The Crown Is Mine

by Berlinda Wall

  "Were you thinking about these?" Albert asked has he handed me two rhinestone bracelets.

  "You know me so well," I said.

  "And don't forget the teardrop earrings," Marjorie said as she held out her hands with tow of the prettiest earrings I had ever seen.

  "Thank you so much," I said.

  "But you can't forget the first number either," Paul said as he held up a sparkly dance number with see through mesh in certain areas. "We were kinda thinking a non-traditional wig color for this dress would look great."

  Chas pulled out a powder pink wig to go with this outfit. I tried on the wig, I liked the fact that it had bangs that framed my face. Now I just had to nail down the final number to fit the outfit.

  The first song that popped into my head was Britney Spears's "Toxic." This outfit just screamed that into my head. So it was all decided, and just in time because the club was taking all the contestants out to dinner tonight as a way of saying “thank you” for all our hard work over all these months.

  I got along with most of the girls during the competition with the exceptions of Dixie and Athena. They each took this competition to the nth degree as each was so hell bent on defeating the other one that they were not pleasant to be around, so to be trapped with them at dinner wasn't going to be fun.

  I was going in boy drag to the dinner since it was a night off from the competition and I just wanted to wear something comfortable for once that didn't pinch and bind different body parts. I chose a pair of blue jeans and a light cotton sweater since there was a chill in the air tonight, though hopefully not at the table.

  The club selected a restaurant in Midtown - Cam's - that was an old converted house, but the real reason I think they picked it was because it was within walking distance of the club. The restaurant had a gracious front wrap around deck and a lot of architectural accents. I entered from the deck into the very comfy bar area, which featured a lot of dark wood and a wall of bottles where Mr. Winston, Marni, and Kit N Kaboodle were already waiting with cocktails in hand. I didn't realize Mr. Winston was coming. I assumed everyone was going to be on their best behavior.

  I sauntered over to the bar and greeted everyone with a very large smile. I was grateful to see them all.

  "Don't blind me those pearly whites," Mr. Winston said.

  "And feel free to order whatever you want tonight. The club is picking up the tab," Marni said.

  "Hello, Miss Kaboodle. You are looking mighty cute. I don’t think I have ever seen you just in boy clothes," I said.

  "Why, thank you, kind sir. It is a rare sight. Don't tell anyone, because I don't want to loose my drag queen card," she said as she laughed.

  The other girls started rolling in in their boy clothes as well, and we had a rolling good time chatting at the bar and getting caught up with one another. With all our fundraisers, we rarely got a chance to see anyone anymore.

  Precious Oil arrived and she was hobbling around with one foot in an air cast. Before anyone could even ask she let it out. "I was entertaining a very nice gentleman the other evening when I decided to do a tipple axel when I should have done a triple lutz. Next thing I knew, I was flying through the air where my foot landed on the dresser while the rest of me ended up pinched between the wall and said dresser," she said.

  "Can you perform this weekend?" Marni asked.

  "Hell yes! I wouldn't miss it for the world. I didn't do all this work to quit now," she said.

  "That's the spirit," Mr. Winston said.

  The mood was light and jovial until we all felt a cold chill as the deck doors opened and in stepped Athena and her ex-sidekick, Dixie, both dressed in high-whore drag. I just guessed everyone would be in boy clothes, but I was wrong.

  "Hello, bitches!" Athena said. "I have another fundraiser I have to attend this evening so I can't stay here forever.”

  "And I have one more fundraiser scheduled later this evening so I will need to blow this popsicle stand as soon as dinner is over," Dixie said.

  "I'm glad you could join us. Grab a drink," Mr. Winston said.

  Luckily our table upstairs was ready, so we all proceeded up the winding staircase to the second story, which was all open now with a variety of seating areas. Some were larger and some were very private and romantic. If I ever got a date, this would be a great place to bring him to.

  We all grabbed our seats and the appetizers were already waiting for us. It was a plethora of food on tapas plates ranging from chicken wings, olives, various cheeses, and hummus, and not being proud queens, we all started to dig in. I was even surprised to see Anna Mia eating. Normally a Tic-Tac put her over the edge, but here she was eating regular food. I had to ask. "Anna Mia, you have a good appetite tonight."

  "There is nothing to help you fix your problems like a good psychologist and a dietitian. They taught me how to eat properly and figure out why my eating was so fucked up," she said. "The only problem is I'm starting to outgrow my dresses. I've got enough that will work this weekend, but I might need to make a dress run after the competition."

  Everyone was very proud of her and gave her congratulations. All except Athena.

  "So you're finally eating normally. Let's shout it from the mountains that food no longer grosses you out," she said.

  And here I was feeling a sense of camaraderie from all the contestants that we hadn't really shared throughout the rest of the contest.

  "Athena, who peed in your Cheerios?" Marni asked. "Can't you just enjoy a moment for once?"

  "Yes, young lady. Have another cocktail, sit back and relax," Mr. Winston said. He grabbed a knife and tapped on the water glass. Everyone turned their attention to Mr. Winston and actually paid attention.

  "I want to say thank you for all you have done for your charities," he said. "Most people don't realize how much need there is out there in the communities because they are all isolated in their own worlds. The main reason I started this contest was to give back and bring attention to the various causes that still need our help. With the advancement of AIDS medications, the younger crowd thinks there is no reason to have safe sex anymore because they think of HIV and AIDS as treatable diseases. Those of us who have been around for a much longer time than most of you remember losing friend after friend. I do this to honor the people who have left us and moved onto a much better place and for those who will benefit from all your generosity. I want you all to know that you are artists in your own right and you have brought joy to this old heart. Raise your glasses. Here's to many more years!" he finished.

  "Cheers," everyone said and took a swig from their respective glasses.

  "Does he really think we are all artists?" I asked Marni.

  "Yes, dear, he does. Mr. Winston is typically a man of few words, and what he says, he means."

  "That's good to know,” I said. It made me feel better.

  "Well, girls, this has been lovely and fun, but I'm off like a prom dress," Athena said.

  "But you haven't even eaten anything," Marni said.

  "I'm watching my girlish figure, which some of these people at the table obviously aren't," she said as she stared at Anna Mia.

  "Blow it out your pie hole," Anna said. "This chicken is delicious. It tastes like your ex-boyfriend’s penis."

  "Why you little bitch," Athena started before she got cut off by Mr. Winston.

  "Now you all need to play nice, you hear?" he said. "Now is the time for celebration."

  "I will be the one celebrating," Athena said as she stamped her way down the stair case.

  "Thank God. She was getting on my nerves," Dixie said.

  "How were you ever friends?" Miranda asked Dixie.

  "I don't know. Everything was wonderful at first until the pageants started. Then she became a bitch that I couldn't stand to be around," she said.

  "Well, as long as I've known her, she has always been a bitch," Mary Jane said. "But enough about her. I want more details from Precious about her trick. Let me guess, He was a big, white muscle bo
y with a great ass."

  "You know me so well. Child, the things that boy could do with his tongue just had me screaming. I'm surprised my neighbors didn't come by to ask if anything was wrong," Precious said.

  "Where do you meet all these men and what do I have to do to get someone to give me a tongue bath?" I asked.

  "Sweetie, they are all around for the picking. You just need to pay more attention because, girl, you get cruised all the time and pay them no mind," Precious said.

  "Yes, I agree honey. You are a cute boy, and once the competition is done, I'm sure you will have some time to shake your ass and start pulling in some tricks," Miranda said.

  "I just don’t notice anyone cruising me," I said.

  "Girl! Open your eyes! They cruise you all the time. You are a sexy young thing that has people wetting their pants because they want to get into your pants. Capisce?" Precious said.

  I didn't understand what “Capisce” was, so I just agreed. If my friends said people were cruising me, but I wasn’t paying attention, then maybe I needed to open my eyes a little more. If I opened my eyes a little more, maybe I'd be able to open my ass a little more.

  "The final show is Saturday, and I expect everyone to be on their best behavior," Mr. Winston said. "We have raised a lot of money, of which I am very proud, but the winning total won't be announced until we crown a winner. It has been an extremely successful fundraiser, well beyond what I expected. It will set a very high bar of what the next contestants will have to achieve to beat you bitches."

  I was glad none of us knew the totals because that kept us in the dark and fed our drive to win. If you didn't know where you placed, then you always had the belief that you could still wear the crown. I didn't care where I was in the competition anymore. It was more about the journey of getting here and helping people out. I never would have met the homeless individuals who lived under the bridge on Piedmont if it weren't for my involvement in the fundraiser. I guess it has made me more consciously aware of the things I could do in the community to help it.

  I didn't realize that Mr. Winston had asked me a question. I guess I was in my own world at this point.

  "Tyler, so what have you learned from this experience?" he repeated.

  "I've learned that the smallest action can have a huge affect on someone's life," I said.

  And with that he said, “I wish you all well on Saturday, and enjoy the rest of the evening. I'm too old to stay out this late anymore. I'm looking forward to seeing what you do on Saturday."

  Mr. Winston left our little group to chat and be as catty as we wanted to be for the rest of the evening. It was the evening I hoped would have happened much earlier in the competition, but better late than never.

  CHAPTER 68

  My garment bags were packed and the wigs were in their box. I had my makeup case, shoe bag, and walk-about outfit already on, so I was as ready as I was ever going to be.

  "Come on, my little butterfly," Marjorie said. "Time for you to spread your wings one more time."

  "Yes, dear. I am ready and a little nervous.” It had been an emotional journey and now it was coming to an end. Surprisingly, I would miss everyone, including Athena, because she pushed me to be a better performer even though she didn't go about it in the best way. "This is the last time we will be performing as a group, which will be weird."

  "Don't worry. You will have plenty of other opportunities to perform with the girls," Marjorie said. "It isn't the end of everything, but just a new beginning. Whatever happens tonight I want you to know that you will always be my queen."

  "Thank you so much. Tomorrow I will go back to being just a hotel employee.”

  "Don’t think of it that way. Tomorrow will be the first day of the rest of your life and anything can happen. You also could be the homecoming queen, so you will have that to deal with for the next year."

  "People don't realize that this was like having a second job. It was a lot of work, but I'm truly glad I did it."

  "Come on, princess. Your chariot awaits," she said as we grabbed the bags and headed out the door.

  We got to the club a little early. I was very surprised to see this many cars in the lot this early. I knew there weren’t any events scheduled before the show, so I guessed people were getting here early so that they could grab a seat. At least this would give me some time to mingle with everyone and have a cocktail. Nothing like an orange shot of inspiration to deal with a bunch of hostile queens. At least the drama had died down for a little bit as everyone moved onto the next snipey bit of news.

  The dressing room was starting to fill up as everyone slid into their dressing stations. Some of the girls had brought in some more hair and makeup people and dressers for this show. Well, not everyone. Just Dixie and Athena. It didn't shock me. Everyone else came with their usual helpers.

  Marjorie and I got everything into its place and then slid out to the bar. As we opened the doors from the show room into the bar, there was a larger crowd than expected already drinking at the bar. We walked right up to the bar and the bartender poured me a double screwdriver. "This one’s on me," he said. "I can't thank you enough for all the work you have done this year in helping the homeless kids. I used to be one of them, and I wished your charity had been around when I needed it. I'm just glad the lost kids have an option now."

  "I didn't realize that," I said.

  "It's not something that I share too often. It was rough, but I managed to come through it," he said.

  "Thank you for the drink," I said.

  There was a commotion at the door as Miss Gigi came strolling in trying to make as much noise as possible to suck all the attention out of the room. I hate to say it, but she did look gorgeous in her makeup and hair and her gown was stunning. All eyes had turned to her and she knew it. Could she be any more of an attention whore? I'm glad her racket was short lived as she headed off to the dressing room.

  The crowd was jovial as they waited patiently for the doors to the show room to open an hour before curtain time. I did have a couple of patrons come up and tell me how much they enjoyed my performances over the competition, which did give me a boost.

  We had no idea of what the other contestants had raised, but over the course of the competition I had raised a lot of money, so I felt like I had a chance to get the crown. I just hoped there were some bobby pins in the crown so that they could pin it to my wig when they put it on my head.

  Marjorie had to tap me on the shoulder, "Did I lose you there for a minute?" she asked.

  "Just visualizing," I said.

  "Keep it all positive," she said.

  The rest of the crew arrived. As they approached, I could tell Paul was holding something behind his back. He pulled out and presented me with a beautiful bouquet of daisies, which were my favorite flowers. They are just so bright and cheery.

  "These are from all of us," he said.

  "I can't thank you all enough," I said. "I know I went off the deep end for a while, but I am so glad you are back in my lives."

  It became group hug time as they all closed in and embraced me in a circle.

  Several of the other contestants were also mingling in the bar and chatting with their own support systems. I managed to meet most of the helpers over the course of the competition since we ended up bumping into each other backstage. It really was a great group of people who didn't get a lot of recognition for all that they did. These were the people in the trenches working to help raise money for the various charities. They were not the public faces of the charities, but they were just as important as the heads of the organization.

  By this time, the crowd had formed a line at the show room doors so that they could grab a seat the minute the doors opened. From what I could tell, this was the largest crowd for any of the shows. I slid backstage to get into my dance outfit for "Toxic.” I didn't want anyone to see my new outfits until I hit the stage. You could tell that the doors to the show room had finally opened as the volume level from the room
rose dramatically.

  You could feel the energy in the dressing room as the chatter and the laughter were going up. My flowers looked beautiful next to the mirror. Most of us bantered back and forth and were enjoying ourselves until Miss Gigi came over to my station. You could feel the room get a little quieter as she approached me.

  "Hello," I said in my best ice bitch mode.

  "Could we step outside and speak in private?”

  "Why?"

  "Because there are some things that I would like to tell you.”

  "I don't think that is a very good idea," Marjorie said.

  "I agree with you, but I will give her two minutes outside," I said.

  "Are you sure that is a good idea?" Marjorie asked.

  "I'll be fine," I said. I followed Miss Gigi into one of the store rooms so we could speak in private. Before the door closed I took a look back to see Marjorie, Miranda and Mary Jane looking down the hall at us. When they saw I had caught them looking they all pretended to be doing something else. I turned back from their sheepish stares to face Miss Gigi. "So you have me here, what did you want to tell me?"

  "First, I want to apologize for the way everything went down. I didn't mean to hurt you," she said.

  "What do you mean you didn't mean to hurt me? How could you have not realized that what you said was going to destroy my name and that's all I’ve got," I said. "Why did you even do it? You've never given me your lame excuse for why you did it."

  "That's what I'm trying to tell you," she said. "Once Germaine found his hidden power, I was no longer important to him. I felt everything I had built was slipping away from me.”

  "What was really slipping away from you? You had been going out with someone, and yes, maybe things were not working out. That's your life, not mine. You had all your community theater stuff that you were doing and enjoying," I said.

  "But it wasn't enough for me. I loved the attention I got when we did the show together. People actually liked me for what I was doing," she said.