Obsessed Read Online Free PDF Page B

a handsome guy she said was her brother, and even Carla had shown up. Naturally, Carla was alone.
    Mr. Calloway ordered a round of soft drinks, and Judy nursed hers slowly, like everyone else. Although she had plenty of spending money, she knew none of the others could afford to pay for more than one outrageously priced Coke.
    Mr. Calloway table-hopped between acts, and when he came back to their table, he looked a little nervous. “Now remember, girls . . . ”
    “We know, Mr. Calloway.” Linda grinned at him. “We’re supposed to laugh at all of Becky’s jokes, whether they’re funny or not.”
    “You got it.” Mr. Calloway sat down next to Judy, and took a deep breath. “What time is it?”
    Judy glanced at her watch, which was difficult to see in the dim light. She stretched her arm toward the candle on the table and finally managed to read the dial. “It’s ten twenty-five. They should be doing Becky’s intro any minute now.”
    Just then the lights came up, and Howie Thomas, the owner of the club, came out. He’d been a comedian in the fifties, and he was still pretty funny.
    “We’ve got a little surprise for you tonight. One of my best buddies is here, and he owns a teen club in Burbank called Covers. Stan Calloway and I have been good friends for years, and he’s got a real eye for upcoming talent. Stand up and take a bow, Stan .”
    Mr. Calloway stood up and everyone applauded. Then he sat down again, and muttered to them in an undertone. “That’s show biz, girls. I only met him once, and that was ten years ago.”
    “Stan brought us his best stand-up comic, Miss Becky Fischer. Becky’s a doll, folks, and she’s a very funny little lady. Let’s all give a hearty Laughs Galore welcome to . . . Becky Fischer!”
    “Where’s Michael?” Carla leaned close to Judy to whisper.
    “I don’t know. I haven’t seen—there he is!” Judy pointed to the best table in the room, only inches from the stage. “He just sat down. He must have been backstage with Becky.”
    Before Judy could say any more, Becky came out on the stage. She was wearing a sweater three sizes too large for her, and a shirt that was a hopelessly awkward length. There were huge horn-rimmed glasses on her face, and she peered at the audience near-sightedly. Her beautiful blonde hair was covered with an ugly brown wig, and she walked flat-footed in her brown lace-up oxfords.
    “Hi?” Becky’s voice was small and tentative, as she looked out over the crowd. “My name is Ludmilla Grooch, but you can call me Lud.”
    There were titters from the crowd. And then Michael called out, “Hey, Lud. You doing anything after the show tonight?”
    Becky smiled, fluffing her awful brown wig. “Sorry, but I’m busy. I’ve got an appointment at the car wash. They let me go through for half price, because I walk.”
    The audience started to laugh, but Becky kept a perfectly deadpan expression on her face. “It’s great for my hair, and it gets my clothes clean, too. And sometimes I even . . . but I suppose I shouldn’t tell you this.”
    “Tell us!” A table of guys sitting in the back of the room started calling out at her. “Come on, Lud. Tell us!”
    “Well . . .” Becky gave them an eager smile. “Sometimes I even take off my clothes. And the attendants are so nice. They leave because they don’t want to embarrass me.”
    This time, the whole audience roared. But Becky frowned. “No, honest. The guys at Benny’s car wash are real gentlemen. They even cover their eyes when they run for their cars. And after they leave, I just press that little button for the hot wax. You see, I met this girl, and she said it cost her fifty dollars to get her legs waxed. So I figured . . . ”
    Becky didn’t have time to finish her sentence before the whole audience roared again. But something about Becky’s routine was beginning to bother Judy. She glanced over at Carla and winced. As usual, Carla was wearing a shapeless sweater, a baggy