by Hattie Lou
Dad has been gone for years. I don’t like the idea of this guy taking Mom to lunch. I’m sure she probably went on dates after Dad died, but I never talked to her about dating. I don’t think I would want to know. I’m only used to seeing her with Dad and now he isn’t here so I don’t want to see any guy standing next to her. I might have to have a word with this Harry when I see him. I got to make sure we are on the same page here. He better not think they are a couple. Mom won’t date anyone if I have a say in it.
The afternoon goes by as I spend the day in my room sitting down at my desk, writing. When I’m not acting, I like to write stories. Dad told me that is how he started out. He would write them and once he was done, he turned them into movies. I don’t think I will. He had real talent. My stories aren’t good like his stories. I write them and keep them hidden. For my eyes only. No one has ever read any of my stories. I’m afraid that if I showed them to someone, they would compare my stories to my dad’s.
I have never shown them to anyone with fear that they may be awful scripts. I just keep piles of them lying around locked in my desk. Erika doesn’t know that I enjoy writing them. She would probably tell me to throw them away. That no one would want to read them.
Matthew would think I’m going crazy. He knows how much I don’t care for writing. I have told him so many times that I would never be like Dad and write.
It’s a hobby that I have had for some time now. I don’t take it seriously. It’s something that I just enjoy doing during my free time. Since I have arrived here, I have been finding myself brainstorming on a story that I couldn't figure out yet. I’m jotting down things here and there.
I’m in the middle of writing the plot to my story when I hear a lawnmower starting. I look up from the notebook to the window to see Olivia outside cutting the grass. I push back the curtain a bit to get a better view. This is the first time I actually get a good look at her. She stops for a minute and puts her long black hair up in a messy bun. As she starts pushing the lawnmower, I can see how toned her arms are. She must cut the grass quite a lot. She’s small but makes it look easy to do. I continue to watch her until she’s finished with the yard. Once she’s done, she grabs her water bottle to take a sip. Her body is facing my way as she looks at the house.
I feel myself staring at her. It’s hard to believe how much of a bitch she is. If she wasn’t, I’m sure we could have had so much fun. She’s pretty especially in those yoga pants. She has a jacket on that is covering up the sports bra she got on underneath. I can see all the way from here with the bright neon colors.
Maybe I overreacted this morning when I found my mom wasn’t home and that she was with two strangers. If someone were to put themselves in my shoes, they would understand the way I reacted.
The last time Mom and I talked was at Dad’s funeral. He was closer to me than Mom. We did everything together. Played football on the weekends and fixed old classic cars in the garage while he would ask me about the future. Dad never hid the fact that he wanted me to have the same career as him. He didn’t understand why I loved being in front of the camera. It just feels right to me.
Without Dad, I couldn’t take being in this house without him. It wasn’t like Mom said or did something to make me mad that I stopped talking to her.
Now I’m sitting here in the living room looking around the room thinking about the time the three of us spent here. It brings out the emotions that I have been trying to hide. I’m not an emotional person. I’m like my dad, tough as nails. You won’t find me crying, but there is a sense of sadness I feel. I missed those days when he was alive. It has been hard without him here. He used to give me the best advice when it came to my career. I could really go for one of those talks with him right now.
I should have called Mom and told her the truth that I didn’t want to come back because of the memories. I would like to believe that she would have understood my decision. Maybe I could have convinced her to fly to LA to visit me. Knowing Mom, she wouldn’t be too big on meeting Erika. One look at her and you can see just how high maintenance she truly is. Last year she got her face pulled back because she was convinced that she saw a wrinkle on her forehead. At twenty-six, I don’t believe you can’t get a wrinkle. She didn’t believe me.
Olivia comes walking past me as she just got out of the shower. I can smell her vanilla shampoo. She grabs the magazines on the table and straightens them up as the sound of a car pulling up gets her attention. “She’s home.” She says, walking over to the door to open it.
I grab the newspaper and pretend to be reading it and not spying on this Harry guy. I need to know who Mom is hanging out with.
“Did you have fun?” Olivia asks, holding the screen door open.
“We did. He took me out to lunch and gave me these roses.” She says with a big smile.
Okay. I’m not sure how I feel about this guy giving her flowers. It sounds like they are getting serious. I know she isn’t the same as she was when Dad was alive, but I don’t like Harry thinking he can replace my dad.
The door opens and two guys walk in along with Savannah. Harry, I take as the older gentleman, looks like he is in his late seventies. He takes his hat off and takes a seat on the couch across from me. He catches me staring at him. I wait for him to do something, but he doesn’t.
“We went to that new fancy restaurant back on Peckers. Their food was amazing!” The young gentleman says to Olivia. He must be this Ben guy that she was talking about. I was picturing him being older, but this guy looks around his thirties.
“Yeah? I wanted to try that place out but I haven’t had a chance to yet.” Olivia says, looking around the room before noticing me. She hits her hand off of her forehead. “Ben, this is Luke.”
He gives her a weird look like I’m not even in the room. “The Luke?” He whispers.
She nods. “Katherine’s son.”
“Wow. It’s nice to meet you. Your mom is an angel.” He says holding his hand out for me to shake. He gives me a friendly smile. I don’t like him. He’s tan with a blend of olive skin with gel hair that makes him look younger than what he probably is. I wonder if he really likes my mom or is he pretending only to get Olivia’s attention. He probably has a crush on her.
I give him a quick handshake and walk out of the room. I’m not staying in the room with these fake con artists. I head back into my room where I spend the rest of the day writing.
Chapter Six
Luke
I open my eyes to see a pair of brown eyes staring back at me. She smiles and giggles as her finger keeps poking my arm. “Have you seen Goldie?”
I rub my eye with my hand. “No, who is that?” It’s probably another person that Olivia has staying in the house that I don’t know about.
“My teddy bear. I can’t find him.” She says looking around the room like I stole him from her. She walks over to the closet and starts looking inside. She doesn’t ask and pushes all my clothes out the way. Some of them falling onto the floor. She doesn’t bother to pick up the expensive suits that cost me a fortune. She would be apologizing for even touching them if I told her the prices. I take them to the dry cleaner once a week. I got to look good after all. I’m a star in Hollywood.
I watch her for a moment before realizing just how much she really looks like her mother. They got the same brown hair and skin tone. Poor girl doesn’t realize just how much of an evil mother she has. I feel bad for her.
“Savannah!” Olivia whispers as she stands outside my bedroom door. “You shouldn’t be in here. Let him sleep. Your food is getting cold.” When she looks over, she notices I’m awake. “I’m sorry if she woke you up.” She says, leading her out by the hand.
“I can’t find Goldie.” She whines.
“Let’s eat breakfast first. I’ll help you afterward.”
There is no sleeping now. I’m wide awake, now thanks to the little brat. I get dressed and head into the kitchen where everyone is sitting at the table.
“Y
ou snore,” Savannah says, once again staring at me while I make my cup of coffee.
“Excuse me?”
“When I went into your room, you were snoring really loud.”
“Savannah,” Olivia says, showing her teeth.
Mom laughs. “She’s right. I heard the boy snoring last night down the hall.”
I watch Mom and wonder if Olivia is somewhat telling me the truth that Mom can’t remember who I am. She called me the boy and not Luke. She talks to me like I’m a stranger and not her son.
I remember Olivia wrote down on the refrigerator that Mom has a doctor’s appointment today. I wait in my room until they leave the house before coming out. She asked me if I wanted to come yesterday, but I told her that I had some business to take care of. What I didn’t tell her was that she was the business. It’s time to get to work and find out who this woman really is once and for all.
From years of experience I’ve learned that whenever women need to hide something, they usually hide it in their underwear drawers. So, that is where I will look first.
For someone who spends all of her time with my mom and her daughter, she sure has a lot of sexy bras and panties in the drawer. How often does she wear sexy things like this? I think to myself as I’m holding a silk lace bra in my hand. I bet she looks good in it.
After fantasizing about her wearing them, I quickly shut the drawer. I’m here to find out what her intentions are with my mom. The rest of her drawers have no clues for me.
I make my way over to the closet. On the top shelf, there is a photo album. There are several photos on the first page of her and a boy in what looks like her teenage years. They are smiling and laughing. The next page has more photos of them together. They are sitting in a photo booth where she is kissing the side of his face. She looks happy.
Towards the end of the book, there are photos of her and Mom around the house along with Savannah’s baby pictures. I close the book in frustration. Another damn dead end.
There has to be something in this room. Maybe I’m not looking hard enough. I put the book back on the shelf where I found it, but then I see a box pushed all the way in the back like she wants to have it hidden. It’s too far for me to reach. I leave the room and return with a kitchen table chair.
There are more photos of her and the same boy, but this time they look older. As I continue going through them, a piece of paper falls onto the floor, getting my attention. I pick it up and notice that it is a marriage certificate. Olivia is married? Now that I think of it, where is Savannah’s father? Olivia never mentioned her having one. I mean, she has to have a father. Why doesn’t she live with him? Does Savannah ever see him? Are they close?
Olivia Patterson and Ethan Wise married on October 22nd, 2013.
I read it over and over to make sure that I’m reading it correctly. Where is this Ethan at now? Are they scheming up a plot to get money off of Mom?
According to Olivia, she isn’t in the right state these days. They could have brainwashed the poor woman. I need to confront her on this. I also want to know who Ethan is. It dawns on me that maybe they are divorced. The papers she signed about becoming Mom’s guardian, she went under the name Patterson, not Wise. Smart guy for leaving her. She seems like a real pain in the ass anyways. I couldn’t imagine being married to her. I bet she made his life a living hell.
The front door opens as she and Mom walk into the living room. They are laughing. It has been a while since I heard Mom really laugh like that. Only Dad used to make her laugh that loud. Savannah has a new coloring book in her hand. She opens the box of crayons and begins to color on the floor.
Olivia helps Mom to the couch and turns “The Price is Right” on for her. Apparently, Mom has a routine where she has to watch the show every day. I have caught her and Savannah watching it a lot lately. They like to bet on the prices and they are always far off the showcase.
With her being busy watching the game show, I follow Olivia into the kitchen as she is about to make Mom a sandwich for lunch. “The doctor said she is doing well.” She says giving me an update. “Her blood pressure is stable so they might lower her pills sometime next month.” She reaches across the counter for the peanut butter. “I have to drive her tomorrow to get her blood work.”
“Okay,” I say. Don’t get me wrong, I do care about my mom’s health. It’s just that I don’t trust this woman taking care of her.
“Do you have any questions about her appointment or her schedule for the day?” She asks, spreading the peanut butter onto the bread.
Oh, I got questions. There is no doubt about that, but they aren’t about Mom. I shake my head as I walk around the counter to where she is standing and box her in. She immediately freezes with fear. Good. She should be afraid. She can’t walk all over me as she does with my mom. It’s about time to finally put her in her place. “No, but I do have some questions for you, and I hope that you could answer them.”
Her body remains tense as I watch her swallow hard. “Okay, but can you please back up a little bit?” She asks so politely.
I stare into her green eyes. “Why do you seem nervous? Is that because you are hiding something?” I ask, growing more suspicious.
“Maybe I don’t like to be blocked in. Now back up and give me some space.” She growls.
I chuckle. “Why did Ethan leave you?”
Hearing his name makes her face fill with fear. She looks like she is about to faint. Don’t fall for it. She could just be acting. “Why are you asking about him?” She asks as her voice gets shaky.
I continue to stare at her. I’m satisfied with the way this is going. “I went in your room and found your marriage license,” I say to her, holding a photo of them together. Now I got her where I want her. She’s pissed at me and will eventually quit, giving me full guardianship over Mom. I will convince Mom to come live with me and Erika in LA. I will even hire a new caretaker for her. She’ll forget all about Olivia and life will be good again. I lean in leaving my lips just a few inches from her ear. “Did he leave you because you couldn’t keep him satisfied?” I ask, grinning.
Her breathing starts picking up as she looks like she can’t get enough air into her lungs. Is she having some sort of panic attack? I thought it was fun fucking with her like this, but now it isn’t. She covers her face with her hands and starts crying uncontrollably. Before I can say anything to her, she pushes me out of the way and runs out the house. What the fuck did I just do to her? I want to chase after her but I can’t with Mom sitting in the living room all alone with Savannah.
“Where did Mommy go?” Savannah asks, standing in the doorway looking at me terrified.
I hate myself right now. I just made this woman cry and now I am stuck here with her daughter, who I know nothing about. We are complete strangers. “I think she needed some fresh air.” I lie.
I lead her back into the living room where she finishes watching “The Price Is Right”. I make their sandwiches, hoping they won’t ask me any questions.
“Where did Olivia go?” Mom asks as I hand her a sandwich.
“She had some errands to run. She should be back real soon.” I tell her, hoping I’m right. She’s going to come back, after all her daughter is here. I don’t think she will leave her behind.
“Where’s Olivia?” Mom asks again less than a minute later.
This time I don’t answer as I watch her. When the hell did Mom become so forgetful? Maybe it’s time for me to accept that Olivia was telling me the truth about Mom having dementia.
She left hours ago without her purse or her phone. Mom went to take a nap. She kept asking where Olivia was and I repeated myself over twenty times, but no matter what, she kept asking like she didn’t understand what I was saying to her. I love my mom, but it’s hard dealing with her repeating the same questions. I’m ashamed to admit that I came close to losing my temper with her.
In the few days that I have been here, I saw her asking Olivia the same questions and she never got mad o
r upset. She answered them like it was the first time that Mom was asking them. I don’t know how she does it. Being with Mom takes patience and I was always known to have Dad’s temper.
There’s a sudden knock at the door that causes me to jump up, hoping it’s Olivia, but I’m disappointed to see that it’s Ben.
“What did you do to her?” He asks, opening the screen door and inviting himself into the living room.
“What?” I ask, acting clueless.
“Olivia never misses my phone calls. We talk every single day.” He stands in front of me with his hands on his hips. “Something is wrong and I think you are the reason!”
I don’t respond to him.
“Listen here, I get that you live in Hollywood and you won awards but let me make something clear. In this town, you aren’t a celebrity. You are just one of us. Nothing else. Don’t you go walking around here with your head held high thinking you are better than us. You aren’t. So, where is Olivia?” He demands.
I wish I knew but I am clueless. “I don’t know,” I admit. "I said a few things and she stormed out.”
He takes another step closer to me invading my personal space. “What exactly did you say to her that caused her to leave the house without Katherine or Savannah?”
“I mentioned her ex-husband. I made a smart remark about him divorcing her.”
His jaw falls open in shock as he pinches the bridge of his nose. “Just when I didn’t think you could be a bigger asshole you prove me wrong.” He says with a huff.
“She divorced him?” I ask, curious.
He shakes his head, moving in close so Savannah doesn’t hear. “Not even close. They were in love until he died. He was in the military.”
I close my eyes, not wanting to face the music of what I had done to her. I brought up her dead husband. I never stooped this low in my life. What has Hollywood been doing to me? I used to be a nice outgoing guy and now I’m an arrogant bastard. Here I have been acting like I’m better than her because I have money. She has been taking care of Mom for years and I didn’t even thank her for being there for her. If Mom wasn’t sick, I know she would be here in front of me, demanding that I apologize to Olivia for my actions. I have to find her and tell her that I’m sorry. “Do you know where I could find her?”