A Mirror of Before and After - CHAPTER XVI
By Frank Moore circa 1970s
Every morning was like a dressing room on a movie sound stage. Moe picked our costumes out of stock. Usually things that he had too many of and wanted to sell. People would buy anything they’ve seen you wearing. The shirt that, if they’d seen on the rack, and thought was ugly, the shirt they hadn’t given a second look, would be practically ripped from your body. They would beg you to sell your shirt … if they loved you. So we dressed up every day for our audience.
My costume of the day before either went into my suitcase for my fashion-coordinated wardrobe or into the wash to be put back on the rack. We were in our new costumes … a ruffled shirt that sold four years ago for thirty dollars when JFK wore them instead of wearing ties. After he was shot, you couldn’t give them away. They were so ugly … like something a gay intern would wear. Moe took them off the Manufacturer salesman’s hands for fifty cents apiece, and was trying to sell them for a dollar. Good luck!
Anyway, we got dressed and went out front to meet the early afternoon sun through the door. Moe went through the ritual of starting up the store … opening the door to let the tropical heat out … putting on Tommy by the Who and putting one of the speakers outside the door to attract attention … switching on the lights and putting the five phones back on the hooks. I didn’t appreciate having the phone on the desk over my head ringing me awake. So every night, Moe would make the necessary precautions. As soon as he put the phone back on the hook, it started ringing.
Moe picked up the receiver and cheerfully said, “City Morgue … you kill ‘em and we’ll chill ‘em.”
Must have been the hotline … Alfred calling from the Silver Spring store for the daily strategy. Then the other phone rang.
“Hey Shitface,” Moe peered over the tower wall down at me. “Are you in and taking visitors? That was Suzy on the phone. Remember, your old chick from the first visit? She’s in town and she said she’s coming right over to see you.”