Page 100 of Born to be Wilder

Marge slowly kneeled, her legs shaking as she got onto her knees. Sylvie slid off and pulled Doris in for a hug next.

“I just… I need a minute.” Marge remained on the dirty pavement, her shoulders heaving with her breaths. “Adrenaline is leaving my body and now everything hurts and I think I might be dying.”

“Did you really carry Sylvie on your shoulders to look for me?” Doris released her grip on Sylvie, a gentle breeze blowing her pink boa.

“Tactical advantage having her on my shoulders to spot you.”

Doris puckered her lips. “Oh, Marge. You always think of everything to save us, don’t you?”

Marge pushed off her thighs and rose slowly, grimacing as she finally straightened. “Never leave a man behind.” Then she tipped her head. “Or, I guess in this case, you left us behind, but… well, just glad you’re safe.”

They folded into a brief hug. Then Doris let go and spun back toward the towering showgirl watching us with her hand pressed to her chest.

“This is Diamond”—she gestured to the tallest queen, magnificent in silver and white—“and Coco and Starlight and Valentina, and this is Ruby and Barb.” Each queen gave a wave or a nod or a small curtsy. “They found me when I got separated and made sure I was safe. Isn’t that sweet?”

“Thank you so much for taking care of her. We got separated and had no way to find her.”

“She was a joy,” Ruby said, tipping her head and giving Doris a sweet smile. “She’s been teaching us how to repair our costumes.”

“It’s all in the tension.” Doris wagged a finger. “Just remember to take your time and practice. It will come in handy if you have a blowout right before a show.”

Doris and Ruby continued talking about stitches like Doris hadn’t just been lost in a sea of people and we’d feared her dead and dismembered. As I listened to them, Starlight stepped toward me.

Something shifted in her expression as her eyes raked the length of me. Confusion and then… recognition. “Wait,” she said slowly. Then she pressed both hands to her chest. “You’re Gammy.”

The group went very still, all those feathered heads spinning toward me.

“It’s you, isn’t it? I… it is. It’s Gammy. I would recognize those legs anywhere.”

She pointed down to my legs, exposed in my short dress.

The other queens dropped their gazes to them too. Then Coco gasped and Valentina grabbed Ruby’s arm.

“Hello,” I said simply, giving them a little wave. “Yes. I’m Gammy.”

A sharp gasp traveled through them.

Diamond stood up to her full spectacular height, her gloved hands covering her mouth. “Gammy. Is standing. Next to our float.”

They erupted into shrieks that destroyed my eardrums as much as they filled my heart.

“It’s Gammy! Oh my God! Gammy!” Barb cried out. “We LOVE you! We went and saw your show two years ago, and girl… you ate!”

I furrowed my brow. “I ate? On stage? I don’t remember that. No, I wouldn’t eat on stage.”

They laughed, shaking their feathered heads. “No. Ate as in killed it. Crushed it. Were amazing! In fact, you inspired us to dress as showgirls!”

They stood back, spinning around to show me the full effect of their costumes. That ache in my chest returned as I remembered how it had felt to wear mine, and how sad I’d been realizing it was time to retire. I was ready, yes, but there would always be a part of me that wanted to kick across the stage, every eye on me as I drank in their awe.

“Get outta here!” Marge slapped her thigh. “That’s awesome! Well, this is Gammy right here in the flesh.”

“She’s something, isn’t she?” Sylvie turned and smiled at me, and the queens exploded into compliments and praise as they fawned over me.

“Oh my God!” Diamond said, spinning to the girls. “Do you know what I’m thinking?”

They all looked at each other, faces igniting with excitement as they nodded.

Diamond turned back to me. “You have to be on our float. Please, oh please, please, please! It would be epic. We would be the envy of every other queen in the quarter. You’re an icon, you know. The Cher of showgirls. Will you? We have extra costumes. I’m sure we could find something that fits.”