Traffic & Weather

by Magnolia Robbins

  “Thomas,” I said quickly. “This is Dawn Reynolds.”

  “Dawn!” He exclaimed on the other end of the line. “What brings you to this neck of the woods?”

  “I just wanted to chat for a few minutes if you were free,” I replied calmly. Liz was at my heel then, tugging at my arm.

  “What the hell is going on?” She whispered, a seething look on her face. I ignored her, waiting for Mayor Thomas’ response.

  “Come on in, I’ll be out to get you in a moment.”

  The gate started to swing open, and I headed back to the van. Liz followed, and once we’d hopped inside, David took off down the road.

  “Okay, Dawn,” Liz said as we drove. “Mayor Thomas would be a good guest for the show, but why doesn’t he know we’re here?”

  “You’ll see,” was all I replied with and I watched Liz’s face grow even more annoyed. “When we meet him, I want you to go live on the broadcast.”

  “I can’t just do that,” Liz said. “It’s way past the news segment for this hour. Hell, we’re almost off air for this hour.”

  “Trust me,” I replied as David turned the corner to pull up at the house. Thomas was walking down the steps as we made it. “Call Marty and have him ready to go.”

  Liz looked completely flabbergasted but did as I asked and called Marty. After a minute of negotiating on the phone, she looked at me. “Okay, do whatever it is you’re going to do. They’re standing by.”

  I gave David a glance, and he hopped from the van, walking around to grab his camera equipment. For a minute I waited, watching him. When he was nearly ready, I hopped from the van, walking straight up to Thomas. We shook hands, and I offered him a smile.

  “How are you doing this morning, Thomas?” I asked as David came around with his camera. Thomas looked at me confused but smiled.

  “Doing well, Dawn. What’s all this about?”

  I looked at Liz and nodded. She spoke on the phone to Marty quietly for a moment, and David began rolling the camera. As soon as I saw the red light, I turned to Thomas. Just as I did, the sirens blared down the street. Two police cars entered Thomas’ driveway.

  “What the hell is going on?” Thomas snapped as the cars parked alongside the news van.

  “Mayor Thomas,” I spoke. “WATV received an anonymous tip this morning about your illegal financial involvement with the Los Angeles gang that was responsible for the string of homicides this past month. Is there anything you’d like to say?”

  As police officers passed me to arrest Thomas, I saw out of the corner of my eye Liz’s eyes grow wide. I turned to David and the camera. “Live from Mayor Thomas’ estate in north Los Angeles, I’m Dawn Reynolds for Rise and Shine.”

  David kept filming as Liz instructed Marty to go back to the regular broadcast. As soon as she had, she hung up the phone and stared at me, her expression unreadable. Once we’d gotten enough footage, the three of us hopped into the van.

  “That should be enough for the next few days of broadcasts. Congratulations Dawn, you got your breaking story you wanted. Every other station will be begging for this footage.” David looked pleased.

  “You were looking for a breaking story?” Liz asked me as we headed down the highway. I turned to look at her, and I could tell she knew what I was going to say. “How long have you been digging around for a story?”

  David was about to respond when I raised my hand to him. “Since we were threatened to be shut down.”

  Liz sat thoughtfully for a moment, trying to process what I said. “So, you decided to go behind my back and do news coverage anyway, even though I told you explicitly we weren’t going to do hard news coverage?”

  I chose not to respond, and Liz fell back into her seat, her arms crossed over her chest. “What the hell Dawn.”

  “Our ratings are going to skyrocket with that story,” I argued. “I probably just saved the show.”

  “That wasn’t about saving the show!” Liz snapped at me. “You did that for your own ego. You just needed to be in the field again.”

  David looked horrendously uncomfortable, so I kept quiet. The rest of the drive was awkward, to say the least. When we reached the studio, Liz and I remained silent until we got back down to the studio.

  Nearly the entire crew was waiting for us when we arrived. The room erupted into cheers, and Marty came up to hug Liz. “Tyler already called and said our footage is on every channel. That story is going to save the broadcast.” He beamed at her, but I could tell by the look on Liz’s face she didn’t share his enthusiasm. She offered a small smile though and looked at me briefly.

  “It was all Dawn,” she said, though she looked annoyed more than anything. Marty shook my hand, pleased.

  “Well good job,” Marty smiled. “I don’t know how you did it, but that was fantastic.”

  As soon as Liz and I had waded through the crowd of people offering congratulations, we made our way to my dressing room. When Liz shut the door behind her, I could tell by the way she was looking at me it wasn’t going to be a pleasant conversation.

  “I don’t think this is going to work,” Liz said flatly when I looked at her. She made sure to keep her distance from me. I felt my heart sink in my chest a little when she said it. “You and I.” She added when I looked slightly confused.

  “What are you talking about?” I replied, moving towards her. As soon as I did, she backed away.

  “You completely undermined my authority,” Liz said. “Not to mention you left me again last night.”

  “I just saved the show with that story,” I argued, somewhat offended. “I refuse to apologize for that. We did our jobs Liz. We brought the news to the public.”

  “Our jobs are to entertain the public. Your job was to be here. Not off galavanting around town. You got lucky that even went down the way it did.”

  “You’re starting to sound like Jared and Tyler,” I scowled at her, feeling slightly angry. “Making a mockery of the news. Need I remind you I’ve been in this business far longer than you have. I have countless awards to back up my integrity--”

  “I know all about your damn awards,” Liz snapped.

  “You need to quit being so high strung about everything,” I argued. “No one is going to take you seriously if you’re so wound up all the time.”

  “You need to stop defending your gigantic ego,” Liz retorted. “Not everything is about you.”

  Neither of us spoke after that, simply glaring at one another. Finally, Liz turned her back to me, storming out of the room, the door slamming behind her as she went.

  Chapter 9

  Liz

  As Marty had predicted, Tyler gave the show more time. It wasn’t after both Dawn and I had been reprimanded for her insubordination. Neither of us spoke to one another for the remainder of the week. We barely exchanged pleasantries and only acknowledged each others presence as necessary at a meeting.

  The middle of the following week, I’d arrived late to work to find the entire production crew in a scuffle. After I’d sat down in my seat, they were all looking at me. It was at that moment I realized that Dawn was nowhere to be found.

  “We just started getting good ratings,” Marty moaned, burying his face in his hands. “I feel like we’re cursed.”

  “What’s going on?” I asked, completely confused. When Marty looked up at me, he was surprised, to say the least.

  “You don’t know?”

  “Clue a girl in, why don’t you,” I replied, feeling slightly annoyed.

  “Dawn got an offer for a position in San Francisco. She’s already terminated her contract with us. Probably headed there as we speak.”

  A wave of emotion flooded through me. A wave of emotion that was too intense for two thirty in the morning. I got up from my seat, looking at Marty.

  “I have to go see her,” I said. “She has more integrity than that, she wouldn’t just leave us high and dry.”

  “Pretty sure she did, kid,” Marty replied. “Besides, we need you he
re. We’re down a man now. We need all hands on deck.”

  “You’re going to have to do this show without me, Marty,” I said. “You’re in charge. I have to go see her.” Before he could argue, I was out the door, grabbing my things from my cubicle before I headed out.

  It took me ten minutes to make the two-block trek to Dawn’s condo. When I knocked, I thought for a moment that she wasn’t going to answer. That maybe she had already taken off without even the faintest hint of a goodbye. It wouldn’t have surprised me.

  Finally, the door opened. She stood, leaning against the doorframe wrapped in a robe. When I smelled alcohol on her, I immediately panicked. “Are you,” I started, thinking there was another woman inside.

  “Do you think that little of me, Liz Mudd?” Dawn asked me as she opened the door the rest of the way to let me inside. I let out a long sigh of relief as I wandered in.

  I turned to look at her. “Are you really going to San Francisco? “ It was a question I didn’t need to ask. I already knew the answer. But I wanted to hear her say it. When she nodded, my heart sunk into my chest. I scoffed, shaking my head. “Are you kidding me? After all these years, I looked up to you. I thought you were this amazing person. This phenomenal reporter. Turns out, you’re this commitment-phobic jerk.”

  Dawn studied me for a moment before she picked up a glass of wine off of her coffee table and finished it off. When she sat the glass back down, she drew closer to me. More than once she looked as if she wanted to speak but just when she would be about to, she’d stop herself. Finally, I grew so annoyed, I turned back towards the door.

  “You know what, Dawn? You do whatever in the hell you want. I don’t know why I bothered even coming over here in the first place. You’ve obviously made up your mind.”

  “You’re the first person I’ve dated since I left my husband,” Dawn said to me as I had started to open the door. I stood there, holding the knob in my hand for a moment, unsure of what to do. “You’re the first person I’ve wanted to date since my husband.”

  When I turned, she took another step closer to me. I watched her carefully, still feeling angry but she had gotten my attention. “It doesn’t give you an excuse to just pack up and run the minute you feel like it. Abandon your job.” Abandon me.

  Dawn let out a small smile. “Did Marty even tell you about the job?” I studied her for a moment before I shook my head. “It’s a field reporter position. Full-time. What I should still be doing. What I was meant to be doing.”

  Admittedly, a small part of me understood when she said it. Dawn Reynolds had covered the news across the world for decades. She should be doing what she loved. Except it involved leaving WATV. Leaving Los Angeles. Leaving me.

  “This is why work consumes my life,” I said, somewhat somber. “I can’t handle this.” I stepped back towards the door again, feeling my hand reach for the handle. Dawn moved to me, and when she did, I knew I wanted her to. She pushed me against the door, our mouths colliding together. I breathed her in as she wrapped her long delicate fingers around the sides of my face. When she broke from me, she was smiling softly. I felt her stroke my cheek, and I fell into it, helplessly.

  We met eyes again before I was pushed firmly into the wall, her face buried in my neck. Her hands pulled at my clothes, and in seconds they were on the floor. I followed her into her bedroom as she laid me down on the sheets. She was gentle. Methodical. And I let myself go, enjoying being with her, even if it was fleeting.

  Once we’d pleasured one another, I found myself nestled in her arms. She held me close, planting gentle kisses on the back of my head and shoulder. I sighed into the room and pushed back into her, without speaking. Before I could stop myself, I’d become so comfortable I drifted off to sleep.

  The next thing I knew, I was being woken by lips on the side of my face and a quiet whisper in my ear. When I rolled over onto my back, Dawn was looking down at me. She brushed the hair from my face and leaned down to kiss me again.

  “That was wonderful,” she smiled at me, letting her hand stroke down my naked flesh.

  “What time is it?” I asked, sleepily. When I turned my head, I noticed it was almost ten. Dawn had stayed with me the entire night. “Did you sleep here?” When she nodded, I felt my heart flutter in my chest. I reached up to touch her cheek, feeling a wave of sadness overcome me.

  “I really wish you weren’t going to leave,” I said quietly. “I wish you’d reconsider. The show needs you.” I wanted to say I needed her too, but at the risk of sounding desperate, I stayed silent.

  Dawn didn’t reply. She stared down at me, gently stroking my face and looking at me with those enchanting blue eyes. Finally, she leaned down and kissed me softly on the lips. Once she’d finished, she left the bed, walking to her closet. I watched her pristine body as it moved across the room, completely entranced by her. When she disappeared behind the door to fetch clothes, I fell back into the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

  “Would you like some breakfast?” She asked me when she reappeared, dressed in a nice blouse and pencil skirt. Her hair still fell messily around her shoulders.

  “Sure,” I replied, trying to be in the moment, though it was hard to not think about her leaving.

  Dawn made bacon and eggs for us both and some stout coffee. Surprisingly, she was an excellent cook. “I’ve had lessons from people all over the world,” she told me. I should have known. Part of me was envious of her extraordinary life. I sat in silence eating, realizing that while I was somewhat angry, she was leaving, mostly I was just sad to see her go. I understood why. She deserved the life she’d worked so hard for.

  Finally, I looked back up at her. “Are you coming back to LA today? After your meeting?”

  “Tomorrow,” Dawn explained. “I’ll pack this weekend and start next week.”

  I offered to take her to the airport. When she left, she gave me a small kiss goodbye and smiled at me. Even though I’d likely come to her tomorrow as soon as I could, it hurt to see her go. Knowing that this was ending, when it had barely begun.

  As soon as I dropped her off, I went back to work. Marty was in his cubicle working on stories for the next couple days of shows. When I sat down beside him at my desk, he looked at me curiously.

  “I’m guessing you talked to her,” Marty said.

  “She’s going,” I replied, not able to say much else. I could feel his concerned eyes on me. He gave me a small pat on the shoulder before he handed me a list.

  “Well, the good news is that the show is doing so well we have a list of co-hosts to hire. Some of them have some pretty nice backgrounds.”

  I took the list, setting it on the desk. “I’ll take a look tomorrow.”

  “Don’t get too down kid,” Marty offered me a small smile. “It’s just business you know.”

  “Just business,” I said glumly.

  The day passed incredibly slow, in spite of the fact that I did my best to stay busy. Even still, I stayed late into the evening, trying to catch up on things I’d missed for the morning. When I watched the rerun of the shows, I could tell everyone seemed to be as distraught as I was feeling. Finally, I couldn’t watch anymore and turned it off.

  When I got back to the guest house that evening, as I walked back through the backyard, I noticed a message on my phone. I studied the number for a moment, not recognizing it. The area code was out of state.

  “Ms. Mudd, this is Steve Fischer. I work at the affiliate station in New York City. Your name was dropped to me this morning by a colleague of mine I went to college with. We’re looking for a new morning show producer for our station. I need you to give me a call back. I’d like to speak with you.”

  When I hung up the phone from voicemail, I stood at the front door of the guest house, hardly able to breathe. I turned and walked swiftly through the back door of Kathy’s house calling for her. She was settled in her living room, watching television, drinking a beer.

  After I let the message play for her, she went to fetc
h me a drink. We sat together on the couch, both of us in a state of shock. “Do you think it was Dawn?” Kathy asked me curiously.

  “I don’t know,” I replied.

  “You know you have to do it,” Kathy said. “Call him first thing in the morning.”

  “If this was Dawn, she’s doing it out of pity,” I replied, feeling slightly annoyed. “I don’t think I could take a job like that.”

  “Liz,” Kathy said, shaking her head at me. “You’ve wanted to work in NYC since you were a kid. You’d be crazy to turn this down.”

  “I’m just getting started with the morning show here,” I replied. “Dawn left. I can’t leave them too.”

  Kathy didn’t argue with me further. She took a drink in silence, pondering for a moment before she spoke again. “Just make sure you’re doing the right thing. Think about it. I know it’s a hard decision, but it’s just business. Do what’s best for you.”

  It’s just business. Man, had I heard that a lot today. As much as I loved “the business,” I was starting to feel like it had an overwhelming control on my life. When I finished off the drink Kathy poured for me, I handed her the empty glass and stood up from the couch.

  “I’m going to go get some sleep,” I said, hugging her when she got to her feet. She studied me for a long moment before I turned and headed out the door.

  What sleep I thought I was going to get, didn’t happen. I tossed and turned nearly the entire night. Finally, early in the morning after the production meeting and before our first show, I dialed New York. It was three hours later. Steve answered almost immediately.

  “Liz Mudd, I was wondering if I was going to hear from you today,” he said pleased.

  I mentioned nothing about the phone call with Steve the entire morning. Marty could tell there was something up by the way I was acting, but he didn’t press me much. I imagined he thought I was still bothered by Dawn. In truth, I was, but I was trying my best to stay distracted with work. Work always made things better.