_dove_
Written By: K. Blink
This story is written in memory of Dove.
A very wise friend once questioned me a few years back, "How do you define Love?" I had laughed at first and replied, "What a silly question!" This friend smiled and said, "Silly it may be, but still…How do you define love?"
At that moment I realized, what is the definition of love? My friend saw the look of thought on my face and laughed. "When you can tell me the meaning of love, come find me. I'll be right here waiting," He said and walked across the street into the City Cemetery and plopped down on a bench.
This question puzzled me for the rest of my life. That is, until I met…Dove.
It all started two years ago…
"Blink…Blink! C'mon boy, get up! The presses are rolling, get up!" Came my daily wake up call from Kloppman.
Mr. Kloppman was a kind old man who ran the Newsboys Lodging House I lived in.
"I'm waking kloppy…" I moaned as I tumbled off my bunk and grabbed my trousers. "Good morning blink!" My best friend Race said. "ain't it a beautiful day?" I raised an eyebrow and replied, "Uhh…Race? Are you okay? You seem a bit…happy." He laughed and lighted the cigar in his mouth. "I sure is! And you should be happy to. Last night this guy bet two membership cards to the Sunset Palace against my horse…And, boy was I lucky, I won! We're Going to the Sunset Palace!" Race said, pulling out two membership cards and grinning broadly.
The Sunset Palace was a theatre of sorts. One of the best Vaudeville houses in New York City! They had it all…drinks, stage, and-most important of all-Amazingly beautiful girls.
It was everything Race and I had ever dreamed of! Only, no membership, no entrance. For years we had longed to step inside the Palace's doors and be with it's Beautiful creatures of the night.
Finally, Race and I had memberships. We were going to the Sunset Palace!
It had been extremely hard to sell papes that day. All I could think of was the Sunset Palace. But after a long day of selling, it was time. I met up with Race at the Lodging house. We changed into our best suits and carried our life savings in our pockets. And Finally…We were off to the Sunset Palace!
I remember it so well, my first night at the Palace. We strutted up as if we owned the place and showed the large doorman our Membership cards. One thing I always liked about these cards is that they carried no photo, age, or name on them so the doorman was easily fooled.
He held open the door and we took our first steps inside the Sunset Palace. Immediately we drowned in the rush of bright colors and electric lights. About a hundred other men were there, but to our disappointment, no girls!
But then…The band began to play a heavy melody and, seemingly from no where, Fifty beautiful girls entered singing and dancing wildly. One brunette in an outfit that showed practically everything came up to us and danced right in front of us. We were sucked into the world of the Sunset Palace.
It took us a few minutes to get over our shyness and dance with the girls. When we did though, we were having the best time of our lives! After about thirty minutes of dancing, we took our seats at a table as the real show began.
The curtains rose on the stage and revealed a short Chinese girl dressed in oriental clothing. She began to dance about the stage, singing in her native tongue. After her, there were several other acts, in each one the girl was more beautiful than the next.
Finally, the last act was about to begin. The curtains rose again, this time revealing the most beautiful of all the girls…they called her The Sunset Palace's Soiled Dove.
She had shoulder length, wavy blonde hair and big, beautiful hazel eyes. She was dressed in an outfit that seemed to be made entirely of feathers. Race and I watched her with longing as she began her Routine.
"The minute you walked in the joint, I could see you were a man of distinction, A real big spender! Good lookin' so refined, say wouldn't you like to know what's goin' on in my mind?" She sang. The notes rolled out of her mouth beautifully and her voice rang through the air.
She continued to dance and sing, moving off the stage and onto the floor. Whistles and shouts of "Hey sweet face, over here!" came from the crowds. She moved about us with a cocky grin on her face, blowing kisses to her adoring fans.
Then, much to my surprise, she danced over to our table and sat on my lap. "How 'bout it, palsey? Yeah!" she said in a deep, throaty whisper, finishing her song.
The men clapped and whistled but soon lost interest when the other girls began filling the room.
Dove stood off my lap, and smiled. "Take this, if you feel like visiting me later on tonight…this'll get you to my room for half price" she said, handing me a card. She winked at me and strutted off.
Race turned to me, his eyes wide in astonishment. "Wow…me first night here and me friend is chosen by the star girl to visit her fer half price! You always get the good ones, blink," he said, fake pouting. I was even more shocked then he was. I had frozen in the same position ever since she came to our table. "race…pinch me, I think I'm dreaming," I said, staring at the card.
"Your so lucky blink! I wish she had chosen me…" Race said grumpily. "Y-you can have the card, I'm not ready" I said, offering it to him. He put up his hands. "No way…you've got this girl and yer gunna keep her."
"You said you wanted her," I replied, waving the card in front of him. "No Blink, I's not taking this chance away from you. It's time fer you to become a man like the rest of us," Race replied, grinning slyly and standing. "No you should go find that bird before someone else does. I'll see ya tomorrow morning" He said and before I could stop him he left the Palace.
I don't know what made me do it, but now I'm glad I did. I got up my courage and walked over to a woman at the bar. "E-excuse me but, do you know where Miss Dove's room is?" I said shyly, showing her the card. She pointed over to a long hallway beside the stage. "Go right over there and show this card ta Jack, the bouncer. He'll let ya in, seein' that she ain't already busy. And, if she is, feel free to come back and see me" The woman smiled slyly and tickled my nose with a feather.
"Uh, thank you" I said, eager to get away. I went to the hallway and showed a large, muscular man who I assumed was Jack the Bouncer, and handed him the card. "I'm here to see Miss Dove," I said, somewhat intimidated by the Mans largeness. "Five bucks, boy, and the last door on the left. I took five dollars from my pockets and handed him the money, then I headed to the last door on the left and knocked.
"Come in," purred dove's soft, low voice. I opened the door and slowly stepped inside. The room was large, and various items filled it, circling around a large red bed. "I-I believe you were expecting me?" I said, stepping towards the bed on which dove laid on.
"Yes…would you like something to drink or…perhaps you'd like to get along with it?" She said, smiling and gesturing towards a bottle of wine. "I-I well…w-whatever you'd like, I mean…" I stuttered. She laughed slightly. "Come now…surely you had a reason for coming to see me, no?" she said, walking over to me and letting her lacy robe slip off her shoulders.
My eye widened as I looked over her in a tight, red corset. "I-I should be going now, good-" I started as I walked over to the door. She grabbed my arm. "Wait…Isn't this what you wanted? Why else would you pay five dollars just to step in and say hello?" She said, a confused look on her face.
I sighed and sat down in a chair by the door. "I don't know what made me come…I felt like I needed to see you I guess. B-but I don't want to…er…" She sat beside me and looked me over as if she had never seen a man before. "You came just to…to talk?" I nodded, hoping she wouldn't be mad.
To my surprise, she smiled. "Your so different from all the others…How old are you, what's you name?" she said. "Well, My name's Kid Blink and I-I'm 17." I replied, blushing at my age. "Wow, you're the youngest person I've met here. I'm Christine Philmore, better known as Dove, and I'm 17 also."
My eye widened at her age. She appeared to be in her mid-twenties. She smiled. "I seem older, don't I? Do you live around here? I've never seen you before."
I nodded. "I live at The Manhattan Newsboys Lodging House, I'm a Newsie." She smiled. "Wow, that must be wonderful! I'd love to get away from this place and be free!" I looked at her questioningly and said "Don't you like it here? I'd kill to live in a room like this and earn half as much money as you do, working at a Theatre."
Dove stood up and turned away from me sadly. "It's not all the glamour it's cut out to be…Sure, I earn money. But how? I sleep with men, sell my body to the night, strip for money…You know Blink, I can't even fall in Love. Not with anyone." She said. There was a long, awkward silence.