Jerry breathed a sigh of relief as he stood backstage.
Thank God that's over...
He'd really blown it tonight; His first big break in New York. He'd done lots of comedy clubs, but this was his first in Times Square.
Unfortunately, despite his best efforts, the evening didn't go as planned.
For starters, the crowd was sparse. He'd seen bigger crowds in line at the grocery store for the free samples.
The spiced apple cider was always a big hit.
He had to admit that he was taken aback by the small audience size tonight. He'd done sets in smaller clubs with three times the number of people in attendance.
Sure, Laughter was a relatively new club, but it certainly wasn't an unknown establishment. It had been featured in the New York Times and had hosted some incredibly famous comedians, most of whom had gone on to appear on Johnny Carson's show.
Jerry could only begin to imagine what it must be like to perform for a national audience. It was a dream he'd had most of his life.
He should be thrilled to have even had the opportunity to perform at Laughter, following in the footsteps of some of the greatest comedians around. But he couldn't help thinking about tonight's performance.
He thought he had created the perfect blend of comedy, but he was disappointed in the audience's reaction. They were barely laughing.
That is, except for one woman.
She sat all alone in a darkened corner of the club, laughing hysterically at his jokes. It was a wonderful sound; almost melodic. And once he caught a glimpse of the source of that laughter, it was hard to look away.
She was quite possibly the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
Normally Jerry was able to spread his gaze around the room; to let each audience member feel as though he was speaking directly to them.
Not tonight...
He couldn't take his eyes off of her. The dark, wavy hair that cascaded down her back. Her perfectly placed facial features.
And that dress!
"And that ends our show for the evening." The emcee was saying, startling Jerry out of his thoughts. "Thank you for joining us. Please come again on Thursday night when our special guests will be..."
The emcee's voice trailed off as Jerry's thoughts returned to the mysterious woman. Suddenly he realized that it was only a matter of minutes before the club would be empty.
People rarely stuck around after the end of a show.
He simply had to meet this woman.
Quickly, he pulled a comb from the back pocket of his jeans and ran it through his hair. After an even quicker glance in the mirror, he rushed to the stage...
Just in time to see her walking out the door.