Tell me a story...

THE PROSPECT

Darin and Hank cruised slowly through the parking lot, looking for an open space, finally settling for one at the far end, in front of the motel. Darin pulled the car in and killed the engine.

“Man, what a crowd,” Hank said. “Jill must be dancing tonight.”

The Bird of Paradise, adjacent to the motel along the frontage road, was the first bar in Vallejo to go topless and business was good. James Brady, the proprietor, was an old school chum, known as Diamond Jim to all his customers. Jim had no problem recruiting attractive dancers, but he’d hit the jackpot with Jill St. Paul. She was the one pulling in the crowds.

They walked into the bar and found that it was standing room only. Jim was behind the bar, moving quickly to keep up with the drink orders. It was nearly 9:00 PM and the show was about to begin. Darin pushed his way up to the bar and waved to Jim.

“Hey, Darin! What’s happenin’, man? What can I get you?”

“Gimme a couple of Buds. Hey, Jim, is Danny here tonight?”

“Yeah, he’s in the back. He’ll be out in a minute.” Jim slid the long neck bottles on the bar in front of Darin. “Want to start a tab, Darin?”

“Yeah, thanks.” Darin could barely hear over the noise. He passed one of the beers to Hank. Danny emerged from the back room with several bottles in his large hands. Darin caught his eye and waved him over. “Danny, how’s it goin’?”

“Busy as hell, man. What’s up?”

“Just wanted to remind you about the game tomorrow in San Rafael. We’re gonna meet at Wilson Park at around 9:00 AM and car pool from there. We’re counting on you to pitch tomorrow, okay? There should be several scouts there, man. It’s a good showcase.”

“Okay, 9:00 AM, Wilson Park. You guys stickin’ around for the show?”

“Oh yeah. I take it Jill is dancing tonight.”

“You got that right.” Danny moved away to help another customer.

Diamond Jim had his system down pat. There were shows at 9:00, 10:30 and midnight. For each show, there was a two-drink minimum, though he’d waive that for his friends. He had three dancers and each one would do a fifteen-minute set with a little break in between. That would fill up about an hour, giving the cocktail waitresses time to settle up tabs and turn the room over for the next show.

Jill would be the third and final dancer and she’d become a minor sensation around town, for obvious reasons. She had long blonde hair, light blue eyes, and she was very pretty. Add to that the fact that she possessed a near-perfect body, long and firm and full-breasted. Perfect bodies were easy to find in magazines like Playboy, with makeup artists, professional lighting, professional photographers and airbrush finishing. But Jill was real and she was the complete package. To Darin, she was absolutely stunning. He was always amazed at the reaction of the crowd. When the other girls danced, the guys would whistle and shout and make wise-ass remarks. But when Jill was on stage, there was a general hush that came over the room.

Jill and Danny had been together for a couple of months now, living in a house that Danny shared with two buddies. They made a great looking couple, though Darin wasn’t sure what the attraction was, beyond the obvious. At least they could keep an eye on one another, working in the same place night after night.

Jim bounded onto the stage and announced the start of the 9:00 PM show. He cracked a few lame jokes and then introduced the first dancer, a girl named Debbie. A couple of guys left the bar to move down in front of the stage. Darin and Hank grabbed the empty bar stools and settled in for the show.

Each girl had a similar routine, wearing some sort of top and maybe a sexy bra, and then slowly stripping in time with the recorded music. Bottomless had not taken hold as yet. That would come later. For now, topless was the rage, spreading from North Beach in San Francisco to many of the cities in the Bay Area.

When Jill was introduced, she received a rousing ovation from the rowdy crowd. She came out of the back room and headed for the stage, waving to Darin and Hank as she passed. Her first song was “Light My Fire,” and she went into a slow grind with the music. When she unbuttoned her shirt and slipped it off over her shoulders, Darin heard Hank mumble, “Sweet mother of God!” He looked around the suddenly quiet room and saw several guys set their drinks down and swallow hard.

Jim had installed spotlights that rimmed the stage to highlight the dancers. The low ceiling and the closeness of the lights made the stage a very hot place. Jill’s body glistened with sweat as her third song ended. She reached for a white towel that she’d placed on a stool next to the stage and began to dry her torso. A guy sitting up front spoke to her and she handed him the towel. He stood up and proceeded dry her back. Then the music started again and she picked up the beat and began to dance.

Diamond Jim witnessed this scene and let loose a stream of expletives that turned every head at the bar in his direction. The song ended and Jill took a deep bow. She put her shirt on quickly and left the stage to a standing ovation. As she rounded the bar and headed for the back room, Jim grabbed her arm roughly and pulled her around the corner, out of sight from the bar.

“What the hell are you trying to do, cost me my license?” He was yelling at her, furious that she’d let a patron touch her on stage. “You stupid bitch, don’t you know they could bust me for that? How goddamn stupid can you be?”

“Jim, I’m sorry, I didn’t know, I didn’t think. I’m sorry.”

Jim’s tirade continued and Darin thought for a minute that he was going to hit her. He waited for the scream, not sure what he would do if it came. Her apology fell on deaf ears and Jim continued to call her every rotten word in his vocabulary. Now her voice was rising and Darin could tell she was losing her temper.

“Okay, asshole, you want to fire me? Go ahead, say it. You’re not the only bar in town. There are plenty of other places that will be glad to have me. Go ahead, tough guy. Fire me!”

It was quiet then. Jim came out from the back room and started working the bar, his face pinched in anger. Darin looked at Danny and saw that he’d ignored the entire scene. After a minute or two, Jill came out to the bar. Darin got up to give her his stool and she thanked him as she sat down. Danny brought a drink and placed it on a coaster in front of her. Her face was flushed and her eyes were welling.

“Thanks for the support, Danny.” She spit the words at him. “It’s good to know you’ve got my back.”

“Hey, kiddo, he’s the boss. Know what I mean?” Tall, well built, good-looking, Danny could charm your socks off. He grinned at her and moved on down the bar.

“Shit, Darin,” she said. “What am I doing here? I must be out of my friggin’ mind. They treat me like a goddamn whore. I’m not a whore…” Darin thought she was going to cry.

“Hey, Jill, you know how Jim is. He doesn’t mean anything by it. He’ll cool off in a minute and be over here apologizing to you, just watch.” Darin did his best to calm her down, but he could see it wasn’t helping much. He tried to change the subject. “How about coming with us tomorrow to San Rafael? Should be a good game. Danny’s going to pitch. Why don’t you come along, get out of town for a day?”

“Thanks, but I gotta work tomorrow.” She smiled at him. “You’re a good guy, Darin. Thanks for asking.”

Darin and Hank finished their drinks, said goodbye to Jill and Danny and headed for the parking lot.

“Holy shit,” Hank said, “did you hear all that? I thought he was gonna smack her. And Danny never made a move. Can you believe it?”

“No. No, I can’t. But that’s Danny.”

More cars were entering the parking lot, moving slowly, looking for open spaces. They passed a group of guys heading for the bar, laughing and talking loud. It was a busy night at the Bird of Paradise.
_____


Everybody was there, except for Danny. The guys milled around the parking lot at Wilson Park, drinking coffee, munching donuts, conversing in subdued Sunday morning voices. They checked their watches and glanced toward the entry road. Finally, at around 9:20, Darin took charge. Five guys would ride in Jack’s van, another five in Mike’s station wagon. Darin and Hank would go by Danny’s house and see if he was there and if he was coming; they’d try to catch up and get there in time for the game. The little caravan pulled out of the lot, two vehicles heading for Sonoma Boulevard to connect with Highway 37, and Darin and Hank splitting off to head for Danny’s place.

Jill answered the door wearing red flannel pajamas, sweat sox and an exasperated look. “Come on in. I’m trying to get him up. He got hammered last night and now all he wants to do is puke and sleep.”

Darin walked quickly down the hall and into Danny’s bedroom. He was sprawled across the bed in his underwear, his right arm thrown across his eyes, moaning softly.

“Danny, come on, man. We gotta go. This is a big day for you. There’s gonna be a bunch of scouts there. Come on, man.”

“Ah, fuck the scouts. Leave me alone.”

“Come on, Dan. The guys are counting on you.” Darin took hold of his wrists and pulled him upright on the bed.

Suddenly, Danny jumped off the bed and hurried down the hall to the bathroom. They could hear him retching with the dry heaves, sounding like he was about to die. A minute later, they heard water running in the sink, and then he staggered out into the hall. “Okay,” he said, smiling at them sheepishly, “let’s play some ball!”

They loaded Danny into the backseat of Darin’s car. Jill brought a duffle bag with all his gear. She also brought a pillow, which he promptly tucked under his head. They hit the road knowing they’d have to drive hard to make it to San Rafael in time for the game. Danny was sound asleep before they reached the Napa River Bridge.

Darin glanced over his shoulder at Danny, snoring softly in the back seat, and shook his head. He’d known him since they played Little League ball together. Now in his early 20s, Danny was at a major crossroads in his life. He was a little old to be a prospect. Talented players his age had gone off to college on scholarships, or signed with a pro team by now. But Danny wasn’t scouted in high school because he could never stay eligible for the team. There was always a failed class or his grade point average dipping below 2.0 to jump up and bite him in the ass. He gave junior college a try, but again found it hard to stay eligible. And yet, when you could get him in uniform and on the field it was pure magic. He was a natural. As a pitcher, he was unhittable. As a hitter, he roped line drives to all fields. It was frustrating for his friends, the people who loved him, to see all that talent go to waste. If it was ever going to happen for Danny, now was the time.

They made good time to San Rafael. Danny woke up hungry, so they stopped at a little shop for a toasted bagel and a small container of orange juice. He wolfed it down in the car and then struggled into his uniform as they drove to the city park. The rest of the team was on the field loosening up when Darin pulled into the parking lot. They laced up their spikes and Danny strolled off to the bullpen to start his warm-up routine.

The Vallejo team went down 1-2-3 in the top of the first. Darin strapped on the catcher’s gear and trotted out for the home half of the inning. As he approached the plate, he could see a half-dozen scouts grouped together in the grandstand, right behind home plate. There were several players worth watching in this game. Danny was just one of them.

Danny flashed good command of his pitches while warming up in the bullpen and he brought it with him to the mound. Darin settled back to enjoy himself, working with Danny’s fastball, change-up and curve to set up the hitters and keep them off balance. His fastball was in the low- to mid-nineties and Darin’s left hand began to turn red and swell, in spite of the padded glove he wore inside the catcher’s mitt. It was a good feeling. It occurred to Darin that catching a guy with this kind of stuff was about as good as it gets.

Danny pitched seven strong shutout innings and gave up only three scratch hits. He also ripped a double and a single and drove in two runs, including the game-winner. It was a typical performance. Darin thought back to that morning when Danny was “driving the porcelain bus,” hurling his guts out. He shook his head in amazement.

After the game, the guys gathered under a tree behind the dugout and brought out an ice chest full of cold beer and soft drinks. They sat around and swapped stories while Danny met with a couple of the scouts up in the grandstand. Finally, they loaded their gear and started the long drive back to Vallejo. Darin and Hank sat waiting for Danny to finish his meeting. They saw him shake hands with each of the two men. He came strolling over toward Darin and Hank wearing a huge grin.

“So? What’s the story?” Darin couldn’t wait to hear.

“The Giants are gonna offer me a contract,” he said.

They rushed to pound him on the back and offer congratulations.
_____


Hank popped open the trunk and tossed the luggage inside. He would drive Danny to the San Francisco Airport for his flight to Arizona where he would join the Giants’ Class-A affiliate. Hank and Darin stepped away to give Jill and Danny a moment to say goodbye. As the car pulled out of the driveway, Danny gave them a farewell wave, his patented grin fixed in place.

“Want to get some coffee, Jill?” Darin watched her dab her eyes with a tissue.

“Sure, why not.”

They drove across town to Scotty’s on Tennessee Street, known for the best donuts in town. The coffee was from a freshly brewed pot, delicious as usual. Darin bit into his glazed donut with gusto while Jill picked absent-mindedly at hers.

“Well, that’s that,” she said.

“Whataya mean? He’ll be back, Jill. Hell, the A-ball season is over in August.”

“He won’t be coming back here, not for me.”

“Don’t be so sure.”

“Why do I always fall for guys like Danny? Arrogant, self-centered, selfish bastards. I never ever learn.” There was bitterness in her voice.

“Because they’re charming, and they’re fun, and they’re pretty, and you always think you can fix whatever’s broken.” It sounded harsh when Darin said it, but he knew it was true.

She looked at him intently for a few seconds and then turned away. “Shit,” she said softly. “You’re right… Why can’t I ever meet a guy like you?”

He started to say “you have,” but he thought better of it, and the conversation drifted to other topics. They finished their coffee and donuts.

“Darin, can you give me a ride to The Bird? I have to work tonight.”

“Sure, no problem.”

They left the shop and made their way to his car. She sat next to him, looking away through the passenger-side window.

“You know, I’m leaving at the end of the month,” she said. “Don’t say anything to anyone, cause I haven’t told Jim yet.”

Darin felt his heart sink. “Where are you going?”

“My friend Carol is a dancer in San Francisco. She’s gonna get me an audition. We can share rent, and the money’s better there. She’s from Vallejo. Maybe you know her – Carol Doda? Anyway, I need a change from this town, that’s for sure.” Darin pulled up in front of the Bird of Paradise. “Thanks, Darin. You’re a good friend. I’m gonna miss you.” She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “Remember, don’t say anything yet, okay?” And with that she was gone.

Darin thought about going in to see her show. He wondered if she’d start with “Light My Fire.” He could picture her beginning to move to the music, unbuttoning her shirt. He really wanted to see her dance. But they were friends, she’d confided in him, and somehow it just didn’t feel right. He wanted to be more, more than just another “arrogant, self-centered, selfish bastard,” gawking at her with a growing lump in his jeans.

“Screw it,” he said. He pulled away from the curb and drove down the block, not really sure where he was going.
_____