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.
