Authors: Chamein Canton
Marcus left around four, which left Cathy with some
time to get ready for the game. She wanted to look nice and
so she chose a skirt paired with a Yankee shirt with Marcus’s
name and number. Cathy noticed her skirt was a little
loose, a pleasant side effect of being in love with such a
gorgeous man.
There was a knock on the door.
“Cathy? Are you ready to head out?”
“Yeah. I’ll be there in a minute.” She checked her
“I’m caught up! I get lost in the afterglow!” Madison
sang off-key.
Cathy put her key card in her purse. “Very funny,
Madison.”
“You do have a glow about you, big sister.”
“Yes, I must say your hair looks great, Cathy. Yours, too,
Anna,” Madison smirked.
They ignored him.
“It’s nice to see you happy, Cathy.”
“Thank you, Roger. It feels nice too.”
“So what are we doing about tickets?” Madison asked.
“We have to go to the concierge desk.”
“All right then, Yankee fans, let’s boogie.”
“Ahem. I’m a conscientious objector.”
“That’s right, Roger’s a Mets fan.” Madison laughed.
“But Marcus is a cool guy, so I’m rooting for the
Yankees.”
Cathy laughed. “Thanks, Roger. I guess we’d better get
downstairs.”
Anna pressed the button for the elevator. Just as the
doors opened, Cybil and her entourage walked out. Cathy
and Cybil stared at each other like fighters at opposite
corners of the ring. Nothing was said and they simply let it
pass.
Madison pressed the button. “Did you feel that cold
wind?”
“Shut up, Mad,” Anna shot back. “Are you okay,
Cathy? That was weird.”
“I’m okay. Marcus and I talked about it and I’m fine.”
“She doesn’t look fine.”
“Madison, shut up.” Roger crossed his arms.
Roger had lightened the mood. They were laughing
when the elevator doors opened. Cathy went up to the
concierge desk.
“May I help you, ma’am?”
“Yes. I’m Catherine Chambers. I was told to come to
the concierge to get our tickets for the game.”
“Yes, ma’am. May I see some identification please?”
Cathy was a little taken aback as she opened her wallet
for her license. “My goodness, who on earth would want to
impersonate me for baseball tickets?”
The desk clerk checked her I.D. “Thank you, Ms.
Chambers. I’m sorry if we offended you.”
“None taken. You’re just doing your job.”
“We are. We certainly didn’t want a repeat of what
happened earlier.” As soon as it came out of his mouth it
was obvious he regretted it. “I’m sorry, Ms. Chambers.
Here are your VIP passes for the game.”
She took them. “Thank you, but what did you mean by
a repeat of what happened earlier? Did someone else try to
get the passes using my name?”
He spoke in a hushed tone. “I could get in a lot of
trouble.”
“I won’t say a word. Just tell me what happened.”
“A woman came to the desk earlier claiming to be you
and she wanted the passes.”
“What did she look like?”
“She didn’t look like you at all. Although I hate to
admit I read those rags, I’d seen your picture before so I
knew it wasn’t you.”
“Why on earth would anyone impersonate me? I don’t
know anyone here.”
He leaned forward. “Well, I saw her get into the
elevator with the people of that model Cybil just a few
minutes ago.”
“Is that right?” She reached in her bag and gave him a
tip. “Thank you. That was good looking out and I appreciate it. I really do.” She looked at his nametag. “You’ve
been a big help, Fred.”
“Anytime, Ms. Chambers.”
Madison, Anna and Roger were waiting for her.
“All set?” Anna asked.
“Yeah. I have everything.”
“What’s wrong? You don’t look happy. Are they bad
seats?”
“No, Madison, they’re not bad seats at all.”
“Then what’s wrong? It’s written all over your face.”
“Apparently Cybil sent one of her cronies to try to get
the passes earlier.”
“How?” Roger asked.
“The woman tried to impersonate me but Fred there
knew better.”
Anna’s face dropped. “You’re kidding me. The nerve of
that witch.”
“I asked Marcus how Cybil took the news. He said she
was fine, but I had a sinking feeling she was far to the left
of fine.”
“She can’t change his feelings for you. They’re a done
deal.”
“Maybe so, Anna, but that doesn’t mean she has to like
it or me.” She stopped to take a couple of breaths. “Let’s go.
I don’t want to be late.”
Distracted, Cathy searched through her bag to find the
keys.
“Give me the keys. I’ll drive.” Anna held her hand out.
She handed Anna the keys. “Thanks.”
As they walked towards the exit she stopped. “Listen, I
want us to have a good time at the game, so let’s take Cybil
and her antics off the discussion table for now.”
“I second that.” Madison raised his hand.
“Good. Now the Devil Rays have been giving my boys
a hell of a time this year and they need all the good
thoughts and energy we can give them. Okay?” She smiled.
Cathy could only imagine that she looked like a deer in
headlights. God knows, she felt like one.
Even though Jonathan was no Melvin, he was just as
sweet and helpful. He made sure he gave them the real VIP
treatment. As for Cathy, she felt safe at the game. Marcus
was on the field and the Yankees returned to form, beating
the Devil Rays quite handily. By the seventh inning stretch,
all was right with the world.
Madison returned from the bar with his third rum and
Coke. “You know, I think I like baseball.”
“What’s the matter with him?” Cathy asked.
“He’s on his third rum and Coke.” Roger smiled as he
worked on his one and only beer.
Anna shook her head. “Can’t take him anywhere, especially when top shelf liquor is concerned.”
“Normally I would resent that statement but I don’t
care. I need to let my hair down and have a few drinks.”
“Good thing we’re the designated drivers,” Anna said.
“True.”
Cathy looked around the stadium and noticed Lisa.
“Hey, Anna, that’s Lisa over there. I wonder what she’s
covering.”
“Don’t worry, whatever it is it will be in on the supermarket stands before you know it,” Anna answered.
“True again.”
“From the looks of things I’d say you spend a lot of time
in the supermarket.” A voice came from over her shoulder.
Cathy turned around to see Cybil George standing
there looking as if she were far more than half in the bag.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me. You look like you spend a lot of time in
the supermarket.” She seethed.
“Ms. George, I think you’re drunk and you should leave
before you say anything else.” Cathy tried to take the high
road.
“Why?” She stepped towards me. “What are you going
to do about it? Eat me?”
Anna stood up. “I think you should shut up.”
“Anna, you don’t have to stand up for me. I’m not
paying her any attention.” She turned her back to ignore
her.
She was persistent. “What did you do to him? Huh?
Did you put something in his food to make him love you?
I mean, you are so not his type. You might have a pretty
face but you’re fat.”
Angered, Cathy stood up. “I didn’t do anything to him.
I didn’t drug him or anything like that. He wants me for
me.”
“You don’t even know him. We were together for three
years.”
“So you’re not together anymore and the only reason
this bothers you is because you lost him to a fat chick and
everybody knows it,” Cathy shot back
“You are what you are.”
“You know what? You can call me fat, large, obese or
whatever label gets you through the night. I know that I
love him and he loves me. It doesn’t change the facts, and
you know it.”
She lunged towards Cathy. “You fat bitch.”
Cathy moved out of the way and she fell flat on her
face. Cathy bent down to try to help her up. “Don’t touch
me.”
“Fine. Get up,” Cathy said.
Cybil stood up and touched her split lip. “See what you
did to me!”
“I didn’t do anything to you.”
Madison piped up. “It’s not her fault! You lunged at her,
not the other way around.”
Although neither of them had noticed, Roger had
gotten security.
The security guards flanked Cybil on both sides and she
got indignant. “Take your hands off me!”
“Miss, you need to come with us.”
“Get off me. You have no right to put your hands on
me!”
“Miss, you are causing a disturbance and we need to
remove you from the stadium. If you continue to resist, we
will call the police who will then take you into custody.”
“You can’t arrest me! Do you know who I am?” Cybil
insisted.
“I don’t care if you’re the queen of England. You’re
intoxicated and disorderly.”
A third security officer appeared.
“Fine! I’ll leave. Just don’t touch me!”
She stumbled up the stairs and nearly fell again. When
the guards caught her, she flew into a rage and they physically escorted her out. In the meantime, Cathy was in a
daze.
“Cathy? Cathy are you all right?”
Her face felt flushed. “It’s the ninth inning and I want
to go. I have to go.”
“Okay, we’ll leave now. Roger, can you drive?”
“Yeah. Not a problem.”
Cathy felt she walked past a firing squad of looks.
Honestly, she would have preferred bullets; they would
hurt less. She was the humiliated fat girl, whether she’d
gotten a few good barbs in or not. As they walked out,
Cathy saw Lisa out of the corner of her eye. She would have
waved but she couldn’t bring herself to look anywhere but
straight ahead.
On the other side of the parking lot a group of reporters
surrounded Cybil.
“What’s going on over there?” Madison asked.
Roger looked over. “It looks like the police are taking
Cybil into custody.”
“I guess her manners didn’t improve any.”
“Could you two stop talking about this? Look at Cathy.
She’s in a daze and I can guarantee you that feeding frenzy
will turn its attention to us if we don’t get her to the car and
out of here.”
“You’re right. Let’s get the lead out.” Despite three rum
and Cokes, Madison picked up the pace.
No one wanted to draw attention. As nonchalantly as
possible they picked up the pace to get to the car. Roger and
Madison hopped into the front seat while Anna and Cathy
scooted into the back. Cathy bent down in the back seat
until they cleared the parking lot. Even once they were out
of harm’s reach, Cathy remained quiet in the car.
“What was the guy’s name at the concierge desk again?”
Anna asked.
“Fred,” Roger answered.
“Madison, call the hotel and ask for Fred. Maybe he can
help us get Cathy to her room.”
“Why? Cathy’s okay to walk. Aren’t you?”
“Yes, Madison, I can walk.” Cathy sounded robotic.
“Idiot. I don’t mean to help her to walk to her room.
I’m talking about the media that’s likely to be at the hotel.”
While the car was stopped at a light, Roger looked at
Anna. “You really think they’ll be there? We left before
them.”
“Absolutely. The media is better organized than the
military. Their strategy is to have an entrance and exit plan
when it comes to news items. So you can bet there’s
someone at the hotel waiting for Cathy and there’s another
one down at the police station waiting for Cybil.”
Madison dialed the hotel. Anna rubbed Cathy’s hand.
“You’re okay, Cathy. You did a great job of standing up for
yourself. This wasn’t your fault.”
Madison closed his cell phone. “I spoke to Fred and he
said he’ll meet us around the employees’ entrance near the
kitchen. This way we can take the service elevator up.”
Just as Anna had predicted, reporters and photographers surrounded the front entrance.
Roger was mystified. “Even vultures take a while before
they feed.”
“Okay, Cathy, you’re going to have to put your head
down.”
Cathy put her head down. “Is this low enough?”
“Yeah.”
She couldn’t believe she was reduced to hiding from
reporters.
“Okay, we’re clear.”
Roger pulled into a space. Fred was waiting near the
door.
“Fred, we can’t thank you enough.”
“Not a problem. Anything I can do.”
Cathy forced a smile. “Thanks.”
“I still can’t believe all this commotion.” Madison
looked around.
They used the kitchen entrance to avoid prying eyes,
and Fred used his key for the service elevator.
“Thanks, Fred,” Anna said.
“We really appreciate it,” Roger added.
“How in the world did those reporters find out so
quickly? That’s what I want to know,” Madison said.
Fred piped up. “It was on the radio. They said a fight
broke out between Marcus Fox’s ex-girlfriend Cybil George
and his new girlfriend Catherine Chambers.”
“They over-hype everything. You would have thought it
was the Thriller in Manilla between Ali and Frazier,”
Madison scoffed.
When the elevators opened, Fred stayed behind.
“This is as far as I can take you. My break is over and I
have to get back to the desk.”
Anna reached into her bag and took out a hundred
dollar bill. “Thank you.”
“No, really. It was my pleasure.”
Anna got back on the elevator and put the money in his
pocket. “I insist. This was above and beyond the call of
duty.” She gave him a peck on the cheek.
“Thank you. Take care of yourself, Ms. Chambers. I
hope to see you around tomorrow.”
“Maybe so.”
“Listen, I’m going to Cathy’s room with her for a while.
Why don’t you two get something to eat and bring it back
to her room?” Anna said.
“Yeah. We can do that. Come on, Madison.”
“We’ll be back, Cathy.”
“Okay.”
“Where’s your key card?”
She handed it to Anna.
After Anna opened the door, Cathy only took two steps
before collapsing into a sobbing heap in the middle of the
floor. Anna didn’t say a word. She knew Cathy had to let it
go somehow, so she just hugged her while she cried for
herself and anyone else who’d ever been the fat chick.
After the game there was a bigger media presence than
usual. A crush of reporters was trying to get to Marcus. A
longtime pro at handling himself around the media, Ben
managed to snake his way around them to an alternate
exit.
Marcus stole away to another area to get away from
the commotion.
Mark slid in the door. “It’s crazy out there.”
“I know. I have no idea what any of this is about.”
“I do,” Ben interjected. “I have two words for you:
Cybil George.”
“What?”
“That woman is bad news.” Mark shook his head.
“What happened?”
“As best I can tell, it seems that Ms. George was
inebriated and caused a disturbance in the suite.”
“Wasn’t that where Cathy was seated?” Mark asked.
“Yes,” Ben answered. “It gets better.”
Marcus sat down. “I’m afraid to ask. How much
better?”
“She exchanged words with Cathy and there was some
sort of altercation.”
“They had a fight?”
“No, it was more like Cybil tried to start one but
landed on her face.”
Marcus was frantic. “Where’s Cathy now?”
“No one has seen her.” Ben was sorry he didn’t have an
answer.
There was a knock on the door. Tim stepped in.
“Sorry to intrude, but Lisa Spellman just handed me a
note for you, Marcus.” He handed him a piece of paper.
“A note for me?” He opened it and started to read.
“What does it say?” Ben was anxious.
Marcus’s expression changed. “Cathy was right.”
“What?” Mark asked.
“Cathy said she thought Lisa was good people and her
instincts were on the money.”
“What’s in the note?” Ben asked.
“Read it for yourself.”
Ben read the note while Mark read it over his
shoulder. “Well, I’ll be. I guess I have to take back what I
was thinking.”
“I can’t believe it.”
Ben chuckled. “I never thought I’d see the day I would
say this.”
“Say what, Ben?”
“I need to get Lisa Spellman on the phone so we can
set the record straight. I think you should give her an
exclusive.”
“You have her number?”
“I have everyone’s number.”
The men laughed.