RANSVESTIA

The small redhead laughed. "I believe you're right, Kiki," she said.

Eddie stared at them. "Wh-what the..." he began. Kiki was no longer a blonde. Her short, red hair was very becoming. She wore an ocelot coat and hat and looked very prosperous. Cissy's long grey- blonde hair matched her fun fur and high-heeled grey boots. "How are you?" he said lamely.

"We're getting along fine," they said together, coming around to take his arms, clinging on most femininely. Other men eyed Eddie enviously. "Yes," said Kiki. "We heard if was you who broke up Benny's racket . . ."

"And then we read your stories," Cissy's voice was excited.

They lead Eddie outside and insisted on buying him lunch. "Even with that suit and tie," said Kiki over dessert, "I still want to call you Roxanne, just to see what you'll do."

Eddie smiled. He was now firmly established on the Tribune's reporting staff, a year of hard toil behind him. "How did you know my name?" he asked.

"In my bad time, at Betty's," Cissy's voice was muted, "I met Lola Levine. She'll always remember you and the fabulous review you gave her act. Her description of you was perfect. I realized then why you asked me so many questions and who the 'Sally' was in the article you wrote."

Cissy then stood up, excused herself and went off to the "little girl's room." Eddie looked at Kiki. The smile had faded on the former blonde's face. "She's not really doing so well," she said. "This is one of her better days. With her attitude, it wasn't likely she'd do well in a place like Betty's." She looked carefully at Eddie. "Your articles closed up a lot of work for impersonators in this city. The Gold Coast is giving up, too. It'll be a Hawaiian restaurant next week, 'under new management"."

"How are you making out?" Eddie felt real concern for Kiki, who had tried too hard to set him straight when she thought Roxanne was in too deep.

A chuckle came into Kiki's voice. "Going to write a follow-up to your expose?" She laughed. Eddie's expression indicated that that wasn't such a bad idea. "Well, I'm O.K. I met a girl, a real one," she