Walking in My Joy by Jenifer Lewis

Author:Jenifer Lewis
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2022-07-26T00:00:00+00:00

Drag Queen in My Basement

I MOURNED MY PRECIOUS COUSIN Ronnie and moved forward, as we all must. As I learned to walk in my joy without Ronnie’s physical presence, in every hummingbird, in every blossom, I felt his spirit. He was ever present. My career was moving so quickly, and before I knew it I was in New York City again; it was 2006, and I was performing in Shakespeare in the Park with Meryl Streep in Mother Courage and Her Children.

During my time in the city, on a late July night, I went to see a Broadway show called Hot Feet to support my friend Maurice Hines. After the show, I brought flowers backstage to his dressing room. We were laughing and hugging and just being, well, gay. Divas doing diva things. Performers doing performing things. Entertainers entertaining each other. Remembering how we used to spend our time in the back hallways of New York theaters with all of our ridiculously flamboyant friends. When I walked out the stage door, there was a little brown teenage-looking boy on his knees at my feet swearing he was my biggest fan. He heard I was at the show and followed me there, hoping for his chance at bumping into me. It was far too desperate, really, the way this boy fawned all over me, nearly in tears and praising me to the heavens.

Poor thing confessed to knowing every line and nuance of every movie and TV show I’d ever done, especially Jackie’s Back!, which had premiered on the Lifetime channel in 1999. I ordered him off his knees. He bounced up from the ground so fast and continued singing my praises. Telling me I had inspired him, given him hope, shown him what it was like to be a rock-star diva.

“What’s your name, little boy?” I asked as we left the theater together. He trailed behind me, keeping enough space to show me he wasn’t crazy but staying just close enough to make me question his happy ass. “DJ Pierce,” he responded.

DJ and I walked down the New York City sidewalks like we had known each other forever. This chiiiil’ was quoting every line of Jackie’s Back! Every line! He was so devoted. We got a slice of pizza, and I tossed him the script I was working on to shut him up. I could see in his eyes that he was over the moon about rehearsing Meryl Streep’s lines with me. He did a flawless job. Not as flawless as I was doing reciting my lines back to him, but you already know that. After I learned my lines, I was done with this little boy. I stood up and said, “That’s enough! Thank you, Baby.” I hailed a taxi and he came in for the hug and I said, “Uh-uh, I ain’t know you like that!” As a consolation prize I told him to come see me perform in Mother Courage. He was cute, but I got the hell out of there.

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