From the landing of the dilapidated iron staircase, Gerald, peered through the pall of cigarette smoke into the noisy nightclub. Enviously he watched, as the girl in the pink spotlight captivated the audience with her song. In the business of show business, the girl was Goldie, but to Gerald, she would always be Marigold, her given name. He had long since dismissed the diminutive, as suitable only for a chorus girl. Gerald and Marigold, from their childhood, had been part of a musical comedy show, and afterwards she had remained his friend, his only true friend, and had stuck by him even though he was unable to find, what he called, quality work. Goldie’s ability to sing and dance was obvious, even in a tawdry place like the Cellar Club, and she was what most red blooded men called a looker. Tonight, Saturday, was to be Goldie’s final appearance at the club; the owner had engaged her to fill in for his regular vocalist. Whom, it was noised about the club with some scepticism, had gone to the country to nurse a sick mother. The singer was scheduled to perform the next evening, Goldie’s stint at the club was subsequently terminated.
Dragging his gaze back from the bandstand, Gerald carefully negotiated the iron staircase to descend into the …show more content…
The lady apparently expected more for her money than Gerald was prepared to give, and he had allowed his natural distaste for the female sex to surface. After this incident, wealthy clients were no longer called him, and he resorted to escorting elderly men. This venture too was not a success, as his natural proclivity for young men became his undoing, he just would not accede to the demands of the elderly