Hold the Roses (15 page)

I called Bobby to help me put all the stuff in the car. We had a bite to
eat and I looked at the check. It was $1,750. Wow! I didn't know I was
making that kind of money.

I told Bobby, "The boss gave me the check. He usually gives it to my
father."

Bobby said, "So what?"

I said, "This is going to be trouble. I have never gotten my check
before."

Bobby said, "Oh, don't worry, it can't be all that bad."

I hope so, I thought. I drove Bobby to Schrib's and took the George
Washington Bridge home.

My father was waiting for me-I had no key, remember? The minute
I walked in, he started in: "Did you get the check?"

I said, "Yes, Julie gave it to me because you weren't there." Whack!
Across the face.

I said, "What could I do? I had to take the check."

"Embarrass me, will ya?" Whack! "How dare you do that to me, you
tramp.

I said, "I'm not a tramp."

Whack! "Don't answer me back."

I started screaming. My brother-my hero-came down and held
my father as he had done before and said, "Cut it out, Dad. Are you crazy,
or what?"

My father tried to break free, but my brother held on tight and said
to me, "Go upstairs."

I ran out of there like a bat out of hell and locked my door.

The next day my father said to my mother, "She's a tramp. She's been
sleeping with him."

My mother said, "No, she's not. She told me."

"And you believe her?" my father asked.

My mother said she did. I came downstairs at that moment-leave it
to me to make an entrance-and my father started in again: "You stay
away from that bum. He takes dope and he's a drunk."

I said, "No, he's not."

He said, "I found out from Tony Pastor. He's worked for Tony Pastor." (Pastor was a well-known bandleader at the time.)

I said, "No, he hasn't. He's been with Kay Kyser and nobody else."

My father said, "He lied to you. He's a liar too."

I thought to myself, What's the use? So I went upstairs again. And he
and my mother had it out again. My poor mother was trying to hold up.
He wore her down and then left for the day.

I came downstairs and told my mother, "Thanks, but it's useless. He'll
never come around, no matter what." I never told her that Bobby was getting out of the army in June. I thought I'd better leave well enough alone.

My next date was in Hollywood, Florida, at the Colonial Inn for two
weeks. They had gambling there! Joe Adonis was running the place, which
meant that "the boys" owned it. My father and I stayed at the Roney Plaza
and rented a car. It was a twenty-five-minute drive to Hollywood from
Miami Beach.

During the day, I never saw my father. He'd give me a few bucks and
say, "I'll see you tonight." Thank God for Ruthie. She and her husband
Irving were in Florida for the winter season. She and I spent a lot of time
together. One day we went window-shopping and I saw a pair of cuff
links, ruby and gold.

I said, "Oh! I've got to get those for Bobby's birthday."

Ruthie asked, "Where ya gonna get the money?" They cost eighty
dollars.

"I'll find a way," I told her.

That night I went up to Joe A. Joe Adonis-and said, "I gotta talk
to you, I need help."

"What's the matter?" he asked. "Somebody bothering you?"

I said, "No, but I gotta talk to you."

"What is it?" he asked.

"I need eighty dollars to buy my boyfriend some cuff links for his
birthday. Can you give me a horse that can't lose?"

Joe said, "What do you mean, a horse that can't lose?"

I said, "You know, a race where the horse can't lose."

"Does your father know about this?" he asked.

I said, "No, Joe dear, please don't say anything about this to my father, please! We're having enough trouble as it is."

Joe looked at me and said, "Get out of here. I'll talk to you later."
After the show, I was in the lounge, having a cup of tea. Joe A. came
in looking for me. He sat down beside me and said, "Can you place the
bet?"

I said, "Easy, we've got a lot of bookies hanging around the hotel.
How much should I bet?"

"Six bucks across the board. Don't tell anyone about this, understand? No one."

I nodded my head.

He said, "The name of the horse is Santa Claus. At Gulfstream. Fifth
race.

I hugged him and gave him a kiss.

He said, "Remember, don't tell anyone. And I want to see the cuff
links."

He got up and went into the other room. Oh God, I was happy. Joe
A. was so wonderful to me. I couldn't wait for the next day. Of course, I
called Ruthie. She couldn't believe it.

She said, "I'll tell Irving."

"No! No. Don't tell anyone-not anyone. I promised."

Ruthie said, "Can I bet him?"

"Yes, but only as much as I'm going to bet."

"How much is that?" she asked.

"Six bucks across the board. By the way, can you loan me six bucks?"
Ruthie started to laugh and said, "Sure, I'll be right over, and we'll
place the bets."

She was there in fifteen minutes! We went over to one of the bookies
I knew. Everybody called him "Choocha Cholar" because he couldn't say
"Coca-Cola."

I said, "I want to place a bet, Chooch."

He said, "Does your father know about this?"

I said, "No. Please don't tell him. Please. It's very important that he
not know about this, please!"

He said, "Okay."

I placed the bet and Ruthie placed her bet. We were so excited. The next
day we went to Collins Avenue and window-shopped again. We came back to
the hotel about five o'clock, looked for the bookie and couldn't find him.

I told Ruthie, "I guess we gotta wait till tomorrow. I gotta get dressed
to go to the club."

She said, "I'll call you in the morning."

She left. I went up to the room, showered and got ready to leave for
the club. My father knocked on the door and said, "We're leaving in ten
minutes."

"Okay, I'll be ready. Meet you in the lobby."

We got to the club and I tried to find Joe A. He wasn't around, so I
went backstage to get ready for the show. Joe A. was backstage with Harry
Richman and Xavier Cugat. They were fighting about who should get top
billing. Harry Richman said he should. Cugat kept yelling in Spanish (I'm
sure he was cursing) that he always got top billing.

Joe stepped in and said, "If you two don't stop this, I'll put her name
on top. It's her show anyway." I almost died. He walked out and everything got quiet. I ran into my dressing room. I didn't want to get into
anything with Richman and Cugat!

I did my first show, then went into the lounge for a bite to eat. Joe
came in and sat down.

"Did you place the bet?"

I said, "Yes, but I don't know what happened. I couldn't find the
bookie and I had to get ready for the show."

He said, "Okay. I'll talk to you later."

Well, "later" came and went. I didn't see Joe. A. I couldn't tell my
father that I wanted to see Joe A., so we went back to the hotel. Ruthie had
left three messages for me to call her.

When I got up to the room, I called her. She said, "We won-guess
how much we won?"

I said, "How much?"

She said, "Eighty-six dollars."

I was stunned. Six bucks for the bet and eighty bucks net. I couldn't
believe it. I was thrilled and planned to get the cuff links the next day.
Ruthie came over around noon. We had breakfast and looked for Choocha.
He was in the lobby. I called to him and he came over, gave Ruthie her
eighty-six bucks and handed me my eighty-six bucks.

"Where'd ya get the tip?" he asked.

I said, "No tip....I just liked the name of Santa Claus."

He looked at me, smiled, and said, "Okay, but no more bets."

Ruthie and I went to the jewelry store and I bought the cuff links. I
was so happy! Bobby would flip over them.

Ruthie went back to her hotel and I went back to mine. For some
reason, I bought the paper. Sure enough, the ad for the club had my name
on top and Harry Richman and Cugat's names were under mine. I couldn't
believe it. Joe A. had done that. He was too much!

On closing night, I went up to Joe A. and said, "I don't know how to
thank you."

He said, "Lemme see the cuff links."

I showed him the box. He opened it, looked at the cuff links and
said, "Yeah, they're okay. I hope he likes 'em."

"He will, I know he will," I said.

The date was finished and my father and I went back home. By now
it was March and Bobby's birthday was March 28. I wanted to throw some
kind of party, but it was impossible to get it together, so we just went out
to dinner together. I gave him the cuff links.

He looked at me and said, "They're beautiful, but they don't go well
with khaki."

I said, "Don't worry, from now on we'll make your birthday a big
event, and we'll have a spectacular party every year, I promise. Then you
can wear your ruby cuff links." That promise I kept!

April and May came around, and Bobby and I were busy getting the
license and matching wedding bands. We figured we needed a car, so we
went to some used car dealer in Jersey.

The guy knew who I was, so he said, "Does your father know about
this?"

Again I had to say, "No, no, please don't say anything to him about
this.... Please!" I had saved about $1,400, and we asked him to give us a break because that was all we had and we had to get to California. We
picked out a '41 black Mercury two-door. Not bad! Cars were hard to buy
at that time. We told him we'd buy it and pick it up around June 1. His last
words to me were, "Don't tell your father where you got the car."

I had no work in sight and things were getting tight around the house.
My father still kept telling me, "He's no good. Stay away from him or so
help me, I'll ruin him. I'll report him to the army, that he's working on the
side and taking money, instead of doing his job in the army."

I said, "You already did that and it didn't work." He looked at me
with a stare that could kill.

"I'll tell the newspapers he's a drunk and that he takes dope."

I said, "Please stop. I just can't take it anymore," and ran upstairs.

My mother was in her room and said, "I hope you're satisfied. Your
father is going to tell all the newspapers. It will be a disgrace for you and
for him." I looked at her and couldn't believe what I was hearing. He had
turned her against me again. Oh, whats the use? I thought. This will never
work out.

I had a date with Bobby the next night at seven o'clock. I was afraid
to tell him that it had started all over again. I was so disgusted; I went into
the bathroom and took my father's sleeping pills.

I woke up with my mother shaking me and crying, "Get up, get up.
Rose Marie, please get up." It was nine o'clock the next night. Bobby had
started calling at 7:30 and kept calling every fifteen minutes. Finally he
said, "Put her on the phone. Get her up, call the doctor. Don't you know
what she's done? Put her on the phone."

My mother tried to get me up. I was so groggy I almost fell down the
stairs. I got to the phone and said, "Halloo...."

Bobby said, "Are you all right?"

I said, "Yeah, I guess so.... I'm so sleepy."

He said, "Make your mother call Dr. Verdon right away and try to
stay awake. Please, darling, stay awake."

I hung up the phone and passed out again. The next thing I knew,
Doc Verdon was talking to me and saying, "Come on now, Rose Marie,
open your eyes. You're okay now"

I looked at him and smiled.

He said, "Come on, honey, have a cup of tea."

I sat up in my bed and I was feeling a little better.

He told my mother, "She'll be all right now, but for God's sake, what ever the reason is she did this for, tell her everything is fine... and keep
telling her."

My mother said, "All right."

He went downstairs, where my father, who couldn't have cared less,
was reading the paper.

He looked up and said, "How is she, Doc?"

Dr. Verdon said, "She's fine now. There's no telling if she will try this
again. Whatever it is, stop torturing her. Give her a chance to overcome
this. I'm warning you... she had to be very desperate to do this. I'll call
tomorrow and see how she is...and by the way, she's still a virgin!"

I didn't know what was going on in New York. Schrib told me he had
had to hold Bobby down and sit on him. He was fighting mad, crying, and
had a big kitchen knife in his hand, saying, "I'll kill that son of a bitch .... I'll
kill him, so help me God." Buddy Moreno, a band singer in the army with
Bobby, was with Schrib and said the two of them sat on Bobby until he
calmed down.

Schrib kept saying, "She's all right.... Everything will be fine.... Take
it easy." You have to know that Bobby was Irish-English, but more Irish
than "Paddy's Pig." When he got mad, he was a tiger. He once told me that
he had hit a kid in school with a baseball bat. The poor kid almost died.
When he heard that the kid was going to be all right, Bobby swore he
would never lose his temper again. I guess he forgot in this case. I can't say
as I blame him.

Things got a little quiet after this episode. In two days, I was fine. I
spoke to Bobby on the phone every day and neither he, nor I, nor anyone
else ever mentioned the incident. It was peaceful for a change. My father
said as little as possible to me.

When I was feeling better, I brought my gowns over to Max's to be
repaired and cleaned. I told him I would let him know when I would pick
them up.

I had another set of three Perry Como shows to do. It seemed that
whenever I was scheduled to do Perry's show, something tragic or dramatic
usually happened. I wondered if it would be the same this time. The last
time I was to do his show was in April 1945. I went to the studio and
nobody was there. It seemed like everybody had left town. I couldn't find a
soul. Something had happened-something bad. I finally found a woman
in one of the offices and she was crying.