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    My June tradition: Madra's hidden past is "Unveiled" yet again. Archived Message

    Posted by Patsy aka Madra on June 23, 2023, 10:06 pm

    Unveiled

    It was the spring when a blossoming Mabel Lorkovic shed her schoolgirl clothes, bobbed her hair, rouged her cheeks and lips, donned a dress from a purloined bag of clothes (which had been deemed inappropriate for the church rummage sale,) and headed for the local dance hall – scandalously unaccompanied.

    After enduring unwelcome gropes by drunken sots and icy stares from female patrons, Mabel deemed it time to exit, intending to emulate the haughtiest airs she so admired in the flickers of the day. Striding toward the door, she became totally disoriented when a mysterious blackout plunged the entire hall into pitch darkness. In the midst of the confusion, a most wonderful baritone voice whispered in her ear, “You’re magnificent.” With that, two arms enveloped her, and she experienced a kiss most women only dream of or read of in forbidden novellas – THE Kiss, as she later termed it in her journal.

    Just as suddenly the lights came on, revealing a weak-kneed Mabel alone, leaning against a wall. Abandoning her exit strategy, she instead began touring the room, making enemies of every woman in attendance as she planted her lips on each and every man, including the ones in the band. But HE was not there – and neither was she after being unceremoniously shown the door.

    Young Mabel knew absolutely that THE Kiss had changed and sealed her destiny. The next morning the impulsive girl took the sock of cash from beneath her mattress and caught a ride to Chicago with a traveling salesman, whom she rewarded with a yet another unfulfilling kiss. There she bought THE Dress – the one she was certain she’d be wearing soon. Returning home, she spent too much of that summer voluntarily working the Kissing Booth at every fair and carnival and posting public notices of exactly when and where in the park she would be waiting. She even persuaded a local theater group to stage the musical “The Kiss Burglar,” for which she “selflessly” conducted tryouts. For all her efforts, THE Kiss did not repeat.

    Having exhausted all local possibilities and no longer amused by the snide comments and upturned noses, Mabel packed everything of any value in her one valise, filched cash from the cookie jar to supplement her Kissing Booth tips, and succumbed to the lure of Hollywood.

    THE Dress traveled with her everywhere for awhile. Eventually, Madra hid its box deep in the recesses of her closet, hiding with it the journal, the real reason for her sudden departure from Wisconsin, and the secret agenda behind the reputation she so easily acquired.

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