At the time of the rabbit gigs, Johnny and Raff had also been meeting with an obscure "science" club. The membership
was comprised largely of college drop-outs, crazy old men, and reclusive, delusional crack-pots, (who should not be confused with pragmatic or realistic crack-pots). Many of the members of this club also "invented things". They would wear any garb they could get their hands on as long as it resembled a uniform, and they would present prizes to each other for their scientific accomplishments. These "prizes" were usually used bowling or baseball trophies and plaques, acquired from pawn shops or garage sales, yet these men celebrated the awards and the empty ceremonies surrounding them.
Johnny and Raff became increasingly obsessed with this club and spent most of their spare time and money on these scientific endeavors. Johnny worked on several inventions, hoping for the next prize, and seldom paid any attention to his wife.
It was during this time that Margaret became more independent and longed for the days when she could go out and have men circling her like so many moths around a candle.
The eldest of her children, she'd realized, was old enough to mind the others, and soon Margaret was going out during the day, getting her hair done and buying new clothes, which included several pairs of pants. Had Johnny been even remotely observant, he probably would've protested the pants, but he was diligently toiling over a scissor-like device that would make "the perfect meatball" (which, unfortunately, had already been patented by someone else) and hadn't noticed his wife's digressions.
The modest success of the two "rabbit-men" had awakened something in Leo Morowski as well. Though his drinking had decreased only slightly, he felt more in control than he had in years; he decided it was time that he don the white-face and big shoes again and fight off his demons as "Beetlebum the Clown". He had secured an engagement for Johnny, at a local Knights of Columbus hall some time before, and now thought of opening the show with a few gags and magic tricks as the resurrected Beetlebum. Johnny, always happy to "sneak" in a singing gig, gladly agreed with Leo's idea, unaware of its regrettable consequences.
Leo got to the hall early in the afternoon before his show. He went through his routines, asking the janitor his opinion. The unwilling spectator squeezed out a few polite chuckles then hurried to the basement to "work on the boiler". As showtime neared, Leo got ready and as he applied his makeup, he felt as if he were losing his nerve, but he soon found it - where it had seemingly always been - at the bottom of a bottle of cheap vodka. He somehow got through the act like an automatic pilot; he hadn't dropped anything, and his tired old card tricks actually got a few "oohs" and "aahhs" from the audience. "It was a good show," he thought, "at least no one threw anything at me, and I didn't break anything." As he walked to the dressing room, he passed Johnny, wished him good luck, then gazed down the hall at an attractive young woman in jeans
and a sweater, outside the dressing room door - it was Margaret. Leo had never before taken much notice of her, but given the combination of his elation over the show, her stunning beauty and the alcohol, he found himself drawn to her. She was starved for attention and weakened by neglect and as Johnny's melancholy voice filled the hall, she succumbed to the clown's charms.
Johnny was so distracted by his science projects, as well as his show business career, that the affair continued for weeks, without the slightest suspicions from him. One evening, however, he returned somewhat early from a singing gig that Leo had booked, and found his wife in a negligee, scrambling for her robe. He could not yet explain the white "paint" on her legs, but when he found a round, red, plastic "nose" on his pillow, and size-34 shoes beside the bed, everything suddenly became painfully clear.
©2006 Robert R. Votta
