The five minutes to showtime bell rang. Rita rushed into the dressing room, shouting, “We will each make $1,000!” I said, “Hush, talk later.”
I held her costume for the opening number. It was 1962 and we were performing at New York City’s Copacabana.
The orchestra started playing as I zipped up the back of her dress. She was all smiles entering the stage. We had to laugh that she made her entrance with us on time.
As we returned to the dressing room, her excitement made me curious. She explained, “My cab driver told me about a medical facility in New Jersey that will pay us each $1,000 to have a tattoo on the bottom of our big toe to signify that we wish to donate our bodies to science. I don’t mind having a tattoo there. How about you?”
Jody said, “I’ll donate my body to science for $1,000! It was unanimous. Kitty asked, “What if our big toe swells up, and we can’t fit in our high heels for the show?
I replied, “We will all limp on the same foot. It will look like it’s part of the show!
Carla planned to get the best rate for our limousine ride to New Jersey. I volunteered to make our appointment on a Monday, our day off for all of us. Our to-do list included eight ice packs for our big toes, plus champagne to celebrate our new found fortune.
We shared in the excitement and started planning how we would each spend our money. We started making notes with all the suggestions.
Paying off credit card debt was number one. Taking a vacation was a high priority. Moving to a nicer apartment and buying lacey underwear was a favorite.
We could hardly wait to get our tattoos. The following morning, I called to make our arrangements.
The woman responded, “Oh, is that rumor starting again? I am sorry, but we do not pay anyone to donate their body to science. Have a nice day.”
