The Me-Too
Movement -- My David Cassidy
Encounter
By: Debra J.M. Smith
 David Cassidy (with me) 1990 Photo: ©
Debra J.M.
Smith |
We
all knew him as Keith Partridge, the sweet (Come on Get Happy) guy, Lady
Shirley's stepson. Turned out, as per her tell-all book, Shirley was no
lady. And that stepson, he was no
gentleman.
I was 29. David Cassidy was 40. I had never had any kind of
crush on him. I was a Donny Osmond girl. When I was in love with Donny
Osmond at 12 years old, David Cassidy was an adult.
So, here I was all grown up, with a three-year-old and a
newborn baby, and David Cassidy was coming to do an autograph signing at a
local bar/dance place. So, off my husband Tim and I went for me to meet
David Cassidy.
Well, I was absolutely star-struck, not in love, just
star-struck. That's me in the picture with him, asking him a few
questions. I'm a talker and anything but a shy person.
I asked him about his stepmother. He did not seem so
interested in that topic. I asked him if he was doing commercial songs,
because some sounded like his voice. Well, he really did not like that. I
suppose that was an insult to him. But in all fairness, he was a has-been
at the time. Then I asked him if he ever helps people get into the singing
business, because I sing and wanted to send him a demo tape. Has-beens
help young people. Right? He had me write my name and phone number down.
So, I was really excited now.
I made a friend with another star-struck gal at the place.
Tim held both of our purses, while she and I danced the night away. David
Cassidy was still there when Tim and I left. But as we were going around
the back of the building, in our car, I saw David and this guy that was
with him (his manager, I assumed), exiting the back door. So, I told
Tim to stop the car and let me see him one last time. There were about
five other gals out there, and we all shouted his name, and David saw me.
He did this gun thing with his fingers to me, as he had done a few times
inside, when I would call out his name after having met him. Oh, I had
hugged him inside too. But I asked first.
So, here we were outside, these other gals and me, and David
got into his limo with the other guy. Just then the door opens up a little
bit and David yells out, "Debbie!" Well, I was not about to embarrass
myself, thinking he was calling me, and I assumed he knew one of those
other gals and that her name was also Debbie. After a little bit of
silence, one of those gals waved her hand and said, "I'm Debbie," and she
got into the limo. My hand to heaven, that happened over and over till the
last of those gals entered his limo, and I was the only one out there with
this man who appeared to be a bouncer from the place we were
at.
Then
the door to the limo opened wide enough for me to see David. And he looked
right at me and pointed his finger and said, "Debbie!" So, what could I
do? I got in the limo. My part in this is funny, kind of innocent, too
innocent, a bit naive, to say the least. I thought he wanted to talk about
my singing and maybe set something up for me to get a demo tape to him.
So,
here I was sitting in that limo. Tim's out in our car next to the limo,
and I'm looking at those other gals thinking, "I know what they are here
for." Then a light went on over my head, ding! And I thought, "Oh, no,
that's what he wants with me!!!"
That’s when the star-struck crashed and reality set in, and
I spoke up. I said, "um... My husband is right outside here in our car
waiting for me. And we have to go pick up my babies." That's when David
gave that gun finger thing again at me and said really nicely, "Then you'd
better go." David held his hand out to me to help me across the limo floor
to the door. As I made my way across from where I had sat, with David
holding my hand, his manager looked so proud of me. I will never forget
the look on that man's face. He probably never saw a gal get out.
There was
one more thing that I said to David before getting out. While he was
holding my hand, helping me to get to the door of the limo, I stopped and
said to him, "I'll understand if you don't call." --Hello, save face. And
honestly, I didn't want his help after what I realized he wanted.
The driver must have been able to hear, because he was right
there opening the door from the outside. I got out of the limo and looked
at the bouncer guy who was still standing there, and I said, "What's he
going to do with those girls?" I guess I was holding out hope that he was
not really going to do what I thought he was going to do. Well, that
bouncer guy said to me, "What do you THINK he's going to do with those
girls! --Sweet
Keith Partridge, David Cassidy was very naughty. And get this, he had
someone at home. His son was born about a year
later.
So, should I be part of the me-too movement over this?
Sorry, but nobody forced me into that limo. When I realized what was going
on, I got out of the situation before anything could happen. Other women,
like Ashley Judd, the one who started the me-too movement over her
encounter with Harvey Weinstein, also decades ago, could have gotten
out soon enough, as well. Women like her chose to stay too long, because
they wanted a career boost. The men are pigs, no doubt. But women who willingly
stayed past when the light went on really messed up.
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