Chapter 24 Dessi
TWENTY-FOUR
Dessi
DESSI BLUE
Screenplay by: Verity Hill & Canon Holt
Directed by: Canon Holt
EXTERIOR – HARLEM – NIGHT – 1936
7th Avenue at 132nd Street
Dessi and Tilda stand outside the Lafayette Theatre, jostled by the swelling wave of people waiting to get in.
The crowd of mostly Black theatergoers are dressed to the nines and there’s a buzz as they gather eagerly beneath the lit theater marquee.
Signs that read MACBETH and STANDING ROOM ONLY plaster the building.
The line to see the all-Black production of the Shakespeare classic winds for several blocks and the cars on the street are jammed into a standstill.
DESSI
I thought for sure we’d get in tonight.
TILDA
I’on know why. This show been sold out for weeks. We’ll be lucky to see it before it closes.
DESSI
Don’t say that, Tilda! We got to. We shoulda bought the tickets yesterday.
TILDA
We’n have no money yesterday, Bama. What we look like sitting up in the Lafayette watching some Macbeth and ain’t got a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out? We just got paid and had to take care of rent first.
Dessi points to a scalper waving tickets on the corner.
DESSI
Ooooh! He got some tickets.
SCALPER
Three dollars! Get your ticket to Harlem’s sensation! Three dollars for tonight’s showing of Macbeth!
TILDA
Three dollars! I’ll be damned. We’n paying three dollars for them tickets. We’ll buy tickets for a show coming up soon, but we ain’t paying no three dollars for ’em when we can get ’em for forty-five cents.
DESSI
You right. I just wanna see the show.
TILDA
I just wanna see the show. (MIMICKING DESSI’S SOUTHERN DRAWL)
To be so country, you love some sophistication, don’t ya, Bama?
DESSI (LAUGHING)
Don’t call me country and don’t call me Bama.
TILDA
Alright… (PAUSES AND GRINS) Bama.
Dessi is about to chide Tilda again, but pauses, noticing a few people peeling off from the crowd and heading for the building next door. She elbows Tilda.
DESSI
What’s it like in there?
TILDA
What? Where?
DESSI
That club.
She squints to read the sign of the club next to the Lafayette.
TILDA
The Ubangi Club? You never heard of it?
DESSI
I heard of it, but I never been in.
Tilda grabs Dessi’s hand and pulls her toward the club entrance.
TILDA
Well, dat’s where we goin’!
DESSI (PULLING BACK, RESISTING)
Wait! How much it cost to get in there?
Tilda picks up a red and blue flyer from the sidewalk that reads “Harlem’s Hot Spot! Ubangi Club. Gladys Bentley with a cast of 40!”
TILDA
It says three shows nightly. No cover charge!
DESSI
Free sound like exactly what we can afford. Let’s go!
The two girls rush to the club, where a tall man guards the entrance.
MAN
You ladies coming inside? We could use some pretty girls like you.
DESSI
Is it true that it’s free?
MAN
No cover charge, long as you ready to spend two dollars each.
DESSI
Two dollars! Well, we may as well buy the tickets to Macbeth from the scalper we gon’ pay two dollars.
TILDA (BATTING HER LASHES AND LEANING INTO THE MAN, LINKING HER ARM THROUGH HIS)
Seeing as how you said they need pretty girls, seem like we’d be doing y’all a favor gracing this here establishment.
Man grins and bends down to whisper in Tilda’s ear.
TILDA (ROLLING HER EYES AND NODDING)
Alright. It’s a deal. I’ll see you at the end of the night.
He hands her a voucher that simply says “Gerald.”
TILDA
Now they not gon’ look at me like I’m crazy if I give ’em this, are they?
MAN
Nope. That’s your good time all night on me. You just make sure you see me before you go.
TILDA (GRABBING DESSI’S HAND AND WALKING THROUGH THE FRONT DOOR, SHOUTING OVER HER SHOULDER)
You got a deal, Gerald.
DESSI (LOOKING OVER HER SHOULDER AT GERALD)
What was that all about?
TILDA
I gotta show him my tits on the way out.
DESSI
Tilda, no. You ain’t gotta do that!
TILDA
He’s harmless. Flash him a lil’ nip. It’s worth it to see Gladys Bentley.
They are seated and when Tilda gives the waitress the slip of paper with Gerald’s name, they get to order one drink each. Singing waiters circulate around the smoke-filled room. Tilda picks up a program and reads.
TILDA
Looka here, Bama.
Mae Johnson, Gladys Bentley, Lee Simmons, Dusty Fletcher, Pearl Baines, and—
DESSI
All them singing tonight?
TILDA
Look like.
Tilda sips her drink and pulls a cigarette from her clutch.
DESSI
I didn’t know you smoked, Tilda.
TILDA
I don’t usually. These been in my purse for near ’bout a year, but we gotta use this.
From the table, Tilda picks up a red and blue matchbook with Ubangi Club printed in block letters.
Gladys Bentley takes the stage. A heavyset Black woman, with her hair slicked and closely cropped like a man’s, she’s wearing a cream-colored tuxedo and top hat. About forty effeminate pretty boys dance behind her onstage.
DESSI (GASPS, EYES WIDE, JAW DROPPED)
Well, I’ll be…
GLADYS
How y’all doing tonight?
TILDA (WHISPERS EXCITEDLY, EYES GLUED TO THE STAGE)
She even sound like a man, Bama!
Gladys plays a tune on the piano while the boys dance, but stands and starts sauntering through the club, singing popular songs and changing the lyrics. She combines “Alice Blue Gown” and “Georgia Brown,” but with her own raunchy words.
GLADYS
And he said, “Dearie, please turn around” / And he shoved that big thing up my brown /
He tore it. I bored it. Lord, how I adored it. / My sweet little Alice Blue Gown.
DESSI
Is she talking about…
TILDA (LAUGHING AT DESSI’S SHOCKED EXPRESSION)
Chile, bootie sex!
Gladys ends her set with a stirring rendition of “Worried Blues,” bows and walks off the stage.
DESSI
That was amazing!
TILDA
Bet you ain’t seen nothing like her in Alabama.
DESSI
She was… well, she was magnificent. She played the piano so pretty. And did you hear her? She made her voice sound like a trumpet!
TILDA
You didn’t mind her dressing like a man? I heard she likes girls, ya know?
DESSI (LOOKING EMBARRASSED)
Nothing wrong with liking girls, I don’t guess.
TILDA
No, I mean, she likes ’em likes ’em!
Tilda stares at Dessi meaningfully through the smoke and Dessi shrugs.
DESSI
I know what you meant. I got an uncle who is… like that. He ain’t hurting nobody. Mama always said they oughta leave that boy alone.
TILDA
That’s what your mama say?
Tilda lights up and takes the cigarette between her lips, leaving a red ring of lipstick on the cigarette. Dessi gulps, never looking away from Tilda’s mouth as she smokes.
DESSI (SOUNDING brEATHLESS)
Yeah, that’s what she say.
Tilda passes the cigarette to Dessi, who accepts and places her lips where Tilda’s red lipstick is. They don’t look away.
Later, they try to sneak past Gerald to get out of the club.
GERALD
Naw, girl! We had a deal. Pay up! Flash me them titties!
Tilda starts to walk toward him, but at the last minute grabs Dessi’s hand and they take off running, laughing and looking over their shoulders all the way home to see if Gerald is in pursuit.
When they reach their apartment, Dessi fumbles with the keys, both giggling and hushing each other so they won’t wake the other tenants on the floor.
Once inside, they stumble to the bedroom they share, swaying and holding each other up.
Dessi goes to her small twin bed and begins undressing.
As she’s removing her shirt, Tilda comes up behind her and kisses her shoulder.
DESSI (WITH A NERVOUS LAUGH)
What you… what you doing, Tilda?
TILDA (KISSING ALONG HER NECK)
What you want me to do all night, Bama.
DESSI (TURNING)
I ain’t ever… well, I don’t know…
TILDA (SMILING DRUNKENLY)
You never kissed a girl before? Ain’t nothing to it.
DESSI
You done it?
TILDA
Want me to show you?
DESSI (UNCERTAINLY)
Well, if you don’t mind.
TILDA
Look at them lovely manners. If I don’t mind. You so pretty, Dessi. And sweet. Too sweet for the world, baby girl.
Tilda cups Dessi’s face and kisses her. At first tentatively, eyes open and looking to see if Dessi wants her to stop, but Dessi moans and leans in, cupping Tilda’s face, too.
After a few minutes, Tilda slides Dessi’s slip and underwear off.
Gently hooking Dessi’s legs over her shoulders, she looks up, grinning at her roommate from between Dessi’s thighs.
She lowers her head and begins kissing her there.
Dessi gasps and throws her head back into the pillow, gripping Tilda’s hair and pushing her in closer.
TILDA (CHUCKLING)
Oh, we gon’ teach you some thangs ’bout this lil’ pussycat. And we got all night.