AS THE MOUSE

OVES©

Soap Opera "As The Mouse Moves" - Friday March 16^th 2001
  "What do you mean he's with a musician?"  Starlene asked the stranger beside her at the bar of the China Room Club, an after hours nightclub on West 42^nd Street.
"Is that your ex-brother-in-law in the black leather jacket coming in the door now?" the stranger asked nodding towards the front door and Skeeter.
"Yeah.  That's him," Starlene said in her thick southern accent surprised to see that Skeeter had a hot looking red head on his arm. She had just phoned her ex-brother-in-law and told him she knew his secret lover Jan would be here tonight with another man.  Jan had snubbed her too many times.  A little payback and attitude adjustment was in order and hot tempered  Skeeter was just the man to take care of the wealthy socialite.
"It looks like he's with Cynthia."
"Who's Cynthia?" Starlene asked watching the nice looking red head in skin tight jeans take Skeeter's arm as they walked towards a table together in the smoke filled room.
"She's a musician.  I book her at the Lions Club on Bleecker Street sometimes," the stranger at the bar said taking a sip of his beer.
"Really?"
"Yeah.  I guess we both know a few people he said smiling." Starlene had been dropping names like Amir Hada, Stanley Morgan and even mentioned being photographed with the Mayor earlier tonight at the much talked about celebrity party at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. She had even met the cameraman with the "Go Gossip" TV show that was outside of the entrance to the nightclub filming the celebrities as they entered the after hours club tonight.
"Is she famous or anything?"
"No.  She's not famous yet.  She's ambitious though, just like you.  I wouldn't be surprised if she isn't famous one day.  What's the story with the brother-in-law?  He got a club or something?" the stranger asked watching Skeeter light Cynthia's cigarette and then his own.
"No.  He's in the lingerie business.  I'm shocked that he's with this musician."
"Why?  Your sister's shacking up in the mansion with that rich foreigner Amir Hada tonight and Skeeter's secret lover Jan over there is with that rich young dude.  That's fair isn't it."
"Yeah.  It's fair.  It's just that Skeeter didn't mention bringing a date with him when I called him earlier tonight."
"Did you think you'd be with him or something?" he asked wondering just how far the deception ran in the family.
"No.  It's just that…I don't know.  I just didn't know.  I just didn't know about this other woman," she said worried about her decision to call Skeeter and tell him that Jan would be here at the China Room Club tonight with her wealthy young date.
"Want to dance?" the stranger asked Starlene as the music started playing a slow Latin love song.
"No.  I want to watch.  I wish now I hadn't called Skeeter.  This could get ugly."
"You mean you think this Skeeter might punch out Jan's date?"
"You never know.  He's really hot tempered."
"Oh God, look Jan's going to dance with that Steve guy," Starlene said almost breathless as she watched Jan and Steve get up and start to dance a slow dance near their table.
"Maybe I should leave," Starlene said turning her head away from the crowd and looking towards the back of the room hoping that they wouldn't notice her at the bar with the stranger.
"Why?"
"I don't want to get in the middle of anything."
"I think it's too late."
"What do you mean?"  She asked afraid to turn and look.
"Skeeter just walked over to Jan and her rich young guy."
"Oh God.  What's he doing?" she asked turning slightly and out of the corner of her eye she saw Skeeter walking towards Jan and her date.
"He's going to kill that rich guy and he'll go to jail for the rest of his life," she said noticing that her hands were starting to shake.
"I don't think your brother-in-law Skeeter will be going to jail tonight."
"You don't know him.  You don't know how mean he can be."
"But I know Cynthia and she's well connected.  Her family owns one of the biggest law firms in this city," he said smiling as he watched Skeeter tap Jan on the shoulder. Jan turned to face him as her startled young lover watched.
CONTINUED MONDAY. MORE PHOTOS BELOW.