Lois and Carolyn, thanks for the beta...you’re the greatest!
I would also like to thank everyone who previewed the chapters for me.
Chapter 5 – Rumors At Babylon
Late Saturday Night … (Day 55)
Michael was in one of the bathroom stalls at Babylon when he overheard a conversation among a group of strangers.
“Did you read the Liberty Blog?” one of them asked.
“No, I’ve been busy. What did it say?” another one responded.
“It’s been rumored that the legend herself, Divina Devore, may be settling down in Pittsburgh. You know that she’s originally from here?”
Michael now focused in on the conversation but didn’t say a word.
“Wouldn’t that be great to have a real legend living in our midst?”
“It would be interesting…that’s for sure.”
“With the money and fame that she has achieved over the years, I bet he could live anywhere in the world.”
“He’s probably broke and will probably be coming here to look for a job.”
“Why would you think that?”
“That seems to be what happens to the great sports stars and some of the movie stars, you know?”
“Some maybe, but not always….”
“That true.”
“I think she must have had agents or someone managing her money.”
“They definitely didn’t run off with the loot…or else it would have been all over the press. No, I think it’s safe to assume the he’s not destitute.”
“Then why would she settle here in Pittsburgh?”
“Who knows? But then, it’s only a rumor.”
“Of course,” the stranger continued, “Once she takes off the makeup, no one would recognize him, so she can have the best of both worlds living here. She can work when she wants to and yet live a completely anonymous, normal life off stage.”
“I guess…it doesn’t get any better than that.”
“No, probably not.”
The group left the bathroom, and Michael finally emerged from his stall.
As Michael was washing his hand, he replayed in his mind the conversation that he had just overheard. Divina Devore here in Pittsburgh.
Divina Devore (aka Danny Devore), who had gone to high school with both Debbie and Vic. Michael and Ben had found an old yearbook.
Beginning of flashback…
“I wanted to check out my mom’s old stuff,” Michael said to Ben as he started to rummage through a box of memorabilia that probably belonged to Debbie.
“That’s kind of personal, isn’t it?” Ben reminded him.
“She never really told me much,” Michael sadly pointed out. “You know, when I would ask about back then, she would say, “I did my home work and listened to my folks…and you should do the same,” he added as he continued to rummage among the contents of the box.
“She must have been a cheerleader,” Ben suggested, playing with a set of colorful pom-poms.
“Maybe those were Vic’s.” Michael responded with a smile. Then he finally located the yearbook and started to mindlessly flip through the pages. “Check out the girls hair dos!”
“Kind of straight?” Ben responded to the long, straight hairstyles of the period.
“Where’s your mom?”
Michael flipped through several pages until he found the name he was looking for.
“Here she is, Deborah Jean Grassi,” Michael said, pointing to the old picture of Debbie as a teenager with flowing blonde locks.
“She was kind of cute,” Ben commented after looking at the picture. “I wonder what HE looked like.”
Michael searched through the yearbook and found the picture. “Here he is, Danny Devore
“He’s kind of cute,” Ben commented.
“If you’ve got a thing for dweebs,” Michael responded, looking at the picture in the yearbook.
The face in the yearbook picture looked unmistakably like Michael’s.
End of flashback
Once upon a time, Michael had used the fact that Danny Devore had gone to high school with Vic and Debbie as leverage to get the reluctant diva to perform at a benefit. Michael got much more than he bargained for.
Michael had learned that Debbie had once wanted to be a nurse…a fact he never knew growing up. And as he listened to Divina talk about what Debbie was like in high school, Michael heard a tone of genuine fondness for his mother.
When Michael had noticed the physical resemblance between himself and the young Danny Devore, prompting him to wonder if maybe this could be his father, Debbie still continued to claim that Lt. John Michael Novotny was his father.
So Michael had posed the question to Divina Devore, herself. Her answer had been vague and as enigmatic as the diva herself.
Beginning of flashback…
“Are you my father?” Michael had pointedly asked.
“This is a fine time to ask…as you’re helping me out of my gown,” Divina responded, with a note of humor in her voice.
“You were seeing my mother back then. The timing is exactly right for you to have…”
“…Knocked her up,” Divina completed the thought for him. “First I would have had to have gotten it up. Look at me! Do I look like the kind of guy, who would go around banging babes?” he pointedly asked with appropriate gestures. “ Your mother was hardly my type,” he added dismissively.
“Well, you said she was beautiful back then, and you said that then you used to bat for the other team,” Michael continued to argue.
“Drag queens are notorious liars. Everyone knows that. So, what does you mother say?” Divina asked, continuing to remove her makeup.
“She says my father is this big war hero,” Michael answered.
“So why don’t you believe THAT?”
“Because the story keeps changing, and there’s only one picture, and the guy doesn’t even look like me... Look, I’m not making any demands. I’m not even asking that we stay in touch. I just want to know the TRUTH.”
“Michael, may I tell you the one truth that I’ve learned in all my years,” Danny began as he came out of the dressing room, having removed his Divina Devore persona. “ The truth…is what…you choose to believe. When I’m on stage, people believe that I am Divina Devore. Not because I’m a great female impersonator, but because they want to.”
“What does that have to do with whether you’re my father, or whether my mother lied to me?” Michael asked in desperation.
“Your mother gave you something to believe in…a father you could be proud of…because she loves you…that’s the truth…whether you choose to believe it or not, is up to you.”
End of flashback
Michael had chosen to accept “Your mother gave you something to believe in…a father you could be proud of…because she loves you…that’s the truth…whether you choose to believe it or not is up to you.”
But now, all the talk about fathers was forcing him to rethink everything…from the role of fathers…to everything in his very own life. Michael had a lot to think about as he exited the bathroom and rejoined the gang at the bar.
Michael managed to dance a few dances with Emmett. But contrary to everything that he had learned from Ben, some problems couldn’t be made to disappear by the ancient ritual of dancing. And after turning down several offers to dance from strangers, Michael realized that unlike Brian, being here at Babylon could do nothing to relieve his pain or to ease his mind.
Finally in the end, Michael said his goodbyes to everyone as he headed for home, making it an early evening.