Loved In Pieces (23 page)

Celia was completely unimpressed with
Dad
and thought he was a playboy rancher.
No one told her that
he
was
Mom
’s ex. No one thought about explaining that I was
their
daughter. None of us gave it any thought, especially since Celia dissed
Dad
repetitively
, which, of course, we all thought was hilarious
. Celia had to return to California a day before the rest of her family was scheduled to depart so
Dad
drove her to the
Bozeman
airport
, about an hour away from the ranch
. Her flight was
canceled
before they arrived in Bozeman
so he drove her to Missoula, which was
an additional
three
-
hour drive.

Dad
was a changed man when he returned that evening. We all saw that she had humbled him somehow. He wouldn’t talk about it with any of us but he
knew he wanted to be with her, so he
pursued her and then
found a job as a large animal veterinarian in Woodside, California.  He was thrilled that he was primarily caring for horses. It was his ideal job, and
he knew
Celia was his perfect mate.

Somehow, Celia and
Mom
were able to keep their friendship. Celia was innocent of wronging
Mom
in any way by
dating
her ex
. She knew I was
Mom
’s daughter but assumed that
we were guests who frequented every summer
since our last name
i
s “Michael
.
”
Dad
’s last name
i
s “Durglo,” and May’s last name
i
s “Johnston.”
Celia knew me as “Marie.” Tom talked about his daughter, “
Lia
.” She didn’t know I was
one and the same
.
The day she learned that
Dad
was
Mom
’s ex, she called
Mom
and talked it through with her and somehow
helped heal their wounds. She
i
s remarkable.

Getting right to the point, Celia asked, “So do you want to renegotiate your existing contracts on your own terms and see where that leads you or do you just want to
be
done?”

“I want to be done. I’ve gone through it over and over in my head and even if I abandon the studio and my agent, I still
have my existing Muse contract with Ira’s studio.
I’m still obligated to promote
Constantine’s Muse
this fall, work from August to January on Muse III, possibly re-shoot scenes in the spring, and tour for the fall or holiday release. I’ll also have to do promotional events for the next
three
years.
The money is so good that I try not to think about it
.
I get nervous when I do
…
feel like a fool.
So, yeah, I do
not
want to renew any contracts that are up when I turn eighteen. I want to keep Sage, though.”

Celia agreed, “I know
you’re
upset and worried, thinking
you’re
letting people down. But honestly,
Lia
, when this is over you will be left
whole
. We are here for you and love you. You will have a great life, and, frankly, after your
next Muse project,
I estimate that you’ll have a net worth of around $45 million
. M
ore if the sequel do
es
as well as Muse is doing
.
You’re
already set for life
,
so the money is just
more
money
from here on out
. I’m proud of you for not being greedy and
for
wanting what is best for you
.”

“I’m afraid of telling M
om
. She’s not due back for over a month. I’d rather just tell everyone what I want now so we don’t have to deal with the lawyers
who are already thinking about how they want to spend their cut of the deal
.” I gestured to the pile of FedEx and UPS
envelopes on the kitchen counter.

“Michelle will not take this well,” Celia agreed. “She worked har
d to develop the relationships. H
er career is also depend
e
nt upon the same relationships.
She needs to know before the meeting
tomorrow
.
I’ll think about what to do and get back
to
you with suggestions. Is it alright if I email you?”

“Not really. Sage
filters
my email.
I worry about the security of texts.
Can you call?”

She nodded.

“Thanks Celia,” I said, hugging her.

“Now, you go back to your boyfriend,” she said with a smile. “We brought
two
pretzel croissants just in case we
found
Man
ny
here.
I’m
very happy you have decided to take him into your heart. Even if it isn’t forever, love is worth the risk. Man
ny
loves you dearly.
He was out the door of his apartment while Carlos was still talking to Tom about Matthew.
H
e called me after your ordeal with
Byron
because he cares for you so much. We are both very impressed that
he
is so sensitive and patient at just eighteen years old. But you both still are teenagers. Call me anytime if you feel confused. Your celebrity is going to be really tough on him. Best friend to boyfriend can be a tricky transition as it is.”

She made sure I looked into her eyes. “Are you healing, hon?”

I closed my eyes while I decided how I should answer. She put her hand on mine and whispered, “That’s a ‘no.’ Come here, hon.” She embraced me. “It takes so much time, baby steps.” She looked at me again in the eyes. “Hmm. From your silence, I know.
And I
know men. Sex isn’t something they want just once
. I
t
will now be part of your relationship.
Be sure to talk openly. Share your feelings and take your time
.” She smiled at me and patted my shoulder.
She headed out of the kitchen with a bag of bakery goodies on top of the pile of documents in her
arms.
I felt jealous that she could eat anything she wanted.

“I will be downstairs reading these contracts. Please don’t let Tom bother me.
He gets so insecure when he is here in Santa Monica. It tears him up.” She shook her head with understanding eyes. “
Since I’m not a lawyer,
I’ll need to concentrate on what the mumbo jumbo means. I’ll make notes to ask
Martin
and your other lawyers. We meet with
Martin
tomorrow afternoon. Then I’ve got to get back. Tom can stay until Tuesday.”

I returned to the living room. Dad and my boyfriend
watched
basketball
.
I leaned on Manuel on th
e couch and responded to texts.

My cell rang. It was
Mom
. “Hi Mom!”

“Darling, how was prom?” she asked.

“Fabulous. I’m sitting with my boyfriend right now as a matter of fact.”

Manuel interrupted, “Hi Michelle. Prom was awesome
, s
o much fun.
Thanks for the car
.”

I continued, “
I’m
so glad I went. Thanks for encouraging me to go, Mom. You were right about not wanting to miss it.”

The guys cheered because someone
got fouled
. Then they
discussed
the game.

“I’m so glad, Marie. Who’s there with you? Sounds just like Tom,” she asked
,
surprised.

“It is,” I said and then realized I didn’t know what to say. She
wa
s a very, very intelligent woman. I looked at
Dad
, panicked. Watching my face intently, he reached out for the phone.

“Hi Michelle,” he chirped.

Oops. We
we
re done for. I
studied
Mom
. She’s ha
d
a supernatural ability to read people and notice the small gestures or intonations that set individuals apart. She s
aw
changes in expressions that most people d
idn
’t notice. She
hear
d
emotions.
Dad
just raised his intonation when he said ‘hi
.
’ She noticed his nervousness. I stopped short. She noticed that, too.

I held my hand out to take the phone because there was no need to hide the truth.
Dad
finished his small talk with her and handed me the phone with a hesitant look. I nodded, and he braced himself.

“Mom, I’ve decided that, except for Sage, I’m not renew
ing
any of the contracts that have to be renegotiated when I turn eighteen. I’ve thought about it since Christmas, and I know that I don’t want to be an actor
for another
five years
, except for being Muse
. I’ve asked Dad
and Celia
to come down to help me meet with
Martin
and the other lawyers tomorrow. I would have asked you, but I know
you’re
on location. I’m sorry, Mom. I know this will be disappointing for you, and I really appreciate the career you’ve made for me, but
I’m
sure i
t’
s not what I want to do for the rest of my life.”

That monologue took every ounce of strength and courage I had.
My knees gave out on me and I lumped down on the floor, still holding the phone to my ear. My head
pounded
even though I had some
pain killers
at lunch.
I
shook
. I noticed that Manuel’s head shot up when I was talking. I had not told him.

She didn’t hesitate to scold me, “No
,
you’re
not
going to throw your life away.
You’re
talented—o
ne in a million. Do you think just anyone gets the chances you’ve had?  You do
not
walk away from opportunities like these. Your career has been a gift.
You’re
acting like a spoiled little girl.  Just
grow up
already! I will
not
let you quit.
Is this about
Matthew or
you
almost
having sex with
Byron
?
”

“What? You know about that?”

“Of course I know. But what I don’t know is why you didn’t tell me.”

“I don’t want you to punish
Byron
. It was…a misunderstanding.”

“Some misunderstanding if you’re ready to throw away your career because
you’re
confused about how two men have
tried to take
advantage of you.
I’m
so sorry they behaved so badly but that is their unprofessionalism
. I
t’
s not your fault.”

“That’s not why I want to quit, Mom. I just don’t want this life. I want to be normal…”

She interrupted me
, “
Nonsense, Marie.
You’ll never be normal because you’re not normal. You’re exceptional.
Get Tom on the phone.”

I handed the phone to Manuel and pointed to
Dad
. I felt
sick to my stomach
. But I didn’t feel sad.
I knew what I wanted in
my life. Manuel sat down on the floor next to me and held me. I just held him in silence while
Dad
argued with
Mom
. I had been so worried about telling
Mom
that now that I
did it
I felt relief.
My body continued to tremble but
I could deal with her disappointment.