Chapter Three

Cover Design by Jeffrey L. Linthicum

     When I enter Jesse's Place, wringing wet, I am standing in a very small vestibule, lit by a single, bare, red bulb. To the left of the door that leads into the bar is a framed mirror and I am relieved to have the opportunity to pull myself together before making my entrance. I toss my hair around a bit to try and revive it. I smooth out my favorite, black leather car coat and pop the collar up. I decide this is too much and fold the collar back down. I suck in my gut and then let it out several times, reviewing this pointless act from every angle in the mirror. I toss my hair some more. I decide my shirt needs to be re-tucked, so I loosen my belt, unfasten my jeans and drop them just past my hips.

     "I need to see some identification please," a voice booms from nowhere.

     I look around for the source of the voice to no avail. In the dim red light, I can only make out the framed mirror, the doors and... the reflection of me with my pants undone. I am frozen like an idiot.

     "Just hold it up to the window please. Er... uh... your I.D. I mean," the voice adds. You can tell the individual is trying not to laugh.

     I am appalled to realize that I have been preening into a two-way mirror and God only knows who, or how many people, have been watching me re-enact my morning bathroom rituals. I fumble with my jeans and belt, trying to redress and remove my wallet from my pocket simultaneously. My pants fall to my knees in the process and I drop my wallet. I can now actually hear muffled laughter through the walls of the entryway. Just as I bend over to retrieve the wallet, the outside door to the street and the inside door to the club are both flung open violently. I quickly stand up and fasten my pants.

     Some odd combination of the red light, the rush of blood to my face that accompanies this brand of embarrassment and the vacuum created by the simultaneous opening of the two doors, causes me to do something I have never done before. I pass out cold and slump to the floor.