The Saga of Girly Lee Brown A novelette by Theresa Black

Chapter 3

Why do all good things have to come to an end? One day towards the end of Summer, Leroy looked unusually solemn as we sat in the diner holding hands and drinking our milkshakes. I asked him what the matter was. He sighed and said he guessed he’d better tell me.

“I’m sure you guessed I don’t intend to spend all my life pumping gas in a one-horse town,” he said. I think that was the closest we ever came to a quarrel. Ok, Hicksville might be a one-horse town, but it was my one-horse town. I had been born and raised there. He saw the look on my face and immediately apologized.

“I’m sorry Lee, that wasn’t a very kind thing to say, but you must realise that there’s no future for me here. I’ve decided to go to College in Chicago and study Business and Economics; next Saturday will be our last date for now.”

I was shattered of course but somehow I kept it together. A man hates to think he’s made the woman he loves cry, but cry I did after he took me home. Lucille was a wonderful comfort as usual when I explained what was going to happen.

“I’m afraid you have to see it from his point of view, Lee. He’s a smart young man and he deserves to go to College. I guess that’s what he’s been saving for while he’s been working.”

“I suppose so Lu, but it’s hard when you love somebody to see them go away and think you many never see them again,” I said, the tears still flowing.

I almost wished we hadn’t had our last date. We were both very subdued. I kept thinking, ‘This is the last time we hold hands and kiss in the picture house, this is the last milkshake we’ll share together, holding hands’, and so on, until when the auto drew up outside our house, I begged him not to walk me to the door because it would be too hard. We promised to write to each other and then we shared one last lingering kiss. Tears were rolling down my cheeks, I just couldn’t help it. Even Leroy looked like he was going to shed a tear. Finally, I opened the door and got out of the auto and ran up the path, hearing the sound of the car as he drove away for the last time. It was over.

True to his word, Leroy did write to me to tell me how he was going and what College was like. I immediately wrote back but there was nothing much of interest going on in Hicksville to tell him. Gradually his letters became less and less frequent until they stopped altogether. I guess I wasn’t really surprised.

By now I was old enough for my driver’s licence and could take the car down to the gas station to get fuel. I always asked Mr Mackiewicz how Leroy was going and always got a glowing report on how well he was keeping and coping with all the study. Of course I wished him well; even if he had broken my heart, it wasn’t his fault, this was something he had to do. I went to ‘typing school’ run by a retired secretary to help boost her pension, and soon was able to help out Mom by earning money, working in the office of the only realtor in town. He accepted me as a girl at face value, just as everyone else did. At least it gave me an excuse to wear pretty dresses to work as most girls did in those days.

Two more years passed and in that time Luella got married. Sam was a local farmer and a handsome young guy. Laverne, Lucille and I were her bridesmaids and if I say it myself, we made a pretty trio. We were partnered with the Best Man and groomsmen of course and as I danced with my beau for the evening, named Frank, it was obvious when he held me close that he was more than a little interested in me, but I guess that would have happened no matter what girl he was dancing with.

You may wonder why I hadn’t gone out much with other boys since Leroy left and I guess the answer was that I was still carrying a torch for him and hoping that perhaps one day he would come back to me, and maybe even carry me off on a white charger like in the romance books I read.

When the blow fell, it was all the more hurtful for being unexpected. One day when I was at the gas station and as usual asked Bill how Leroy was going, his reply shocked me.

“Did I tell you he’s getting married?” he said. The shock was almost physically painful, but what should I have expected? Leroy was the handsomest man I ever knew and it was three years since he left for Chicago, and he had now graduated from College. He had been back once or twice so I heard, but made no effort to see me. I liked to think that was because parting again would have been just too painful, but perhaps it was because he had lost interest in me.

“We’ve got a problem,” said Bill morosely. “We’re invited to the wedding of course and Mary wants me to close up for a week. I don’t feel it’s right to do that as people rely on the gas station being open. The next nearest one is near a half hour drive away.”

“Can’t you get someone to take over for the week?” I asked, and he shook his head. “I’ve tried but nobody seems interested.”

I then had a crazy idea. “I could run it for you,” I said. “ I know how to pump gas, check oil and water and tire pressures. You just need to tell me how to order anything needed which won’t be much in a week, and how to bank the takings.”

“A young girl like you running a gas station?” Bill said. Then he paused and perked up a bit, and said “Well, I suppose it could work. Look, I’ll talk to Mary about it and see what she says.”

The upshot of it was one Monday morning a month or so later, there I was bright and early, ready to give driveway service. I suspect it was the short skirt I wore as part of my 'uniform', but news got around and every guy in the district suddenly needed his car filling up and tires checked. When my skirt rode up exposing more leg as I stooped to check the tire pressures, the more they liked it. When Bill and Mary returned after their week in Chicago, and Bill checked the takings, he had to check them twice to be sure his eyes weren’t playing him tricks.

“I sure don’t know what you did, Lee, but takings were up forty percent for the week”

Mary said “Maybe the customers liked being served by a pretty girl instead of a crusty old guy like you?” Nothing was said about the short skirt, but I’m guessing she suspected more than she let on, or maybe she spoke to some of her women friends who had called in for gas.

Mary was nothing if not practical, so I got a $10 bonus for my week’s work, and had an open invitation to come and pump gas any time I had free, which was most weekends.

I felt obliged to ask how the wedding had gone although I really didn’t want to know about it. Fortunately, all Bill said was that it had gone well, Leroy looked handsome and his wife very pretty and they both looked happy. That was more than enough information for me, and I had trouble smiling as I thanked him.

Time passed and now it was Laverne’s turn to get married. To everyone’s surprise she married a young guy from Chicago. He had come to Hicksville to visit his grandparents who had a small farm just out of town. One evening, Laverne was having a milkshake with girlfriends in the drug store when Gary walked in. Their eyes locked and that was it. Laverne looked at her girlfriends and they took the hint and said they had to be going. Gary waited until they left and then sauntered over and asked if the seat opposite Laverne was free? It was. Soon they were chatting like they had been friends for years. He said he was only staying with his folks for two weeks, but he’d sure like to take her out on a date. Turns out she’d like that too.

For the next two weeks they were inseparable, and when he finally went back to Chicago, she was miserable for a week. Turns out he had left something behind, and a couple of months later she wrote to him to tell him about it. She had no idea what his reaction would be, but turns out he asked her to marry him on the spot, so there was another wedding. Lucille and I were bridesmaids again, and Gary brought a friend Barrie to act as Best Man. It was a very small wedding, mostly just our family members since his parents refused to come to Hicksville and told him in no uncertain terms that he was ruining his life, so Laverne told us later.

Gary had a job with an accountancy firm while he studied to become an accountant himself. They rented a furnished apartment at Evanston, about twelve miles north of downtown Chicago. I’m glad to say Gary’s parents came around when Laverne was delivered of Gary Jnr, a nine-pound baby boy.

Life carried on as usual, but around six months after Gary Jnr was born, Lucille said to me “Lee, you are in a rut and it’s getting deeper. You haven’t had a holiday in years, and I know you’ve saved some money, so you and I are going to Chicago to see Laverne and her new family.

“But, but, but…” I stuttered, but she was having none of it.

“No buts. You and I have never been to a big city like Chicago. Well, I’m not going to die wondering and neither are you. I’ve written to Laverne and she says they have a spare bedroom with a double bed, so we’ll just have to share, but it will save us so much money. She’s looking forward to seeing us, so you wouldn’t want to disappoint her would you?”

The fact is the moment I thought of Chicago, I thought of Leroy. Sure, I hadn’t heard from him in years, but I still thought of him more than was healthy. I don’t mean that I never went out with boys. There was a shortage of eligible girls in Hicksville so dates weren’t hard to come by,

Fortunately, most of the guys from my grade had left town to seek their fortunes elsewhere, so the guys I dated were new to the area. At Lucille’s suggestion, I had taken to wearing a thing called a gaff, which gave me a nice smooth line ‘down there’. I was a grown woman now and had my needs the same as anyone. I would let boys put their hand under my skirt in the back row of the picture house, but never actually inside my panties, although some came close. As compensation, I would fondle their erections through their jeans, and if I really liked them, I’d go further. That seemed to satisfy them and me.

After a few near misses, I confided in Lucille about my problem of guys exploring too far. She laughed and rummaged in her lingerie drawer, finally producing a garment and holding it up with a triumphant "Ta-Ra!"

It looked a bit like boxer shorts to me, only pink. "What is it?" I asked.

"It's called a panty girdle and it's made of Lycra so it's really strong. Girls wear them to make their waists look smaller, but for you, it will make you as safe as Fort Knox. No guy's fingers will ever get past it, no matter how hard he tries; he can get to the front door, but it won't open."

She was right of course as she always was, and when I did put it to a practical test, it worked perfectly, and I could enjoy all the sensations of a young man's hand sliding up over my nylon-clad legs, over my stocking welts to the warm bare flesh above, secure in the knowledge that he would not get anywhere he shouldn't.

Looking back, what I was doing might sound shocking, but it was no different to other girls my age. This was before the Contraceptive Pill appeared, and even when it did, most girls wouldn’t approach their local doctor in case he told their parents. Girls were still expected to be virgins when they married, but not too many were. Guys did not always carry condoms with them. Rather than risk the consequences of unprotected sex, many girls offered ‘head’ as a substitute for ‘going all the way’ if a condom wasn’t available. The guys enjoyed it and so did the girls but it encouraged the boys to make sure they had a rubber and lube with them on the next date

Two months later we boarded the Greyhound bus to Chicago. It was a long journey and involved changing buses three times. We travelled all day and all night. With the engine noise and the bumps in the road it was hard to sleep, and I remember waking at one point and seeing the moon rising over the fields, trees and towns as they flew past the window in a blur. We pulled into the bus depot in Chicago about seven thirty in the morning, totally exhausted, and thank goodness Gary was there to meet us.

He had brought his car and after our cases and bags were piled in the trunk, we set off on a quick tour of Chicago. I couldn’t believe that anywhere could be so big! At one point we drove past a theater which was advertising ‘The King and I’ – not the film, this was the stage show. I gazed longingly at it and asked Lucille if we could possibly afford to go? She wasn’t optimistic.

“Those stage shows cost more than we can afford,” she said, and I had to admit she was probably right.

Gary drove us to Evanston and Laverne was so pleased to see us again. There were hugs, kisses and tears all round. Gary had time for a quick cup of coffee before taking the bus back to his office in town, but not before we were introduced to Gary Jnr, a fine healthy baby, and of course we had to admire him.

“Who do you think he looks like?” said Laverne. Now to me a small baby just looks like itself until it gets older, but I hazarded a guess and said he had Gary’s eyes and Laverne’s hair and that seemed to go down well.

Gary said he would see us for tea before heading off for the office. Meanwhile Laverne, who we usually called ‘Verne’, cooked us some breakfast.
“You two look dog-tired,” she said. “Did you sleep much on the bus?”

We admitted we hadn’t, so she showed up to our room and after unpacking our cases and hanging our clothes in the closet, we hopped into bed and were asleep in no time. It was around four o’clock when Verne woke us up. There was already a delicious smell of cooking in the air. Verne was always the best cook in the house from an early age. We noticed she was wearing her best frock and evening makeup

“I guess you two might like to pretty yourselves up,” Verne said. “We’re having a special dinner tonight to celebrate your visit, and we’ve only one bathroom between three women. Lucky I got ready while you were sleeping”

We did ‘rock, paper scissors’ to decide who got first chance in the bathroom and it was me, but I didn’t hang about. I must say I felt very refreshed after a shower and clean clothes.

When Gary arrived home, he pretended to stagger back and said “Who are these three beauties? Have I come to the wrong apartment?”

We all had a laugh and I think I might have blushed.

We sat down to a chicken roast with all the trimmings. It was like Christmas. In those days, chicken was reserved for special occasions, and this was the first time we three sisters had been together in what seemed forever. It was a shame Luella couldn’t have been there too. The meal was delicious, and we even had a glass of wine with it, but the best was yet to come.

Just as we finished, Gary said. “I have a surprise for you two,” and from his pocket he took out two tickets to ‘The King and I’ for the following evening.

“Oh Gary, that’s wonderful!” I cried and got up to kiss him on the cheek. “How did you get them?”

“Well, I saw the look in your eyes, so come lunch break I walked to the theater – it’s only two blocks from my office and enquired about tickets.

“’Wel,l ain’t you the lucky one?’ said the lady in the ticket booth. ‘The ‘House Full’ sign goes up tomorrow night, but I just had two tickets in the upper circle returned. This season’s practically a sellout, so you are very lucky to get anything.’

“I hope you two have a head for heights,” said Gary, “I hear the Limeys call the Upper Circle ‘the gods’ because it’s so high it’s like halfway to heaven.”

“How much do we owe you?” asked Lucille, ever the practical one.

“Well, Verne and I decided it would be our treat in thanks for you coming to see us,” said Gary, and that started off the tears again, at least from me.

“You are being so good to us, putting us up and now this,” I said.

“We can’t thank you enough,” said Lu.

The following day we spent with Verne and young Gary, taking him for a walk to the local park in his baby carriage. There was a pond with some ducks and we fed them stale bread. They didn’t seem to mind!

In the evening we really dressed up for our trip to the theater. We might be going to the cheapest seats, but a theater trip is a special occasion. Gary and Verne had already seen it when a kind neighbor babysat Gary so that they could go for their first ‘date’ since he was born. “You’ll love the show,” he said. He drove us downtown and promised to be there to pick us up after the show.

“That part of Chicago is pretty safe, but I don’t want you two wandering around on your own,” Gary said.

You older readers will think ‘The King and I’ – that means Yul Brynner, but it wasn’t him playing the King – I think he was on Broadway at that time, but the guy who played the part was very good, and with a bald head, looked a lot like Yul, But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Gary was right about a ‘head for heights. When we climbed all the stairs we came out at the very top of the theater, almost touching the ceiling, and then we had to negotiate some very steep steps down to our seats, and that in heels! We safely arrived and looked almost vertically down to the stage area. From that height we could see straight into the orchestra pit, and as the musicians started to arrive, I counted fifteen of them! When they started to play the overture, they made a great sound, more like there was fifty of them.

Then the curtain rose and we were looking at a Bangkok street scene. Oh my – the colour, the lights, the action and the singing – I was in heaven. The costumes were just wonderful. Those were the days when ladies wore crinolines and huge skirts. How they got through doorways, I have no idea. I guess everyone knows the story of how Anna Leonowens came to Siam to teach the children of the court of the King. It’s based on a true story, but I think her account of it was a bit exaggerated. Never mind, it made for a great musical.

At interval we weren’t game to tackle the stairs again so sat in our seats and talked about what we had seen. It was my first ever experience of professional theater and I was in heaven. I just wished that I could have been one of those ladies on the stage.
The end came too soon for us, and it was so sad with the King dying, but full of hope with the Crown Prince ready to take over the kingdom, with ‘Mrs Anna’s help of course.

Climbing up the stairs to exit the upper circle was actually easier than climbing down, and when we reached the sidewalk in front of the theater, true to his word Gary was there waiting for us. He had actually bought us a program as a souvenir! That man was kindness itself and we were so glad Verne had married him.

We were chatting away about the show all the way back to the apartment, and somehow Gary put up with it.

“I guess you enjoyed it then?” he said, and we all had to laugh. That night I’m sure I dreamed about it, and I was playing ‘Mrs Anna’ on the stage.

I have so much to be thankful to Lucille for. I loved all my sisters, but Lu and I were extra close – maybe because we were closest in age. She was an avid reader, and two days later, she came up to me with a smile on her face.

“You know how you talk about how you would love to be on the stage,” she said. “Well, this might interest you.” And she showed me an advertisement in a local newspaper.

It was headed “Les Belles de Paris - All Male Revue”, and went on to say that they were looking for new talent to join the most famous troupe of female impersonators in the world. There was a number to ring and speak to a Mr Marchant, the manager, to get an interview.

“What do you think?” said Lu. “I know you would love to be on the stage, and you sing really well; this might be a first step for you. Let’s face it, Lee, life is passing you by in Hicksville and you are wasting your best years. My only worry is that Mr Marchant might think you are too good-looking for a boy and he might think you are really a woman pretending to be a man dressed as a woman/” I had to laugh at that. I had spent my whole life living as a woman – it just came naturally to me.

I guessed she was right, but this was a big step to take. If it hadn’t been for Verne and Gary living in Chicago, I think I would have rejected the idea, but at least I had someone to fall back on if need be, so I rang the number. Mr Marchant answered, and I explained how I was visiting for a short while and asked for an interview.

“Sure, I can see you tomorrow at 10am,” he said and then a pause.
You do realise that this is an all male troupe don’t you? It’s just that you sound so feminine.”

“Yes I do understand that Mr Marchant. I can prove it if I really have to. Can I bring my sister along for company? She won’t be applying of course.”

He laughed. “Sure. See you at ten.”

To be continued