The Chosen One

By Holly Carroll

The Chosen One

Gone are the days of hiding a man in my closet so he doesnt get shot or for that matter-both of us. Otherwise, I wouldnt be here to talk about it. It seems like another me, another life-time. I cant believe that I led that kind of life. It was pretty hectic!. My God, married and having 3 boyfriends at the same time. It was hard keeping track. It was insanity but at the time it seemed normal. But people do grow up and get wiser, hopefully. The last 24 years of my life have been the most content and peaceful since leaving home at 21.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Nov 9, 2011
• ISBN: 9781465386205

Holly Carroll

Holly Carroll is a dynamic entertainer who has performed all over the world first as an Exotic Dancer from Los Angeles, Vegas, Mexico and Canada, then as a Singer in nightclubs from the Sahara in Vegas to the Copa in Tokyo to Printer’s Alley in Nashville, as well as major cruise ships and conventions. She sang the soundtracks for the TV series “Kojak” and has done many TV commercials, (i.e. Heinekens, Mobile Wallet & Starkist Tuna) a movie called “Son of Mourning” with Lorraine Bracco from the “Sopranos”, a music video with T-Pain - “Karaoke”. Recently, inducted into the Burlesque Hall of Fame in Vegas as “The Singing Queen of Burlesque”. A song stylist in swing, jazz, blues and country. Sexy, talented and captivating - Holly Swings!

Book preview

THE CHOSEN ONE

Holly Carroll

Copyright © 2011 by Holly Carroll.

Library of Congress Control Number:          2011919413

ISBN:                      Hardcover                      978-1-4653-8619-9

                                 Softcover                      978-1-4653-8618-2

                                 Ebook                            978-1-4653-8620-5

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

104664

Contents

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER 14/MANNY

CHAPTER 15/BILL/ETHAN

CHAPTER 16/BURLESQUE

HALL OF FAME

In loving memory of my Father, Otto and Mother, Edna

From your grateful daughter, Holly,

A Special Thanks to Janet Davis for motivating me

and helping me put this book together.

AT SIX WEEKS OLD WRAPPED IN SWADDLING CLOTHES

MY NEW MOMMA TOOK ME FROM THE ORPHANAGE HOME.

AT THE AGE OF SEVEN I ASKED WHERE I COME FROM.

DADDY TOLD ME I WAS THE CHOSEN ONE.

CHORUS: CHOSEN ONE, CHOSEN ONE, MY DADDY TOLD ME THAT I WAS THE CHOSEN ONE. (2XS)

AT THE AGE OF SEVEN THE JUDGE DECLARED ME TO BE

LEGALLY PART OF THAT FAMILY. SINCE THAT DAY NOW I

ALWAYS TRY TO BE THE APPLE OF MY DADDY’S EYE.

CHORUS:

FROM THE AGES OF ELEVEN THRU SEVENTEEN,

I WAS A BOBBY-SOXER AND A SWEATER QUEEN.

THEY VOTED ME THE GIRL MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED.

THEY SAID IT WAS MY SMILE BUT NOW I KNOW WHAT

THEY MEAN.

CHORUS:

SINCE TWENTY-ONE I TAKE LIFE AS IT COMES.

I’VE HAD MY UPS AND DOWNS BUT NOTHING I’D RUN FROM.

I’VE GOT MY MUSIC AND IT MAKES ME SMILE,

SO YOU’LL HEAR ME SINGING FOR A LONG, LONG WHILE.

CHORUS:

MY DADDY TOLD ME, YES HE DID. AND I DO HAVE A TENDENCY

TO BELIEVE HIM, CAUSE HE’S NEVER LIED TO ME YET…

Words & Music by:

HOLLY CARROLL

THE CHOSEN ONE

Gone are the days of hiding a man in my closet so he doesn’t get shot or for that matter-both of us. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here to talk about it. It seems like another me, another life-time. I can’t believe that I led that kind of life. It was pretty hectic!. My God, married and having 3 boyfriends at the same time. It was hard keeping track. It was insanity but at the time it seemed normal. But people do grow up and get wiser, hopefully. The last 24 years of my life have been the most content and peaceful since leaving home at 21.

CHAPTER ONE

When I was growing up, I remember my Mama telling me to get one man to protect you from all the others. But did I listen??? Of course not. I wanted to travel. She said, Get married, you’ll have someone to travel with. Well, I chuckled to myself because I was like the female, James Dean. I was a Rebel Without a Cause. This is no Cinderella story and no fairy tale.

The first thing I remember is my daddy telling me I was the Chosen One the loved one, the special one, because I was adopted and I have been trying to live up to that ever since. I figured being born around the same time as Jesus, that was a good thing. Even though Mom and Dad had 2 children of their own, they had always wanted four. Mom almost died giving birth to her second baby, which was a boy, my older brother, Bill, so Daddy said they would adopt the other two. One being me and later on when I was 12, my brother Tom, 6 years old at the time.

It made me feel all good inside the way my Daddy told me the story of the day they went shopping for a baby and found me in St. Vincent de Paul orphanage. They had taken me at six weeks old. Mom brought me into the car, which Daddy had all warmed up, cause it was a cold day in March in Detroit and my new brother and sister were in the back seat waiting for the new addition. You see, my Mom and Dad were foster parents to many other children in the past, but since they didn’t take any money for me, they had the right to be first choice if my birth Mother, gave me up for adoption.

Daddy said when Mom lifted the blanket off my face I had a big smile and was his good luck charm ever since.

I just want to say, no child, rich or poor couldn’t have been loved more than I was while growing up. Children don’t know anything but the caring and love and safety you give them.

My birth mother had tried several times unsuccessfully to get me back but I had a very strong will even at a young age of 3. 5. and 7. My Mother had married and had two more youngsters. Each time my new parents would bring me to her house, she would try to bribe me. The first time at age 3 with chocolate cake, my favorite sweet, but I wasn’t going for it.

I sensed that something was wrong when they left me in the kitchen all alone with that cake. I remember leaving the kitchen and seeing my real Mother waving and saying Good-bye to my foster parents in the car. I ran past her and down the gray front steps after them crying, Don’t leave me here. Everyone was already in the car and I ran to get into it.

When I was 5, she thought that I would get along with her two children. So my foster parents took me there and after an hour, my Mom said I came up to her and asked her if we could go home cause I didn’t like those kids.

At the age of 7 my real Mother finally signed over the adoption papers to my foster parents. On that day in court I remember looking up at my foster Mother saying, If you try to give me away one more time, I’ll never speak to you again. With that statement, the judge hit his gavel on the desk and said, The child is 7 years old, which is the age of reason and she knows who she wants to be with. Case dismissed.

I felt very safe and secure with my new family and very much loved. Even their children spoiled me rotten. My sister used to say, I was spoiled so rotten, I even smelled.

I remember when I was 2 and the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Everyone was running back and forth by the radio crying because there was a call from the President calling all young men to duty. My sister’s boyfriend was being drafted into the Army and he asked my Mom and Dad for her hand in marriage on his first furlough. My Mom thinking that he’ll be away for awhile as my sister was only 17 and he was 19, said okay. He was back in 6 months and she kept her promise to him and they got married.

When Don came home from service, they stayed with us until they got enough money together for a down payment on a home. Being a Catholic family, we all went to Mass on Sunday. Two Sundays went by and Don didn’t go. My Mom asked him, Don, if EmaJean went to your church with you, would you go? He said, How can she Ma, I don’t belong to any? I thought that was pretty funny but the next Sunday he got up and went to church with us. He even became a Catholic and was a better one than us::))

Not only was my Mom good at the Power of Suggestion but my Dad said, Mama can stretch a dollar farther than anyone I know. That’s why I give her my paycheck every Friday, or else we wouldn’t have a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of. My Dad said he always had to have the last word. I said, What was that Mr. Macho Man? He said, Yes, Dear.

This family had plenty of love in their hearts for people in general. I loved them dearly for it, but I had a wanderlust in me for music and dancing. Mama said, You can’t dance your way through life. I said, Why not?

At the age of three my Mama told me I showed a talent for dancing as I had my own record player and a stack of 78’s. Even though I couldn’t read, I could pick any record you asked for and would play it, and would spend hours entertaining myself playing and dancing to them.

At the age of eight I heard Harry James playing the trumpet so I picked up my brother’s trumpet and started playing. With lessons and a little practice, I held 1st chair all through grade school and high school. My sweetheart for 6 of those years held Solo chair. At 13 he wrote and conducted a march for the band to play for the May Festival and I got to play his part.

At age 11, I was taking singing lessons and even sang on the radio while my sweetheart, who played many instruments, accompanied me on the accordion to the song, Slowpoke. He was my first love and although it was puppy love, it was very intense.

The first time I experienced French Kissing I thought that was the way you got pregnant. Wrong!! Ah! First love. He was a fine musician even at 11. Besides, trumpet players are better kissers. They can triple tongue, double tongue and trill!!

Moving on to high school, I found myself a whole new bunch of conquests, and towards the end of my freshman year, said Good-bye to my first love.

Being in the high school band enhanced my popularity as we played for all the school functions. I had a lot of boyfriends, usually the guys in the band, and even went steady a few times but none of them were as intense as my first love.

I didn’t want to fall in love and get married right out of school the way most of my friends were doing. I wanted to travel and get some experience in the working world and have a place of my own before I settled down.

Our whole family got together on Sundays for