Thursday, November 18, 2010

She Was a Showgirl....

Downtown New York City in the 1950’s, some broad is sitting in some backstreet gin joint; with an air of mystery about her. She wore a yellow feather in her hair and a low cut dress, man it was right up to her… well, you get the picture anyway. Of course anyone could tell that she was a showgirl, the garish make up a dead giveaway. To most people this would sound like a tragic love story, to us hard New Yorkers it is more a way of life; having seen it all. But allow me to tell you of a time when good guys didn’t always win, bad guys got away with it; and the girl never got her happy ending…

Her name was Lola; she was a showgirl with yellow feathers in her hair, and her dress cut down to there. Her life was not an easy one, working 8 in the evening until 4 in the morning. The pay wasn’t that great, and believe me when I tell you she had a lot of crap to deal with. But then there was Tony, a young and handsome bar tender who took a shine to Lola the very first moment they met; it was clear for all to see that they were young and they had each other ~ well, who could ask for more.

Well, one night as Tony tended the bar and Lola dance this guy; Rico walked in. now Rico was bad news, local mobster and one guy you certainly did not want to get on the wrong side of. You could tell he was someone from the diamond ring he wore to the smartest of suits he also had on, this dude was somebody; and what he wanted he always got.

But Lola wanted Tony, and Tony wanted Lola; pity nobody told Rico that. He saw Lola dancing, and wanted her; calling her over after she had finished dancing. With Tony keeping a watchful eye over Lola, you’d think everything would end for the best ~ but of course that’s not how it happened. Rico went a bit too far, Tony sailed across the bar. Punches flew, chairs were smashed in two; the whole works came out that night. Sadly there was blood in a single gun shot, but no one ever knew just who shot who…

Well, as you can imagine all that music and passion; the finding and loosing her love, all did something to Lola. Affecting her deeply, scaring her for life. As I said before, good guys don’t always win, bad guys often get away with it; and the girl doesn’t always get her happy ever after…

But her name is Lola, she was a showgirl; but that was thirty years ago when they used to have a show. Now it’s a disco, but not for Lola. Still in that dress she used to wear, faded feathers in her hair. She’ll sit there so refined, drinking herself half blind. All she thinks about is loosing her youth and her Tony, but now she’s lost her mind too.

That’s the Copa for you, the Copacabana; don’t fall in love!

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