Five for Forever (20 page)

“All right, Dad, no need to sell me on this trip. I’m already on the plane with you, and the door is about to be closed. But don’t expect too much of me here.”

“I’ll zip up my mouth now and will hide behind my book for the rest of the trip.”

Agnes looked out the window and watched the last of the luggage being loaded.

nineteen

The Wear and the Tear

There were some instances where their two worlds collided and left marks on their relationship. Louise’s constant absence for business-related trips was one. There was always one more promotional event or some contractual obligation like an AIDS gala here or a patron-of-the-arts event there.

Worst were the events that happened close to home, as expectations in the movie community grew that Louise Waters would show up with her new boyfriend instead of with some token company, like a fellow actor or her agent.

“Uh-oh,” Louise said when she read the invitation card that had been hand-delivered to Oxnard a few minutes earlier.

“What is it?”

“Farber Sellman has invited me to his yearly barbecue next Sunday.” Sellman was the owner of the last independent studio of the former Hollywood studio system and an éminence grise of the industry. He was the maker and breaker of careers, and one could be sure that he had the first-view rights of most upcoming talents and scripts. “Not good.”

“Why? Just say no, say you have a migraine. Or that you need to attend Dana’s daycare summer fest.”

“Frack! That is next Sunday, too! You are right. And, oh my gosh, look what Farber wrote on the back. ‘Dear Louise, so excited to get to know your shipbuilder.’ You are invited, too!”

“Well, Dana is Dana, and Sellman is who, exactly?.”

“You really don’t know who Farber Sellman is?”

“I know that he is a big studio boss and an important player. And I remember the tragic kidnapping case of his daughter in the eighties.”

“Farber is
the man
. He is like the Godfather, Darth Vader, and Colonel Kurtz, all rolled into one.”

“Didn’t you forget Hannibal Lecter and Lord Voldemort?”

“Don’t joke about that, I mean it. Nothing happens in this town without him.”

“This town meaning Oxnard?”

“The fact alone that he knows where you live and that I am here with you today shows us how serious Farber is. With one snap of a finger, I am unemployed and discredited for the rest of my life.”

Rick stared at her. “You mean, if I showed him the finger, he would make sure you never get invited anywhere again? Wouldn’t that be a genius solution to clearing your calendar for good?”

Louise held her head in her hand. “This is a nightmare.”

“Lou, isn’t that what you wanted A life with us outside of the industry?”

“Yes, but not this way. I want to have a soft landing, not crash and burn. I’ll have a hard time explaining why you couldn’t come with me.”

“Nothing hard to explain, my daughter comes first; he will understand. He once had a daughter, too.”

“No one ever talks about his dead daughter in his presence. I’m even afraid to write the word
daughter
in my reply to him.”

Rick shook his head. “This is beyond me. So you’re not going to come to Dana’s daycare parent’s summer fest?”

“Rick, I can’t. I really can’t.”

“But then you tell her yourself!”

“Are you mad at me?”

“Yes! No! Both! Not mad. I am disappointed that Dana doesn’t have priority in your new life.”

“I’ll make it up to Dana.”

In the evening, Rick joined Louise in bed, where she was already lying on her back and reading a book. “You still mad?”

“A little bit. Did you talk to Dana?”

“Yes.”

“What did she say?”

“Same thing you said,” Louise answered, and then mimicked Dana’s voice. “‘Don’t you wanna see me sing?’ I explained to her as best as I could, but it was heartbreaking.”

“Lou, can I give you a piece of advice from a seasoned parent to a rookie? Especially now that you are late in the game?”

“Sure, I’ll take all the help I can get.”

“There will be no tomorrow when it comes to kids. Dana is the youngest. Everything that will happen to her, will be the last time in our lives. It is her first time singing a song for us with her co-daycare toddlers; there will be no second first time. She will soon learn to ride a bicycle. After that event, there will be no other kid in this family learning to ride the bike. Same goes for the last first day of school in two years. Lou, if you are missing these steps in her life, you will be missing them in your life, too. You go to that producer’s event on Sunday, you will never see your stepdaughter’s first play. Sure there will be others, but they will be routine; you’ll miss the excitement of watching your kid learn or do something for the first time. Remember that.”

Louise had no reply. She hated herself for the poor handling of the situation, but in her industry you simply did not say no to Farber Sellman.

After they had switched off the light and lay side by side in the dark, Louise cuddled up to Rick.

“You still awake?”

“Hm?”

“We could solve this first-time problem if we produce another Flint. Dana doesn’t need to be the youngest.”

“That is a huge step in our relationship, don’t you think? We’ve been together for less than half a year, and you are still away most of the time.”

“But would you?”

“Lou, this is not a talk to have in bed while I am half-asleep. This is a talk when you are walking along the beach before sunset.”

“Then I will invite you for that. I’ll ask Hal to put it on your calendar for tomorrow.”

“Can I sleep now?” Rick muttered.

“Yes, honey.”

After a minute, Louise whispered, “Would you insist on the letter E?”

“Absolutely. And Emile is out.”

“Eugene? Eudora?”

“The poor kid!”

Tuesday had a scheduled shoot for a promo, so Louise had decided to sleep over at the Malibu house. After the fight on Sunday and a cranky Rick, it was good to give themselves a little distance for a day or two. Floris didn’t have to check the house, as Emile was already waiting for them with the latest material for the promo and some other business matters on Monday afternoon.

“There is one more thing,” Emile said, more seriously than usual after they had gone over the agenda, dresses, and the lines. “I want to give you notice.”

“Emile,” Louise exclaimed. “What happened?”

“Louise, face it, you don’t need me anymore. You are winding down your engagements, and we haven’t had an interaction like this for the last two weeks. I am bored stiff. Arielle is equally able to run the rest of your daily affairs.” He gave a small smile. “And you have better taste in fashion than I do anyway, honey.”

“I don’t know what to say. Do you already know what is next for you?”

“I have a good offer from another A-lister. My Spanish lessons paid off.”

Louise got up and hugged Emile. “All the best then. It is a change, but it is simply logical. I
am
winding down my career and have a different schedule now.”

The yearly Farber Sellman garden party had the longest red carpet of all events in Hollywood. This year the carpet measured exactly 239 feet. At its end Sellman stood with his wife of fifty years, Maria, and shook the hand of every guest who made the trek from the limo drop-off zone, up the majestic driveway, past the designated media area, to the mansion. Sellman was a little shrunken man who embraced the dream-making business to its fullest. Whatever he had done or still did, it always had to have flair. Beneath it was a hard-boiled businessman who knew exactly how the business worked. He was in his midseventies but was still a constant presence in the industry, well connected, and always true to his word.

Louise and Josh made their way up the hill. Josh had offered himself as a replacement. They hadn’t seen each other since the promotional pre-interviews for
Sell! Sell! Sell!
in June. Josh took most of the questions; Louise just gave a nice smile. Of course everyone’s second question was “Where’s your boyfriend?” Louise smiled and answered in true media-professional fashion, “Isn’t this an awesome entrance to the party? Look at all these people! Farber and Maria have outdone themselves.”

Then they stood in line for the handshake with the host and his wife, various other celebrities in front of them.

Josh held Louise’s hand. “You’re nervous, Lou-baby!”

“You don’t look so hot yourself,” Louise observed. Josh looked stressed out; he hid most of it under his usual perfect tan, but hollow eyes and too many easy laughs belied his exterior.

“I am going under again, can’t help it. And before you ask, thank you very much, no, you can’t help me,” Josh said. “A solid combination of depression, addiction, and self destruction.”

“I thought you to be pretty stable during
Sell! Sell! Sell!
”

“Me too, but my mood is like the weather.” He frowned. “Is that already a song title? If not, you heard it first here. Our turn.”

“Maria, Farber, so delighted, thanks for your invitation,” Louise said and hugged first Maria and then Farber.

Farber switched his genial host face to a scowl. “Waters, didn’t I request the presence of your shipbuilding boyfriend? That’s not him. Who is this man, anyway?” He pointed a finger accusingly at Josh, who just raised his hands in a mock
moi mais non
gesture.

Louise felt like a little girl caught dipping into the cookie jar. “Rick had to excuse himself. His youngest daughter has her first recital at the kindergarten.”

“A fine man you have there!” Sellman said gruffly. “I would have liked to meet him. Must be some love to throw your career away!”

Maria Sellman stepped in and pulled her husband away. “He is just jealous, Louise, because he secretly expects me to die before him so that he could marry you himself.” Her husband nudged her playfully, but kept his sour face.

“And you are?”

“Josh Hancock, I made you a hundred million dollars in the late nineties,” Josh said, slightly ruffled for not being recognized.

“Yesterday’s hundred million are two hundred million today.” Sellman patted Josh’s cheek like a capo. “Enjoy the party!”

Sellman turned to the next guests in line, and the last thing Louise and Josh heard Maria Sellman say was, “We shouldn’t have watched
The Godfather
last night. Poor Louise, poor Josh. You rattled them . . .”

Josh glanced at Louise. “Think he was pulling our leg?” He was actually sweating.

“I hope.” Louise frowned as they entered the mansion, slapped away Josh’s hand from the Champagne, and picked up sparkling water glasses instead.

The party hosted everyone who either had a name or had green-lighting powers in Hollywood, and Louise drifted from group to group. Some greeted her like old friends, as if she was still one of them. Others somehow managed never to be in the same conversation circle as her. But for Louise this was all right. In a way this was her farewell tour. Next year she probably would be sitting with Rick in the garden of the school, watching Dana’s next summer recital.

There was no formal dinner, just some finger food and a salad buffet and a gigantic barbecue. Louise maneuvered to the salad buffet and picked here and there.

“Look who the cat dragged in.” Louise heard a voice from beside her. Madge Hardy stood there, also picking some dietary scraps from the buffet. Body before nutrition, both women understood.

Where Louise was the shielded superstar who avoided contact with fans and media whenever possible, Madge still bathed in fame and crowds, underscored by a constant entourage of artists and hangers-on. But looks-wise, the women could have been sisters. Both had the million-dollar smiles and loud laughs that everyone loved to hear, both had a perfect body with just ten years between them, and blonde hair, Louise’s straight and Madge’s with a curly wave.

“If it’s not my second favorite movie actress,” Louise replied. “Honey, how are you?” She picked a small bowl of tomatoes with buffalo mozzarella and a single basil leaf.

“Already tired of your suburb?” Madge asked with a concentrated frown on her face. “Oh, no, I remember, they wouldn’t let a Chrysler family wagon onto the premises!” Some of Madge’s entourage snickered.

“Still looking for your next dream role, after I snatched away
Five Ways of Solitude
?” Louise poked. She saw Bruce Willis mouthing to Arnold Schwarzenegger on the other side of the salad buffet:
“Catfight.”

“That was not nice. I should empty my mojito over your head, but it would be a waste.”

Open laughter from the hangers-on.

“Honey, that’s the best you have? Two laughs from the bought crowd?” Louise waved her off. “Dismissed.”

Madge turned red. “You trailer-park tramp, don’t tell me anything about my career. No one will remember you in ten years from now.” She cocked her hip and put her finger on the back of her nose. “In fact, I think no one will even remember that you came to this party next year.”

With that, Madge turned around and wiggled her little behind at Louise, the followers forming around her again.

With the sure knowledge that at Hollywood parties someone was always filming something and that anything on video would find its way to the outside world, Louise took the bowl of tuna salad, ran two quick steps to catch up with Madge, and emptied it over her head. Madge’s loud scream turned everyone’s head while Louise went back to the buffet, and continued to eat her mozzarella. Madge came charging, tackled Louise in full run, and both women crashed into the fully loaded salad buffet sideways, taking it down with them. All hell broke loose!

Louise came home from the party in some baggy loaner-clothing and a plastic bag with the ruined Armani dress in hand. Rick greeted her at the door, just having come back from the childcare event and dinner himself.

“Did you sneak out East to get a college degree after all?” he commented on the washed-out Princeton sweatshirt.

“Shut up! I am mad at the world. And myself.”