The Saga of Girly Lee Brown A novelette by Theresa Black

Chapter 2
One day Lucille sat me down for a talk.
“My sisters agree with what I’m going to say, but we thought you might find it easier just coming from one of us. For a start, would you like to live your whole life as a woman?”

“Oh yes!” I cried. “It’s all I’ve known my whole life and I can’t imagine living it as a man.”

Lucille laughed. “I’m with you there, sister. I couldn’t imagine anything worse than being a man, but as a woman, there are things you need to know. You’ve got to be aware of your surrounds at all times and stay safe. When you’re dressed up you are real pretty, and men will say nice things to you, but you gotta realise that some of them just want to get in your panties. (I think I might have blushed at that point.) Now of course there are some men you might want to do that, I know I do, but you are special and if they get that far you must not let what they find to be a surprise because they might get really angry, just like Mark did. I know this means that a budding romance gets cut off right there, but it might not be in every case. Some men might be even more interested in you.”

“But where can it go from there?” I asked. “I know that girls and boys are built different.”

Lucille laughed. “Just because you ain’t built like me don’t mean you have to be celibate. I know you’ve had a bad experience, but I have a couple of friends who are queer, and they assure me that with the right guy, experienced and gentle, it can be very pleasant to take him up your backside because men are a bit different inside from women. He could even make you come.”

This was news to me and put a whole new light on things. “I guess I would like to meet a guy like that,” I said.

“I’m sure it will happen,” she said and of course it did, but not for some years; after all I was still underage.

I had always got on well with my sisters, but after my announcement of my future intentions, that made a difference. Now they treated me as ‘one of the girls’ - we were four sisters together and Mom and Grandma were quite happy that it be so.
However, for the rest of the time I was at school, I had to live a dual life. At school I was a boy, a girly boy I guess, but none the less, a boy. Once I got home, then I was a girl, and happy to be one.

My sisters took me out shopping sometimes, which was so much more fun than shopping as a boy had been – after all, girls’ clothes ae so much nicer. Since I was still at school and had no money, I asked for clothes for my birthdays and every Christmas. I also benefited from having three older sisters as they passed down to me all the clothes they had outgrown, and as a result I had some very pretty dresses to wear.

Time passed and I was now fifteen and in my last year at school. I was no great scholar – I guess school just didn’t interest me much. It wasn’t like I was stupid. Like any other girl I would like to be dating guys, but there was a problem besides the obvious one. In a small town like the one we lived in, all the boys and girls went to the same school, and even though my sisters assured me that when I was dressed up I was ‘real pretty', I knew that if I dated anyone from school, it wouldn’t be long before the news was out, and that could lead to trouble again.

Luckily for me, something happened to change all that. We had only one gas station in our town, and it had been run by an old couple for many years, but now they had decided to retire, and it came up for lease.

It was a sunny Saturday morning when Luella and I drove to the gas station to fill up the old convertible. Because I hated dressing as a boy during the week, most weekends I really dressed up. Today I was wearing a really pretty summer dress with the big skirt spread out over my legs, bobby sox and Mary Janes, my hair in a ponytail and pink lipstick and powder as befitted a teenage girl.

As we drew up to the pumps, a young man appeared wearing a sort of uniform with the gas company name emblazoned on the back. Those were the days when driveway service existed, self-service was still years in the future. Well this young man was gorgeous. In those days he would have been called a ‘dreamboat’ He walked up to the car and addressed us. Since it was a convertible he got a good view of me in my pretty dress.

“Good morning ladies, I’m Leroy, son of the new owner of this here establishment. What may I get for you?”

I know I was giving him a thousand-watt smile and blushing furiously, but Luella was older and more self-possessed. “Please fill her up, young man,” she said coolly. When he disappeared from view, she looked at me and raised her eyebrows, but said nothing.

After Dreamboat had been paid cash (no cards in those days), we drove off slowly.

“I think you made a conquest there,” said Luella and I blushed again.

“I don’t know Lu; he’s gorgeous, the girls will be queueing up to get dates with him.”

“Maybe, but I think he was rather taken with you,” she said. “I tell you what, I’ll bet you a dollar he asks you for a date before the week is out.”

“I’ve got no money, Lu,” I said.

She smiled. “Then I’ll bet you a dollar he doesn't ask you for a date, so if he does, you will get a dollar from me.”

Luella knew far more about boys than I did. The following evening, Mom opened the door to a handsome young man in the gas station’s uniform. He was extremely polite, said his name was Leroy Mackiewicz and asked if he might speak to 'the young lady passenger in the convertible this morning'

Mom knew that must be me since I didn't drive yet, and called up the stairs to me, “Lee darling, there’s a young gentleman here wishes to speak with you.”

I appeared after a few minutes frantically putting on some makeup, Thank goodness I was still wearing the pretty dress. Yes it was the young man from the gas station.

“Please excuse me calling on you unannounced Miss….? (‘Brown’ I said helpfully). Miss Brown, but I didn’t get an opportunity to talk with you this morning. I’m new in this town and I was wondering if you would do me the honor of going to the picture show with me on Saturday night?”

“Sure. Thank you,” I said trying to sound nonchalant.

His face broke out into a smile so big I couldn’t help smiling back.

“Thank you so much. May I pick you up at seven?”

Yes, he could, and with that he left. Lucille who had been listening behind the door appeared whooping and saying ‘Our little sister’s got herself a date”

“Only with the handsomest boy in town,” I retorted and we all laughed.

Mom sounded a note of warning. “He’ll probably want to kiss you, but just don’t let him go too far, Lee. You don’t want him to think you’re ‘easy’.”

“Of course not Mom. Anyway, I think he’s a gentleman – he sure acts like one.”

There was quite a lot of discussion amongst my sisters and I on what I should wear to the ‘date’. It was my first real date and I wanted to look my best. Even Grandma got involved. The final decision was that I should wear a rather lovely peach-color satin dress which had belonged to Laverne but which she had sadly (for her) outgrown. I would be wearing a petticoat under it to give body to the skirt. The next discussion was bobby sox or stockings? Mom felt stockings might make me look too ‘grown up’ but in the end she was outvoted by my sisters.

“But Lee is growing up, Mom; she can’t look like a little girl forever.”

Those were the days when women wore a garter belt to attach their nylons and that too was a ‘grown-up’ thing to wear.

On the subject of hair styles – that was easy as this was the era of the ‘ponytail’, and every teenage girl wore her hair that way. Finally, makeup. Mom insisted we didn’t go overboard so the agreement was some powder, soft pink lipstick and just a little mascara.

The afternoon of the date was spent putting it all together, and after all my preparations were complete, Mom surprised me by having a tear in her eye as she admitted that her little girl was ‘all grown up’. The camera appeared once more, and a celebratory picture was taken which I insisted included one of me with my sisters, but Mom also wanted one of me on my own. I still have those little black and white ‘snaps’ to this day and I treasure them.

Right on the stroke of seven there was a knock on the door. Leroy had dressed for the occasion in his father’s tuxedo and was bearing a small bunch of flowers – my first ever bouquet! Mom greeted him graciously. I had been told to make a ‘grand entrance’, slowly descending the staircase, which I guess gave him a great view of my stocking-clad legs!

After profuse thanks for the flowers, which Mom bore away to put in water, there were the final instructions that I must be home no later than eleven. Leroy assured Mom that he would take great care of me, and then I was escorted to the automobile, which since his family ran the garage and gas station was quite a beauty. I have no idea of the make, but in those days cars were cheap and so was gasoline, so they were built excessively large and heavy. Just have a look at some of the advertisements in old copies of ‘National Geographic’ to see what I mean.
As a gentleman does, he opened the door for me and following instructions, I sat first and swung round, holding on to my skirt, my legs together, so that I did not expose too much flesh.

I have absolutely no recollection of the picture we saw, but then the picture was really just an excuse to go out together. As we sat in the dark, in the back row (how clichéd is that?), after a few minutes Leroy took my hand which I had thoughtfully left available on my lap. It felt real good to have my hand held by a boy, and of course there was more to come. I won’t say that Leroy was ‘fast’ but he was a young man, handsome and well aware of it, so by the second reel we were kissing, there in the back row. They were gentle closed mouth kisses, not at all like Mark’s, and I guess I am grateful to Leroy for wiping out the memory of that awful previous encounter.

When the show was over, we made our way out of the picture palace hand in hand and crossed the road to where there was a diner, and he bought us both milk shakes. I was back home in good time, with a final short kiss in the car, and a chance to touch up my lipstick and offer my handkerchief for Leroy to wipe it off his lips before I was escorted up the path to my front door.

Mom opened it at the first knock – she must have been waiting for me

“Here she is, Mrs Brown, safe and sound,” Leroy said, and Mom smiled her thanks.

“Did you have a good time?” said Mom, and we answered together “Oh yes’.

Laverne and Luella were out on dates, but their curfew was later than mine and Lucille happened to be home so as soon as Leroy had gone, I was immediately subjected to an interrogation.

“What was Leroy like?” she asked.

“He was a perfect gentleman,” I replied.

She looked disappointed. “Does that mean he didn’t kiss you after all our hard work?”

I paused for effect. “We held hands … and of course we kissed, but nothing more!”

“Well, I should hope not,” said Lucille with a laugh. “First dates are about getting to know each other. Did he tell you much about himself?”

In fact, Leroy had told me quite a lot about himself and his family, but I wondered how much of it I should reveal. First, I had asked him how he came by such an unusual surname, and he said he thought it was Polish, but the family had been in the U.S, for three generations. I had also asked him how he and his family had come to Hicksville, and the answer was quite revealing. It seemed his father had been a motor mechanic all his life and he eventually ended up with a lease on a gas station and garage in a larger town some fifty miles to the west. One day something happened which changed the course of their lives.

“Pa was behind the counter in the shop when this young guy came in brandishing a revolver, almost as big as he was," said Leroy. " He was nervous as hell and shaking. He demanded that Pa give him the money in the till and just as Pa was obliging, for as he said to me, his life was worth more than a few dollars, the gun went off and the bullet flew past Pa’s ear and shattered the mirror behind him. Well, somebody heard it and called the cops, and when they heard the sirens approaching, the kid turned around and Pa bolted out the back door.

“The cops used a loudhailer and told him to put the gun down and come out with his hands in the air. If he’d have done it he’d be alive today even if he was doing time, but the silly kid had some wild idea that he could shoot his way out and make a break for it, so he ran out holding the money and the gun, blazing away on all directions. It was one scared kid against ten hardened cops. I don’t have to spell out what happened. Later, Pa saw him lying there in the street and that was the moment he decided that he was finished with city life. It had been his second holdup, although the other one had just resulted in him losing the till money. It was then that they heard of the gas station here, they checked out the place and it seemed nice and peaceful, so here we are.”

Leroy worked hard at the gas station but he had Saturday nights free and so it became a regular thing for us to go to the movies. He didn’t seem interested in any other girls, and I was glad of that. As we got to know each other better, so the kisses became a little more intense, with tongues a regular feature, but he never tried to put his hand up my skirt, nor asked me to touch his groin. He knew I was underage and the consequences of any mishap would be dire for him as well as me. It was an old-fashioned romance I guess, and I was in love for the first time.

To be continued

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

The Saga of Girly Lee Brown A novelette by Theresa Black

Chapter 4

My wardrobe was limited, but fortunately Lu and I were the same size, so she suggested I wear one of her dresses. It was very pretty – white cotton with embroidered flowers. I wore stockings and three inch heels since it was daytime but I needed Mr Marchant to know I was comfortable wearing heels.

Lu and I were on time when we arrived at the Star Theater-Restaurant. Such places look a little drab in daylight but they liven up when the lights go on at night. We were shown into Mr Marchant’s office and he indicated two seats. Then he looked from one to the other, not knowing which one I was.

“I’m Lee, Mr Marchant,” I said helpfully.

He laughed. “Well you could have fooled me,: he said. “In fact you did fool me, I pride myself I can pick a guy in a dress at twenty paces but I had no idea which was you and which your sister.”

He went on to describe what the show was like and asked if I could sing and dance, and I said I had some experience in both. After that he took us into the big room filled with round tables and with a stage at one end where the shows took place. A young man was tinkling on the piano and Mr Marchant introduced him as Jake, but said he became Marilyn when playing with the band at show time. He asked if I could favor him with a song. Put on the spot I couldn’t think of one but then Lu suggested ‘Stormy Weather’, which I’d been singing in tune with Lena Horne on the radio.

“Do you know it, Jake?” asked Mr Marchant and he nodded and started to play. Well, I sang the song and he nodded.

‘You have a nice voice, though maybe something more upbeat for our shows but I’ll consider it. When can you start?”

I was shocked. It seemed I had the job. “Well I have to go back to Hicksville and collect my belongings, and then find somewhere to live,” I said.

Ever practical Lu said. “I’m sure she can stay with my sister and her husband until she finds her own place, but you haven’t mentioned money, Mr Marchant.”

He smiled. “I can see you brought your manager along, Miss Brown. How does ten dollars a week sound for a start, plus a share of the tips? I’ll give you a month’s trial and if you stay on then we’ll renegotiate on your pay. In the meantime, why don’t you come back this evening to meet the girls and see the show? We open at nine and stay on until late, but it’s best you arrive at eight to meet everyone.”

Once we left the Star, I was on Cloud Nine, but Lucille wasn’t impressed.

“Ten dollars a week? That’s slave labor; he’d better double that after your trial or you’ll take your talents elsewhere.”

We arrived back at eight, suitably glammed up. This time I was wearing five inch heels just to show I could. There were ten artists in the troupe and I noticed that about half arrived dressed as girls and the other half as rather feminine-looking men. You couldn’t disguise the beautifully arched eyebrows, the manicured nails and the gorgeous hair – mostly held back in a ponytail. They all responded politely as Mr Marchant informed tham that I was joining the troupe. One of the girls was about to leave to try her luck in New York and I would be replacing her. Mr Marchant had told us that unlike some cheap drag shows where the girls mimed to recorded music, all the girls here sang to a live band.

We were shown to a table near the stage, the significance of which only became apparent later. We were also given a complimentary bottle of ‘champagne’, which I was sure had never seen the inside of a French cellar, but when I later found out what customers were charged for it I confess I was a bit shocked. I drank sparingly but perhaps just enough to relax me.

It was a great show. All the girls had good voices and the accompanying band consisting of piano, bass, drums and a girl on trumpet or saxophone, played very well. I was nicely relaxed and enjoying the evening and then the surprise came. Mr Marchant, now respondent in a tuxedo, stepped onto the stage and made an announcement.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I have a surprise for you this evening. I’d like to introduce the latest member of our talented troupe – so new she only joined us this morning. Here to sing that great Lena Horne classic ‘Stormy Weather’, please give a warm welcome to Miss Leeann LaBrun.”

The whole room started applauding and I was stunned.

“That’s you, Lee. Get up there and sing,” hissed Lucille, and so I did. I hadn’t had time to be nervous and that was probably Mr Marchant’s intention.

Marilyn was great, she did an intro and then nodded to me when to start singing, and after the first verse, Ella, as I later found out was her name, played a saxophone solo, before I finished the song. I have to say the room erupted in applause and I bowed and bowed again until I felt it was time to return to my table.

Lu leaned over and said “You were amazing! They all loved you.” It was at that moment that I realized the intoxicating twin bonuses of being an entertainer; not only did you get paid but you got applause too.

Afterwards, Mr Marchant came up and half apologized. “If I’d given you advance warning, you would have been frightened to death, but you did really well. Actually I’ve been rethinking your remuneration. How does twenty dollars a week sound?”

“It sounds great, Mr Marchant,” I said and he smiled. ”Meanwhile, here’s a little something for your impromptu performance tonight,” he said, taking out his wallet and passing a ten dollar bill over to me. What a night it had been!

The performances ended at around 2am, but before that Mr Marchant appeared again.

“You were saying about finding somewhere to live. The girl who is leaving was sharing a two-bedroom apartment with Coralee, so she is now looking for a replacement. May I introduce you?”

He brought Coralee over and I was glad to see that she was one of the girls who arrived dressed as a girl. We discussed sharing the apartment and she gave me the address and offered to show me around the following morning, around eleven. I was pleased to see that it was on the north side of the city, not too far from where Verne and Gary lived.

Lu and I went there the next day. I saw that although Coralee was now in pants, hair tied back and no makeup, she was obviously still in girl mode. The apartment was very nice – neat and tidy and would suit me fine. She told me how much it would cost in the share of rent and some things like electricity and gas and I could see it would be perfect, especially as her being in the show as well, she would be sleeping in after a late night just as I would. That was my concern about staying with Verne and Gary, and anyway, it was THEIR place.

“There’s just one other thing,” said Coralee, and she looked slightly embarrassed. “I have boyfriend and sometimes he stays over. Is that alright with you?”

“Sure. Who knows? Maybe I’ll get a boyfriend of my own once I settle in,” I said.

“I don’t doubt it for a moment,” she replied. “You’re so pretty, and such a nice person.”

I just smiled. What else could I do in reply?

“So when do you think you’ll want to move it?” she asked

“About a week, is that ok?” I replied
.
“Perfect. Suzie leaves in about five days, so it will give me time to clean up.” I smiled. That must be a joke – the place looked really spick and span.

We spent a few more days with Verne and Gary and then took the Greyhound back to Hicksville, after an evening meal of take-out Chinese which we bought as a ‘thank you’. Having a baby does limit one’s social life a bit, something that would never be a problem for me.

When I arrived home, I had to break the news to Mom and Grandma.

Mom shed a few tears. “I don’t blame you for going, honey; this is no place for a young person. You have your whole life still ahead of you, and you must follow your dream.”

One thing that made me feel batter about leaving was that Luella was not far away from Hicksville, and I knew that Lucille had been going out with Rob, a young local farmer who was living with his grandparents and due to take over the farm soon. They seemed to be getting serious, and after seeing the look on Lu’s face when she held Gary Jnr, I suspected that wedding bells would not be far away., so there would be two of my sisters close by if Mom and Grandma needed help.

I packed all my clothes and a few little trinkets into a suitcase for my journey to Chicago. I felt like the end of a chapter of my life had arrived, and a new one starting.

A day later, I boarded the Greyhound again, this time on my own. It was much too early to arrive at Coralee’s apartment when the bus pulled into the bus station. Gary had very kindly offered to pick me up again and take me to their home for a few hours until I could reasonably arrive at my new home. After breakfast and a shower to freshen up, I rang the bell at Coralee’s at 11am.

“Welcome to your new home,” she said and we shared a hug. I unpacked my suitcase in my new room, and that afternoon Coralee drove us to the club for a rehearsal and for me to get fitted for some costumes. Everyone was most welcoming, and I was sure I would soon feel at home.

I had already been given the words and music for a few songs I would sing one solo and the rest as backing to one of the other singers. I was also fitted with some very glamorous costumes. One was a bit low-cut and I started to wonder if I should seriously think about having breast enhancement surgery when I could afford it. Coralee and I went back to the apartment at five for a few hours’ rest before returning to the club at eight to get ready for the first show. Shows took place at nine, eleven and one am, and the club closed between two and three. It made for a long day when there were rehearsals too, but we were young and had plenty of stamina.

I settled in very quickly and the first month went in a flash. Mr Marchant called me into his office, told me that he was very pleased with the way I had settled in and raised my wages to thirty dollars a week. When my share of the tips was added, that made an extra five to ten dollars or so, although it varied from week to week.

We were expected to mingle with the customers and sometimes sit at a table and have a drink with them, but I only ever drank lightly – trying to sing while drunk would not have gone over well at all. Some of the older men, usually married ones, made discrete enquiries on whether I was available for extracurricular activities, but I always declined with a smile. I was an entertainer after all, not a whore.

Some of the young men were very attractive and I confess I did succumb to their charms on an occasional basis. At least, knowing what the club was, they knew exactly what to expect when they got into my panties. That may make it seem like I was a whore after all, but I never took any money from them; gifts of lingerie or jewelry were a different matter. Well, I was unattached, young and healthy and so was my libido, so I make no excuses for my actions.

Verne and Gary invited me to dinner every fortnight or so and got an update on how I was doing, but I didn’t tell them about my meetings with young men of course. Perhaps they came to their own conclusions. I always took a gift of some sort – perhaps a bottle of wine, or a toy for young Gary, who was growing fast.

About three months after I arrived in Chicago, I had a letter from Lucille telling me the not unexpected news that she was going to marry Rob. It would be a small family wedding and I was invited to be the matron of honour – I could hardly be a bridesmaid anymore! I went to see Mr Marchant, and as the wedding was on a Saturday, I was given the Friday off and promised to return for the Monday show.

When I arrived in Hicksville, Mom said that I was looking more glamorous than ever. Well, I was no longer a country girl. I provided my own gown for my bridesmaid duties after consultation with Lu. It was quite beautiful and could be worn on other occasions. The dress I had worn to the previous two family weddings and which I had thought glamorous at the time did not suit me at all anymore. Lu told me I looked amazing and I returned the compliment. She looked blooming and I wondered if she already had their first on the way. Knowing Lu it would be by design not an accident. When Rob’s parents asked what I did in Chicago, I said I was a singer with a band, but was not more specific. They seemed quite impressed. Of course I was called upon to sing during the reception which I was happy to do being quite used to singing before an audience by now, and this was a very small one.

Rob’s younger brother Sid was Best Man and so my partner at the wedding. I got the distinct impression that he would like to explore our relationship more, after feeling his reaction as we danced close together, but that was not possible of course. He gave me his telephone number but I did not keep it. Sunday morning I was back on the Greyhound and heading to Chicago.

I wasn’t wrong in my instincts about Lu – she was delivered of a healthy full term daughter six months after the wedding, and named her Leeanne! Over the next couple of years, Luella and her husband had twin boys, Peter and Paul, and Verne and Gary had a baby sister for Gary Jnr, whom they called Cheryl. I was becoming an aunty many times over.

Over the next two years, I continued to sing at the ‘Les Belles’ and share the apartment with Coralee. As predicted, sometimes she had a boyfriend stay over and it could be hard to sleep due to the sounds coming through the bedroom wall, but I was glad for her that she was having a good time. As it happened I never had anyone stay overnight.

I started to think that I’d be at the club until I became too old to sing any more, but then the night came that changed it all.

To be concluded

The Saga of Girly Lee Brown A novelette by Theresa Black

Chapter 5 (Final)

We were performing the first show of the evening, and I was last on for the set. By now I was well known to the regulars and they gave me a good round of applause as I shimmied behind the microphone in a figure hugging dress (I should mention that I’d had breast enhancement surgery a few years earlier) and gave a bow. To my surprise, Marilyn leaned over and hissed “Change of plan – there’s been a special request from a customer for you to sing “I Wanna Be Loved by You’.”

I was surprised and a little annoyed, but it was too late to protest as Marilyn was already playing the intro. I put on a big smile and started to sing

“I wanna be loved by you,
Just you and nobody else but you,
I wanna be loved by you, alo-o-one!
Boop-boop-e-doo.”

I’d always regarded it as a silly song, especially that final line, but what the heck, the customer is always right. Now, it was the rule that when the show was on, the houselights were dimmed and the stage lights raised to focus attention on the performers. As I sang, to my surprise, the front houselights seemed to be getting a little brighter, and then it was that I saw him. It was Leroy! Who else could it be, sitting at a table near the stage, with a bottle of real champagne in an ice bucket, and two glasses waiting to be fllled? He was wearing a tuxedo and looking more handsome than ever, if that was possible.

I can tell you that changed everything for me. Now I was singing the song for him and him alone, and he sat there smiling at me, that smile that’s guaranteed to make a woman go ‘weak at the knees’, well it certainly had that effect on me, but fortunately not literally.

After the song was over and Leroy led a standing ovation and cheers, I carefully descended the steps to the restaurant floor and walked over to the table where he was waiting for me.

“Is this seat taken?” I asked him, trying to control the emotion in my voice.

“It certainly is, now and forever, I hope,” said Leroy as he pulled it back for me to sit down. Then he popped the champagne cork and filled the two glasses. We clinked them together in a toast and I took a sip.

“How did you find me?” I asked.

“Do you have any idea of how many people called ‘L Brown’ there are in the Chicago phone book?” he asked. “I needed help.”

I suddenly laughed. “This scenario has Lucille’s fingerprints all over it!”

Leroy smiled. “I suppose you can guess how many L. Mackiewiczs there are in Chicago?”

“Just one?”

“Just one”

Tell me more,” I said.

“Well you guessed it. It seems one day, Lucille called in at the gas station in Hicksville – just as well she did then because it was two days before my folks retired and handed it over to another couple. It seems Lucille asked how I was doing, and they told her I was divorced. Well, you know what Lucille’s like.”

“I should do, she’s been my sister for longer than I can remember, and what she doesn’t know about me isn’t worth knowing.”

“Exactly. So a few days later, in fact two days ago, I received a short note in a neat feminine hand. All it said was that if I visited the Star Theater-Restaurant one evening I might make an interesting discovery which would be to my advantage. It was signed L.J.”

That’s Lu,” I said, “Her married name is Jackson, and she’s always looked after me ever since we were kids together.”

Somehow, and I wasn’t even aware that it had happened, we were holding hands across the table.

“Well, now you’ve found me working here, I guess you know more about me than you ever knew before,” I said.

Leroy smiled. “Oh no, I’ve known that about you for many years.”

I was shocked. “But you got married,” I said.

He had the good grace to look embarrassed. “The biggest mistake of my life, and I’m still ashamed of it,” he said.

‘Do you want to tell me? It’s an hour until the next show.”

“Well the truth is I was never that interested in girls, which made it all the more surprising to me that I was so interested in you. It took me a while to work out why.

“After I arrived in Chicago, I tried to work out who I really was interested in and yes, there were some young men in my life, but it didn’t matter if I was giving or receiving, it was just sex – a moments pleasure and then it was ‘Sayonara’. That wasn’t what I wanted, and anyway there was a girl back in Hicksville in the back of my mind.

“You asked about my marriage. Melissa was a great girl – she still is. We became friends and I thought that if I married her then I could somehow become a ‘normal’ man. She was a church-goer and a virgin. She didn’t believe in sex before marriage and I can’t help thinking that if we had, it would have saved a lot of heartache. I already knew it was a mistake on our wedding night, but I couldn’t insult her by not playing my part, so I did – once. Being a virgin she didn’t really enjoy it the first time since I’m told it can hurt. I think she expected a repeat performance but I said I was exhausted and rolled over and went to sleep. The following day she expected more, but I told her that married couples only did it once a week. I felt I could cope with that.

“Of course it didn’t occur to me that women talk about the most intimate things and when she arrived back at the office where she worked, after the honeymoon, all the women were keen for details and that including ‘how many times?’. When she said ‘twice’ – they responded ‘only twice a night?” and her answer of ‘twice in a fortnight’ had them stunned. Ignorant of married life as she was, she soon began to think that ours was a most unusual marriage. After about a month, she sat me down and asked me what was the matter.

“Don’t you find me attractive?” she asked, and it nearly broke my heart to hear the catch in her voice.

“No, it’s not that,” I said. “I’m afraid I just don’t have much of a libido.”

“Well, she seemed to accept that, but as the months rolled on, she was saying that she wanted a baby, and if we were doing it so infrequently, she couldn’t see how that would happen. Unknown to her, when the day of intimacy approached, I was doing everything I could to reduce the likelihood of her getting pregnant, since I knew that if she had a baby, then I would be really stuck.

“Eventually she took the initiative and told me that she couldn’t go on like that and we should separate. That was exactly what I wanted of course, but I had to try and sound reluctant. We were so much happier then – her in the house I bought and me in a small apartment. Actually, I’ve jumped the gun a bit. I should say that I had completed my studies to become a qualified accountant. I stayed for a few years in the company I first joined, and I was earning good money. This was before I got married. After we separated, I wanted a complete break, so I left the company and started up my own one. It’s been very successful and I’m quite well off now with a new house of my own.”

“You got divorced,” I prompted him.

“Yes. It was obvious to both of us that we would not get back together, so we divorced. We have one set of mutual friends who still talk to both of us, and I recently heard that she is engaged to be married again. I’m very happy for her. I hope that this time she gets everything she wants in married life, including children. In fact it’s that knowledge that makes me finally feel a little less guilty about what I did to her.”

I couldn’t criticize him. He asked about me, and I told him all that I’ve previously recorded.

“Seems like we’ve both been through the mill,” Leroy said, and I had to agree with him.

“So what happens now?” he asked.

I’d had time to think about it so I answered him in this way.

“I always imagined that I might meet you again, Leroy, but I didn’t really believe it could happen. Now that it has, I have to seriously consider whether I am truly still in love with you, or in love with the idea of being in love with you. After all, with the passing of time, in some ways I hardly know you. Maybe you feel the same way?”

He sort of grimaced but didn’t reply.

“There’s another thing. You say you have your own successful business. Now if anyone here recognized you, I’m sure it’s ok for you to have come here once and happened to know one of the singers, but if it happened on a regular basis … well I know it’s a ‘dog eat dog’ world out there, and rumours might be spread which would ruin your business.”

“Are you trying to tell me that you don’t want to see me again?” he said, and the look on his face was heartbreaking. I squeezed his hand.

“Oh no! Far from it! What I was going to suggest was that we see each other discretely; perhaps stay overnight away from Chicago? Maybe you could smuggle me into and out of your house? That way we could really get to know each other again and decide for sure if this is what we want. If you’d like me to stay overnight, I’d be happy to.”

His face broke out into a broad smile. “Oh! I’m totally in agreement with that. You know you are not just beautiful, you are very smart too!” It was my turn to blush again, something I hadn’t done in quite a while, and I rather liked the feeling.”

Leroy stayed for the second show. I warned him that I was scheduled to sing ‘Love for Sale’, that standard so beautifully sung by Ella Fitzgerald, and I did my best to sing it in her style. “This one I’m definitely NOT singing for you!” I said with a smile:

‘Who will buy?
Who would like to sample my supply?
Who's prepared to pay the price
For a trip to paradise?
Love for sale’

Before I left the table, Leroy discretely slipped me a piece of paper with his address and telephone number. We were definitely NOT going to lose touch again.

And so began our second romance. We spent many happy hours just talking or even sitting and enjoying each other’s company in silence while we read. Then there were the nights, and they were all I could wish for and more. I will never forget the first time we made love. I had imagined it so often and it was truly more than I could ever have imagined. Afterwards, when we lay beside each other our hearts still pounding and chests heaving as we gasped for air, Leroy turned to me with a concerned look on his face. “Lee. You’re crying. Did I hurt you?”

“Oh no, darling. It was the most wonderful experience of my life. It’s really my first time; I’ve had plenty of sex before, but this is the first time I have made love with the man I love and I’m afraid it’s made me rather emotional.”

“Oh darling! I feel the same way!” He put his arms around me and held me close. I felt safe and it was so wonderful.

“I have a confession to make,” said Leroy. “I visited my parents a few times and never contacted you, but it was only because I loved you so much and I had nothing to offer you. It nearly tore me apart to know that you were so near and yet I did not dare see you.”

“Oh my darling, let’s not dwell on the past. Now we are together, and I am totally yours and forever.” I replied, and we hugged each other even more tightly.

After about four months, we were both sure that we would never be apart again. We couldn’t marry of course but there was nothing to stop me as an old friend appearing in his life again and we told the story of a secret marriage with only a couple of witnesses, which explained the beautiful engagement ring and wedding ring I began to wear. A discrete friend of Leroy’s took some ‘wedding photos’ for us to prove our story. I changed my name by Deed Poll, so that I could legally use my new name.

I had to leave the Star of course. Mr Marchant was sorry to see me go but when I told him I had met the love of my life again, he understood my decision. As I said to Leroy, while I loved my job there, I loved him more. I moved into his house which was only part-furnished by him while he was a bachelor, so I had the fun of selecting more furniture, drapes, carpets etc.

As ‘Mrs Markiewicz’, I was mixing with the cream of Chicago society, attending concerts, first nights of plays, and dinners with the elite. Leroy was generous with my housekeeping money and I had ample to dress myself in a manner befitting the wife of one of Chicago’s top accountants. Meanwhile my sisters seemed to keep having children and I was an aunt many times over. From time to time, we visited Hicksville to see my Mom, and Grandma who lived until she was 96. They knew all about me and why I had ‘married’ Leroy, but never said a word to anyone, and took our secret to their graves. We made sure they had grand send-offs.

We also visited my three sisters from time to time and got together at Thanksgiving and Christmas for great parties which the children loved. Like all happy marriages we wanted it to last forever.

Now comes the sad part which I am obliged to record. After many years of happiness together, Leroy started getting a regular hacking cough. He was now in his sixties, not old by any measure. I finally persuaded him to see a doctor. In those days men resisted seeking medical aid until they were near death’s door. Alas the news was not good. Leroy was never a smoker but so many men were in those days, so I suppose he was subjected to what is called ‘passive smoking’. Nothing could be done except to make him comfortable and as pain-free as possible.

I still remember the morning that he passed. It was around four o’clock. He had been restless during the night but now he seemed to settle down. I got up and sat beside the bed, holding his hand . I had a feeling that the end was near. He seemed to settle down to sleep and I think I dozed because I suddenly opened my eyes and saw his eyes were open too and looking straight at me.

“Lee,” he whispered, and I had to lean forward to hear him. “We’ve been so happy, haven’t we?” he said in the quietest of voices, and then “I love you, Lee.”

I knew the tears were flowing but I couldn’t help it. “So happy, darling,” I replied.”I love you, Leroy, now and forever.”

He smiled at that, sighed and closed his eyes and then lay back, the smile still on his lips. He was gone. I sat there for a long time, his hand growing cold in mine. Then I laid it gently on the bed and stood up and walked to the window, I drew the drapes and looked out at the lights of Chicago, and the stars blazing down from the clear night sky. There was one particularly bright one and in my mind that was Leroy’s star.

“Thank you for everything, darling,” I whispered.

Once Leroy was gone, I had no desire to stay in Chicago. It will come as no surprise to you that Lucille and Rob had a spare room for me on the farm, and that is where I will live out the rest of my life. Then I will be taken back to Chicago to lie beside Leroy.

Hicksville might seem a strange place to live for someone with as much money as I have, but my needs have always been simple, and when Leroy’s business was sold, and also our house, I was so glad to be going back home.

I was actually able to do some good for the town which had grown since I last lived there, including renovating and extending the local school to cope with increasing numbers of children, and also building a new community multi-purpose hall with a stage at one end, with curtains, lighting, a sound system and change rooms. The local council donated the land and I paid for the rest. My one condition which they were happy to accept was that it be called the ‘Leroy Maciewicz Memorial Hall. They wanted to make it ‘Lee and Leroy’ but I said, “Only when I’m gone”.

The opening was a grand occasion with a free dance and supper. The local mayor stood on the stage at interval and thanked me for making the new building possible. Then it was my turn to speak.

“I’m a local girl,” I said. “I met Leroy when his parents took over the gas station and it was love at first sight for me. He was the handsomest man I had ever seen. I think he liked me too! (Laughter at this). But then he went to Chicago to go to college and I thought I had lost him forever, especially when I heard that he was married. Later I too settled in Chicago and joined a nightclub band as a singer. I didn’t know that Leroy’s marriage broke up, but my sister Lucille heard and finding him in the phone book let him know that he might find something of interest at a nightclub which happened to be where I worked.. He later told me that he had heard I was in Chicago and had tried to find me but there were rather a lot of L Browns in the telephone book, but, thank goodness, only one L Manciewicz. (More laughter) I have so much to thank Lucille for; by the way she is now my landlady.

“That night at the club I was told a patron had requested a favourite song and as I sang it so the lights came up and I saw Leroy sitting there as handsome as ever and smiling at me. After the song, we sat together and talked and ‘the rest is history’ as they say. I haven’t sung in quite a while and this is the last ever time I will sing in public, but in Leroy’s honor I will now sing his, and my, favorite song.”

With that I turned to the band and signaled them. They played the intro and I launched into “I Wanna be Loved by You”. When it was finished I had a standing ovation, the last one of my life..

I should mention that I still had quite a lot of money left over, and after a meeting with my sisters, who were all comfortably off themselves, it was agreed that my estate will be divided equally amongst all their children. They will receive quite a lot of money each and I hope they spend it wisely. Whether they do or not is not up to me, I won’t be around to see.

The evenings are drawing in now and I think it is time to stop writing and go downstairs to where I know there will be a warm welcome, a warm fire and a happy family.

The End