Hold the Roses by Rose Marie

walked out and everything got quiet. I ran into my dressing room. I didn't want to get into
anything with Richman and Cugat!
    I did my first show, then went into the lounge for a bite to eat. Joe
came in and sat down.
    "Did you place the bet?"
    I said, "Yes, but I don't know what happened. I couldn't find the
bookie and I had to get ready for the show."
    He said, "Okay. I'll talk to you later."
    Well, "later" came and went. I didn't see Joe. A. I couldn't tell my
father that I wanted to see Joe A., so we went back to the hotel. Ruthie had
left three messages for me to call her.
    When I got up to the room, I called her. She said, "We won-guess
how much we won?"

    I said, "How much?"
    She said, "Eighty-six dollars."
    I was stunned. Six bucks for the bet and eighty bucks net. I couldn't
believe it. I was thrilled and planned to get the cuff links the next day.
Ruthie came over around noon. We had breakfast and looked for Choocha.
He was in the lobby. I called to him and he came over, gave Ruthie her
eighty-six bucks and handed me my eighty-six bucks.
    "Where'd ya get the tip?" he asked.
    I said, "No tip....I just liked the name of Santa Claus."
    He looked at me, smiled, and said, "Okay, but no more bets."
    Ruthie and I went to the jewelry store and I bought the cuff links. I
was so happy! Bobby would flip over them.
    Ruthie went back to her hotel and I went back to mine. For some
reason, I bought the paper. Sure enough, the ad for the club had my name
on top and Harry Richman and Cugat's names were under mine. I couldn't
believe it. Joe A. had done that. He was too much!
    On closing night, I went up to Joe A. and said, "I don't know how to
thank you."
    He said, "Lemme see the cuff links."
    I showed him the box. He opened it, looked at the cuff links and
said, "Yeah, they're okay. I hope he likes 'em."
    "He will, I know he will," I said.
    The date was finished and my father and I went back home. By now
it was March and Bobby's birthday was March 28. I wanted to throw some
kind of party, but it was impossible to get it together, so we just went out
to dinner together. I gave him the cuff links.
    He looked at me and said, "They're beautiful, but they don't go well
with khaki."
    I said, "Don't worry, from now on we'll make your birthday a big
event, and we'll have a spectacular party every year, I promise. Then you
can wear your ruby cuff links." That promise I kept!
    April and May came around, and Bobby and I were busy getting the
license and matching wedding bands. We figured we needed a car, so we
went to some used car dealer in Jersey.
    The guy knew who I was, so he said, "Does your father know about
this?"
    Again I had to say, "No, no, please don't say anything to him about
this.... Please!" I had saved about $1,400, and we asked him to give us a break because that was all we had and we had to get to California. We
picked out a '41 black Mercury two-door. Not bad! Cars were hard to buy
at that time. We told him we'd buy it and pick it up around June 1. His last
words to me were, "Don't tell your father where you got the car."

    I had no work in sight and things were getting tight around the house.
My father still kept telling me, "He's no good. Stay away from him or so
help me, I'll ruin him. I'll report him to the army, that he's working on the
side and taking money, instead of doing his job in the army."
    I said, "You already did that and it didn't work." He looked at me
with a stare that could kill.
    "I'll tell the newspapers he's a drunk and that he takes dope."
    I said, "Please stop. I just can't take it anymore," and ran upstairs.
    My mother was in her room and said, "I hope you're satisfied. Your
father is going to tell all the newspapers. It will be a disgrace for you and
for him." I looked at her and couldn't believe what I was hearing. He had
turned her against me again. Oh, whats the use? I thought. This will never
work out.
    I had a date with Bobby the next night at seven o'clock.