From the beginning of my Rhythm of
the Moon series, my hero, energetic and mischievous Ian Pierce, likes to
get a rise out of the heroine, hard-working, practical Maggie. He lives to make
her laugh and give her a break from her worldly cares. He sings, he jokes, and
he is completely without inhibitions. He is an unusual hero in that he also
uses humor and music to deflect tense situations. In the second book in the
series, Heartbeat of the Moon, he impulsively purchases a painted gypsy
wagon:
“The entire wagon was painted a bright yellow,
bordered all round with red and blue flowers. In the center posed a shepherdess
with a lamp in her arms, her bosom pouring out of her bodice like clotted
cream.”
Mind you, it’s the 18th
Century. To make matters worse:
“They walked
through the crowd to the other side, and her jaw dropped open. In the center
stood a ram with fierce eyes and horns, and gigantic stones hanging below his
belly. His face seemed almost human, a lecherous grin upon his face.”
Maggie is beyond embarrassed. But from
Ian’s view, this could be her midwife wagon, making her work easier. Plus, he
dreamt of the two of them traveling the countryside, enjoying the scenery and
each other. This goes on deaf ears. It will take Maggie a long time to get over
her embarrassment.
Have you ever been embarrassed? I’ll go
first: In the summer of 1980, I sang and danced at Boblo Island Amusement Park.
Some of you might be familiar with this place-it doesn’t exist now. It’s a
little island in the middle of the Detroit River. We took a ferry boat from
Canada every morning.
There were six numbers in a half-hour
show, and six costume changes. We had our costumes all lined up in a row. We
had maybe thirty seconds to change costumes. Sometimes things go wrong. This
was one of those times.
Remember the popularity of bodysuits
and wraparound skirts? Think disco.
We
were grooving on the dance floor to a disco version of “I’ve Got Rhythm,” only
it was “Boblo Rhythm.” (Erm) The theatre was packed. Suddenly, I felt a draft. I
had lost my skirt. It was bunched up around my feet. Heat washed over me as the
crowd enthusiastically roared. But there was only one thing to do. I smiled and
kicked my skirt out of the way. The show must go on. You can bet I made sure my
wraparound was tied securely next time.
That was probably my most public
embarrassment. I have shared it with you. How about you? It’s your turn now. We
definitely need a laugh in these times.
I can’t wait to hear from you.
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Wow, Jennifer, that sounds like that dream everyone has sometimes about showing up at school or work in your underwear! However, knowing you, I'm sure you handled it with aplomb.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I have ever lost my skirt in public, but I have had many embarrassing moments.
The most recent one that comes to mind is the time I went to a meeting of my dressage club at a local restaurant. I was the club Volunteer Coordinator and planned to give my report during the business meeting. Dressage, of course, is also known as dancing with horses. Dressage riders and their mounts are the most graceful and balanced of all riders (in my opinion). With my arms full of papers, I stood to give my report, tripped, and fell flat on my face. Papers flew in the air and rained on the club members. I twisted my leg and could not get up. Several people had to pull me to my feet and deposit me in a chair. The horrified restaurant manager ran over with ice for the rapidly swelling, purple lump on my leg, and my husband tried to convince me to go to the hospital. After my friends gathered up the papers and returned them to me, I limped out to my car, mortified. I didn't even give the report. Fortunately, my leg was only bruised and healed in a few days. My pride is still somewhat dented.
Oh boy! Thanks for sharing that, Katherine! That sounds painful. It did bring the slapstick lover out in me for a minute. Glad you weren't hurt badly. I think these humiliations keep us humble, don't they?
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely!
DeleteIan is a delightful man. Thanks for sharing your moments, Jen and Kathy. We are always so much more accepting of the embarrassing episodes of others than our own. One of mine involved a time when I was helping with a wedding. I was supposed to hold up the rings at a certain time. Being blinded by lights and blind as a bat anyway from irritating contacts, (Okay, I'm omitting the "dunce" aspect here) I didn't realize I was holding a pillow with fake rings glued onto it. Try as I might, those rings would not budge! Of course my dunderhead moment forever lives on tape.
ReplyDeleteI'll bet everyone has a great laugh about it now!
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