The Humpback Creeper By Steven Donnini

The Humpback Creeper by Steven D. Donnini

Library Of Congress WGA Copyright Stephen Donnini Steven Donnini

1999

407-645-4705

1

June 1, 1956, our trucks rolled into Jesup, Georgia.

We

were working the small towns up and down the east coast. This would be a black fair with special attractions.

I was

riding shotgun with Jimmy a 16 year old black kid in the lead truck just behind my granddad’s shinning silver Airstream trailer. line.

Our nine tractor-trailers were all in

They were painted black with Bright Light Shows in

gold letters across the sides.

All those black and gold

trucks coming down the main street of town was a thrilling sight.

It was exciting, the broad smiles and hands waving

as the street came alive with people, a welcome just for me.

At 13 years old, I didn’t understand what the fair

meant to these people.

Later, I came to realize that the three days we were in town would be permanently imbedded in the lives of everyone.

I was about to change in ways that are never

part of the myth of running off to join the circus.

Standing in the middle of the street directing traffic to the fairgrounds was Ace Bailey the advance man.

The field

where we were to set up the tents for the midway was in the 2

center of town.

Ace was the best at dealing with the

problems created by local fire codes and politicians. would simply pay them off.

He

If that didn’t work we would

setup and disregard the codes.

After all we were only

going to be there for three days.

By the time they figured

out what we were doing wrong, it was too late.

Everybody called my grandfather Danny, including me.

At

first thought it was strange but I wanted to fit in and not draw attention to myself. in every way.

The truth is, I was privileged

Although Danny owned the Bright Light Shows,

Bingo, and midway tents,

the rides and other attractions

were contracted for available fair dates.

So, of 19 fair

dates we did from Palm Beach to Maine each one was a little different.

My father and mother agreed to let me go on this summer vacation with Danny.

A trip the year before to a

fundamentalist Jesus Christ boot camp ended in disaster. They thought I was in good hands with Danny.

Grandpa Danny

and grandma Edna were separated shortly after my dad was born.

Dad was abandoned by his mother Edna at about 2

months old, she went off to be a “Flapper” and Danny was a working card dealer in New York and New Jersey speakeasies. 3

When he discovered she had left Dad with relatives, he went and got him.

They traveled together from NY to Miami Beach

until Dad went to New England and College at Brown University in Providence.

The family story goes that Danny

won the Bright Light Shows in a poker game in 1948. Quickly Danny became well known for creating some of the best “Flat Stores” in the country.

A flat store is a game

of chance in which the object of the game is to take all the player’s money in the shortest amount of time.

The

flat store “Flat takes your money.”

You can’t win and you

don’t get a Teddy Bear to take home.

The back end of the

game is as important as any other part. must never know he has been swindled. those available to play.

The mark (player) He is chosen from

Most flat stores have a look out,

banker, shill (decoy), and store manager.

Three Card Monty

is a flat store that is played commonly on city streets in NY.

The most profitable games on the midway of the

fairgrounds are flat stores. Danny called his flat store “The Humpback Creeper.”

Over the years, the Bright Light Show had many colorful shows including one called “Monty the Boxing Chimp.”

He

would climb up on you and kiss you on the lips at the first 4

meeting.

At just 45 lb. he was powerful and I never felt

quite comfortable around him.

During off hours he would

walk around with Jill his owner and trainer.

He would be

playful and jump up, wrapping his long arms and legs around her.

On fair days she would put him in his 10 ft. x 10 ft.

x 10 ft. steel cage on the midway and stand out front working the crowd as they passed by. football helmet and boxing gloves.

Monty was dressed in Jill would talk to

everyone that came down the midway looking for a mark. would pick out the biggest, tough guy on the midway.

She The

idea was to get this guy to put up $20, to stay in the cage with Monty for 10 seconds without calling for help or asking to get out.

If he could last that long he would

walk away with $100. until he agreed.

She would taunt him unmercifully

He too was outfitted with boxing gloves

and a football helmet. closed it.

Jill showed him to the door and

This action triggered the clock over the door.

When the guy stepped into center of the cage, Monty climbed over the top of the like an acrobat landing on the guys shoulders from behind.

With a sweeping motion Monty had

one arm wrapped tightly around the guys neck, he removed the helmet in his other hand, holding it by the face guard, he proceeded to beat the intruder in the face and ears with it.

Within 3 seconds or so the tough guy was begging to 5

get out.

Monty wasn’t finished, he started laughing wildly and got in a few more good wacks to the nose while the man screamed to let him out.

Meanwhile the man’s friends were laughing

in the middle of the midway at the beating he was getting at the hands of a chimp.

Every once in a while, things would get out of control and Monty wouldn’t stop when Jill commanded.

I guess Monty

thought it was a game and was in the mood to entertain the crowd.

One night, this big redneck got in with Monty and he didn’t want to loose.

So, he tried to fight back.

Monty hung on

his neck as the guy spun around trying to grab a hold of him.

The faster they spun the louder Monty laughed.

By

the time the guy managed to get out he was humiliated and bloody.

When he regained his composure he forced his

friends to suffer the same fate.

Jill played them

perfectly. She cleaned them out.

Jimmy was the first truck driver I had ever seen, so he must have been the best.

He was tall, thin and handsome. 6

That’s what he told the girls. white girls, but they loved him.

He stayed away from the He told me that he had

never gone to school past the 6th grade. see the point of getting an education.

At 16 he didn’t His Momma had

taught him to read well enough to get by.

He loved

traveling with the show and Danny trusted him with the rigs.

In return he was fiercely loyal.

Jimmy backed the tractor trailer into a spot Ace picked out on the fairgrounds. up.

Within 2 hours we had the Bingo tent

It was the center spot in the midway.

Every other

store went up on either side and across creating a narrow alley arcade.

The rest of the crew worked into the night.

Danny sent word to me to come to the trailer for dinner.

When I arrived at the Airstream trailer Danny’s pet Macaw started in on me. Red?”

He said, “Where the hell have you been

I wanted to answer, but I thought it was weird

explaining anything to a bird and I was embarrassed about my red hair.

He was so convincing that if I wasn’t

thinking I would automatically come up with an excuse and answer.

As I entered the screen door he ordered me “Shut

the damn door.” No one paid much attention to what the crazy Macaw had to say, but me.

I took it to heart. 7

Danny’s wife, Claudia greeted me with her usual sunny face. Although she wasn’t my real grandmother she treated me like she was.

She had a fiery wit.

fit in with the show people.

A true carnie at heart, she

well dressed and mannered.

Danny didn’t.

He was too

He looked like he was on his

way to the polo grounds in Palm Beach.

In fact, he would

take me there whenever we would visit him at the winter home in Florida.

Claudia on the other hand was more at

home in one of the local taverns with a beer, a shot of Crown Royal, her friends and a fresh pack of Pall Mall. She could tell a dirty joke with flair and often did, but never around Danny.

She knew he wouldn’t approve.

At dinner Danny gave me lessons on how to do business on the midway. Creeper.” wet.

This time he wanted me to work “The Humpback He said, “It’s time for you to get your feet

I want you to work the Creeper this week.

It’s

simple, but there are some things you need to know.

I’ll

put Jimmy and Paul with you.

It won’t take more than the

three of you guys to run it.

Jimmy will be your partner

and shill.

Paul is the banker.

Just take the lead from

Jimmy, he’ll show you what you need to do and when to do it.

He has the most experience with the game.”

I was so 8

scared that I couldn’t eat. food stuck in my throat.

I tried to swallow, but the

Now, I know why he picked me.

I hadn’t lost my innocents yet and it must have shown big time.

I’ve never had a very good poker face.

People on

the midway would never consider me to be a cheat.

The

others knew why he picked me to work the Creeper, but I had no clue.

I guess that was the idea.

the bingo tent with the other kids.

That night I slept in We were all so tired

there was very little small talk.

In the morning, we got to work early. breakfast together.

Jimmy and I had

He told me it was very important for

me to learn the business.

“What you’ll learn here isn’t

taught in any Harvard business school.

It’s like

basketball you either got a feel for it or you don’t.” walked down the midway to the Creeper. best to explain how to spot a mark.

We

He was doing his

I didn’t know what he

was talking about, but I acted like I understood.

We

approached the Creeper and he reached across the counter and lifted out a blue velvet bag.

Out came the Creeper, he

placed it on the glass top, which was painted with colorful numbers.

The heavy brass Creeper was shaped like a beetle

and seemed to glide effortlessly across the glass.

The

surface was so smooth that just a slight push would send it 9

across the surface and bouncing off the rubber bumper that was around the top.

It would travel across the top over and over before it would come to rest on one of the numbers.

Clearly, the

idea of the game was to pick the correct color and number.

Jimmy set me behind the game and adjusted the swivel chair for my feet to touch the control peddles.

I practiced

while Jimmy talked about how he would communicate with me without giving away the fact that we were working together. “It’s important that you know when to let the mark win. I’ll touch my right finger to my nose, like this.

When he

should loose I’ll scratch my head. Got it?”

The hard part was learning how to stop the Creeper on the winning number without everyone seeing it stop too fast and how to keep it moving past the winning number.

If we let

them win, it wouldn’t matter how fast it stopped.

On the

other hand if I had to speed it up to keep them from winning, they would suspect we were cheating and that can’t happen.

He told me to let them win if I couldn’t make it

look natural.

10

As the sun went down, the show opened and the midway lights came on.

The midway alley slowly filled with people.

Couples out on a date, Moms and Dads with their kids.

I

had never seen so many black people in one place before. For the first time I felt what it must be like to be black in a white crowd.

But, because Jimmy was there I felt like

I fit in.

When Paul showed we were ready for action. me and smiled.

Jimmy looked at

It was the signal that he had found a mark

and it was time to go to work.

I greeted the mark and

explained the rules of the game.

“ Step right up and pick

a number.

$5 minimum per number,

Everybody’s a winner.

double your money with every winning number. and pick a winner.”

The mark was cool.

was a thing to behold. tooth shined.

Step right up

His diamond ring

It was at least 2 Ct. His gold

Jimmy knew he was a gambler.

He put his

finger to his nose and “peeked the poke”(looked into his wallet to see how much money he was carrying) as the guy was looking at his money thinking about how much to bet. He was flush with cash. the Creeper.

He said, “$300 on blue 6.”

I knew then I had pushed it too hard.

slid around the top for what felt like forever.

I spun It

As it

slowed, I tried to control it with the powerful magnets 11

under the glass by moving the foot peddles around.

I was sure he was going to catch me.

Jimmy looked at me as

if he could read my mind. He didn’t want Paul to know I wasn’t trained well enough. the magnets.

The Creeper was responding to

As it floated over the numbers it would

change direction slightly and bounce off the rubber bumper on the side and back across the numbers.

Getting the

Creeper to stop on the Blue 6 was harder than making it miss.

This big man with the gold tooth, made his money selling funeral and burial insurance to poor folks.

They bought

his insurance because they wanted to leave this world in style.

For $5 a month, they were going to get a ride in a

Cadillac limo, a bronze colored casket, live music and fresh flowers.

The Creeper came closer to blue 6 and I

pulled it up like parking a car. was excited but held it in. Jimmy smiled at me again.

The Insurance salesman

I didn’t notice but Jimmy did. I said, “Pick your number.”

mark laughed and pointed to black 9. on the table. creeper.

The

He put $1,000 in 20’s

Jimmy scratched his head.

I spun the

This time I didn't push too hard and it glided

smoothly across the glass.

Paul said, “Come on Black 9!” 12

Then he looked at me and smiled. directly for Black 9.

The Creeper was headed

My feet were the magnetic breaks.

It slowed down faster than I wanted.

My foot slipped off

the control peddle, the Creeper went right by black 9 and stopped abruptly.

The mark was stunned.

I looked him in the eye.

He looked at me for a few seconds

then down at the Creeper, then back at me.

I remembered Jimmy’s first instructions look people in the eye and don't look away until they do, or you'll get caught.

He starts to turn to walk away and Paul stops him.

“Hey buddy, I've got $100 bucks that says you're on a streak. me.”

That one was so close.

You pick one number for

The mark turned confused, but flattered that someone

thought he was a good bet.

Paul put the money down.

Jimmy said he wanted some of the action and put another $100 on the table.

I said, “Pick a number.”

The mark

opened his wallet and took out $500 and looked at Paul with renewed confidence.

He said, “Green 8.”

I spun the

Creeper.

This time I gave it a good push because I wanted plenty of time to get control of it's speed and direction.

It 13

crossed the top several times before I could see any response to the magnets.

As it slowed down I got more

control and was able to articulate the moves.

Jimmy was

watching every move.

He knew I was on thin ice.

Because the stakes were so high

Paul was nervous, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

I wanted to let the Creeper take it's own path, but

was hard not to interfere with it's path. stopped inches from Green 8.

It slowed and

The Mark said, “Ah!” then he

turned and walked away from us down the midway.

I was

surprised at the ease with which we took the guy's money.

The rest of the night, we worked one mark after another. We made $5,200 that night. late dinner.

I went to Danny's trailer for a

He was sitting on the couch counting money.

Claudia was cooking in the kitchen. think of the Creeper?”

He asked, “What do you

I was happy that he had trusted me

enough to let me work a game.

I said, it was a lot of fun.

He returned to stacking the money in piles of 50's, 20's and so on.

The next day, I felt like a pro.

and I were clicking.

Jimmy, Paul

Then we hit a snag.

The local sheriff had a brother that was a gambler.

We 14

didn't know who he was when we took all his money. $1,500 in an hour. visit.

He lost

Later that night, the Sheriff paid us a

When he walked up to Danny's trailer I was inside,

but I could hear the conversation through the open window in the trailer.

Danny was unflappable.

He was sitting in

a folding lawn chair smoking a Camel cigarette. exchanged greetings.

They

The Sheriff asked if we knew the show

could be shut down and sent out of town. politely that he didn't.

Danny answered

The Sheriff pressed on, “As I

understand it you run a game called Humpback Creeper.

Shut

it down and give my brother his $1,500 back or I'll run you out of town.”

Danny fired back, “If your brother lost

money, it was because he was looking for action.

If you

come to a game and loose then you pay the price.

On the

other hand I don't want you to go away mad. He takes a roll of big bills from his pocket and slowly counts off $1,500 in twenties.

He said, “I think the police need all the

help they can get.”

He hands the money to the Sheriff.

Danny continues, “Please accept this as a gift for the policeman's welfare fund.” and put it in his pocket. a little hot headed.

The Sheriff folded the money “You’re very generous.

I'll have a talk with him.”

Billy is They

shook hands and the Sheriff went on his way.

15

Sunday was the big day on the midway. attraction was Monty the boxing chimp.

The most popular

best.

She was hot into it.

Jill was at her

A big peanut farmer came up

watching everything Monty did and laughing at the faces the chimp made.

She noticed that he was with his two brothers.

They all looked and acted alike.

So she did her thing.

“You boys look tough enough to stay in the cage with Monty for 10 seconds. can do it. backs.

How about it?

I'll give you $100 if you

Just $20 bucks boys, will get you 100 green

Who's first?”

“I'll do it.

The biggest brother stepped up.

But, I hate to take your money lady.”

She

took his twenty, handed him the football helmet and helped him with the boxing gloves.

A crowd was forming as he turned to smile at the brothers who were laughing at the way he looked.

She opened the

cage door, set the timing clock over the door and pushed him in.

When the door shut Monty was all over the guy and

was pounding him with the football helmet.

The guy’s nose

was so bloody it was streaming all over his clean white shirt.

The clock read 7 seconds when he started to

screamed “Help!”

The crowd was in an uproar and the

brothers were on the ground rolling with laughter.

She

commanded Monty to stop and opened the cage door.

Monty 16

looked disappointed.

He loved to beat up on those guys.

One after another, the brothers were beaten into humiliation.

Jill was counting the money as the brothers

walked away.

That night, I went to the canteen for dinner.

I wanted to

be part of the crew and talk to the dancers that worked the Divine Dancers Show.

They had a special trailer, it was

constructed so the side would swing down and made a stage. It was self-contained and included lighting, dance stage and sound system.

The girls were all great dancers.

At

least I thought so.

When I walked into the canteen tent Suzy was sitting alone so, I sat down next to her.

She was the daughter of the

hermaphrodite in the sideshow. looking girl in the show. was like. tent.

At 15 she was the best

I asked what her mother's show

“We have four sheer veils at the entrance to the

The first one cost 50 cents to look through.

you can't see much.

But,

The second is a little closer and

costs $1 and you still can't see much.

The third, cost

$2.50 and you can see Della spread eagle on the pillows, but it's still a little fuzzy. of her, two feet away.

The fourth veil is in front

You can clearly see it all.

For 17

$20 you can come in and touch her. look up and smiled.

Pass the gravy!”

Suzy

I knew we would become friends.

She

worked with her mother in another sideshow where Suzy climbed into a box and her mother would stick swords in it. Inside she would move her arms and legs to avoid getting cut.

She was a true contortionist.

mother wore a dildo in the show. everyone.

She told me that her

She said, “It fools

They want to believe they are seeing a true

hermaphrodite.”

She was wise beyond her years, but warm.

She didn't seem to worry about the things I did.

We went for a walk in town after dinner.

We stopped at the

Dairy Freeze for a shake and sat at the tables in front. Out of the darkness a car full of teenagers pulled in with their lights shinning in our eyes. was clear they were drinking beer. going to give us some trouble. they got out of the car. and said, “Ha, Babe.”

I didn't look at them as

The driver walked by the table

“What's wrong with you?”

“Looks like you

He walked to the table.

He grabbed his crotch.

clever to say.

I sensed they were

Suzy answered,

can't handle your booze.” this!”

As they got out, it

“Handle

He looked at me and said,

I couldn’t think of anything

Then he hit me in the head from behind.

The next thing I remember, we were on the sidewalk and I 18

had him around the neck.

Thank God he was drunk, I don't

think I could have kept him down. Suzy jumped in and pulled us apart.

The others just watched.

strong.

She was surprisingly

The kid was still choking when we walked back

toward the fairgrounds.

My legs and hands were shaking.

Suzy felt responsible for starting the whole thing, but I let her off the hook.

In my heart I knew that if she

hadn't said anything the guy would have gone on. into a manhood deal and he couldn't walk away.

It turned Why the

others in the car didn't beat me up I'll never know.

The next morning, the father of the kid came to talk to Danny looking for the hoodlum that had broken a bone in his son’s neck. pain.

The kid was in the hospital with a lot of

Danny was livid.

He called me to the trailer.

was a very unpleasant experience.

It

The father called me

every name you can think of and demanded that I pay the hospital bill.

I asked Danny to take it out of my pay and

told him what happened, the “Indian choke hold” part made him smile a little, so I knew things were OK. want him to send me home.

He agreed to pay the hospital

bills, but I was to pay him back. out of my pay.

I didn't

He never took any money

Suzy told me everyone on the crew talked

about what a tough kid I was.

I got a little respect and a 19

lot of kidding from Jimmy.

He asked what it felt like to

be the only kid to ever win a fight with a local football player. fight.

I was embarrassed to say that I didn't really I just got my arms around his neck and wouldn't let

go.

Every Saturday back in Miami we would go to the Little River Gym and spar with the boxers there.

I learned to box

enough to keep from getting hurt by staying out of reach or getting inside punches and hanging on.

I was very good at

the hanging on part.

When we opened the Creeper, Paul made it clear that Jimmy became a real bad actor when he had a few tall boy beers. He would put away a six pack of Colt 45 after work and go to town.

I sat down at the Creeper, a feeling came over me

to be careful.

A middle aged couple came up.

wanted to play, but the woman didn't.

The man

Paul walked down to

the Bingo tent and returned with 5 free bingo cards. approached the woman. cards.

He

“Miss, I've got these free Bingo

Would you like to play?”

She took them out of his

hand, gave him a big toothy grin and off she went leaving her man to the sharks.

We cleaned him out before she got

back with a shining new toaster and stuffed bear.

She was 20

so happy to have won that he didn't have to tell her in front of us how much he had lost.

They walked away happy.

Jimmy came over to me and spoke out of the side of his mouth.

“It's all about the action and saving face.

forget that kid.”

Don't

I couldn't quite grasp what he meant,

but I couldn't forget the intense way he told me.

It was like a deep dark secret I was being told, because it was in my blood.

He was awakening me to something, a truth

about life.

The next guy that came to play was a nasty SOB and I loved watching him loose. this guy over.

Jimmy took uncommon pleasure working

It was like watching a lion in one of those

National Wildlife TV shows.

He was mean and ill mannered.

At one point he reached over the top of the game, grabbed me by the shirt pulled me half way out of the both before Jimmy and Paul saved me.

We had taken his rent money.

It

was sickening to me that he would gamble away his rent money.

At the same time I felt guilty.

“You cheated me.

I'll be back.”

He stomped off

I knew he meant it, so

did Jimmy.

21

We were about to shut down for the night when Jimmy saw the guy coming through the crowded midway with 6 of the roughest looking men I've seen. yelled out “Run!”

Jimmy turned to me and

So I jumped out of the Creeper and took

off running through the crowd.

My heart was pounding.

I

was thinking, it's like a football play but the guys are a lot bigger that I’m used to playing with. another difference. me run faster. the Bingo tent. they were. others.

There was

They weren’t playing ball.

That made

I ran across the midway to take shelter in Once inside I looked back to see where

One of them spotted me and yelled out to the

The tables made a good barrier between us, but

there were too many of them.

They surrounded me and it was

all over but the beating I got. tent pole.

He swung at me and hit a

I heard a crunch when his fist hit it.

Another

guy hit me from behind, grabbed my arms and held on to me. They started to beat on me.

After the first two or three

punches I couldn't feel a thing.

It's the way wild prey

feel before they are eaten.

Jake the Giant came to my rescue. I've ever seen. muscle.

Jake was the biggest man

He stood 7.8 ft. tall and was a mass of

His arms were as big around as grown man’s leg.

He picked up one of the guys over his head and through him 22

over two Bingo tables.

The other guys moved back. The next

thing I remember was being carried to Danny's trailer in Jake's arms.

I had never seen Danny get really mad before.

He asked Jake what happened. to the trailer.

He told Jake to bring Jimmy

That gentle giant stayed with me the rest

of the night sitting at the bedside.

I slept hard that

night knowing he was watching over me.

The next morning, I couldn't move without pain somewhere in my body.

My left eye was swollen and my lip was split.

knew I was out of the Creeper business for a few days.

I The

innocence that was once on my face was gone, at least for the time being.

Danny had a sit down meeting with Jimmy

that lasted for 30 minutes.

When it was over Jimmy came

out to tell everyone to watch out for the guys that had attacked me.

Our departure was set for Monday morning

about 5:00 AM.

There wasn't much chance of those guys

coming back for more action. But, I wanted to get even somehow.

I stopped to see Jimmy at the Creeper and to ask what he would do in the way of revenge. talked a while.

He wasn't busy so we

He offered, “the dudes are easy to get

even with, because when they come across the unexpected, 23

they can't handle it.

I've got the perfect plan.

at the Canteen at 9:00.” great idea.

I thought this guy better have a

I didn't want another beating.

up at the canteen Jimmy was waiting. eager to get going. from behind me. into a fight.

Meet me

When I showed

He was excited and

As we walked into town, Suzy called

I didn't want her to get hurt if we got But she insisted on coming.

I had a feeling

she could handle herself.

We walked up to the door of the Pelican Bar and Jimmy stopped to give us instructions.

He said, “Just go along

with what I do no matter what and stay cool.”

He opened

the old screen door and walked in as the door slammed loudly behind us.

The people at the bar were all drunk.

I

looked around to see that the guy we were after wasn't there.

We sat at the bar and ordered drinks.

The

bartender starred at Suzy and me for the longest time then said, “I don't serve no minors.”

Jimmy chimed in, “How

about serving Coke?” The bartender studied Jimmy for a moment then turned around and pulled a couple Coke’s from a cooler. Judd around?” room.

Jimmy asked, “Is

I turned to see him come out of the men’s

My heart was pounding as he walked straight for me.

With every step he took he got hotter.

Jimmy turned, “Hey, 24

man let it go. The kid wants to say he's sorry.

In fact,

he would like to buy you a drink.” Judd answered, “I want my money back.” Jimmy explained, “You lost it man.

What

are you drinking?” He answered, “A beer and a bump.”

He

was staring at me so he didn't see Jimmy putting liquid from an eye dropper in his shot glass. glass and offered it to him.

Jimmy picked up the

Judd took the shot and

knocked it back. Jimmy became more aggressive.

Talking to the other people

in the bar he said, “Doesn’t look like this dumb farm boy is smart enough to know when he's been beaten.” the shot glass on the floor.

Judd threw

He pushed back a table that

was behind him knocking the people sitting there out of their seats.

Jimmy smiled and said, “I’ll beat $100 that

you'll mess your pants the first time I hit you.”

Everyone

in the bar wanted to bet on the fight.

Suzy went down the

bar taking beats and collecting money.

Jimmy got off the

bar stool and put up his fists in a classic boxer stance. I thought this guy is going to get his butt kicked worse than I did.

Judd took the first swing at Jimmy and missed,

followed by another.

Jimmy was fast, but the next swing

caught him on the top of the head and he fell back on the floor. I didn't think he was going to get up.

As he

struggled to his feet the small brown glass bottle with an 25

eyedropper in it fell to the floor and rolled toward me.

I

reached down and picked it up.

The label read, Bett's Veterinary Supplies- 2 drops per gallon- for constipation. again.

I looked up to see Jimmy get hit

His nose was bleeding. I could see that he was

trying to stay away from Judd for as long as possible. Now, Judd was showing off to everyone. as tall as a Georgia pine.

He was fast, strong and

To everyone's surprise Judd

stopped his knock out punch in midair and let out a giant fart that all could here clearly.

The room fell silent as

all eyes turned to his stunned face.

Judd said, “Oh!”

Jimmy knew this was his best chance, so he hit him square in the belly as hard as possible. It was hard enough to cause Judd to pause.

Then there was

mixture of strange sounds, but Judd never made it to the toilet.

There was a resulting gastrointestinal explosion

that came with every step toward the Men’s room. Suzy counted the money and paid the bar tab.

I told Jimmy I

would never forget the expression on Judd’s face when he farted.

Jimmy said, “I was getting worried.

It took a lot

longer than I thought for the horse laxative to work. finished around here.

He's

People will talk about this forever.

They will tell the story of how a skinny guy hit Judd so 26

hard he messed his pants.”

We walked back to the fairgrounds. about what happened.

On the way I thought

I was becoming addicted

feeling of excitement.

Even craving it.

to the

It wasn't clear

if I could control my feelings or my need for it. The next morning, we packed up the tents.

After breakfast

we got in the trucks and drove off toward our next date, Shelby, South Carolina. We hoped to be there by Night fall but the weather had turned bad and the forecast was for thunderstorms for the rest of the week, which was to be expected at this time of the year.

Naturally, we were all thinking that the fair

could be a wash out.

Danny wasn't bothered by it.

couldn't cancel it anyway.

He

Not this close to the date.

The rain was like nothing I had ever seen before.

We were

crawling along at 25 mph on a mountain road when Jimmy hit the brakes too hard and the back end of the trailer jackknifed across the highway.

When we came to rest, the

trailer was loose and turned over on it's side in the slippery red clay that had washed down from the hillside onto the road.

Danny stopped and came back to see us

sitting in the cab.

Jimmy's hands were glued to the

steering wheel. His head stuck in place. 27

The entire day was spent walking, crawling and digging in the red mud.

We got the trailer hooked up and made the

trip to Shelby in just over 5 hours. The next day, we all went to Danny's Bingo tent for a meeting.

All the concessionaires were worried about the

weather.

The forecast was for rain through the weekend.

During the meeting “Sparky,” Danny's dog came out from under the counter where we kept gifts for the winners.

He

had a nasty habit of sniffing the people he encountered. Everyone always says that dogs have a great sense of smell. If that’s true, why do they walk up to another dogs butt put their nose in it and sniff?

Why can't they smell if

from a distance if they can smell so well?

That day Sparky was in a sniffing mood, because he walked up to the “Fat Woman,” stuck his nose into her crouch, inhaled loudly, stepped back and sneezed.

The woman

embarrassed said, “He must have smelled my cat.”

Everyone

acted as if nothing had happened.

That afternoon, I was on the midway getting ready to open the Creeper and Jimmy walked up, he was in the mood for excitement.

His idea of fun was to go out, get an old car 28

and roll it over as many times as possible.

I had never

done anything like that, so naturally I wanted to try it. We agreed to meet at closing time on the edge of the fairgrounds.

I wanted to bring Suzy along, but he said it

was a manhood thing, we had to do it alone.

He said we

would pick up the girls after we were finished and go skinny dipping at a rock quarry outside of town.

As day became night, the idea of rolling a car got more real.

I imaged all kinds of scenarios. The car would roll

over and I'm smashed in the back set and not found for weeks.

As I walked to the edge of the field where I was to

meet Jimmy I saw a 1946 Chevy pull up and stop.

I walked

up to the car to see Jimmy fooling around under the dash. He looked at me and asked, “What do you think?”

I was

suddenly paralyzed with fear. Off we went down a long dirt road toward a rock quarry. The tailpipe was dragging and smoke was filling the air behind us.

We stopped at the edge of the quarry.

told me to hang on and he popped the clutch.

Jimmy

The old Chevy

was bouncing along the edge of the water as we went faster. Without warning Jimmy turned the wheel as hard as he could to the right.

The car started to skid across the rocks,

then it slowly rolled over.

The sound of the rocks 29

scraping across the roof was deafening.

When I stopped

bouncing around in the car, my feet were in the air and my head was stuffed under the back seat.

We got out of the car and walked around to survey the damage. The back window was gone and the roof was crushed in.

Jimmy wanted to go again right away.

But, I talked

him out of it and we went off to get the girls back at the fairgrounds.

Suzy loved the idea of skinny dipping, so we went back to the local quarry.

We were all swimming around when a biker

showed up and asked me a lot of questions about some people that were at the quarry before we got there.

He was very

strange, but in those days bikers were all strange. Everyone was getting out of the water when I saw a convoy of cars coming down the dirt road at top speed, a dust plume rising behind them. I had a bad feeling about staying so I told Jimmy we should get into the car and head out of there.

He was slow to react.

At the time I thought it was

his pride, but I don't think he knew what to do. he panicked, got into the car and froze.

Simply,

He couldn't start

the car.

30

The cars pulled up to us so their headlights would be upon us and they got out of the car. beaten badly.

One of them had been

He was in a fighting mood and we were about

to be the victims of revenge.

I closed the back door when

one of them told me to get out. was holding back my panic.

Jimmy just sat there and I

I think that's when this one

guy took a swing at me through the window. dodging him.

I leaned back

The next time he swung at me, I put my foot

up and his fist hit the metal tap on the heel of my shoe. It took all the skin off his knuckles. There's something primal about angry crowds and blood that brings out the beast in men.

They started throwing rocks at the car.

One

large rock came through the back window bounced off the seat and landed on the floor beside me. out.

It was time to get

I screamed at Jimmy to start the car.

The tone of my

voice must have jarred him into consciousness.

He turned

the key and as if by magic that wonderful old Chevy started.

He popped the clutch and the dirt and rocks flew.

We were on our way out of there. window yelling at them. I've ever known.

Suzy was hanging out the

Jimmy was one of the best drivers

His girl Jessie was hiding.

She had been

in this type of situation before and knew what to do. your head down and carry a gun.

Keep

We were bouncing around

the quarry and the cars were in close pursuit.

Jimmy 31

pointed the car in the direction of a field of tall grass and we went plowing through.

The cars were 50 yards behind

us when he turned off the lights.

All we could do was

listen to the loud noises of the car hitting stuff. Somehow we lost them in the darkness and came to rest. could hear them all around us.

I

Jimmy decided to stay put.

We waited a few minutes until the cars were all gone.

I

must say it was very exciting.

The next day, the fairgrounds were almost dry and everything was back to normal. me.

The big top was magical to

The animals had their own smell that would drift

across the fairgrounds.

I always tried to see the

rehearsals, because the performers were dress differently and the lighting was not theatrical.

It was raw and real.

I stopped by that morning to talk to Sam the Clown. and talked in the stands. people made money.

We sat

I wanted to know how all these

What he told me startled me.

He said,

“Danny is smart, he knows that if you have live entertainment then you get the large crowds to the midway 32

and that's where you make the money.

More and more shows

are not carrying the big top because it cost too much. This is one of the last small ones.” I didn't really understand what he was saying until I was older and there were only a few shows left in this country.

He said one

thing that I heard before. “On the midway it’s all about action and saving face.”

I walked back to the Creeper thinking about what he had said. ready.

It was time to open the show so I got everything I picked up the Creeper, removed it from its blue

velvet bag and placed it on the glass table. something strange.

I felt

I was for the first time looking

forward to the first mark of the day.

I looked down the midway and saw Jimmy coming with his arm around a guy.

They walked up and Jimmy introduced Jerome.

It's like we were hunting.

The game was just standing

there eagerly waiting to get taken.

I started the game in

the usual manner taking my cues from Jimmy. $500 on him. more.

We won that in 10 minutes.

We knew he had

But, I wanted

I was after something else, something that mattered

more to him than money. know why.

I wanted to hurt him and I didn't

Jimmy told me to quit the game with this guy and 33

move on.

But, I wanted to press on, so I did.

I told

Jerome I was willing to play for big stakes if he was.

Of

course he was excited, so we made a bet for his new Ford convertible.

Jimmy tried to stop me but I continued.

Jimmy was angry with me to the point where he stopped the game.

I took the car keys from him.

for a ride that night.

Suzy and I took it

She didn't give it a second thought

that I had cheated this guy out of his new car. part of the game.

It's all

On the other hand my grandfather wasn't

happy at all when Jimmy told him what had happened.

He

sent him to bring me to the trailer.

Suzy and I had stopped at shake and french fries.

drive-inn burger place for a We were about to get into serious

making out when Jimmy found us. company pick-up.

“Red, your grandfather is upset.

wants you at the trailer now.” answer.

He pulled up in the He

He didn't wait for an

The next thing I knew he was speeding back toward

the fair grounds.

I could tell he was real angry.

looked like he was to blame.

It

After all, he was my tutor on

the Creeper and I had shown no respect for the rules of the game.

By beating the mark out of the car I was opening us

up for the Sheriff to come out to see Danny.

Somehow I 34

knew that even if Danny was upset he would blame himself for putting me in that position in the first place.

God

please don't send me home.

We pulled up in front of the trailer and Danny was waiting in the doorway.

He was the original poker face, so I knew

he was thinking it was time to send me home before I got in real trouble. good night.

Suzy got out of the car and quietly said Danny told me to come in and have a seat. He

said, “You're going to give the car back. the table.

Put the keys on

I want you to pack your clothes and be ready to

go home tomorrow.” I said, “Please let me explain. Well, maybe I did.

I didn't mean to do it.

But, it seems like part of the game.

Taking what you want from these people.” floor.

He looked at the

“When I came to this country as a young boy, my

brother and I were all alone.

We learned how to play cards

on the boat and in the streets.

We couldn't speak the

English language. So, we had to find a way to eat.”

I

could see he was in pain as he talked about this time in his life.

“You don't have the same problems we had.

I

should not have brought you with me this season. You're too young.”

He loved me and this had hurt him deeply.

“Look I did it.

I'm sorry.

Please let me stay.

I said, Give me 35

another chance.” I pleaded. He said, “Don't con me.” Looking for a way out I said, the guy myself.

“I'll bring the car back to

I'll do it in the morning.”

He hesitated

for a moment and walked around the room. After a long silence he spoke, “OK, but I want you to do what you're told and nothing else.” didn't want to send me home.

It was clear that he

But, at the same time he

wanted me to learn to control my passion for the game. truth is I loved taking stuff from these people. fun.

The

It was

To everyone else it was a serious business.

Danny was still uneasy with the arrangement.

Even if there

was an apology, the truth is that the guy lost his car in a rigged game. fact.

By giving it back we were admitting that

If we could make it look like we were not greedy by

giving the car back, then we could save face and the guy would not be angry.

I had to give it back.

“Grandpa, please let me take the car back.

I asked, I'll tell him

we didn't want him to loose the car, so we are returning it.

We don't want any bad feelings.”

answer. tonight.

I waited for an

He stroked his fingers through his hair. “Do it Go out with Jimmy and return the car.

the better.

The sooner

We'll talk more in the morning.”

36

Jimmy was outside in front of the campfire when I approached. say?

He looked at me with anticipation “What did he

No let me guess.

He wants you to go home.

Right?”

“Yes, no and maybe.

I'll talk to him in the morning.

all depends on you.”

He looked like the guilty one.

It He

knew that he had done this kind of thing in the past.

I

didn't have to bring it up. I said, “He wants you to come with me to return the car, now.”

The fact that everyone

knew about the car by now, meant we had to get it back fast.

Jimmy was great at this stuff.

better, because he was with me.

I was feeling a lot

He got up, turned and

walked away from me talking to me.

“I'm going to get fired

or killed teaching you this business. everyone so upset about?

Come on.

What was

It was just a little mistake.”

When we got to the guy’s house Jimmy went to the door and knocked.

A well dressed black woman came to the door.

said, “Yes, what can I do for you?” hat.

She

Jimmy took off his

“Well, Ma’am my name is Jimmy Jackson and I work at

the Bright Light Shows.

We are here to return the car.

the title it says, this address.” come on in boys.”

She was furious. “Well,

She turned and bellowed.

out here, it's your lucky day.”

On

“Jerome get

She sat down in an old

over stuffed chair, it look like a queen’s throne.

The 37

odor in this house was different from our house. smelled great and it made me hungry. said, “Sit down son.”

The food

She turned to me and

Jerome came into the room.

He was

mama’s boy.

Jimmy sized him up instantly. “Jerome, I'm here to give you your keys back. We don't want any bad feelings. here are the keys and the title.”

Anyway

He was so delighted that

he didn't hear anything else we said.

Mama was about to

deliver a speech about the moral issues but Jimmy cut her off.

“I smell pecan pie.

County.

I bet you make the best in the

How about a sample.”

Just as Jimmy had intended

she forgot what she was about to say and went to the kitchen with Jimmy in tow.

Jerome quietly stood in the

middle of the room looking at me. about the car.”

I said, “I'm truly sorry

He wasn't listening.

kitchen and asked me to join them.

She came out of the

The pie was great.

I

realized how much she was like my mother.

The next morning, Suzy came to awaken me. streaming down her cheeks. attack in his sleep.

Danny had died of a heart

She tried to comfort me. “Death came

quietly in his sleep.” means exactly.

She had tears

I've never understood what that

How could you know for sure?

What if he 38

could feel the heart failing in a dream and it was really happening, but he never fully awakened. I ran to the Airstream, Claudia was sitting down on the trailer steps sobbing.

She lived for him.

Everyone was

sitting around the front door of the Airstream. They all tried to comfort me. had died as well.

I turned to see the midway, as if it

The rescue team rapped up and Danny was

placed in the ambulance. We all cried as they drove him away.

My grief was not what I thought it should be. disappointed in myself.

I was very

Everyone told me he was in a

better place, but it was so abstract. The show had 23 more dates in the summer season.

Because

Danny was a master of planning dates and contracting concessions Claudia felt we could go on, at least for the season.

Then she could decide whether or continue with the

show.

That day we all walked through the paces, but it was awkward.

We dropped the tents and packed them into the

black trucks. on Claudia.

That night I went to the Airstream to check The door was open and I saw her sitting at the 39

dining table crying. of beer.

Her hand was wrapped around a glass

On the table was lit Pall Mall with red lipstick

on the tip burning in the ashtray. me to come back another time? me for a very long time. woman.

I asked if she wanted

She invited me in and hugged

She was a strangely charming

For the first time I cried with her over loosing

Grandpa.

I guess grieving was meant to be a shared

experience.

But, why was I thinking that someone was going

to catch me having the wrong feeling?

The way Danny died

fit somehow. He was doing what he loved most.

Now, I know where I got the idea that what you do in this life is important.

It can be the cause of great pain for

the people that love us. people around us.

In one way we draw life from the

Danny did that in a nice way.

people didn't hate him for it.

At least

Then the unthinkable

happened, the first greedy thought came creeping in.

What

was going to happen to the Bright Light Show’s?

I didn't want it to come to an end. Claudia would keep the show.

The next day my Dad came up

from Miami and we grieved together. with.

Everyone thought

I wanted it to be over

That night we traveled south on the train with

Danny's body to a funeral home in North Miami Beach.

We 40

were both dead tired at the funeral.

Danny's coffin was

carried to the grave sight and placed at the foot of the Showman's Association monument.

He was placed in the shadow cast buy

a 15 foot bronze elephant. My Dad greeted strange men. Danny's friends had come to say good-bye.

They were mostly

Jewish and Italian Showman.

They disappeared a quickly as they had appeared

in a fleet of black Cadillac’s.

Danny's will, was to be read at the wake at our home. In it was his wish, that I inherit the show.

He didn’t plan on

going so soon. It didn’t take long for me to decide to give it to Claudia to sell or keep. Like my Dad, I was not meant to be a traveling showman.

I was filming in Miami not long ago, so I stopped at the cemetery and spent time sitting on the grass beside him.

I

learned much about life in the short time we spent together.

The most important thing is that love last

forever and that very little else matters.

41

42