Ladies Night Unmasked

By Karen Abbott-Trimuel

Ladies' night at home + alcohol + scandalous secrets… what else could you want on a Friday night?

 

Miranda, Gertrude, Lola, Shauna and Claudia are five friends living in Chicago. They meet up on Friday night to get their 'groove on' ready for the weekend. But they don't want the typical club and partying scene. Instead, they all agree to meet at Claudia's place for a small gathering and a night of drinking, eating, partying…and revelations.

 

As the night unfolds, it becomes obvious that all of the ladies have personal secrets and struggles that they've never shared with anyone… until tonight that is. Cue the dramatic music and have your popcorn at the ready!

 

Ladies Night Unmasked is a written adaptation of the successful play of the same name. Author and Creator, Karen Abbott-Trimuel, invites you to join the best Friday night party without having to leave the comfort of your own couch!

 

This laugh-out-loud comedy/drama short novel is full of twists and turns - sure to keep you on the edge of your seat shouting, "Oh my God!" as the night goes on…

• Language: English
• Publisher: Karen Trimuel
• Release date: Dec 28, 2020
• ISBN: 9781736281512

Book preview

Copyright © 2012 Karen Lynn Trimuel All Rights Reserved.

Ladies Night Unmasked - A performing arts theatrical production turned novel

Ladies Night Unmasked copyright © 2012 by Karen Lynn Trimuel. All rights reserved. No parts of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means whatsoever, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author/ publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

For information visit our website: https://www.kgtliveproductions.com

Book Design By: Jose Pepito Jr.

Editor Collaborator: Victoria Thomas

The Library of Congress Control #PA2-141-645 2018

Printed in the United States of America

International Standard Book Number (ISBN) – 978-1-7362815-0-5 Paperback

International Standard Book Number (ISBN) – 978-1-7362815-1-2 Ebook

This book is dedicated to my biggest supporters...

My Loving Parents

Father - George Abbott (RIP) & Mother - Jerry Harrell

My wonderful husband Gammon and

awesome children Melissa, Brandon, and Brianna

My adorable grand-children

Kyren, Kaysen, and Ma’liya

Thank you all for always being readily available to support, motivate and encourage me to live my passion!

I love and appreciate you!!!

Karen Abbott -Trimuel

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1 Get Ready Set Go

Chapter 2 The Gathering

Chapter 3 Daddy’s Girl

Chapter 4 Lost & Found

Chapter 5 On to the Next

Chapter 6 First Lady Woes

Chapter 7 Lo La Land

Chapter 8 The Party is Over

Part Two

The Aftermath

Chapter 9 Secrets Revealed

Chapter 10 Shattered Dreams

Chapter 11 The Great Reveal

Chapter 12 Showdown

Acknowledgments

Iam grateful to GOD for my life and all the lessons I’ve learned throughout the years. My slogan is: If I can touch one life in a positive way, my life’s purpose will not be in vain.

I would like to thank my parents for passing their creativity gene on to me. To my mom, Jerry Harrell, thank you for your love and for helping me come out of the background and into the forefront. To my dad, George Abbott, thank you for surrounding me with your spirit and cheering me on to success (RIP). Thanks to my amazing husband, Gammon Trimuel, Jr., for sharing your life, love, and musical talents. For your inspiration, support, encouragement, and most important – believing in me. I appreciate you for having patience when I’m in my zone and all over the place.

To my awesome children Melissa and Brandon Abbott, who are the very reason I started writing. The two of you have always been there to support and encourage me to achieve my goals and dreams. Thank you for your unconditional love, inspiration, and support. Words alone can’t express my love and appreciation for you. To my bonus daughter Brianna Trimuel, thank you for your love and encouragement. You are a great addition to my life and a blessing that I will always cherish.

To my grandchildren Kyren, Kaysen, and Ma’liya Abbott – my special cheering section. My three adorable and special gifts. Thank you for sharing your love and energy. You keep me youthful!!!

Finally, thank you to my bonus mom, sisters, and brothers, family, and friends for your love and support. My awesome cast, crew, and musicians you are all a very important part of bringing my stories to life! I couldn’t have done it without you. To my fans and supporters, thank you for pushing me to do more! You have helped to make this an exciting journey!!

Chapter One

Get Ready Set Go

Miranda Johnson, a former patron of the Opera Night Club, was no longer feeling socially deprived.

She had plans for tonight. Her social existence was, without a doubt, finally resurrecting.

In a former life, she had gotten her groove on at The Opera Night Club, which was famous for its celebrity appearances, honey garlic chicken wings, and classic parties in downtown Chicago.

She had met and broken up with at least seven boyfriends at The Opera Club.

She had made best girl-friends and gained sworn girl-enemies at The Opera.

In fact, she had met her now husband, Larry Johnson, at The Opera Night Club.

However, there comes a time in a woman’s life when she needs to move on to new adventures.

When she needs to find new ways of getting her groove on.

When she has to discover new ways of conquering the week-day blues.

Therefore, Miranda’s days of night clubbing were over. She had made the ultimate discovery of how to live and social-live as a reputable woman who was still young, of course…But more mature and classier in her present years.

She was a happily married, respectable, Chicago babe with a cute husband and three rambunctious but lovable little babies under thirteen years – and two adopted, teenage boys to boot.

Well – The ‘babies’ were not so little anymore. Sylvia, her oldest daughter, turned thirteen last month, Charlotte, her second girl, was eleven, and Carl, her son was nine.

The children were, clearly, old enough for Miranda to leave them at home with her husband, and there would be no sense of guilt about being a mama abandoning her babies.

Of course, the fact that the kids were now old enough to pour their own cereal and entertain themselves without mama’s presence had become a reality a few years ago – Yet, Miranda had not developed the wings she needed to re-ignite her social life again, even after her babies could microwave their own pizza – With other adult supervision with them, of course.

She had always been the doting, stay-at-home mom who could not let her kids out of her sight.

Tonight, her story was different. Her story had become different.

She and her girlfriends were turning over into new leaves.

They were going to dedicate this new year – and the years to follow it – to the supreme right of every woman to get a life.

The Opera Night Club, a prime hot spot in downtown Chicago, Illinois, had been the center of her social existence in a former life.

Tonight, she was embarking on a new life that she had just discovered three weeks ago. A new way of socializing – and finding fulfillment while doing it!

Tonight, she was going out with her girlfriends for their monthly gathering of Ladies Night.

Every month, for the past several months, the four women that Miranda called her best friends made themselves available to meet up at 8 p.m. sharp at the home of one or the other in their group, so that they could have a night of wild…

Miranda halted her thoughts.

An excited thrill went through her as she swabbed her make up brush across her cheeks. No, she would keep her thoughts at bay so that the expectations of tonight could unfold with suspenseful surprise. She would not compare the last Ladies Night with the ladies to another that was yet to happen tonight.

There was one thing she had learnt these last three times of meeting up with her girls for Ladies Night – No one night was ever the same.

The bedroom door opened, and the interruption brought Miranda back to the present.

Baby. It’s almost 8! You are still preening yourself in front of that mirror? The kids are asking for dinner, you know!

It was her husband, Larry’s voice, as he stood in the doorway of their bedroom.

Miranda sighed, I know…I know, she spritzed a splash of her favorite perfume behind her ears, rose from the vanity where she had been seated to apply her make up, and sauntered towards Larry, How do I look?

Larry shook his head with a lopsided smile, appraising her off-shoulder silk blouse, jeans worn with stiletto heels, and her stylish studded head wrap, Halle Berry has nothing on you, baby.

Liar, she was most pleased as she kissed him flirtatiously, then progressed with a slow stroll down the hallway to enjoy every moment of looking and feeling beautiful and admired by her husband – of course, she could still feel his eyes on her as she went down the hall; as she performed her final rites as a wife and mother for the night before she took off like Cinderella going to the ball.

Ladies Night out or not, kids still needed reminders about their responsibilities sometimes, and dinner still needed to be available for the starving legion, Sylvia, your cheerleader uniform is hanging in the laundry room! Miranda called out to her eldest as she grabbed her car keys from the hallway table, Charlotte, your socks need to match, dear. You can’t go for a sleep over at Melissa's house, looking like a scarecrow, Miranda gasped at the sight of her son in the living room, Carl, if I have to tell you one more time to cut off that game? Honey! she called back to her husband, Larry who was still somewhere in the bedroom, The food is on the stove, I have to go!

mama, can I…? Carl began, leaping up from his post in front of the TV where he had been playing a video game for the past hour, and running to her.

Miranda was quick to caution, Not now, Carl! Mama has to go. I’m going to be late, she made her escape through the kitchen and towards the back door that led to the garage, Whew! Mama, mama, mama, Miranda successfully performed a rendition of one of her children’s whining voices, as she stepped out of the house, "Give me, give me, give me, she mimicked the voice of a little child, then, she changed her voice tone to match the deeper tenor of her husband’s so that she could mime him too, Honey, what are we going to eat? How long are you going to be gone? Are you leaving me alone to fend for all these kids?" (Like they were not his kids too, she wondered).

She heaved a heavy sigh as she climbed into her car, parked in the garage, "Whew!!! If it weren’t for Lady’s night, I wouldn’t have any fun. Finally, me time! The only time I get to take off my wife and mama hat and enjoy myself."

As she backed out of the driveway, she broke out into a spontaneous song, singing along with the soundtrack of Kool and the Gang, and the lyrics of Ladies Night, playing on the car’s CD system. She did not feel it out of place to insert her own made-up lyrics to the copyrighted song playing through the car’s sound system, "Oh yes, it’s ladies’ night, and I’m feeling stressed, I need a drink…Oh, what a night."

In such happy tunes, she took off down the road, headed for the beginnings of what she expected would be a most pleasing night indeed.

At Gertrude Winslow’s Home

Gertrude Winslow sighed