Love's Autograph (2 page)

78 days later.

Ellie sat on the leather couch in the lobby of Haps Records waiting for her ride. Dina and Davie sat on the ottomans opposite her. They were poking and scribbling on their tablets. Davie never seemed to wear the same outfit twice. A light grey v-neck t-shirt under a white sports jacket hung off his skinny body. Black, thick-rimmed glasses framed his face.

“
What are you wearing?” Ellie asked Davie.

“
Let's not pretend like I’m not the best dressed out of the three of us,” Davie said. “Someone today told me that I resembled Tobey Maguire.”

“
From Spiderman?” Ellie asked.

“
Yeah… sure, I can see that,” Dina said as she looked up from her phone and surveyed Davie. Davie smiled triumphantly. “A geeky, gay Tobey.” Ellie laughed, walked over to Davie and patted him on the back.

“
Why do I even bother to hang out with you two?” Davie asked.

“
I’m brilliant,” Dina said.

“
And I’m your boss,” Ellie answered.

“
Oh yeah, right,” Davie laughed. “I still think I look stunning.”

“
Hitting a weight room wouldn’t hurt,” Dina said as she squeezed Davie's bicep.

“
Dina stop! You’re horrible for his self-esteem,” Ellie laughed and winked at Davie.

“
Okay, to do a quick run-through: Tuesday is the radio gig, Wednesday we have the music video meeting, and the rest of the week we’ll be picking the band. You still want in on that, right?” Dina asked.

“
Huh, yeah, yeah,” Ellie answered. “Can you put all these in my calendar?”

“
Sure, but you said you didn't want me doing that anymore. You still experiencing the side-effects of that knock on your head? You said you wanted me to run through things with you,” Dina answered.

“
Enough talk of the head injury. Anyway, you're the best assistant I’ve ever had,” Ellie said. “I’m sure you can manage.”

“
I told you to be careful with walking out among your fans,” Dina said. “There was bound to be an incident where you got hurt.”

“
Hey, the fans just got out of hand,” Ellie said. “Sometimes there's something called a mob mentality. Nobody meant to hurt me.”

“
Yeah, that was one mean lump on your head,” Davie said. “What was it the doctors said, that it was worse than an NLF player?”

“
NFL player!” She corrected. “Davie, I swear I have to get you to watch more sports. Dina put that on my list ‘buy Davie sport package,’” Ellie laughed.

“
Don't waste your money,” Davie said.

“
You sure you’re ready to get back into the swing of things?” Dina asked. “After all, it's only been about two months since the incident, and you're still getting over you-know-who.”

“
I’m ready. I’m just having a hard time concentrating,” Ellie answered.

“
Wait, wait,” Davie said. “Last time she was like this was, let me think… yes, you were in love.”

“
Oh yeah,” Dina said. “I've known you for what, almost twenty years, and Davie has been your media agent for what, five years. You’re in love. Is that it?”

“
You guys think you know me so well. When is the last time I wasn't at the studio or home alone. I haven't been around anyone other than you goofs. I’m not in love. I’m preoccupied,” Ellie said.

“
Wait let me see,” Dina pretended to be typing something in her phone. “Yup,
preoccupied
is a synonym for
in love
.”

“
Look, my ride is here,” Ellie said. “See you guys later, and Dina please put all those dates in my calendar for me.”

Ellie pushed open the glass door and walked out to the street. Car lights reflected off the street's puddles. Ellie r
an to the car. A tall, slender man in his fifties jumped out, jogged around to the passenger's side, and opened the door.

“
Good evening Miss Way,” he greeted.

“
Hello, thank you. Thanks for picking me up on such short notice,” Ellie answered.

“
No problem, no problem,” he answered. They stopped at a flower shop and the driver kindly went in and picked a bouquet of flowers. Ellie still wasn’t comfortable being in public alone since the fan mob. She also did not want any publicity surrounding her buying flowers. When she reached her destination, she exited the car and gave the driver a sizable tip. She figured it was good karma for tonight's date. She usually tipped big anyway.

As
Ellie entered the apartment lobby she noticed its high ceiling with intricate gold design. The floor was white marble with subtle gray swirls. The elevator matched the building. It was antiquated but stylish. Ellie had to push the button hard until it clicked, and then the doors opened with a
ping
.

In the elevator Ellie shifted the flowers from hand to hand. The elevator doors held Ellie’s reflection. Ellie ran her free hand through her hair again. She moved her head from side to side so that her hair floated back and forth. She frowned
and decided her appearance would have to do.

Ping
.
The elevator opened. Ellie was in the elevator long enough for it to think she had come and gone, because the doors started to close. She reached out her hand and stopped the doors from closing and stepped out. Apartment 514 was two doors to her right. She walked a few doors down and knocked on the door. She heard the television. It sounded like cartoons.

Ellie remembered Roxie had told her that Ria had a kid. She could not remember if it was a girl or a boy
, nor his or her age. She did not even know what Ria looked like or her last name. She only knew that Roxie said she was beautiful, smart, fun, a lesbian and single. Roxie also told her that Ria was not the normal type of woman Ellie would date. That intrigued Ellie. Ellie was tired of the skinny, shallow and famous women that she had been dating. She wanted a mature woman and a long-term relationship.

How long have I been standing here looking desperate with these flowers in my hand?
She knocked harder. Ellie heard the door unlock, then it swung open and revealed a young girl. She was tall and skinny with long, straight, black hair. She was wearing sweatpants and a bright orange t-shirt two sizes too big for her.

Oh great, she's going to recognize me as
EJ. Here comes the screaming.
The girl gawked at her.

“
Yes?” the girl asked. Ellie could not believe the girl did not recognize her.

“
Hi, I’m Ellie. Is your mom...” Ellie began to say.

“
My mother is still getting ready. Please come in. I am going to go back to watching television,” the little girl said. She said it in a robotic manner as if it was rehearsed.

“
I'll be right there,” a woman yelled from down the hall.

“
Okay,” Ellie called down the hall in the direction of the woman. Ellie found herself smiling despite the nerves.

Ellie closed t
he door and stood just inside the apartment. The kitchen was to her right. A sink sat in a granite island, and the stove sat on the counter behind that. Over the stove hung pots, pans, and cooking utensils. The backsplash was colorful and shiny. Ellie was drawn to it and wanted to walk over to get a closer look and run her hands across the small tiles.

In the doorway
of the kitchen Ellie shifted her weight from foot to foot. A small dining room was off the kitchen, and beyond that was the living room. The little girl was sitting on the couch staring at the television. She was jotting things down in a notebook.

After a few minutes of standing next to the door
, Ellie walked into the living room and sat on the loveseat, perpendicular to the couch. The little girl didn’t look at Ellie. It was as if Ellie didn't exist. Ellie glanced around the home. She sat facing a wall of windows that framed the night lights of Boston. Picture frames sat on the wide windowsill. To Ellie's left, a large screen television was surrounded by ten-foot-high bookcases. Every inch of the shelves was packed with books.

Ellie shifted her attention to the little girl. She was hyper-focused on watching the cartoon and jotting things down. Sh
e seemed to have no intention of paying any attention to Ellie. Ellie was certain that the girl wouldn’t notice if a lion wearing a tuxedo walked into the room. She was watching the cartoon
Ostrich Run
. After each attempt by Wolf-More to capture the Ostrich, she would jot things in the notebook.

“
Hi, I'm Ellie,” Ellie said.

“
Hello, my name is Maggie. I am watching cartoons right now, and thank you for understanding,” Maggie answered. Again, she answered in a robotic, rehearsed manner without looking at Ellie.

“
Nice to meet you,” Ellie said. Maggie continued to stare at the television and jot things in her notebook. Ellie checked the time on her phone, looked around the room again, rocked back and forth in her seat, finally getting up and walking to the window. She peered out at the Boston night lights. She glance at her phone again, and sat back on the couch. She wiped her sweaty palms on her pants.

Ellie said,
“When I was your age I tracked Wolf's attempts on the Ostrich and wrote down how to troubleshoot each try.” With that Maggie looked up from her notebook, picked up a remote control and the characters
froze on the screen.

“
You are the first person to know what I was doing. Did you really do that?” she asked.

“
Yes, I did. I know every trap, trick, and Fadell Company thing that Wolf
has ever used. I always used to wonder...”

“
How he paid for it all,” Maggie finished her sentence and Ellie nodded. “I will be right back.” Maggie walked out of the living room and down the hallway. Ellie sat there with a puzzled look.

“
Yeah, the Maggie-sitter just got here,” Ellie heard a woman's voice coming from down the hall.

Ellie turned and saw the woman looking into the mirror and adjusting her hair. Ellie had the impulse to stand. It was the same feeling she had when the doors opened and a bride started down the aisle. Music played in Ellie's head. It was
a tune she had not heard before.

Ria was slightly taller than Ellie. Her hair was shoulder length, wavy, full and black. Her skin was darker than Ellie's pale
complexion. Ellie's gaze was drawn to Ria's full lips, and the strong curves of her body. She wore a silky red top and a black skirt. Roxie was right. Ria looked different from Ellie's other girlfriends. She was real. Ellie realized she had involuntarily stood.

Ria spoke into a phone,
“She doesn't like it when I say babysitter. I'm so nervous about this date. I've been waiting for this social worker chick to ask me out for months. So I finally beat her to it and asked her out. She looks so cute walking around the hospital halls. I call for a psych consult any second I can get, if you know what I mean.”

Social worker?
She’s not going out with me? If I’m not going out with her, I must be the babysitter? How did this happen?
Ellie opened up her phone and scrolled through her texts from Ria.

Ria
said,
Roxie recommended you.

Ellie
said,
We were just talking today about how we should meet.

Ria
said,
You free this Saturday night.

This Saturday? Yes
, Ellie said.

Ria
said,
How about 7pm?My place?

Sure. Text me your addres
s, Ellie said.

Those texts are so ambiguous. They could be about anything.
Maggie walked past her mother carrying a bunch of notebooks. She placed them on the coffee table. Ellie took the flowers in her hands and place them under the chair next to her.

“
These are all my notebooks. There is the Wolf, Rabby, Slither...” Maggie said to Ellie. She stopped talking as Ria walked into the room. Ria was still on the phone. Ellie focused her attention on Maggie, but did not completely lose sight of Ria.

Ria
has have the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen.

“
Umm, I have to go. I'll call you later,” Ria said. She hung up her phone. Ria gawked at Ellie and Maggie as if she were watching dogs playing poker in her living room, and none of them were using coasters.

She recognizes me.

Ellie walked toward Ria. Ellie called this moment the defrosting. When a fan meets
EJ Way, he or she gets frozen in awe and has to be defrosted. Ellie's tactic is to make small talk and let the person know that Ellie is a normal human like him or her. She started this process with the introduction.