The Fallen Starlet

by Eve Corso

  “Stay out there, Buford. You’re too big to come in, and you know it,” the woman said to what must have been a dog outside.

  “Ah, Fiora. Good to see you,” the shop-keeper said, taking the works of art from her.

  Fiora took one look at Jack and Molly and smiled. “How are you two doing?” she asked as if she knew them.

  “Oh, just fine, thank you,” Molly replied. “Just on our way out.”

  “Well, I am dropping off some of my paintings here. They’re for sale, you know? If you want one to go.”

  Molly pretended to be interested in the work. The art was very nice, but not Molly’s style at all. She decided to be honest. “My home is all in neutrals, but good luck. They’re lovely.”

  “Then you’ll need some color,” Fiora suggested.

  Jack shook his head. “Maybe next time,” he said, trying to be polite.

  Fiora nodded. “Okay, well, don’t you mind Buford outside. He’s a good kitty. He just doesn’t know he’s so damned big.”

  Molly and Jack exchanged glances. When they got outside, there wasn’t a dog or cat in sight.

  “Huh?” Jack asked, wondering if Fiora was all right in the head.

  Molly pointed to a painted trash can right outside of the mercantile. It was of a jungle, and there was a lion’s face painted on the can. “Maybe that’s Buford,” she said in a whisper.

  “Yeah, maybe. This town is so strange, isn’t it?”

  Molly laughed. “A little, but there’s a charm to it, don’t you think?”

  Jack shook his head. “Well, I don’t know about that.”

  Jack sipped his coffee once they got inside the car. “I wish I could make coffee as good as this. I just ordered a Keurig to have sent to my mom’s house. They say it’s the perfect cup every time, but the more I drink the coffee down here, the more I’m going to have to disagree.”

  “I can show you when you come back to Los Angeles. I used to work as a barista in a small mom and pop café when I moved out there for the first couple of years. Learned how to make all types of coffee.”

  “I’d love that, actually.”

  “Yeah, you’d like my espresso machine, I think.”

  Jack smiled at her. “I think I’m going to like more than just your espresso machine.”

  Molly laughed, loving his flirtatious nature. “So, are you going to tell me where to go?” she asked, getting into the driver’s seat of her rental car.

  “Yep, I’ll be navigator. It’s about an hour away. Hope you don’t mind.”

  She shook her head and turned on some music as she drove. On the way, they sang along to the same songs, Molly a little louder than Jack.

  They found themselves laughing a lot, and their trip didn’t feel as long as it should have.

  When they passed the exit Jack was looking for, he interrupted the conversation they were in the middle of. “Uh, I believe it’s just your next right, and then just try and find parking along-side the road. Careful that you’re not too close to the road.”

  Molly turned to give Jack a quick look. “Jack, what on God’s green earth do you have in mind? Where are we?” There was nothing but a forest on both sides of the road.

  “You’re going to love it,” he said with a smile.

  “And how do I know you’re not going to kill me? I mean, there’s no one around.”

  Jack looked at Molly. She was smiling.

  “Number one, I like you too much to kill you. Number two, you think I’d really want to go to jail in the state of Alabama? Come on, give me some credit,” he laughed. “Besides, you’re the one who stalked me, remember? I should be scared that you’re going to throw me down into the river, not the other way around.”

  Molly’s face lit up. “There’s a river?”

  “And a waterfall. We can check it out, eat a little, hang out a bit. What do you think?”

  “I think I love the idea,” Molly said, sounding excited.

  They got out and grabbed the items from the car. Jack led the way, listening for sounds of the waterfall, but he couldn’t hear anything just yet, except for the sounds of insects and birds around them.

  “Jack, do you know where you’re going?”

  “No, I do not,” he admitted with a laugh. “But it’s about a ten-minute walk from the road. I think we should start to see something soon.”

  They picked up their pace, excited for what they’d see. In a few moments, they found exactly what they were looking for. Molly turned to Jack. “It’s so beautiful.”

  She ran up ahead of Jack. The river was surrounded by big black rocks. The rocks got higher and higher, closer to the waterfall, which was to their left.

  “It’s not too big of a waterfall, but it’s still pretty great.”

  “Jack, you didn’t even know that I love waterfalls.”

  Molly found a good spot to settle down, elevated on the rocks closest to the waterfall. She helped Jack lay down the table cloth on the hard but flat surface. “I’ve had this idea for my backyard in this future house of mine, that I am nowhere close to owning, by the way. The idea is that there’s this waterfall type of pool. I don’t know, I’ve just always wanted one ever since I was a kid. It might be what got me into landscaping. I’m a sucker for them.”

  Jack laughed. “You’re kidding?”

  “No, why?”

  “Have you seen my backyard?”

  Molly shook her head, wondering what he was getting at.

  “The house came with a waterfall/pool combo when we bought it. You know, it was more expensive than I would have wanted, but that’s what reeled my daughter in. She had to have that house! Grown women need a large kitchen. Teenage daughter? It’s all about the poolside.”

  Molly laughed. “And how about men? What do men want?”

  “Easy. A decent bathroom.”

  They both laughed together at his answer.

  “You really have a waterfall in your back yard?”

  “Yeah, it’s a modern one, but it’s pretty cool.”

  “And do you swim a lot?” she asked, with an eyebrow raised, giving him a flirty smile.

  That only made Jack laugh more. “Not at all, actually. I think I’ve been in once, when we first moved in. That was about six years ago. When Amber was a kid, she’d swim and I’d stay on dry land.” He shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I was just really down for a long time. I didn’t allow myself to have fun.”

  “Okay, the road trip date we were supposed to go on?”

  “You mean, the one we’re on now,” he asked with a laugh.

  “Yeah, that one is now replaced with going for a midnight swim in your pool.”

  “Oh, is that right?”

  Molly grew serious. “Wait, does it have a heater?”

  Jack only laughed. “Yeah, it does.”

  “Okay, well then, it’s going to happen.”

  They both looked out onto the waterfall, getting lost in its sounds. A few minutes later, Jack decided to open up one of the bottles of wine. “I know it’s early, but technically we’re on vacation.”

  Afterwards, Jack made them sandwiches while Molly cut up some of the cheese. He turned to her, snacking on some of the food. Jack placed a cheese slice on a cracker. “Here, this one looks pretty good,” he said as he handed it to her.

  Molly took it and smiled, knowing she’d be counting the days until he got back to Los Angeles.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The next morning, Jack watched Molly pull away from the motel. She’d be heading back to Los Angeles after dropping off her rental. It was a great visit and he was looking forward to seeing her again. They had promised to stay in touch through texting and phone calls during the rest of his time in Alabama. He smiled as he walked back inside, deciding take a shower and grab some coffee.

  That morning was relatively quiet. On other days, the small town reminded him of Hollywood Blvd, where all the crazies seem to gravitate. On Hollywood Blvd, people talked to themselves, danced with themselves
, and were just plain strange. He hadn’t been to Hollywood Blvd in a long time, but he knew if he ever grew nostalgic for this place, that’s the first place he’d turn to.

  He knocked on the door when he got to Vivianne’s. His mom greeted him, handing him a key as soon as he walked in. “You can start letting yourself in.” Vivianne was looking fancy as ever. She was in a soft pink flowy dress. She looked like she was floating in it. That day, she decided on a light brown wig, tied loosely in the back. Jack was finally getting used to how she dressed. Now, he’d be worried if she answered the door in jeans and a blouse.

  “Well, good morning to you, too,” he said, taking the key.

  “It’s a morning unlike any other. What’s got you in such a good mood?” Vivianne turned to look at him and eyed him suspiciously. “Did you finally release some of that pent-upness you had stirring within you?”

  “Pent-upness? Is that even a word?” he asked with a laugh.

  “It is now. You had a good time with that girl?”

  “Molly? Yeah, she’s great. We went out and had a picnic, then dinner in Graceville.”

  “I bet you did more than that,” she replied with a smirk.

  “No, we’re taking things slow. Can’t I just be happy?”

  “What’s there to be happy about? You’re in a crappy town with a crappy mother. How are you so optimistic all the time?”

  “Coffee. You should try it, you know? And I have some good news.”

  “Oh?”

  “The cable company is coming. By this evening you should have wifi in here.”

  “Why-what?”

  “Wifi. It’s a wireless internet connection. You’re going to need it to stream all those movies you’re so keen on seeing.”

  “Well, I haven’t the slightest idea what you’re talking about, but okay.”

  Jack place a hand on his mom’s shoulders, feeling for the first time how frail she was. He made sure to be gentle. “Mom, it’s going to blow your mind what you’ll be able to do.”

  She smiled at her son, his excitement contagious. “If you say so.” Vivianne opened up the fridge and took out some bacon and eggs. “Make yourself useful, will you? I’ll make the eggs, but I do not cook bacon, so you’ll have to.”

  “You don’t cook bacon? Why not?” he asked.

  “That grease spits back up at you as if it were the devil. No, thank you.”

  “Oh, it only stings for a second.” He laughed. “A Southern woman afraid of grease. Now, that’s funny.”

  Vivianne tried her damn hardest not to like him that morning, but it was next to impossible. Yesterday, while he was gone, she told herself she didn’t need her son taking over her life. Hell, she hadn’t even asked him to. But the damn kid was just so likeable. Despite her best efforts to be grumpy that morning, Jack was just enjoyable to be around. He made her happy and she wasn’t used to feeling happy. Not one bit.

  “Make me do all the dirty work.” Jack pretended to give her the side eye as the grease started to sizzle.

  “You’re young and able. Deal with it.”

  Jack laughed. “I love that you call a forty-five-year-old man young. I need to hang out with you more often.”

  “You still have your whole life ahead of you. It’s the truth, ain’t it?”

  “And yet you still had your whole life ahead of you when you came out here to hide out.”

  “Jackson, you know as well as I do, the times were different then. What was I supposed to do?” she asked as she made the eggs, standing as far as she could away from the cooking bacon.

  “Forgive yourself,” he said. At that moment, a drop of grease spit out at him and lightly burned his arm. “Ow,” he said, surprised.

  “Hurts, don’t it?”

  “Nothing I can’t handle,” he said and smiled.

  During breakfast, Jack thought about what Molly had suggested the other day. He had thought about it the night before and it could be a good idea. He decided to test out the waters. “Hey, so, if you could do it all over again, and maybe, if you didn’t have me, would you have stayed in Hollywood and tried to make it?”

  “Oh, I suppose I would have.”

  “Would you go back now, if you could, I mean?”

  Vivianne looked at him, trying to assess how serious he was. “Are you asking me if I’d act now, in my old age?”

  “Yeah. Mom, there’s plenty of actresses your age and older. Actresses who are still getting work.”

  “It’s always been a dream of mine. You know that?”

  “So, you’d do it?”

  “Oh, absolutely.” She looked at the window, getting lost in her limited view of the outside world. Jack let her have a moment to contemplate the conversation. It was some time before she spoke again. Her eyes watered when she looked at her son again. “I waited too long, Jack. I’m too old, now. Too much has changed.”

  “Well, we can always bring Hollywood to you. We could tell your story. I mean, if you’d want to, that is. It’s a good enough story.”

  Vivianne looked at Jack. “What are you saying, son?”

  “I’m saying, you could be the star of your own movie and your own story. Vivianne Gold, The Actress of a Golden Era.”

  Vivianne looked at him, surprised. “Jackson, do you really think people would be interested?”

  “I would have to go back to Los Angeles and talk to some people, work on some ideas, but yeah, I think so. It would be a super small budget and I would want to make sure we get the best angle on your story. Tell you what? While I’m here, let’s do a couple of screenings. I could use my camera on the phone and we’ll shoot some raw video.”

  Vivianne’s eyes grew wide. It was clear that she was excited. “Technology these days,” she said.

  “Look, nothing is set in stone. We could shoot a whole documentary, but that doesn’t mean it’ll get picked up. Don’t get your hopes up. But we can certainly try if that’s what you want.”

  Vivianne nodded. “I appreciate your honesty. And yes, I’d like to think about it.”

  “There’s a couple of documentaries we could watch when we get you set up so you could get some ideas. How’s that?”

  “That sounds mighty fine, Jackson. I like where you’re going with this.”

  Jack stood up and nodded, taking care of their dishes. “Alright, I’m going to fix some of these cracks on the wall until the wifi and cable gets here. I called Ed this morning, and he’s going to accompany me on getting a desktop computer and a TV, so we should be set up for tonight, hopefully.”

  “Have you thought about moving out of that motel of yours?” Vivianne asked as he dried their dishes.

  “I plan on moving out tomorrow. Are you sure it’s still okay?”

  “Well, you’re here all the damn time, anyway. Doesn’t make any sense to throw away your money at the same time, now does it?”

  THE CABLE GUY CAME and went. He had installed wifi and the cable, but had gotten a bit flustered when the only TV they had there was the old set from the eighties, which you couldn’t test the cable on without additional materials, which the cable guy didn’t have on hand.

  Jack promised to call him back if there was an issue, but it hadn’t put the cable guy at ease.

  Later, Jack called Ed, who came down within the hour. He was a large man and definitely looked like an “Ed.” He dusted his feet on the mat and wore a baseball cap that said “Ford” on it and overalls with a white T-shirt underneath.

  “Hi, you must be Ed. I’m Jack Moore.”

  “You’re helping out Ole Lady Viv, I see,” Ed said, his voice deep, as he noticed the tools Jack had used to fix the cracks.

  “Yeah, trying to. Anyway, she’s upstairs napping but sends her regards.”

  Ed grunted in response.

  Jack felt impossibly small next to Ed. He clapped his hands, ready to get started. “Okay, so I guess the plan is that we’ll go in your truck and you can help me bring the TV in here. That’s all I’ll need you from today. I apprec
iate you coming and helping out.”

  “I take cash only.”

  “Sure, I can do that.”

  The drive to the closest big electronics store took an hour just to get there. Jack tried to make small talk on the way, but Ed only gave him one-word answers and it seemed to Jack that Ed wasn’t into making chit-chat. So, they were quiet most of the way.

  When they got to the electronics store, Jack picked out one of the nicer TVs they had, a 55” LED set. For a computer, he got something easy and functional. With Ed’s help, they put everything into the truck and strapped it all in.

  “So, you, uh, staying with the old lady? You like family or something?” Ed finally asked Jack.

  “Yeah, I’m just here helping her out for a little while.”

  “It’s about time she gets some upgrading in that nice house of hers. I saw that fountain out front. You fixed it up real nice.”

  “I appreciate that, Ed.”

  “She’s an okay woman, that Viv,” he said with a laugh. “About twenty years ago, we gave her that old VCR set she’s got, with some old VHS tapes. I reckon that’s the only thing she’s been watching for these past twenty years now.”

  “It’s nice that she has fellow townspeople who can help her out from time to time.”

  “Well, we all gotta look out for one another, you know? That’s how we get by. Me, I make do. My truck sure ain’t fancy or nothing, but it’s nice to have in cases such as these.”

  “Oh, sure. You’re a real life-saver, today.”

  Ed grunted, and that’s when Jack knew the conversation was over.

  Back inside, there was no sign of Vivianne. Jack and Ed brought in the TV and computer together.

  “I can take it from here.” Jack thanked Ed, paid him, included a large tip, and set to finishing the rest of the work himself.

  By the time evening came around, Jack was all done. He stood back to admire his work just as his mother stood behind him.