What happens in Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas, that is the popular slogan, but I will not agree with it anymore.
I travelled to Las Vegas on a business trip recently and instead of the usual stories about gambling, bright lights, beautiful people and wonderful shows, I walked away with a life experience that I won’t soon forget.
Monday evening and my work was completed, I walked along Freemont Street with some of my students doing the usual tourist stuff, watching the street performers, listening to the bands and drinking. Down the street I saw a woman dressed in a latex & leather cat suit with high heeled boots laced up to mid- thighs all topped off with dark sun glasses and a leather set of cat ears on her auburn hair.
Please don’t get me wrong; along with me she caught the attention of men, woman and children alike as she danced in front of the stage. She would dance around them drawing them into the stage area enticing them to dance, all ages she would eventually get them dancing. To myself I thought she was a performer paid by the venues to get crowd participation, I would later learn this was far from the truth.
As the evening wore on I found myself crossing paths with this auburn haired “Catwoman” as I wandered around. I was shocked when she walked up to me and asked for a drink of my beer which I had only just started to drink. I handed her the bottle and told her to enjoy but it would cost her a picture later when I had my camera equipment, she jokingly said no problem and wandered away as I watched her go.
The next evening it was pretty much the same thing as on Monday, doing my job, entertaining my students as we looked on at the Vegas nightlife. It was then that I saw “Catwoman” down the street, she was in between 2 very big men who seemed ready to beat each other senseless after a few minutes she had them laughing and finally they parted ways with no violence. I had an inspiration to do something I rarely do, I bought 2 beers and walked up to “Catwoman” and handed her one and told her that she did a good job at keeping the peace. Taking the beer she drank it as we walked around talking about the different people she seemed to have in-depth knowledge of. I will admit it was a pleasant experience to have the company of this lady and I was very happy to learn that she not only was beautiful, but also very intelligent, but she didn’t divulge too much about herself other than dressing up like “Catwoman” wasn’t her full time job. I looked down at my watch and realized it was 2 in the morning and I was due back in the classroom in a few hours, I said goodnight and headed back to my hotel.
Wednesday brought me a big surprise, as I walked out of my hotel I saw ‘Catwoman” motioning me over to her. She remarked that she enjoyed the company of the previous evening and asked if I wanted to hang out for the evening again. In my head I am running different scenarios, 1) she is setting me up to be robbed. 2) She is a hooker or escort and I am the gullible out of town dumbass ready to max out a credit card for something that I will never have. As this was running through my head she started talking saying that if I was to be with her tonight I needed to go and change out of my business casual into jeans and a t-shirt and leave my wallet and valuables in my room so we didn’t attract attention. A voice in my head said “RUN AWAY” but I was very curious about what was to happen. I asked Catwoman what she had in mind. Her reply was that she had a route she needed to go through and some of the streets weren’t the nicest, the type of streets that the tourist board likes to believe doesn’t exist. Asking her if we were doing anything illegal she just laughed and said that we were doing the complete opposite and to just shut up, change and lets get on the road.
A few minutes later we were walking along Freemont as we stopped often , she introduced me to a dozen people who were performing on the street. She introduced me to her friends and then chatted with each one for a short time before we wandered to the next spot. This process repeated itself many times, and after a bit I overheard enough to figure out what she was doing. Each of these people had a problem that Catwoman was helping them with, legal & Social Security Issues, obtaining ID’s, counseling them on the ordinances of vagrancy.
When I finally had her alone I asked what she was up to and she just smiled and said she was paying back a debt to someone special and then brushed me off as she walked away. At that time it was around 1 am in the morning and we came across a mid-age woman who was on the sidewalk crying, she was homeless, running away from an abusive husband and had just gotten to Las Vegas the day before. She had just been robbed of her back pack and all of her clothing and roughed up by the duo who did it. ‘Catwoman” reached into her boot and extracted a cell phone calling the police who showed up in short order taking a report and left. “Catwoman” pulled me off to the side and asked if I would be willing to let them come back to my room, which wasn’t too far so she could get the homeless woman cleaned up.
Looking into her eyes I could see that I had no choice but to say yes, and we went back to my hotel. Catwoman spent some time with the homeless woman getting her tended to and then she came back into my room sat down in a chair and sat down looking at me..She not only looked at me but I felt she was staring into my soul..it made me shiver. She asked in a very nice tone if I would mind if 2 woman slept on the second bed in my room for the night and she would have the lady out in the morning. I should of said no or at least gave it more thought but I said yes and I fell on my bed and went to sleep.
Waking up in the morning I saw them both sleeping and I got ready for my day and left the room. During the day I was tempted to go back to the room as I had left some expensive items lying on my dresser such as my camera but I just knew it was all safe.
When my day was finished I went back to my room, my valuables were still there and the room was in order, I then saw a note from Catwoman on my pillow that said thank you and that if I wanted to see her she would meet me at the end of Freemont street.
That night while not as eventful as the night before never the less left a lasting impression on my life. We went out for dinner and drinks and then I found out Catwoman was an attorney who spent time on the streets during her younger days and that someone special to her picked her up and mentored her into getting her law degree. She goes on the streets often doing her Pro Bono work for the homeless and that’s her way of paying back her debt.
I looked at this petite lady and I instantly could see the power she had, her power wasn’t flaunted but it was perceptible to me, She was able to walk down streets I feared to go, she was able to stop 2 men intent on killing each other, and in the next instant she was showing such a tender side as she hugged a child or posed for a picture with a elderly couple. This ‘Catwoman though only in my life for a few days will be in my thoughts for the rest of my life..that is the true power of a Lady
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