Human Doll Page 6

  During her modeling gigs, she met a handsome young male model named December Storm. She was interested in December, but she could tell he wasn’t attracted to drag queens. And, that was fine. He already had a life partner, who’d been his roommate in college. She liked talking to December because, like her, he had impressive business aspirations. He was a very popular model and at that time, he was starting his modeling agency, HeadTurners. Also, he had a great sense of humor and even though his looks were stunning, thanks to excellent plastic surgery, he didn’t make a big deal out of the fact that he was gorgeous.

  December was also a major influence on her career. In fact, he was the one who came up with the concept of Sinthia’s Cabaret. Sinthia was talented at modeling, lip-syncing, comedy and more, and after several years of exceptional friendship, he told her, during one of their regular lunches, that she should become the hostess of a drag talent show. She replied, “That’s a fantastic idea! If I ever get to do a show like that, I’ll have you on as a judge.”

  At that time, December’s life partner was starring in his reality show Stitched, which was produced by The Bravehart Agenda. Through that connection, December knew the production company’s owner, Eryk Bravehart. He suggested the concept of Sinthia’s Cabaret to Eryk and the rest was history.

  When Sinthia became the hostess of Sinthia’s Cabaret, her biggest fan turned out to be her mother Maggie. Her mother had known about, and been delighted by, Sinthia’s successful drag career. Still, over the years, she’d chosen not to discuss it with Sinthia’s father, Barry. She didn’t think Barry would go ballistic, but still, he called homosexuals “the gays,” so she figured it might be an awkward subject to bring up with him.

  When Sinthia became the hostess of her own reality show, Maggie finally decided it was time to tell Barry. This was good news and she figured he would find out eventually. Sinthia’s Cabaret was, after all, a national show.

  One Saturday afternoon, she sat Barry down and explained Sinthia’s drag lifestyle to him. To her surprise, he wasn’t rattled by the news at all.

  “You must think I live under a rock!” Barry said, laughing. “I know Sinclair’s one of the gays. I know he’s a drag queen. I work with a gay guy named Mitch and he says sometimes, ‘Hey, I caught your son’s act!’ You know what else? There’s this thing called the internet. I look at it sometimes! I read Sinclair’s blog every now and then. What kind of father would I be if I didn’t know what my own son is doing? I’m happy he has his own show.” He noticed that his wife was crying. “Is something wrong? Did I say something I shouldn’t have...?”

  “Yes, something’s wrong.” Maggie smiled as she wiped the tears from her eyes with a tissue. “There’s something wrong with me. I assumed you’d be upset if I told you Sinclair was gay. I sold you short. I’m sorry, Barry.”

  “No need to apologize,” he said. “It’s my fault, too. It’s something we’ve never talked about before. You know, that guy named Mitch told me Sinclair has pretty legs. I guess he inherited them from you!” He laughed again. “We should’ve been talking about this ever since that day you put the makeup on him.”

  Startled, Maggie stared at her husband. “That was years ago! How do you know about that?”

  “Sinclair wrote a whole blog entry about it,” Barry said. “The world knows about it!”

  - - -

  One afternoon, during the break after the first season of Sinthia’s Cabaret, Sinthia received a call from her father, letting her know her mother was in the hospital, being treated for thyroid cancer. She’d been suffering from pain, fatigue, and nausea for months. Now she wasn’t responding well to treatment.

  Sinthia took a flight to the Des Moines International Airport, rented a car, and drove to her parent’s house in nearby Ames. Barry said he’d drive her to the hospital the next day. She stayed in her old bedroom and when the time came to see her mother, she put on a sweater and some jeans. When she entered the living room, her father looked at her with a sad look in his eyes. “Is that what you’ll be wearing?”

  “Yeah. Is there something wrong with it?”

  “It’s okay. I just realized, I bet your mother would love to see one of your outfits from your show. I should’ve told you to bring something fancy when I called you on the phone.”

  “We’re in luck,” Sinthia said. “I have a personal appearance in Des Moines coming up. I called a friend there to tell him I was heading this way and he invited me to his club. So yeah, I do have some things with me. You want me to put them on?”

  Barry nodded. “That would be great! Thank you!”

  “Okay, but be patient. It takes a while to put on the makeup.”

  Sinthia went back to her room and put on the outfit and her makeup. It was a red-sequined mini cocktail dress with scarlet pumps and a chestnut-brown bob wig. At the last minute, she decided to prepare a surprise for her mother. She put this surprise in a sequined purse that was part of the outfit. She then went to the living room.

  “My goodness!” Barry said. “You look like a movie star. Hollywood should put you in a summer blockbuster!”

  “Thanks, but I’m worried that this may be too showy for a hospital visit,” she said. “Are you sure it’s okay?”

  Barry nodded. “Your mother has been telling everyone in the hospital about your show. Even the janitors, I bet. I’m sure nobody will be surprised to see you there.”

  In the car on the way to the hospital, Barry said, “Can I ask you a question? It’s kind of personal.”

  Sinthia shrugged. “Go ahead. My life is an open book.”

  “Do you have a husband or a boyfriend?”

  “Not at the moment,” she said. “Why do you ask?”

  “I don’t like to think of you as being alone,” Barry said. “Aren’t there any gay movie stars out there in L.A. you can date?”

  Sinthia laughed out loud. “L.A. is full of gay movie stars. If you threw a rock out the window, it would bounce off one and hit two more. I’ve just been very busy with my show and other projects. Do you want me to date a movie star?”

  “Your mother and I want you to be with somebody who loves you,” Barry said. “That’s all. It doesn’t have to be a big-shot celebrity.” He paused for a moment, then laughed and asked, “Have you dated any big-shot celebrities? Maybe I can sell the story to one of those tabloids!”

  “Sorry, dad. I once dated a guy who played a dead body in the morgue on a cop show, but I don’t think the tabloids are interested in that.”

  At the hospital, all eyes were on Sinthia as she walked through the halls. Sinthia was amused when she overheard a candy-striper whisper to a nurse, “Is that a sex-change patient?”

  Sinthia and Barry stopped at the gift shop to buy flowers, but the blooms available all looked wilted and sad. Instead, they bought an oversized teddy bear. It wore a cherry-red banner that announced, I WUV YOU!

  When they entered Maggie’s room, she clapped her hands like a happy child. “Look who it is! My favorite TV celebrity, Sinthia!”

  Sinthia noticed instantly that her mother looked pale and way too thin, but she didn’t let any sadness show on her face. She grinned and positioned the huge teddy bear in the bed next to Maggie. “Dad and I bought you a bed buddy!”

  “Oh, you’ve made me so happy!” Maggie grinned with glee. “I know you must be so busy, having your own TV show and all. Are you dating any movie stars?”

  “Dad asked me that, too!” Sinthia said, amazed.

  “Well, that’s no coincidence. Your father and I were talking about that, the last time he visited me here. We were guessing which movie stars are gay and which ones you might be dating. So are you dating any big celebs?”

  “No, but I’ll put that on the to-do list,” Sinthia said with a wink. She then raised the sequined purse. “I have a surprise for you in there!” She opened the purse and showed her mother what was inside.

  “It’s full of makeup!” Maggie said with a squeal of delight.

  Sinthia wink
ed again. “Hollywood makeup! It wasn’t bought in a drugstore. It was bought in a boutique in L.A. The production company paid for it.”

  “Oooh, fancy! Do I get to look at it?”

  “Look at it?” Sinthia said, handing her mother the purse. “You get to do much more than that. I’m going to put it on you. It’s time for your hospital makeover!”

  “Did you hear that, Barry?” Maggie said, excited. “I’m going to get a makeover! With Hollywood makeup!”

  “Awesome!” he said. He turned to Sinthia. “I read about your makeover on your blog. The one your mother gave you, back when you were eight.”

  “I did write about that, didn’t I!” Sinthia said. “You’ve read my blog, Dad?”

  “Yep. Every word!”

  Maggie looked in the purse. “Five different kinds of lipstick! It’s like a beauty smorgasbord in there!”

  “Makeup gives a woman power,” Sinthia said. “You told me that, all those years ago. Remember?”

  “I do remember, honey. I sure as hell could use some of that power right now. I feel as wrung out as an old dish rag. Make me pretty again.”

  Sinthia crossed to the bathroom and came back with a moist hand towel. She used it to gently wipe her mother’s face. “Like you said, we need to start with a clean face.”

  “What kind of moisturizer are you going to use?”

  Sinthia opened a teal jar and began to rub a light cream over Maggie’s face. “This brand is delightful. It contains shea butter and soy proteins.”

  “You can put the rest on your toast in the morning!” Barry said.

  Sinthia continued with the make-over and soon, a healthy glow had been restored to her mother’s cheeks. Maggie used the bathroom mirror to see the results. “Thank you so much!” she said when she returned. “What color did you use on my lips?”

  “Coral, of course. Like you once said – it’s not an evening color, and you’re not going to a club.”

  “You’ve remembered everything I told you!” Maggie said.

  “It was great advice.” She nodded toward the purse on the bed. “I’m going to leave those cosmetics with you so you can cheer yourself up with a touch of color, whenever you like.”

  “But you said the production company paid for it. They didn’t buy it for me. They bought it for you and your show.”

  “I’m one-hundred percent sure they wouldn’t mind,” Sinthia said, giving her mother a hug.

  On the way back home, Barry thanked Sinthia for the visit. “You really made your mother happy today. We’re both very proud of you, what with you being a TV star and all. I bet that’s a lot of hard work.”

  “It is,” Sinthia said, “but I love it. I can’t imagine doing anything else. Unless something better comes along, and really, I can’t imagine what that could possibly be.”

  - - -

  The night after Sinthia’s visit to her mother, she was featured as a special guest at a gay club called Ace of Hearts. The owner of the club, Ace, who was also the emcee, was going to interview her onstage about Sinthia’s Cabaret. Afterward, she would lip-sync a medley of retro disco hits.

  Before the interview, she wandered the club, which was fairly large but mostly empty. She wore the same sequined dress she put on to visit her mother, so she hoped nobody from the hospital was in the club. But that was unlikely, since it was a rainy night and there were only nine people in the entire club, other than herself and the employees. The DJ was blasting his music. Maybe he was hoping the loud music would somehow make the club seem less empty.

  Most of the people there were couples: three male couples and one female couple. Only one customer was sitting by himself, close to the stage. Behind him, a huge fish tank was installed in the wall, and every now and then, the man watched the fish, as though they were about to put on a show. He wore a black t-shirt and black jeans. He wasn’t movie-star handsome and he was fairly chunky, but still, she was enthralled by his face – especially his pretty eyes. He had big, round hazel eyes, black hair and caramel-colored skin.

  The interview was still fifteen minutes away. She was bored and wanted to talk to somebody. Mr. Pretty-Eyes seemed harmless enough, so she walked up to his table. “You sure find those fish interesting.”

  “I’m going to be as wet as those fish, if it keeps raining,” he said.

  “Oh? Why is that?”

  “I came here with a friend about an hour ago, but he had to go back to work. He said he could drive me home, but I wanted to watch your interview, so I told him I’d walk, since I live about ten minutes away. But it wasn’t raining then. Hopefully it’ll stop soon.”

  “I’m sure you’ll be fine,” Sinthia said. “If it’s still raining when you want to leave, I’ll drive you home. I’ve got a rental car, and I have to drive back to my hotel anyway.”

  “Oh, wow!” he said. “Thank you so much! I can’t believe a big TV star is offering to help me out. That’s so nice of you!”

  “It’s no problem. I’m just happy you’re braving the rain to see the interview.” She gestured toward the rest of the mostly empty club. “I wish the rest of the community shared your enthusiasm.”

  “I love your show! I never miss it. My name’s David, by the way. David Rossi.” He held out his hand and she gave it a gentle shake.

  “And I’m Sinthia Laretta, of course. You mentioned that you wanted to watch my interview. Is there anything in particular you want to know about me?”

  “Are you kidding? You’re so amazing, I wish I was the one interviewing you!”

  Sinthia looked around the club. The owner, Ace, a chubby, red-haired man, was standing about ten feet away. She gestured for him to come over to her and David.

  “Hey, Ace,” she said when he joined them. “This is my top fan, David.” She gave David a wink, which made him grin.

  “That’s awesome, David! Thanks for coming to Ace of Hearts tonight. I’m Ace!”

  “Since David’s here tonight, and there aren’t many customers, would it be okay if he did the interview?” Sinthia asked. “He has plenty of questions he’d like to ask me, so he’d save you some time.”

  Ace beamed at the suggestion. “That would be great! The bartender told me rain’s pouring in down in the basement, so that’ll give me time to go see what’s going on. You two get onstage and I’ll introduce you.”

  Sinthia took David by the hand and led him onto the stage. Ace brought out two stools and they took their seats. He gave each of them a microphone and quickly showed them how they worked.

  “Okay, I’ll let you two handle your own introductions. I’ll go check out what the hell’s going on in the basement. Right after I tell the DJ to turn off the music. Thanks!”

  Sinthia looked to David and noticed that his eyes were wide with surprise. “Are you okay, honey?”

  He smiled broadly. “I was kind of scared, but then you called me honey. I’m okay now.”

  After the DJ turned off the music, Sinthia turned on her mike to address the club. “Hello, my dear teeming masses! Welcome to Sinthia’s Cabaret – the live, two-person stage version!”

  Most of the customers moved closer to the stage, which was somewhat gratifying.

  “This adorable fellow to my right,” Sinthia said, “is the president of my international fan club, David Rossi! David, say ‘Hello’!”

  “Hello, Sinthia!” he said happily.

  “I mean, say ‘Hello’ to the audience!”

  “Oh! I’m sorry, everybody! Hello, audience!”

  “As president of my international fan club, I’m sure you must have hundreds of questions to ask me. But let’s keep it down to a dozen or less! I do tend to ramble on.”

  “Okay!” David thought for a moment. “Do you wear a negligee or pajamas when you go to bed at night?”

  The audience laughed at this question, and Sinthia did, too. “My goodness!” she said. “I didn’t realize this interview would start with such an erotically charged question! I can feel everyone undressing me with their e
yes. It would be easier if they undressed me with their hands. For the record, I wear my soft, comfortable neglijamas to bed … if the room’s a little chilly. Otherwise, I go to bed as naked as a lemur. Next question, please.”

  “Did it cost a lot to get started as a drag queen?” David asked. “All those dresses and wigs and shoes must cost a lot of money.”

  “Good question! Building a wardrobe can be expensive … and difficult,” Sinthia said. “Many drag queens, starting out, hate to buy their clothes in department stores, because they’re worried about who might see them in the store. Myself, I built my collection one item at a time. This little item is a recent purchase.” She stood up for a moment to show the audience the dress she was wearing.

  David clapped for the dress, which Sinthia found endearing.

  “Early on,” she continued, “I taught myself to sew. If I saw an item I liked that wasn’t quite my size – especially at a second-hand store – I could usually alter it. I’ve done plenty of modeling over the years, and my work with designers has helped. I also buy a lot of items online, which is super-convenient. There are plenty of websites that specialize in fashions for the muscular or plus-size queen. The hardest items to find are usually sturdy but attractive high-heel shoes suitable for queens. Websites can make that challenge a breeze.”

  “Shopping online is great. You don’t have to run around town, looking for stuff,” David said.

  “Are you thinking of becoming a drag queen?” Sinthia asked. “You do have very pretty eyes.”

  David laughed. “Nah, I’d make a terrible drag queen. I’m part Italian, so there’s too much hair on me! Besides, I like being a guy, not a lady.”

  “Part Italian? What else are you?”

  “I’m also part Filipino, on my mother’s side.”

  “Ah! That explains those gorgeous, exotic eyes of yours,” Sinthia said.

  “Thank you,” David said. “But you’re the one with the gorgeous eyes.”