For the Love of His Life (12 page)

She leaned over and replaced the warm washcloth with another cold one.

“But don’t worry. No one else knows all of that except me. Gram-Marie would have a shit-fit and so would my parents. Jared said he had to let someone up here know what you were capable of, so I could do what I could to keep you out of trouble. So far I thought I was doing pretty good. I guess I should have thought of going with you to the bars, but I’ve never been a heavy drinker. Don’t get me wrong, I like wine with food, and a really cold beer on a hot day is excellent. But that’s about it for me. The few times I’ve ever been really drunk in my life aren’t happy memories. I usually woke up feeling like you do and embarrassed by the things that other people told me I said and did. So hanging around in bars for hours until closing time is not my idea of a good time. My bad.”

Raul reached his hand over toward the glass and Veronica leaned forward.

“Do you want me to hold the glass for you again?”

“Nah, I think I can do that much for myself.”

“So are you feeling any better? Did the pills kick in and work their magic? That’s why I gave you three of them, though the bottle says only two at a time, maximum. But you looked like you had an industrial-strength hang-over, which calls for desperate measures.”

“Yes, they took the biting edge off the pain. You can go now. I think I’ll just try to sleep it off.”

“Not a chance, dude. We’ve got to get some food into you then get you near a phone at the same time as Gram-Marie is there. We’ll call Jared and put him on speaker-phone and try to work out a deal.”

“Why? I bring trouble where-ever I go. It’s a part of the bad-boy image my agent uses to sell me to the public. I don’t want to get anyone up here hurt because of me. I should just leave and let you go back to your peaceful lives.”

“And what about Jared? What about the movie he wants to make with you? What about all of the time and money he’s already spent getting things in the works? Are you going to throw that all away because you’re afraid to face my ninety-pound, white-haired little grandmother?”

Even though it hurt his head, Raul shook it slowly, saying, “No, it’s not that I’m afraid of her. It’s that you all are family. You have something I’ve never been a part of. I have a Mom and no one else. I don’t want to be responsible for any of you getting hurt. Jared will be able to find a better actor to play his Hank Maynard. And I can go back to living my life the way I’m told to.”

Veronica leaned forward to turn the washcloth to the other side again and he met her gaze, looking steadily back at her.

Just like in the movies
, Raul thought.
Only my eyes are hurting from jiggling back and forth looking at both of her pupils.

Veronica smiled at him and he fought the urge to run his fingers through her hair and drink in the smell of her skin while he lost himself in her dimples.

“Why, Raul Roderick, I do believe I’m finally talking to the real you…the real person under the layers of acting that you are always doing.”

He nodded at her gravely. “My name is Raul Ricardo Rodriguez, beautiful lady. I’m pleased to meet you.”

Veronica giggled. “Okay, Raul Ricardo Rodriguez, here’s the deal. Jared wants you to star in this movie that is very near and dear to his heart. He says you are the only one who can do it and he wants to wring the performance of a lifetime out of you. In order for that to happen, you need to continue staying here until he gets your trailer up here. Are you with me so far?”

He nodded again, swallowing hard against the nausea.

“Good. So the way I see it, you need to eat something to anchor your stomach and help you finish processing all the alcohol you poisoned yourself with last night. Then you are going to follow that up with a huge helping of crow as you apologize to Gram-Marie for being an asshole and any part you had in putting Jake in danger, and bringing a biker gang onto her property in the middle of the night, and possibly losing her some customers. At that point I will explain to her that you weren’t the guilty party last night, because I got the whole story from Tom Jenkins before I came over to wake you up. She will see that you are contrite and forgive you. You will promise it won’t happen again. Jared will let us know when the crew is getting up here. And then we will all sing
Kum-ba-yah
together as we grab each other for a huge group hug. Does that work for you?”

Raul was overcome with the urge to reach up and hug her now, but the pain in his head reminded him that he was still recovering, and the pain of knowing how little she thought of him stopped him from acting on his instincts. This woman would always think he was acting…that he was putting moves on her because that’s the kind of man-whore he was. He sighed with regret for what could never happen between them.

Veronica misread the sigh.

“Are you alright? Or are you going to be sick again?”

He shook his head, gently so as to keep it attached to his body.

“No, I’m feeling as good as can be expected. I’m not sure I’m going to be able to eat anything, but I’m willing to try.”

“Fine. I’ll head back up to the kitchen and see what I can scrounge up for you. You finish the coke. If you’re up for it, take a shower. I’ll be back as soon as I can with some light food you should be able to tolerate.”

“And another coke?”

“Yes, I’ll bring another coke and more ice.”

“Okay.”

She got up and headed back for the door.

“Oh, and Veronica?”

She turned back, her hand on the door handle. “What?”

“Thanks. Jared is really lucky to have family like you. I’d be honored if you would consider me a friend, but I realize I’ll have to work at it for you to trust me. I’ll try to earn that trust.”

Veronica smiled so wide he felt the warmth of the sun down to his bones. When she shut the door behind her, he sat up and made his way to the bathroom to clean himself up.

Chapter Ten

And so it was, two hours later, that Veronica and Raul slowly made their way up the path that led to the main building. Raul had showered, shaved and changed his clothes and at least looked presentable, unlike the drunken bum Marie had thrown out last night. Veronica had brought him ramen noodles made with her home-made chicken broth, along with some of Marie’s famous apple sauce. He’d finished it all off meekly, along with the second can of cola. After the food he’d taken a couple more pills which were doing their job keeping most of the headache from incapacitating him. He felt almost human again. He finished most of a cigarette on the way up the path and made sure to dispose of the butt in the garbage can out back.

He was heading up towards the front of the building when Veronica touched his arm gently, pulling him over to the back entrance. He tried not to react to her touch, but felt as if a current was running from her hand, along his arm, right to his stomach. He didn’t feel nauseated as much as anxious. From what, he didn’t know.

Likely facing the old woman who wants to throw me out on my ass…
he mused, but then he stole a quick look at the profile of the woman next to him.
Or maybe it’s just that I want her to touch me so much…

Veronica stopped at the bottom step of the porch and smiled at him.

“From the noise in there, I’m guessing she’s called in reinforcements. I can hear my Dad’s voice, as well as Jake’s. Maybe Aunt Joan is in there too—she’s Jake’s Mom.”

Raul shot her a look filled with alarm. “How should I play this?”

“What?”

“How should I act? How should this scene go?”

She stared at him quizzically. “You really don’t know how to deal with family? No cousins, no aunts and uncles, no siblings, none of that?”

He shook his head. “Nope. Just Mom and me. Her baby-daddy left right after she found out she was pregnant. That’s why I don’t ever intend to father any bastards. It was hard growing up so alone.”

Veronica continued to meet his eyes and he forced himself not to look away.

No! Not pity! I don’t want you to pity me! Anything but that!

She sighed heavily. “Okay, Raul, here’s the thing. This is
not
a movie scene. This is not a role for you to play. There’s no
play
involved here. This is real-life, with real consequences. You know the way you introduced me to yourself with your real name? That was probably the first time I felt like I was seeing the real person under your fake
movie star
persona. That’s the person Gram-Marie will be most likely to forgive. So you have to be vulnerable to her and let her see how sorry you are, and how much you want to make things up to her by ensuring it won’t happen again. That’s how it is with family.”

She smiled and patted his arm gently. “Family is made up of the people who will take you in when no one else will. But the reason they will stand by you is that family members are also the only people in the world that you can’t ever lie to. Tell the truth now and I think we can pull your butt out of the fire. Okay?”

He nodded slowly, the anxious feeling in the pit of his stomach only growing worse as the physical pain lessened.

“Okay. I’ll try.”

She nodded back at him and together they walked up the back stairs to the porch, She knocked and pushed the back door open.

The conversation stopped as they entered and Raul felt his skin prickling all over his body, as it often had all through his childhood when he had started a new school multiple times a year and all of the other kids stared at him. He had learned back then to pretend that he didn’t care, to act like he was someone else. Now she expected him to face judgmental strangers as himself. He took a deep breath, realizing that there were a few more people than he had expected.

“Hi Gram-Marie, Mom, Dad. Aunt Joan, I heard your voice along with Jake’s. But I didn’t know Uncle Bill came too. Okay, time for introductions.”

A tall young man who looked barely older than Veronica but had a sleeping baby in the front carrier he wore, tried to look as macho as a man holding a baby could be as he said, “Don’t bother, Ronnie. We all know who he is.”

Raul bowed first to Gram-Marie, then to the other woman, before he inclined his head to nod to the men in the room.

“No, sir, you only know the name that my agent thought would be a better sell for an actor who didn’t want to be limited to the few roles written for Hispanics. My name is Raul Ricardo Rodriguez, and I want to thank all of you for the hospitality you have shown to me, that I most certainly have not deserved.”

Marie stared at him suspiciously, “Oh? Not so cocky now that you are being tossed out, are you?
Now
you want to thank us?”

Erik, Veronica’s father moved over to sit next to his mother on the couch, patting her on the knee. “Now Mom, let’s hear what he has to say before you make any final decision.”

She shook her head. “Don’t you
now Mom
me, young man! I put up with a lot when he moved in here, but I draw the line at endangering my grandson and my business. My guests come here for the peace and quiet, and they won’t come back if they have to worry about Harleys roaring up here in the middle of the night, chasing after some drunk who didn’t have the sense to not hit on a biker babe!”

Veronica had moved over to the phone and dialed it, then smiled when she said, “Hello? Jared? It’s Ronnie. I’m putting you on speaker phone now. Mom and Dad are here, along with Aunt Joan, Uncle Bill and Jake. And Keith is here with the baby, so we have to be sure not to yell too loudly.”

“Hi everyone. Ronnie, is Raul there too?”

“Yes, I’m here,” he responded.

“Okay. What’s all this about? What’s happened?”

Marie spoke up quickly, “The actor you sent us is insufferably rude. He drinks too much, I had to threaten him to get him to stop bringing drugs onto my property, and he sleeps all day so he can drink all night. He closes the bars, meaning poor Jake has to drive him back up here at all hours of the night. I’ve been letting him sleep on my sofa bed so he doesn’t have to drive all the way back home that late. But last night the bum hit on the wrong woman and a biker gang followed them up from the town and I had to chase them off with my rifle! Luckily Phil and three other cops showed up. It took four squads to convince the bikers they needed to leave town. Then Jake had to almost carry
Mr. Famous Movie Star
back to his cabin because he was passed out in the back of the car. I won’t have it, Jared, I won’t! Not on my property!”

She was shaking with her anger. When her son tried to put his arm around her she angrily shook it off. Veronica came back from the fridge pouring a bottle of beer into a glass and put it on the coffee table in front of her grandmother.

Marie made a
Hmph
sound at Veronica, then picked up the glass to delicately sip some beer before she put it back down again.

Jared asked, “Raul, do you remember any of that?”

Raul spoke clearly. “No, Jared. I was drinking doubles all night, so I don’t remember anything much after I got there, until I woke up in agony this morning.” He took a deep breath. “Maybe you should find someone else to be your Hank Maynard. You have a nice family up here. I’m really jealous. But I don’t want to be responsible for anyone getting hurt. So if
Señora
Maria wants me to leave, I’d better go.”