Painted Lady
I first met “LdR” in high school. She was in my class when I was a junior, but I had not met her until an upper classman friend introduced us at lunch. It was love at first sight for me, but though she was always very nice to me, it was clear I wasn’t in her dating circle.
Fast forward 18 years.
I was with a team in another city. Two of the members liked to go to nudie bars, etc. I did not. But, circumstances led to hasty dinner plans and they prevailed on the
rest of us to go to a restaurant that featured nude female servers. Frankly, it just seemed weird to be eating dinner with nude women going back and forth. Of course, there were also nude “dancers” on a stage across the room.
A man and woman were moving from table to table speaking briefly with each patron. The woman appeared about my age, the man about 10 years older. As they came to our table I recognized the woman as LdR. We had a mini reunion, much to the delight of my partners. Turned out LdR and the man were “partners;” I never determined whether they were married. This was one of several such establishments they owned and operated. The man’s first name was “Mark.” I won’t tell you his last name.
Over the next 20 years I was back in that city a few times, and each time I looked them up. That usually meant I had to go to another of their businesses since that first meeting had been sheer coincidence. They had a business office in each one and a formal office in a downtown office building. I met them there a couple times, too.
It was on the second or third meeting that I realized LdR carried a Walther PPK in a garter holster. In my presence she took it off and set it on her desk. I asked to examine it and she let me. It was not a “S” model, having the thinner handle. It had the “Interarms” logo on the slide, brownish plastic grips and was “9mm Kurz.” It was loaded, with one in the chamber, with round-nose cartridges.
She said she carried it for protection – a consequence of the business - something to do with the business people and clientele. She also said she didn’t like the weight of the Walther, but liked its “power." I suspect she interpreted the Walther’s substantial kick for the power of the bullet.
I saw them only a few times more. The next to last time was when LdR and I were in our mid-50s. She still had the Walther and still didn’t like the weight. I said I’d buy it from her and give her a Bersa. She laughed and said she might give the Walther to me.
At our last visit I asked about the Walther. She demurred, but left open the possibility she’d give it to me. When I pressed her she said “Well, maybe not yet.”
“Mark” then said “Here, you can have this.” He reached into his waist on this right side and pulled out a small revolver and held it out to me. I took it and saw that it was a Colt Detective Special. The finish was badly worn and it was loaded with flat-nose lead bullets.
I said “Well, sure! Thanks!” and pocketed it. I sent it to Colt for refinish and to check the action. I can’t find the receipt so I don’t recall the charge, but I considered it reasonable.
Since then I loaned it to a lady in a high-profile profession. She carried it due to real threats to her life from people she had impacted, for three years. She was intrigued by the idea that a woman in another "profession" had carried it. Then she bought her own DS and gave mine back to me.
I’m thinking of having it engraved with LdR’s name.
-Harkrader
