Forever Lovers (21 page)

CHAPTER 1

Viva Las Vegas
! It was the summer of
2010 and Platinum had graduated from high school four years ago in
Three Lakes, a small town located in the boot heel of Missouri. It
was time to pursue her dream of bright colorful lights, fancy
exotic costumes, and the razzel-dazzel allure of glamorous Las
Vegas, the city that would make her imaginative fantasy come true.
She just knew she would be a fabulous showgirl on a magnificent
stage with all the elaborate flaming feathers and twinkling
sparkling fans where she would meet all kinds of interesting and
exhilarating worldly people. She was waiting no longer. Today was
the time she was going to pursue that dream and make it become a
reality.

Platinum was in the process of packing her
old, but reliable, gray two-door Chevy for her Las Vegas adventure.
She was leaving this quiet retirement community of rambling hills
where she had lived with her elderly grandma for over fourteen
years and whom she dearly loved. Grams had taken her in after her
train wreck of a mom killed herself in a car accident. She’d never
been much of a mother as she was too busy downing pills, booze, and
looking for loser boyfriends. Sadly, she wasn’t much of a loss.

Platinum had worked at the boring local drug
store for the past four years after graduation. She had saved her
money and it was past time that she flew the coop of this Ozark
community to make a more glamorous life for her future close to a
university. The University of Las Vegas was the ideal place of
choice for her ambitious adventures and future degree.

Grandma Ruby watched with sadness as Platinum
packed her car, gathered up her cat, Boo, and got ready to embark
on her new chapter of life. She understood Platinum’s boredom and
restlessness. She knew she had to let go and give her a chance to
find own her way, but LAS VEGAS – known for its sinfulness and
trash! She shook her head.

Platinum hugged her Gram, “Love you! See you
at Christmas.”

Gram hugged her back. “Love you, too.” She
watched mournfully as Platinum’s old gray Chevy roared to life and
left with a belch of smoke, disappearing from view among the
indigenous green foliage and native wild flowers. Grandma Ruby
immediately went into her bedroom, grabbed a scarf, and walked
across the street to a white steeple church. There, she lit a
candle for her granddaughter’s soul. Sadly, it would be the last
time they would see each other.

CHAPTER 2

Platinum meandered her way across the
beautiful state of Missouri, being entertained by the panorama of
the lush Ozarks. It was a typical Ozarky sunshiny day. But,
entertainment was not just in the surrounding nature. There was
also plenty of trailer trash, yard art, billboards advertising
fireworks, Branson shows, and Ozark boating. Strip and gentlemen
clubs seemed to be in abundance. She thought about stopping to
gather some much needed experience, but nixed that illusion almost
immediately. Too risky – might just end up there for the rest of
her life. She was probably right.

Half way to Kansas City, Platinum dodged a
line of tourist cars waiting to enter Bridal Cave, a few wave
runners attached to the backs of pick-up trucks, and an occasional
TV dinner splattered in the middle of the road that awaited the
anxious turkey vultures circling overhead in the clear blue sky and
beyond. Other than that, it was a relaxing drive. The only stop she
made was at a roadside stand for a sack of peaches.

While Platinum drove, she thought briefly
about her life in high school when her glorious hair became a
detriment rather than an asset. Platinum didn’t like the attention
that the boys gave her with their silly hoots and hollers; neither
did the other girls around town. For Platinum, the boys were
annoying and the girls plain jealous and hateful. So, she cut and
dyed her hair black, wore baggie pants and shirts to hide her lush
growing figure, bought dark purple lipstick, pierced an eyebrow,
and gave the appearance of Goth. The boys in this clean cut small
“Ozarky” town soon began to lose interest with her and so did the
girls. It suited Platinum just fine. Her best buddies became her
computer and a stray black cat, named Boo.

Evening was approaching when Platinum finally
reached her first destination – Kansas City. She stopped at a
nearby Motel 6, spent the night, and started out fresh the next
morning as she zoomed across the state of Kansas on I-70. By
nightfall, after avoiding a few stray antelope jumping across the
interstate, she saw the Rocky Mountains.

CHAPTER 3

Twenty-four hours later, it was getting late
and the sun had long disappeared from behind the violet desert
plains. Platinum was driving in the cool desolate sandbox sprinkled
with sparse vegetation and the dry breeze blowing through her hair
when at the bottom of the skyline a glow began to appear. Her
excitement began to escalate when she saw the faint soft
illumination of glamorous purple, bright orange, and hot pink
lights in the distance as they appeared in rainbow colors on the
midnight horizon. It seemed forever before she finally reached the
heart of the city with all its razzle, dazzle, glitz, and glamor of
blinking colorful neon lights. She was not disappointed by what she
saw.

Holy shit, the Las Vegas Strip was
magnificent
! Platinum thought. Flashing signs were everywhere,
trying to catch the eye of any weary tourist or gambler,
mesmerizing and beckoning. They were usually extremely successful
with their titillating and teasing tactics. Advertising agencies
were paid the big bucks to make them so.

Platinum was not immune to the hypnotic lure
of the Las Vegas blinking lights either. She was just as captivated
by the flashing “blinging” signage as everyone else. In fact, she
could hardly contain her excitement that was bottled in
anticipation as she immediately found the nearest parking lot.
After feeding Boo, she locked him in the car, cracked a window for
cool desert air, and began her tour of the sandy city as she ate a
fresh bagel from a street vendor along with her last peach from the
Ozark stand.

Platinum wandered in and out of casinos until
the morning sun rays began peeking over the eastern horizon, fading
from the land of Tinsel Town, the biggest amusement park for adults
in the world. It left behind not quite such a glamorous early
morning daytime city, but it was not a detraction for Platinum with
her rose colored glasses perched on the end of her nose. It was
also easy to ignore Grams prediction of doom. That's why the sights
and sounds combined together as they entangled themselves around
her soul, hoping to own this beautiful new woman and make her one
of their own. It was as if it were their job to prey upon the
innocent and unsuspecting.

Anxious to begin her new life, Platinum
checked her computer to make sure the duplex she spotted last week
was still available. It was just right for her budget and about
fifteen minutes from the black heart of the city. It was sparsely
furnished, the perfect size for her needs and funds with a sleazy
landlord anxious to rent as soon as she could move in, which was
that afternoon. It did not take long to make it her own home.

Exploring Las Vegas for the next few days was
a blast. It was so full of all kinds of people, beginning with the
bus loads of senior citizens in their white tennis shoes and fanny
packs, tourists that came from a variety of different countries,
families with children, and professional gamblers. A few
prostitutes loitered somewhat discreetly on some of the
disreputable side streets. Platinum vowed she'd go back home and
work at K-Mart before she'd follow their lead.

The entire town seemed to own a boat load of
Elvis Presleys. They all wanted to be the impersonator of The King.
Some actually worked at the casinos while others were just hoping
to be discovered. After a while, Platinum decided most everyone in
Tinsel Town wanted to live their dream. Who was she to pass
judgment?

Platinum wandered into a small casino called
The Shining Star tuning out the noise of the humming and dinging of
the slot machines that surrounded her. She grabbed a coke and sat
down feeling discouraged before she devoted her attention to the
middle-aged Elvis who was so over weight that he had to sit in a
chair on the stage to sing, but boy could he sing.

A couple of weeks had passed since Platinum
had landed on the playground of Las Vegas. She had applied at
various casinos for a showgirl audition. So far, disappointingly,
she hadn't gotten a break. No one was beating down her door for a
tryout.

The city didn't seem quite so exciting any
more. Platinum started to notice the trash in the streets, the
women with too much makeup trying to disguise the years that had
taken their youth, gamblers with empty pockets, mistresses on the
arm of old guys, worn out carpeting, dusty chandeliers, burned out
lights in blinking signage and so on.

Elvis waddled over to Platinum's table with a
lot difficulty. She always appreciated it when he did that as she
knew he did so with much effort. That's how she knew the first time
she met him that he was going to be a good friend.

Platinum remembered her first encounter with
Elvis was about the third time that she'd popped into The Shining
Star. She'd done so a couple of times to grab a bagel and listen to
Elvis sing that first week she was in town. After a few visits, the
bouncer from the Shining Star came strutting over to her, “You a
hooker?”

Mortified, Platinum just shook her head.

“Well, move on anyway,” he replied with
suspicion in his voice.

That was the first time she'd met Elvis. He
came over huffing and puffing. “She's a friend of mine, Ed.”

“Then why haven't I seen her before?” Ed
narrowed his eyes like he knew he was lying.

“Because she just got in town, that's why,”
Elvis said, ready to challenge him if necessary. Ed knew better
than to press.

Elvis had liked the little girl with the big
green eyes the minute he saw her. When she listened to him sing,
she really listened. He knew she came in to hear him croon. Most
people just ignored him while they played their slot machines like
he was a tape playing over the loud speaker.

“I've heard some tryouts might be going on at
Harrah's,” Elvis was anxious to tell Platinum. “You might give it a
try. If you can't find any information, ask the bartenders, they
know everything.”

News and gossip travels fast among the
underworld of entertainers trying to help each other out. Platinum
knew she didn't have time to waste.

Platinum immediately jumped up, hugging him,
“Thanks, Elvis, I'll check it out.” she said as she headed down the
street to Harrah's a few blocks away.

Platinum went straight to the business office
of the casino. Sure enough no one seemed to know a thing about
showgirl tryouts. She asked the nearest bartender if he knew
anything about tryouts like Elvis had told her to do if she wanted
information. Elvis was right. The bartender suggested she checkout
the bulletin board in the woman's restroom. Sure enough, she found
a bulletin board in the woman's bathroom that was having a cattle
call for all “wannabe” showgirls tomorrow morning. Finally, she got
her first break.

By the next day, Platinum was in her skin
tight leotard at the showgirl studio of Harrah’s with a bevy of
other hopefuls. The spots were limited. She observed that all the
hopeful young woman seem to come from all walks of life – educated
and not, wholesome middle class families and not, married and not,
worldly and not, but all young, beautiful and wishful women. They
shared a common denominator of the same dreams of excitement,
enthusiasm, and adventure to the alluring thrill of what they
imagined the city that never sleeps had to offer. Little did they
realize that the city was built on shifting quick sand and was much
too superficial and unreliable to ever build a dream upon – even
little ones.

Platinum was one of the lucky ones or so she
thought. She got one of the opening spots. She was given three days
to be trained the walk and dance routine with 8 lbs. of heavy
costume head and ten pounds of costume body, which was totally
inconceivable since it contained so little material. It was a good
thing she was a quick learner, but she was beginning to wonder if
she were being trained for desert commando as she strutted under
the hot lights wearing heavy armory disguised in sequins, stays,
and iron straps making the girls' boobs stand up and look
perky.

Platinum only saw Elvis a few times after
that last afternoon. He died a few months later. They said it was a
heart attack – ate too much, needed to lose weight. By the time she
found out about his death, she'd missed his funeral. She never knew
his real name. It made her sad. It truly would have broken her
heart if she'd known he had died because he was her friend…..

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