Lucy

Jerry calls out, "Thank you, Samuel. You did very well." His voice shakes. Jerry asks Lucy, "How --" His voice wobbles. "How did you do that? I don't know anybody who can do that with the toy whip." She smiles. He continues, "Sometime you'll have to show me how you do that. Please." He rearranges his robe and slowly walks to her. They kiss, and he begins another slow complicated tie.

Several minutes later, she is suspended in the air on her stomach, with her legs spread behind her and her wrists tied to her ankles. Her back is arched. The weighted kimono is between her legs, preventing any view of the tops of her thighs. Her hair is tied to her wrists and ankles, holding her head up. Her nipples are definitely her lowest points. This is not a position that any model can maintain for very long. Jerry displays the brown whip in front of her face and speaks. "Will you sleep with me tonight?" She nods enthusiastically, as far as her hair lets her.

Jerry talks to the audience as he begins to slowly release her, one knot at a time. "It might look like she agreed to that because she was afraid I would whip her. I wanted it to look that way. But -- it's complicated." He loosens her ankles enough that she doesn't have to keep her back arched so much. "For five years she's been loyal to Tom. During that time he's had flings with nine other models that I know of. She forgave him and stayed loyal herself." Lucy's face does not look forgiving. She looks angry. Her fingers, bound behind her, almost look like she's trying to count on them. He unties her hair. She's now vertical enough that this does not make it harder for her.

"Tonight one of those models didn't have a rigger and she said that only Tom would do. Tom went to be her rigger, leaving me to rig for Lucy. He's been the only rigger in her life and now he passes her off to somebody she's barely met. Is he taking her for granted? If she spends one night with someone else, what happens next? Does he agree to a committed relationship? Do they have an open relationship on equal terms? Will he be an utter asshole and insist that she be loyal to him and put up with his affairs? Is he looking for an excuse to dump her?" By this time her arms are under much less strain. It is clear that she had not really been suspended mainly by her wrists and ankles. Her face looks like she's thinking intensely. "Whatever happens, it will be a change and not the same old thing. And here she is, facing big life changes with the same grace and dignity she brings to performances, and the incessant stretching exercises, and the strain of continual travel around the world to give performances." Her feet reach the ground. She sways as he slowly unwraps the rope around her hips.

"I hope you can see why so few performers follow this art. The pay is good. But mediocre riggers injure models. And mediocre models get injured by their own flaws. It takes austere dedication to maintain the skills. There is no career path. And the travel is wearing. You have not lived until you have finished a jet-lagged performance, and carefully repacked your gear, and then in the post-performance let-down, you must find a macrobiotic restaurant for your model at one AM in Cleveland."

They sit together, and he continues to remove the last ropes from her arms and chest. "Thank you for joining us tonight. I'm certain the next time you book Tom and Lucy, you will get Tom and Lucy." As the last rope comes free she reaches to hug him. He tugs her kimono top from under her and drapes it around her, and they hug. Lucy looks over his shoulder at the audience and smiles with genuine delight.

He says loudly, with warmth, "You were superb." It seems to be meant for Lucy, but there's room for the audience to feel included too. Jerry and Lucy snuggle together on the wooden floor for a long time, perhaps a full minute, then he helps her slip her arms into the kimono arms, fold the front across, and tie it. They get up together, bow to the audience, and walk offstage.