Page 63 of Cursed
“Damn right,” Milo replied. “We’d better be. You had help with this job. Everyone okay?”
Compared to some of the battles, they were pretty unscathed this time. “Yeah, folks were drained and a little knocked around, but nothing serious. Teag and Rowan headed back to Charleston, and they’ll make sure the right people give the ‘leftovers’ a good home with them,” Seth said. “I can’t say more now, but I can call later if you want details.”
“You doing anything to celebrate?” Milo asked.
“Dinner and a drag show,” Evan replied, leaning toward the phone. “Doing the town in style.”
Milo and Toby laughed. “Wow, it’s been a while since we’ve been to one of those,” Toby said. “Enjoy yourselves and paint the town red.”
“We’ll call when we get on the road and fill in the details,” Seth promised as the server came with their dessert. “Gotta go, they’re bringing more food.”
“Stop in when you get the chance, it’s been a while,” Toby said. “And congratulations!”
Seth ended the call and looked at the plates in front of them. “That looks delicious, and I swear it’s the biggest piece of cheesecake I’ve ever seen.”
“I guess pirates lived large since they didn’t know if they’d live long,” Evan replied, not mentioning that they had some similarities to their own situation. “And no one ever regretted good dessert.”
The house-made cheesecake with raspberry sauce proved a perfect ending for their meal. Once they paid the bill, they drove to the club with the drag show Evan had chosen.
“I went with the reviews to pick where to go,” Evan told him, showing their tickets at the door and taking Seth’s hand as they moved inside. “Everyone said this one is lots of fun and there’s a sing-along. Figured it would be a good one.”
The Art Deco theater held a crowd but still felt intimate. Evan had been curious to see the other patrons, and felt surprised at the cross-section of people.
“They’ve got a good crowd,” Seth observed as they got comfortable in their seats.
“I’m guessing that they have a lot of regulars,” Evan replied after watching the audience for several minutes. Many of the theater-goers talked to each other like acquaintances instead of strangers, catching up on life since the last time they had seen one another. Others looked like tourists who were slightly out of their element, nervous until the show started.
Evan hoped that he and Seth fell somewhere between the two groups, if anyone was looking.
“I’ve never been to a drag club before,” Seth said.
“I went a couple of times with friends back in college,” Evan replied. “We dared each other to go, and it was way less exotic than we were expecting. But it was a lot of fun, and I’ve always remembered how exuberant it felt. I figured it was a good way to celebrate. Thanks for going along with the idea.”
Seth shrugged. “I’m game to try something new. It’s an adventure.”
Inside, the large room was set up like a supper club, with a bar against one wall and a stage at the other end of the room. Round tables for groups of eight left room between for performers and servers to make the rounds.
Still full from dinner, Seth and Evan bought drinks before choosing a table in the front third of the room, a rum and cola for Evan and just soda for Seth. Their seats made for a good view, but might be far enough back, Evan hoped, to avoid getting pulled on stage to participate.
“Interesting crowd,” Seth observed. They watched as the audience gradually filled the space.
Straight couples, gay couples, and groups of friends found seats, chatting excitedly as upbeat music played. The other attendees ranged in age from early twenties to retirees as well as a bachelorette party.
“Welcome, everyone,” the emcee, a slender dark-haired man in a form-fitting black suit, greeted as he bounced onto the stage. “Prepare to be amazed. We have three very talented ladies tonight, along with our marvelous house band to entertain you with song and frivolity, and a dance party once the stage show concludes. Freshen your drinks, powder your noses, and get ready to be awesome!”
The audience clapped and shouted, and Evan felt himself getting caught up in the excitement. He smiled to see that Seth also seemed to be enjoying the moment and reached to take his hand, comfortable that the gesture would be accepted here.
BayBay Boom, a tall performer with bright red bouffant hair and a form-fitting scarlet sequin dress strode on stage as the band struck up a sultry classic from The Doors. She flirted with the first row, and Evan guessed from the back-and-forth that many of those people were regulars.
She strutted and vamped, belting out the song, clearly enjoying the crowd’s enthusiastic response. BayBay picked up the tempo with favorites by Fleetwood Mac and Donna Summer, before taking a bow to thunderous applause.
“Don’t worry, BayBay will be back for the big finale,” the emcee assured the crowd as they took their seats after the standing ovation. “Next up, please welcome Katrina Dynamite!”
“How do you like it so far?” Evan asked, pleased that Seth seemed to be having a good time. Two other couples had joined them at the table, a pair of women and a man and a woman, but none of them looked askance at Seth and Evan’s joined hands.
“It’s fun.” Seth sounded a little surprised. “I really wasn’t sure what to expect. It kind of reminds me of some of the shows that used to come to the USO when I was in the Army. They weren’t drag, but there were all kinds of performers—some famous, some less so—and they did a great job to entertain us.”
Katrina’s bleached blond hair was piled high. With the hair and heels in addition to her height, Evan guessed she stood at least six feet five. She wore a slinky sequined dress in dark blue with silver accents, and also seemed to be a crowd favorite.
