The Crown Is Mine

by Berlinda Wall

  "I like boys, and I like you.”

  "Hold that thought, and let me go change," I said. I wanted to kiss him so bad, but I didn't want our first kiss to be smeared with make-up. I ran back to the dressing room and pulled out my box of baby wipes and had my face cleared off in record time. The posse was nice enough to have packed all the rest of my stuff, so the dress and all the other accoutrements were off and into their bags with post haste. I put on my boy clothes, checked myself in the mirror, smiled at myself, and went back into the room. Tony was standing there looking like an angel. I walked straight up to him, grabbed his thick black hair, and pulled his moist lips to mine. He grabbed me and pulled me as tight as he could. It was the most passionate kiss I had ever had in my short life, and hopefully there would be plenty more from where this came from. He finally gently grabbed my face and we stared into each other's eyes for what seemed like an eternity.

  "Boys, I hate to interrupt your moment here," a strange voice said. Both of us turned to see a man in a pale yellow suit with extremely bushy hair and black-rimmed glasses standing there. "Miss Desiree, my name is Lester Chester, and I am the executive producer for the stage musical ‘Bombshell.’ There are a couple of things I would like to discuss with you."

  "I'm sorry I sang the song tonight. I didn't realize that would violate the cease and desist order," I said.

  "Heavens no! That's not why I'm here. I finally got a chance to see the video of your show that someone had submitted to us that led to the order, but I'm really here because I want to talk to you about some of your ideas for the show. You had some brilliant ideas that the writers I'm paying thousands of dollars to could never come up with. I want to talk to you about incorporating some into my show."

  I think I let out a very high-pitched squeal. I looked at Tony to see his reaction, but there was only a huge smile on his face. "I am so happy for you," he said.

  "Yes, I would love to talk to you," I said.

  He handed me his card and let me know he was in town until late Monday. "Have a great evening," he said. "Call me at my hotel first thing in the morning. The number is on the back of my card. I would like to set a meeting with you before I leave.”

  "Thank you, Mr. Chester. I'll call in the morning." I shook his hand and said good night.

  I then grabbed Tony's hand and pulled him into the quiet wing of the stage. The house lights were up and music was playing, and all I could do was pull Tony tight. We started swaying to the music, and all I could say was, "Best night ever!"

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Berlinda Wall was born in Toledo, Ohio, which is a great place to be from. After surviving working in retail, Berlinda relocated to Atlanta in 1998. She quickly found herself involved with the local gay bowling community where she still participates in a league and helps on the local gay bowling tournament committee. She has been involved in volunteering for several charities in the city and can be found performing at many benefits during the year. Berlinda also organizes her annual fundraiser, “Guys As Dolls Show,” as a way of giving back to the community. You can communicate with Berlinda on Facebook at Berlinda Wall and Instagram at berlindawall.