Karaoke Queen

Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

STANDING ON THE PINK UNICORN’S STAGE as Regina Moon Dee belting “Bohemian Rhapsody” with Kat, I can’t help but feel like a star reborn.

Aaron looks happy. He’d been hesitant about the idea of a drag queen hosting karaoke night, but now the satisfaction on his face is unmistakable. Just like every other person’s in the bar.

A familiar energy rushes through me. I feel powerful. Confident. And drop-dead gorgeous.

FOUR HOURS EARLIER

“Sweet cheeses! Why does your face look like that?” Eva says while standing at my front door.

“Like what?” I say.

“Like a circus elephant sat on a clown car.”

I groan and pull her into my condo. “I thought I did an okay enough job. You know I always needed Tito Melboy or Mom’s help to get things just right. And it’s been years since I’ve put on makeup. I’m totally out of practice.”

“That’s an understatement. It’s a good thing I came early. Here.” She hands me a plastic container of food. “I tried making Mom’s adobo again.”

I cautiously open the lid and take a sniff. “It smells pretty decent, actually.”

“You’ll have to wait to eat it because I need to fix all this first,” she says, circling her hand over my face.

I know that all the prep and foundation work I’ve done on my face is fine. It’s just the colors and shapes that have eluded me, as usual. Styling and makeup are not my forte. The stage is where I’m most at ease.

Where I used to be most at ease, at least.

Eva and I head to my desk, where I’ve laid out all my cosmetics. I sit and try to relax as she starts readjusting my makeup.

“Is everything else ready to go, at least?” she asks.

I nod.

After Eva had given me the idea this morning on how to be in two places at once, I texted Aaron.

Just talked to Regina Moon Dee. It took some convincing, but she said yes!

He responded back right away. Sounds good. Bring her over a little before karaoke starts at 8 so we can introduce her to Paolo.

About that… I texted back. Something came up and I have to accompany my dad to something. But my sister Eva will be there to help out.

No response. Not even three dots. A minute passed. Two.

Finally, Aw, too bad. No worries, I’ll let you know how your friend does.

I let out a sigh of relief. Great. I’ll check in with you during the night to see how it’s going —which was all part of my plan.

Sounds good. Talk soon. xo

XO. A kiss and a hug. Only two little letters. But good enough for me.

About an hour later, when I knew she’d be awake, I called Kat.

“Hello?” she rasped.

“You’re getting your wish. I’m going back to the Pink Unicorn for more karaoke.”

“I knew you’d come around eventually,” she said, coughing.

“Yuck. What were you up to last night?”

“A little reunion with the band. You know how those Nine Tails girls can party.”

“I remember,” I said.

When they were still together, Kat and Nine Tails not only knew how to rock a stage, but they also knew how to throw epic parties. Copious amounts of alcohol and several packs of cigarettes would inevitably be consumed. A fight or two would always break out, and sometimes a hookup. They weren’t very good with boundaries. Part of the reason why they eventually disbanded.

“So, you want to come join me tonight?” I asked.

“Of course, bestie. Wouldn’t miss it.”

“Awesome,” I said. “I want it to be a good time. Do you remember how I told you I ran into my ex at the bar?”

“Yep. Cornfed Chris, the shuckable hunk from Indiana. You had dinner with him last night, right? You said you were going to give him some ideas for updating the place, but you never actually told me what. Is this part of it?”

“Yes. And… I have a few things I need to explain. Are you sitting down?”

“Hell, no. I’m flat on my back with a pack of frozen lima beans on my head. But I’m as prepared as I’ll ever be. Hit me.”

I proceeded to tell Kat everything. My life as a teenage bedroom drag queen. My short career as Regina Moon Dee, karaoke hostess extraordinaire. The event that led to my falling out with Tito Melboy and to me putting my drag away. And my plan to bring it back for karaoke night at the Pink Unicorn.

“I was wrong,” Kat said after I finished. “I wasn’t ready for that.”

“I’m sorry I never told you anything about my drag past. I knew you could tell last weekend’s freakout was more than stage fright. I just wasn’t ready to explain it all to you. It doesn’t change anything between us, does it?”

Kat laughs, her voice still hoarse. “Are you kidding? If anything, it makes me love you more. I’m so proud of you for doing this.”

“You are?”

“I mean, don’t get me wrong, not the biggest fan of you needing to hide your identity from Midwest Muscleboy—”

“Let’s start calling Aaron by his real name, please.”

“—but the fact that you’re getting back into drag in public makes you a damn superhero in my eyes. So hell yes, I’m going to be there. And I’m bringing my girls. Party part two! We’re gonna have an awesome time.”

Telling Kat my story ended up being the boost that I needed. Knowing she’d be there to support me was the final thing to get me over any last remaining bits of hesitation I had about being Regina Moon Dee again.

I went to my closet and dragged out my chest. The one that my father had given me as a gift years ago.

After I came back home from IU, my dad brought me out to his workshop, unveiling his present to me from underneath a cloth tarp—a wooden chest patterned in seventeenth-century Spanish-Colonial style. He’d made it himself, crafting it in his spare time out of mahogany with iron mounts and ivory inlay. It had taken him years. A symbol of his love for me.

And then, inside of that chest, I placed a piece of myself.

Before I closed it for good, I wrote a letter, in case I was ever tempted to reach for Regina’s things. To remind myself of why I hid it all away. I locked the chest and even put a DO NOT OPEN sign on it. It’s been hidden away in the back of my closet like that for almost a decade now.

I burrowed to the back of my closet and pulled out the sealed chest, the sign still on top. I wiped my hand over it. The dust scattered, making me sneeze. My eyes watered as I unlocked the chest and took out the sealed envelope with my final warning to myself. I tore it open and read it.

Dear Rex,

I know you miss everything that’s in here. And I know you want to take it all out again because it used to make you happy.

But before you do, just remember why you hid it all away.

Your father was right. This stuff will only get you into trouble. It already did. You got hurt—badly.

It’s better to keep it all inside. Where it will always be safe.

—R

I stare at the letter for a few moments, my eyes still teary from the lingering dust and the memory of how hurt I was when I wrote those words to myself.

And then I set it aside.

My favorite dress lay on top—a ruby-red sequined pageant dress. A thrill ran through me from feeling its fabric. My hands dug through the other clothes, fingers brushing spandex and silk, velvet and velour. Underneath were my shoes, makeup boxes, and wigs in their silk cases. The smell of everything, powdery and perfumy, filled my lungs.

I set out everything I needed and proceeded to get ready. Some of the makeup was old, a few of the bottles crusted shut. But I made use of what I could and took my time getting into the rhythm of it again.

After two hours of work, I was certain that I’d done a decent job preparing my makeup, until Eva came over and told me I’d blown it.

After half an hour of rectifying my mistakes, she pulls her face back from mine and squints at me. “Much better. Take a look.”

I turn to the mirror and am instantly relieved. Only my two mothers—my mom and my drag mom—were ever able to rein in my tacky tendencies. Eva’s never done my makeup before. It’s good to know she hasn’t followed me down the road of bad taste. “You’re very talented, sis.”

“I know,” Eva says. “Now, where’s your dress?”

I point to the red dress lying on my bed, and Eva smiles. “Oh wow. I remember when Tito Melboy made that for you. Your first original piece. You were so happy that night, you started to cry. Which made us all cry, of course.”

He’d given it to me in a big box with a fancy bow before my first appearance at Dreamland.

My eyes start to get misty. “It was the best gift anyone had ever given me. And I’d already been given a lot,” I say, thinking back to all the many things my mom had purchased for me. Things that I couldn’t imagine any other mother getting for their son. I was so lucky to have them both in my life.

Eva sighs. “Now let’s just hope it still fits. Come on,” she says, looking at her watch. “We don’t have much time before we need to head over.”

At 7:20 p.m., we drive over to the Pink Unicorn. It’s just ten minutes away from my condo, so I was expecting to have plenty of time to settle in, quietly set up, and relax before people started to trickle in for karaoke night.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

When we arrive, there are no parking spaces in front. Instead, the street on both sides is lined with cars, and right outside the bar there are people waiting to get in. A line stretches down the length of the building. It takes me almost ten minutes to find a place to park, something that’s usually quick and easy.

“Did you see all those people?” Eva says to me.

I haven’t gotten out. I haven’t even turned the car off yet. I’m holding on to the steering wheel and staring out the windshield, immobile. The car seat holds on to me, sucking me deeper into its cushion. My stomach churns, and my head begins to feel leaden underneath my wig. For a moment, I want to just put the car back into drive, go home, and put my Regina Moon Dee drag back in my storage chest.

Eva grips my shoulder. “Don’t be nervous, big bro.”

“I’m not nervous,” I say, turning to her and trying not to blink, afraid that the pooling tears will ruin my makeup. “I’m scared.”

“Hey,” Eva says softly. She reaches around me and pulls me into her. I breathe in her familiar jasmine shampoo scent. It saves me from my sunken place.

After I turn off the engine, Eva gets out, walks over to my side, and opens my door. She looks super-cute. She’s worn a ruby-red silk blouse that I’ve loaned her and is even wearing a bit of my makeup to match me. And I’m not sure exactly what it is, but there’s something else about her that feels even more comforting than usual.

“You are going to slay,” Eva says. She pulls me up out of my seat and closes the car door behind me. I slip my arm in hers. As she accompanies me to the Pink Unicorn, she rubs my forearm to comfort me.

A woman in line turns toward the sound my heels make as they click-clack on the sidewalk. “Regina!” she screams.

“You got this,” Eva says to me. “I’m right here.”

I peck her on the cheek and then throw my arms wide to the people. “Hiiiiiiiiiii!” I say. The word floats out onto them, sparking them into a fire-like frenzy. They tear loose from the line and flock around me, forming a stopgap that forces me to pause every few steps to say hello, grasp an elbow, or allow someone to reach in and hug me or take a selfie.

It takes a while for Eva and me to make our way to the entrance. Once inside, we see that it’s already full of people. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought we’d get such a huge response with just a few hours of notice, that there would be this many people out there wanting to come spend an evening with me.

Bryan meets us at the door. “You must be Regina Moon Dee! First of all, jeez Louise, you’re gorgeous. Second, holy shit, we are mobbed. Why didn’t Rex tell me you had this many fans?” he gushes.

I wink. “A lady never tells all her secrets.”

“Where is Rex, by the way?” Bryan asks sincerely and absent of any innuendo. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t know that I’m the person he’s asking about.

“Family emergency,” Eva says, smiling big at Bryan. “Hi, I’m Eva. Rex’s sister. I’m here to help out in his place.”

“Well, we’re happy to have you. Both of you,” Bryan says. “Go get some drinks. On the house, of course!” he says, before going back to managing the line of people waiting to get in.

At the bar, Eva sits on one of the stools and waves at Aaron down at the other end, currently pouring a line of green apple-colored cocktails. “Hello? We’d like to order drinks,” she says.

“Just a sec, buddy,” Aaron says, his deep voice rumbling. His red flannel shirt is unbuttoned at the top, showing hints of his chest hair and making me remember all my childhood fantasies about being ravaged by the Brawny paper towel man.

He scoots the drinks over to a group of people who are not-so-secretly looking our way, pointing and smiling at me. “Now, what can I get ya—” His smile slowly fades as he stares at my face.

It feels as if my corset has suddenly squeezed all the breath out of me.

He knows who I am. It’s all over before it’s even begun. I should just turn around and run back out the door before the situation gets any worse.

“Sorry,” Aaron says, brightening up again. “Don’t mean to stare. I’ve just never seen one of you up close before.”

Air finds its way back into my lungs. “I find that hard to believe,” I say. “This is the Bay Area. There are Filipinos all over the place.”

Aaron stammers, “No, uh, I mean…”

“Just giving you a hard time, handsome,” I say, smirking. “I know what you mean. I’m Regina Moon Dee.” I gesture to Eva. “And this is Eva, my—”

“Friend,” she says. “Rex’s sister.”

“Pleased to meet you both. Thank you for coming on such short notice, and for being responsible for all this,” he says, waving his arm over the crowded bar. “It’s too bad Rex isn’t here to see it.”

“You’ll just have to tell him all about it the next time you see him. And make sure to thank him generously,” I say, trying to load that last word with as much meaning as possible.

“You bet I will,” Aaron says, and winks at me, making my heart swell. “It’s already a party in here, and you haven’t even started the show yet.”

As if on cue, Kat and her friends walk in through the door. Kat’s always put together, but tonight she looks even hotter than usual, rocking her favorite leather pants, a gold sequin top, and high-heeled boots. Her ex-bandmates are dressed similarly to Kat, all in denim and leather and sexy, sparkly things that I’d wear in a heartbeat.

While they head into the main room, Kat comes straight toward us. I’m overjoyed to see her, but worry nips at me. Will she remember not to let on that she knows me? Kat’s a great singer, but how good an actor is she?

Looking right past me, she says to Aaron, “Can we get a round of four vodka shots?”

As he walks to the back shelf to grab more shot glasses, Kat shrieks, “Ohmigod! Sorry, I totally did not see you,” and goes in for a hug.

I freeze. I’m about to say something to remind her not to say anything when she embraces Eva instead. “How have you been? It’s been too long,” Kat says to her.

“I know!” Eva says.

Kat looks back at me and says, “Hi. I’m Kat.”

Good. She won’t give anything away. She—

“Rex?” she says suddenly.

“Shhhhh!” Eva and I shush. I look over at Aaron pouring shots, and thankfully, it doesn’t seem as if he’s heard her.

“Holy flaming nuts! I never would’ve guessed it was you!”

“And we have to make sure no one else does either, okay?” I whisper at her.

“Yes. Got it.” Kat seals her lips shut with her finger. “Mm lpss mmm sld,” she mumbles.

Aaron brings Kat her drinks, and a new group of thirsty patrons approach, trying to get Aaron’s attention. They swarm around us and converge, closing in around me. They’re animated, friendly, but still—I’m starting to feel a little claustrophobic. My eyes dart around, looking for someplace else to move to.

“Ladies, please come back this way,” Bryan says, to the rescue. “You can catch a breath in the office before the show starts.”

“Thank you so much,” I say.

“I’ll stay out here and wait for Mom to arrive,” Eva says.

I nod and allow Bryan to escort me through the throng of people, past Aaron at the far end, who’s now so busy trying to keep up with drink orders that he’s only a red-flannel blur.

The office is much roomier than I imagined. There’s an en-suite bathroom, a desk with an ancient PC, a large filing cabinet, and a futon sofa. Someone’s also been thoughtful enough to set up a makeup mirror on the desk with a bright lamp, a small electric fan, a bottle of water, and a granola bar for me.

Still in slight shock over how crowded the Pink Unicorn is, I plop down at the desk. “Is the fire code going to let you have that many people inside?” I ask Bryan.

“Fire code? Sweetheart, back in the day we used to break all sorts of laws here, and fire codes were the least of them. Remind me to tell you about the time Boy George and his entourage dropped by.”

“So it’s okay if we just crowd them in?”

“It’s not, really. But tonight, I don’t care. We’ll manage to get all your fans inside somehow.”

“Thank you, Bryan.”

“No. Thank you . For doing this for us. And for Aaron. Especially for Aaron.” Bryan’s eyes begin to water. I’m surprised to see him get so emotional.

Before I can say anything, he stoops down and gives me a bear hug before disappearing out into the noise of the crowded bar.

As he leaves, Eva enters, holding the door open for someone. “Look who’s here!” she says as our mom slips into the office. I leap up to hug her.

She kisses me, leaving a candy-apple-red mark on my cheek. “My Regina! Wow, ang ganda ganda ng anak ko!”

Speaking of beautiful, Mom’s just as gorgeous in her red satin dress, high heels, and long, dangling earrings.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” I say.

“You know I would never miss such an important night.”

“Thanks, Mom. I know how much you missed me doing—”

“A night of karaoke! One where you control all the songs! Naku, I can sing so many. What will I sing? How about Taylor Swift? I’m sure you will have many Swiffers in the audience who would appreciate my superior rendition.”

“Swif ties , Mom,” I say, laughing. “And you know I can’t just let you sing whenever and whatever you want tonight. I have to be fair.”

“Please, anak. Show business is never fair.” My mom takes out a small pad of paper and a pen from her purse. “Now, let me just start making a list of songs for you…”

I give Eva a pleading look.

“Okayyyyy, Mom,” Eva says, pushing her gently toward the door. “Give Regina her space so she can get finished preparing.”

Our mother pays absolutely no attention to her and continues scribbling song titles as Eva scooches her out of the office.

“Eva,” I say, “Dad doesn’t know, right?”

She leans back against the door, closing Mom outside of it with a click. “Mom told him she’s chaperoning my night out dancing with friends. He definitely had no interest in being a part of that.”

“Thank you. And thanks for helping me.”

“Of course!” Eva says. “Now give me your phone so I can pretend to be you.”

I pull my phone out of my purse and hand it to her. “Nothing vulgar, please. Unless Aaron likes it.”

“Blech,” she says, sticking out her tongue. She gives me a side hug and says, “Break a leg,” before heading back out into the bar.

I do some last touch-ups, brushing a little more powder onto the nose, blotting out some of the excess lip gloss, and moistening the ends of my wig with a few spritzes of spray conditioner. As a final touch, I spritz on a bit of Princess by Vera Wang, Beaucoup Buko’s favorite perfume, my own little way of having her here with us.

It’s close to eight o’clock. Nearly time to begin the show.

I creep out of the office and stand at the end of the hallway, peering out into the main area of the bar. The crowd now fills the entire space, all tables, banquettes, and stools taken with people stuffed into every corner. Thankfully, my mom, Eva, Kat, and her friends have been able to get table space near the front of the stage, where I can see them.

We’ve got an audience. And me. Now all we need is our karaoke jockey.

I search for Paolo, but he’s not at the console table.

When my eyes land on the microphone in its stand onstage, a dull ache thuds in the top corner of my forehead. I resist the urge to rub at it so that I don’t disturb my makeup.

I make my way over to Aaron. “Should we get started soon?” I ask him.

“Yep,” he says while pouring drinks. “As soon as our tech guy gets here. He’s just running a little late. Again.”

“I’m here!” Paolo says, rushing into the bar. Straight from the restaurant, it looks like, because he’s still wearing his uniform of slacks, shirt, and bow tie. “Sorry, I was working on something and lost track of time.”

“Buddy,” Aaron says, “you gotta get here earlier. You need to get everything set up.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

Aaron pours a bottle of Corona beer into a frosted mug. “At least you have some help tonight.”

“Help?” Paolo says. He straightens his glasses and looks at me. And the look on his face is not what I was expecting.

At first, I’m afraid he’s identified me. But it’s not recognition on his face. Nor is it confusion. Or slight apprehension like Aaron’s reaction, or outright shock like Kat’s. It’s something more like… attraction? He’s beaming from ear to ear, as if he very much likes what he sees. I know I’m looking snatched tonight—my makeup is on point, and despite Eva’s fears of me not being able to get into my old dress, it fits like a glove over my padding. Still, I’m a bit surprised by his response, making me wonder if he even knows that I’m a drag queen.

“We’re going to try mixing it up a little tonight, Paolo,” Aaron says. “This is Regina Moon Dee. She’s gonna be your co-host.”

I throw up one of my hands, palm to the sky. “Surprise.”

“Co-host?” Paolo says.

“While you attend to all the impressive technical things, I’ll be on the mic. Doing the boring talking stuff.”

“I’ve got a good feeling about this,” Aaron says, handing the beer to Paolo. “I think you’ll make a good team.”

“I guess we’ll find out.” He sweeps his arm out toward the main room in a gentlemanly gesture. “After you.”

I bow my head gracefully at him. “Thank you,” I say, squeezing my way through the crowd to the stage area.

“You’re welcome,” Paolo says, scooting right up next to me. “ Rex. ”