christmas Party when faced with the
hostility of Patricia and Victoria? My theory was they
caught her off guard just like she had caught them off
guard. Seeing the wrath in their eyes, Joanne
was outnumbered. She correctly assumed it was smart to
retreat until
she had a better idea who these women were and what their
hold on me was. Yes, the Dueling Divas had ganged up
to chase her away at the Christmas Party, but Joanne drove
home
content in the knowledge she had stolen the show.
Joanne had won
Round One at Christmas. This morning she had won Round Two
in my bed. Now for good measure she had won Round
Three at the Pistachio Club.
Joanne did not fear Patricia when she found her way into my
bed. Nor did she fear Victoria despite the
Tirade. Instead, Joanne retaliated by using her dance
skills to deliberately challenge Victoria. "In your face, bitch."
I viewed Joanne
with new-found respect. Yes, Joanne was the
Underdog, but she played her cards with surprising skill and
perfect timing.
Although her actions had put me in a very precarious position,
I respected her nonetheless. No matter how much
trouble I was in, I could not fault the young lady for trying. Her only mistake was
her inability to disguise her feelings from Victoria. Maybe
Joanne was deceived into thinking Victoria's wedding ring
allowed her to operate openly. Now that Joanne
had seen Victoria erupt, hopefully I could persuade her to be more
cautious in the future.
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"Just a
small town girl, living in a lonely world." --
Journey
I wasn't mad at
Joanne, but clearly she had played me. She gained my sympathy with her
lost in the big city
act, then gained my gratitude by helping me with dance class. Joanne let her dance
skills do the talking at the Christmas Party and let her body do
the talking
this morning. Joanne had a
sensational figure. Nor was she shy about putting it
to good use. Her unabashed performance made that perfectly clear. Joanne
definitely knew her way
around men. So much for my first impression of her
innocence. Joanne had probably ignored the men in the Monday class for the simple
reason that I was her target all along.
I had
underestimated Joanne. "Don't judge a book by its
cover." Isn't that what they say? Previously I thought that Joanne was a
victim of my exploitation. Good grief, I had felt such
a need to protect her. Now I knew better. The
real Joanne had stayed hidden behind a mask and I had fallen for
the false exterior. Plain
and simple, Joanne knew what she was doing.
With a frown,
I began to explore the notion that perhaps I was the prey,
not the predator. Yes, I had acted in a way that
violated my principles, but I had done so only after
considerable persuasion from Joanne. Lo and behold,
Joanne was Fair Game after all. Seeing her in a new
light, I finally knew what it felt like to be seduced.
Joanne knew what she wanted and she recognized the
morning's unusual circumstances had given her a powerful opening.
Joanne had done
what any other smart girl would do... seize the opportunity.
Her decision to appear unannounced at the club reinforced my new interpretation of Joanne's
behavior. There was no doubt that Joanne
had gone there with the intention of persuading me
to resume where we had left off. Too bad for Joanne
that Victoria was there to block her path or I imagine she would have gotten her wish.
What an interesting twist that would have been.
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Pandora's Box
was the Greek version of 'Curiosity killed the cat'.
Pandora was
humanity's very first woman. She was the Greek
Mythology counterpart to the biblical Eve.
Pandora was a silly girl who foolishly opened a box
that contained all the world's evils. She had been
warned to leave the box alone, but could not help
herself. Her senseless mistake unleashed terrible
horrors upon Mankind.
Prometheus was
an ally of Zeus during the Titan Civil War.
Afterwards, however, Prometheus became angry with Zeus over
his callous, unfair treatment of Mankind. Oddly
enough, there were no female mortals, only female Goddesses.
When Zeus refused to improve the human
condition, Prometheus stole Fire
from the Gods and handed it to the mortals as an act of
defiance.
Zeus was
outraged. Prometheus had to be punished! Zeus
chained the rebel to a mountainside where eagles could pick
at his flesh daily. Then he decided that Humanity
needed to be punished too.
(Sorry, girls, you're not going to like this one.)
Zeus was very unhappy that Mankind liked Prometheus
more than him. Noting how much the gift of
Fire had helped the advancement of Humanity, Zeus
thought of a way to curse men for their joyous
acceptance of Fire. Zeus ordered the God Hephaestus to
create a new type of mortal, Pandora, the first woman of mankind.
Pandora was
designed to be deceitful and manipulative, with a nature
that led her to speak untruths. Still bitter at
Prometheus, Zeus used Pandora as a tool to bring misfortune
upon humanity, “an evil thing
given to men as the price of Fire.”
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Amused by this
development, several Olympic Gods gave gifts to
Pandora. Athena made sure
Pandora possessed stunning beauty. She dressed Pandora in a silvery gown with garlands, then added an ornate
crown of silver. Hermes gave Pandora a
deceptive heart and a lying tongue.
Not to be outdone, Zeus had one
more trick up his sleeve. First he gave Pandora the
gift of Curiosity. Then Zeus gave Pandora a beautiful
box, then added a stern warning... Look, but don't
touch! It did not take long for
Pandora's curiosity about the forbidden jar to overwhelm her.
Pandora opened the Box, thereby releasing all sorts of Evil upon Earth.
By the way, Greek Mythology is full of irony. There
was one thing left in that box when Pandora managed to close
the lid again - Hope.
So there you
have it, Pandora was created to be a Curse upon
mankind. When Pandora first appeared
before Men, wonder seized them as they looked upon her.
As it turned out, Pandora's guile was too powerful to be withstood by men.
She always got her way.
Incidentally,
there is more to this story. One can assume that Hesiod, the man who
wrote the story of Pandora, had a very low opinion of women.
Hesiod was married to
a stunning woman named Panagiota. She was beautiful,
but she was also a shrew.
Curious, I decided to read
up on Panagiota. Wouldn't you know it? 'Panagiota'
turned out to be the Greek name for 'Patricia'.
Really? Nah, I just made
that up. But I wouldn't be surprised if it was
true.
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Sunday morning, JANUARY 7, 1979, the disco years
THE PHONE CALL
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Ring Ring Ring!!
It was Sunday
morning, the day after Victoria's Tirade and Joanne's
Dangerous Liaison. Upset by the events of last night,
I had only gotten a few hours of
sleep. Consequently I was startled when the annoying blare
of my private telephone awoke me at 9 am. Who could it be?
I had assumed it was Victoria or Joanne, but I was wrong.
It was Pandora calling. Oops,
Freudian slip. It was none other than Patricia.
I
sat up in bed with instant foreboding. Patricia was calling long distance from
her hotel in Los Angeles. Hearing Patricia's voice was so upsetting, all the hurt and anger from
the past week came flooding back. My heart began racing so wildly I
thought I might have a heart attack. Convinced that Patricia was gone
for good, I never expected to hear from her again. Nor did I
want to. After the stunt she pulled with George, Patricia was the
last woman I wanted to hear from. Considering this woman had brought me
nothing but trouble, humiliation and heartache, I wanted her to disappear for good.
Considering it was
7 am on the west coast, she had probably just awakened. With a
frown, I assumed George was lying in bed next to her. What does she want now,
another New Year's date? Or maybe she wanted me to update me on
how her trip to see sexy George was going. I hated this woman with a passion.
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However,
something was wrong. To my surprise, I could tell
by the tone of her voice that Patricia's
attitude had undergone a dramatic change. She was contrite and
deeply apologetic. Patricia swore upside and down that the magic
with George was gone and that maybe I was right to pursue something I
loved after all. Huh? Was I hearing this
correctly? I stuck a finger in my ear just to be sure.
When Patricia said she wanted to
try again, I freaked out.
NO
FUCKING WAY!!! I DESPISE THIS WOMAN!
This was ridiculous!
The last time Patricia called, look what happened on New Year's Eve.
Did Patricia really expect me to fall for this again? I was sick and
tired of playing Charlie Brown to Lucy's disappearing football. Reuniting was
the last thing I wanted to do.
I especially did not want Patricia in my life after what had taken place yesterday with Joanne.
However, maybe I am part woman. I say this because I possessed
same genetic flaw as Pandora, "Curiosity". I wanted
to know what had changed her mind, so I decided to listen to what she had to say.
"Rick, I am so sorry.
I don't know what came over me. I apologize for upsetting
you with my trip. I was wrong and I want to start over."
Caught off guard
by Patricia's conciliatory tone, I was unsure of what to
say. Oh my god, was Patricia crawling back to me?
This cannot be happening. Surely the capitulation of
proud, haughty, imperious
Patricia was a sign the Apocalypse was around the corner.
Was it really possible that Pretty Princess Patricia Panagiota
Pandora was eating crow? (I dare you to say it fast.)
Unfortunately, Patricia's
apology did not soften my bitterness. Not one bit. I felt
no satisfaction in her words. Given that Patricia's treachery had caused me
untold amounts of
agony, the unmitigated gall to expect me to forgive her was unbelievable. I was just about to slam
down the phone, but then I hesitated. Whoever said Curiosity
killed the cat had a good point. I should have hung up the
phone. However, before I did that, I recalled all those unanswered
questions regarding George and her hurtful behavior. In addition I
wanted know what had gone wrong to make Patricia change
her tune so dramatically. Fool that I am, I took the bait.
"Okay, Patricia,
please explain what happened in L.A. to make you reconsider our
relationship?"
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Patricia ducked the question.
She replied by saying that she
thought of me the entire time. When I heard
that, I actually laughed. Oh, I'm sure you did!!
In
fact, I snorted with disbelief. Last night Victoria had correctly
accused me of being a bad liar. Well, Patricia wasn't any better.
My laughter proved to be a big mistake because it eased the tension and
put me a better mood. This was so absurd it was actually
funny in a dark sort of way.
No one would
ever believe this story. Normal people do not behave
this way. Did Patricia really expect me to overlook how bitter I was about her
trip to Los Angeles? I did not trust Patricia for a moment.
Besides, I knew her true character now.
Once a snake, always a snake! Vanessa
had taught me that.
Patricia's damage to my
pride was so great, getting back together was out of the
question. I was just about to tell Patricia to forget
it, but out of nowhere a truly extraordinary vision popped into my
head. On second thought, there might just be a golden opportunity here.
Patricia had
ruined my previous two fantasies... the Grand Entrance at
the Christmas Party and the possible rekindling of good will
on New Year's Eve. Therefore I had to be out of my
mind to think my latest fantasy had any chance of
success. However, the more I thought about it, this
might just work. On
a whim, I initiated the most outlandish stunt
of my life.
"Okay,
Patricia, I will listen to what you have to say,
but not over the phone. Call me when you get to town and I will
drop by your apartment later this afternoon."
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Sunday morning, JANUARY 7
THE CRAZIEST GAMBLE OF MY LIFE
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Patricia's long
flight home gave me plenty of time to think. Victoria was
heavily on
my mind. The only thing that mattered to me was
the success of my dance program. With Victoria working her
magic, this was a certainty.
However, there was no guarantee Victoria would continue. No doubt she was having a long talk with
Michael this very minute. Even if she did return, last night's Tirade
had placed me in a precarious position. One more
mistake is probably all it would take for Victoria to call
it quits.
I was sick in my
stomach with worry because Victoria erratic behavior
confused me. What would I do
without Victoria? I could never duplicate the energy she
created in a million years. I knew how to teach, but
her promotional ability was unparalleled. Since there was no
one else like her, I desperately wanted to keep her
around. However, after
last night's Tirade, I did not know what price I would have
to pay. The way things stood, from here on out I would need
to do whatever Victoria told me to do.
Last night
Victoria was angrier than I had ever seen her. What could possibly account for so much
venom? Why should a happily married woman care so much if I slept
with Joanne or not? Her fury was so totally
inappropriate, the obvious explanation was that Victoria had a crush on me. Considering she was so damn preoccupied
with confirming her suspicions about my fling with Joanne,
Victoria's Tirade felt like a jealous rage.
Except for one
thing. Right now, there
was a red flag waving in the back of my mind.
Victoria's Tirade had been conducted with her husband
Michael watching. That strange fact poked a giant hole
in my Jealousy theory. If Victoria did have a
crush, she would never reveal it in front of her husband.
Victoria was not a dummy. She was a shrewd game player
who had gotten the better of Patricia in two
face to face competitions at the Pistachio Club.
Therefore, even if
Victoria did have a crush on me, why would she be so blatant
about it? Try as I might, I could not understand why
she had thrown a tantrum right in
front of her husband. Maybe there was another
explanation.
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Yes, Victoria's
Tirade had been out of character, but something did not make
sense. Victoria was an
aggressive woman, no doubt, but not in a sexual way.
Victoria came across as a 'Good Girl', a
faithful wife. Based on what Victoria had
told me about her past, if someone had offered me a bet that
Michael was Victoria's first and only lover, I would have
taken it. I had certainly been alone enough times with
Victoria. Not once had there been any hint of
flirting or desire. Other than one unusually
long hug after our private lesson with Glen a month
ago, Victoria had always seemed virtuous. So if it wasn't jealousy, what was it? Obviously it had
something to do with Joanne's crush. But that made no
sense. If Patricia's overwhelming sex appeal did not
rattle Victoria, why would she worry about Joanne? And
that is when I got it. It had something to do with
Joanne's dancing.
Since Patricia could not dance a
lick, Victoria was not intimidated. But not only could Joanne dance, it looked like she might be sleeping with
me. What if it got serious? My hunch was
that Victoria freaked out because she feared Joanne had
either
taken Patricia's
place or was about to. Hmm. Now we're getting somewhere.
No other explanation fit the facts. Victoria was
worried that Joanne had the potential to be crowned the
Supreme Diva of Disco over her. I knew that was out of
the question, but Victoria was unsure.
If Patricia was out of the picture,
Victoria knew
that would strengthen Joanne's hand considerably. The
two times Victoria had been the angriest was when Joanne
upstaged her. A smile crossed my face at the thought
that mighty Victoria was dominated by a woman so poor
she could not even afford a telephone in her apartment.
However, what were the chances of Joanne maintaining this
Charade? Both times Joanne had the advantage of
surprise working for her. That would never happen
again. From now on, Victoria would be gunning for her, of
that I was sure. If so, how long would Joanne
last against Victoria? I scoffed. If Patricia
could not beat Victoria, then Joanne never stood a chance...
unless we were dating. Aha! I was starting to
catch on. Victoria felt safe with Patricia because
the Princess had never shown any interest in my dance
career. But what about the Ice Queen?
I did not want
to lose Joanne. Even though my noble attitude towards
Joanne had gone to hell, I felt a deep connection to her. I
would consider dating
her now that Patricia was gone, but not with Victoria around.
Dating Joanne would be
unacceptable to Victoria. Joanne was
strictly taboo. But what if I were to see Joanne
secretly? I laughed at that thought. Joanne keep
a secret? Yeah, right. Victoria
would be gunning for Joanne, I was sure of it. If
Victoria told me Joanne had to go, I would probably have to side with
Victoria. I hated that thought, but Victoria was ten
times more valuable to the business than Joanne. If Victoria
eliminated Joanne as her rival, then what? God only knows what her plans for
me would be. Based on that Tirade, things could get
really ugly. Therefore I needed to keep Victoria in
check. How do I accomplish that? I had to
find some way to maintain the balance of power.
On Sunday
evening I drove over to Patricia's apartment for what I
expected would be a long talk. What kind of woman
announces to her current boyfriend that she is flying across
the country see her old boyfriend, then thinks she can
actually persuade the current boyfriend to take her back?
I guess when you resemble a goddess named Venus, anything's possible.
I shook my head in disgust. No matter how angry I was, I was so
frightened by Victoria's Tirade that I was actually willing
to hear Patricia out.
Patricia greeted
me with a warm hug. I played along and returned the
energy. From there we went to couch to talk things
over. To my profound
irritation, I didn't learn much. I asked her point blank what
had happened in L.A., but Patricia would not offer a
single word on what had transpired. Patricia kept steering the conversation back to the
fact that she had changed her mind about a lot of things,
including my dance career. Patricia said she had come to
realize how important teaching dance was to me. She did not
know what had gotten into her back in December. What was the hurry with Graduate
School? She promised to ease
up and see where my 'Path' would take me. Yeah,
right. Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies.
I did not trust
Patricia. I did not like Patricia. But I did see
a way to use her. Right now she offered me my best chance of
keeping Victoria in check. Joanne's only chance
of survival would be if I could maintain the status quo.
For that reason I needed
Patricia to resume her rivalry with
Victoria. It was a Devil's Bargain to be
sure, but I needed Princess Pandora to help me neutralize
Victoria.
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It was time for
the strangest gamble of my life. I decided to let
Godzilla resume fighting King Kong. If I could get
Victoria and Patricia to resume their sumo match, Balance of
Power would be restored in the Triangle. Let one
monster neutralize the other.
Last night's
Tirade left me terrified at what Victoria might do next.
I had not ruled out the possibility Victoria had a crush on
me, but I doubted it. Victoria was not interested in sex
with me. She was interested in who I was having sex
with. Victoria would let me sleep with Patricia
because the Princess was no threat to her dance dreams.
Therefore, with Patricia around, Victoria was unlikely to
make a move on me.
In other words,
I had just made a deeply cynical decision, one of those 'enemy of my
enemy is my friend' kind of moves. It was a crazy
gamble that was almost certain to backfire, but desperate times
call for desperate measures. And with that, I had the
audacity to allow Pandora back into my life.
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