The beginning of the book

From time to time I'm going to put in writing some of the story lines I want to include in my book. If you don't me you really won't get this. Even if you do know me - I'm not even sure why this story came to me - it feels like a memory. I'm going to just type. I know I'll have lots of typos and unclear subjects. That's why I'm doing this. So that one day I can put it all together.

Once upon a time I was a realtor - not a good one - but I had gotten into the business at the perfect time - houses sold as quickly as you put them on the market. And so, when I was approached by the president of a local bank to show his wife some properties I was thrilled. They were looking for investment properties and I was looking for commissions. I was ready to show her anything she wanted to see. We planned to spend one day a week looking for a few "fixer uppers" around the city. We went to the high end neighborhoods and some that were the best house in the worst neighborhoods. I was bored and hot but kept a smile on my face as we trudged on. Then on the fourth day of our house hunting excursions we made an appointment to see a place in a wonderfully eclectic neighborhood. Every house looked different from the others. A neighborhood with "personality". It had been named one of the 10 best "cottage" neighborhoods in the country. Walking into the "tastefully" landscaped bungalow that day I had no idea I was taking my first steps into an incredibly fun, heartbreaking, exciting adventure full of drama and dancing and so much more. But I digress. The story has to be told as it unfolded.

Before I go on, I need to say that the banker's wife was lovely, nice, a little timid and as I came to realize - REALLY sheltered. If she were to read this story she would never realize it was her I was talking about. She was there but didn't see what I saw.

I had to use my electronic key to enter the house and, as we had been taught in real estate school, I was to step back to allow the potential buyer into the house to see it first. She walked in slowly - taking in the molding around the top of the walls and the wonderful wood floors and as she moved further into the house as I left myself in.

As I closed the door behind me I saw a huge - I am talking 5 foot high - poster of Judy Garland. I moved a little closer to the picture. Directly beneath it was a set of shelves - covered with what I thought were Judy G's nik naks only to discover it was a shrine to all things gay. There was a Barbara Streisand section complete with all of B's albums, biographies and all other forms of memorabilia. I smiled to myself because I knew the owners of this home were not only gay, they were "full out" gays. I was so happy - I love gay men - not sure why but I do. And since no one was around except the bankers wife who was happily opening the appliances and cupboards in the kitchen I looked closer. I found a Whitney Houston shelf, a Cher collage and scattered around were little framed pictures of George Clooney and Huge Jackman. I quietly - to myself - did a little happy dance. I was in love with the house and I was still in the front room!

I went into the PERFECT kitchen (I wanted to stay for dinner) and as I moved on I found the first bathroom. Looking back I should have said a "thank you" prayer to the universe. The bathroom was a thing of beauty. It was painted the color of a full-bodied Merlot. It was so dark it was almost black. And then I found the light switch and as I flipped it to the on position I looked up to see the most incredible bathroom sized chandelier - (who knew they made them so small?) I feel certain that if I had ever been in a french bordello it wouldn't have been as ornate as this room. There we candles everywhere, a small table with a dozen perfume bottles on the top, silk flowers held back the curtains to a club footed bathtub and next to the sink was a small velvet fainting couch that perfectly matched the walls and the gold of the fixtures in the sink and tub. Before I knew it I was reclining on the couch and squeezing those perfume bottles with glee. I felt as if I had stumbled into another dimension. The GAY dimension. It was incredible!

And then I heard the banker's wife calling me to help her open a closet in the master bedroom. It was there where the real adventure began...