dragged... (Part 15)

                  Into the Groove

I found the perfect cure for my love hangover; I booked a seven day cruise to the Caribbean.  My plane to Miami Florida was leaving the following morning at 7:00AM, and I couldn’t wait to board and escape the drab, damp, hilly landscape of life in San Francisco.  The city life used to bring me so much joy, but now all I could think about was getting away from all of that fog and busyness. I needed a change of scenery to overcome the depression that was trying to confine me to warmth of my bed and the wings of its blankets, for the loss of my beloved Maddox was taking a toll on my overall well being. 

During this trip I would dress incognito, so I packed my suitcase with pants, shirts, a pair of black Converse tennis shoes, two pair of dress shoes (black and brown), tank tops, shorts, and sandals.  I wanted to leave the Drag world behind for 7 glorious days to find myself again; it had been a long time since I had lived my life outside the security of sequined gowns, make up, and stilettos. 

The flight to Miami went smooth and I once I got out in to the warm, muggy air, of Florida, my bones started to thaw.  My heart seemed to beat stronger and as I walked through the terminal I felt an overwhelming sense of confidence which let me know that my decision to take this vacation had been a right one.  The unfamiliar faces of people I passed worked like a visual antidote and my sluggish pulse rate seemed to have been revived.   

I started twirling around where I stood, just outside the front doors of the hotel where I would be staying; ignoring all of the odd glances I was receiving from a few people.  Fuck all of them, I was about to board a luxury liner the following morning where I was going to be treated like a queen, and nobody was going to rain on my parade.  I wasn’t feeling as vibrant as I could have been feeling minus my girly wardrobe, but this was a trip of new beginnings. 

Once I had rested up in my hotel suite for awhile, I decided it was time that I added a tan coating onto my fair skin so that I could blend in better amongst the scantily clothed natives.  I slid on a red tank top, matching red shorts, my Jesus sandals, and wrapped a large, red, beach towel around my neck.  Even though I was dressing down I didn’t need to dress drab.  With some dark square shaped shades on, and a straw fedora, I entered the pool area looking like I had just stepped of the pages of a magazine. 

My physique was similar to a swimmers build, so I didn’t have muscles really, but I was cut in all the right places.  I passed this lovely, dark skinned, buffed up, Italian, and when we made eye contact I could tell that he wanted to get to know me better, but I wasn’t interested in getting hooked up. My body needed a break from all of that poking and biting – hell, Maddox never seemed to get enough. 

There were times when I just went through the motions with him to keep him satisfied, but I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t like it most of the time, because let’s face it, if he hadn’t been able to throw down like he could in the bedroom I would not have been attracted to him.  His animal magnetism was one of his best qualities and taking the dive with a dildo didn’t even come close to the real thing; however, he was now a part of history to be forgotten.    

After getting ogled by a few more buffed up locals, I managed to find a vacant lounger, in a quiet area, next to this leggy, blond haired, blue eyed, white woman.  She was wearing a teeny weenie white and red polka dot bikini, and I couldn’t tell if her eyes were open or closed behind those dark shades she was wearing, so rather than getting my mask cracked by saying hello and being ignored, I laid my towel onto my lounger, and then stretched out on it, without saying hello. 

I had been lounging for a couple of minutes when all of sudden she decides to speak.  “Well, that was a tad rude, don’t you think?” She said, never moving turning her head.  At first I didn’t think she was even talking to me until she turned her head in my direction and waited for me to respond to her statement. 

I raised my glasses above my eyes, and turned my head to look at her.  I wanted to rip her a new one after what she said, but instead of retracting my claws, I decided to be nice to her snooty ass.  “Uh, excuse me, I didn’t know if you were sleep or not, so I did the polite thing, and respected your space, darling; I wasn’t trying to be rude,” I told her, as I slid my glasses back over my eyes, and leaned backwards onto my lounger. 

I wasn’t sure where snowflake was coming from, but I didn’t like the airy attitude about her when she addressed me and, knowing myself very well, I thought it would be better if we lounged silently together.  I did notice, however, that spectacular diamond necklace that she was wearing around her neck though, and it was shimmering like Disney magic against her over tanned, crispy looking skin.  Now, I’m no diamond specialist, but if I had to call it, it looked to be about five carrots.  

Under my breath I mouthed, Rich Bitch. 

“So, where pray tell, are you from?  I can tell by your pale skin color that you must be a tourist,” she asked, looking into the sky and not at me.  Again, another wrong move, if you were going to talk to me then you needed to give me the respect of facing me. 

“Excuse me, sweetie, but I am not into conversing with someone who doesn’t have the decency to face me when they ask me questions, so if you want to speak to me then, I suggest, you address me with common courtesy, otherwise don’t waste my time,” I scoffed, grabbing a hold of the railings beneath my chair, running my hands along side of them. 

When she didn’t respond, I assumed that she was going to leave well enough alone, but then, she rose up, swung her legs around, and sat up facing me.  “Is this better, dear?” she asked, with an English accent that I had missed the first time she spoke. 

I turned my head, smiled, and said “That’ll work, sweetie,” giving her back the same snobby attitude she was giving me.

Behind my glasses, I watched as she silently observed my body and it was making me a bit uncomfortable.  Fish was not on my menu, so if she were looking for some beefcake then she needed to focus her attention to the five heterosexuals who were splashing around in the water like teenagers.  Good lord, they always seemed to travel in packs and I just knew by their tone bodies that they thought they were God’s gift to the earth. 

“My word, I wouldn’t give them the time of day if it were free, handsome,” she said, licking her lips like I was a truffle on a silver tray. 

Before things could get out of hand I had to let her know that she was wasting her time with me, because I wasn’t into female companionship.  “Uh, sweetie, I’m not sure if you picked up on it yet, but I am into the same thing as you, dick,” I said, bluntly.  I knew from past experience that, tip-toeing around the subject only led to misunderstandings and I didn’t want there to be any. 

Point blank, I wasn’t into women. 

“Tisk…Tisk…Tisk…what a shame, I had such plans for you,” she said, retrieving a cigarette from a long, slim, silver case.  When she put the tip of it between the redness of her painted lips, lit it, and took a puff, she reminded me of an old movie star (You know, Bette Davis and Joan Crawford).   

“Oh, is that right?  Well, I’m sorry that I couldn’t let you in on all of this loveliness, but I’m sure that you’ll find someone better suited to your taste.  You are a beautiful woman, if I have to say so myself,” I told her.  I wasn’t lying either, she looked like one of those 1950’s starlets – especially rocking that red & white polka dotted bikini.  It was a retro design and had to cost a grip. 

“My, aren’t you the little charmer?” she said, taking multiple drags off of her cigarette. 

“I’m from the city by the bay, San Francisco, you know, Fag-Tacula,” I told her, as I rose and joined her in the sitting up position. 

“Really…? So, what brings you down to the sunshine state, men, fun, relaxation, or all of the above?” She asked, tapping her ashes onto the cement, intentionally missing the ashtray. 

“Before I incriminate myself any further, what is your name, lady?” I asked her. 

She took another drag off of her cigarette, exhaled and said, “ Diana Willingsly, and you are…?”

“My name is, Alex Johnson, but my stage name is Elixir Calhoun,” I told her, paying the poolside waiter who had finally returned with my drink. 

“Elixir, hmmm…?  Now that is a catchy name.  So, you are a drag queen by night I take it?  Well, that sounds like a marvelous life my dear; I would love to catch one of your shows when I visit the West Coast in the next couple of months.  Do you have business card?” She asked, rubbing my arm affectionately. 

Business card…?  It never even dawned on me to have business cards made up, but I decided to have some made once I got back home.  I had been doing drag for a long time and deserved to have more notoriety than I had been receiving at Lilly’s.  After the way I was treated the  last time I was on stage, I wasn’t even sure if I was going to return back there.  A change of venue was long overdue, but before I left there I was going to make sure that they never forgot me.

“Elixir, let’s say you and I get dolled up and paint the city tonight.  I love your attitude and I think you have spunk.  Do you have an agent, dear?” She asked, shocking the hell out of me. 

“Business cards…agent…what did you say you did for a living, Diana?” I asked, anxious to know who I was cavorting with. 

“I never did, love, but by the end of the night, you’ll know exactly what it is I do, and I’m sure that you’ll find me to be quite the essential element you need to get to where it is you should be.  Now, enough of the formalities, let’s get drunk,” she said, holding her glass up for a toast. 

“What are we toasting to, Diana Willingsly?” I asked, filled with an excitement I hadn’t felt in a long time. 

“Why…to Elixir Calhoun, my dear, who else?” She said, laughing hysterically. 

The moment we toasted, I knew that she was going to be an influential person in my life, and together we were going to take the drag world by storm.  I didn’t actually know what she did for a living, but I had a sneaking suspicion that it had something to do with entertainment.  This trip was really turning out to be just what I needed it to be, a step out of anonymity and a leap into stardom.

Let Maddox have Sunny Skies, I would have far better, and he was going to reap what he has sown.  I cannot wait for him to come crawling back to me, and when he did, I was going to leave his ass kneeling right there and suggest that he buy himself some knee pads, because he’d be down on all fours receiving more dick than he could handle, just to pay his own fucking bills. 

“Waiter, check please…”  I said, leaning back onto my lounger, anticipating all the riches that would soon be coming my way.   

Missouri and Sunny, don’t count Elixir out just yet…

I used to be just fierce…

But now, I was going to be fabulous…