They arrived in front of Stacy's house and he turned off the car's engine. He was still afflicted by the thoughts that the journey had given him. She seemed to notice, then started to speak.
«Something wrong?»
«It's nothing.»
She looked at him intently for a moment.
«You're not telling the truth.»
«Since when are you good at reading people?» He replied, cynically.
«This was a little nasty.» She replied, leaning on the seat, visibly offended.
«I'm sorry, I didn’t want to.» He did, really sorry for what he had said.
She seemed to soften at his words, and in her sweet tone of voice, she spoke.
«Listen, I don’t know what you're worried about, but now what's past has passed. So we might as well look ahead and build a new life.»
He stared at a point in space, through the windshield in front of him, reflecting Stacy's words, which probably mirrored the truth. Perhaps, he was not yet ready to let go completely into a new and intense relationship with another woman. He still was not sure of that, but he didn’t want to lose the little confidence he had built with Stacy, and the night he had spent in bed with her was certainly one of the most memorable to date. Possible that he did not have a minimum spine to be able to take a blessed position about his feelings, he asked himself, frustrated.
Anyway, it was getting late and he was definitely tired to be able to make a decision now.
«I'd better go.» He said.
She, after a few moments, nodded and got out of the car, heading for the gate at the entrance of her house, as he drove back to the city.
Once in his apartment, he was sad, depressed and inconsolable: all feelings that would not have helped at that moment, especially when he was alone in the house with his thoughts. He threw himself on the sofa and started staring at the white wall in front of him. After about a couple of minutes, he took the cigarettes from his jacket and lit one, letting himself go to the heady consolation and the acrid taste that only a cigarette could give. About five minutes passed, and while he was turning the cigarette between his fingers, now halfway through, he had a stroke of genius and a flash of lightning crossed his mind, letting his head and every muscular one be carried away by the inspiration he felt born inside of himself, at that moment. He jumped up and headed for the kitchen counter, on which was his laptop. He took it and placed it on the small glass table in front of the sofa. Then he began to write.
At first, it was a sort of troubling thing, but after a few minutes the fluidity of the text could already be seen through the letters imprinted on the screen, while the fingers moved convulsively, without a stop or pause. All he needed to know and try had heard from the moment he moved there, to Los Angeles. The story was right under his nose, and without even realizing it he had already begun, with his own eyes, to take back everything that would have been within his novel. He didn’t yet have all the answers, but while he was writing some came to the surface; some clear and some still blurred, but continuing to write, many of them became limpid. Those answers, however , which he was not able to answer were just questions that he had not had time to give himself.
The next morning he awoke with a start, shaken by terrible nightmares about Karen. He pulled up with still panting breath and looked for a moment nearby, realizing that it was just a dream. Perhaps, it had been the way he had treated Stacy the night before, or maybe it was his guilt for neglecting Karen in the past. Or he was starting to feel... serious feelings for Stacy? No, it was impossible. He didn’t want anything so serious with her, not at the moment at least. Surely, it was because of how he had treated Stacy the night before, he told himself as he lazily got out of bed and headed for the bathroom. He left the door open. He heard noises coming from the hall and cocked his head, sharpening his ears. Without even flushing, he walked over to the living room and saw, with his back turned, a shape well known to him.
«Can I know what you're doing here?» He asked.
It was Allison, intent on reading what might have been his novel.
«How did you get in?» He asked, then.
The girl didn’t even give him a glance, still reading.
«Hey, I'm talking to you.» He took a step closer to the girl.
She turned then. «Wow, you did not lose your literary vein, then. It's really great!» She said, all excited.
«I asked you a question.» He insisted.
She looked through the door and turned to James with an innocent look.
«It was open.» She simply said, the girl.
«That's why you came in?» He asked, regaining his composure.
She nodded, smiling.
He had probably left the door open the night before, too focused on writing, he thought.
«Well, why are you here?» He asked .
«I missed you terribly.» She answered, emphatically.
«And then, who told you where I live?»
«Mom, it's obvious.»
He still waited for an answer, about what she was doing there, in his house. It arrived from the girl shortly thereafter.
«Didn’t you know? The principal of my school, Miss Ramirez, liked the way you did the lesson the other day at school, so much so that she wants to propose a permanent job as a literature teacher for the fourth and fifth years. So when I heard that she was talking to the other professors, I proposed to give you the good news in person.» She paused. «You are not happy!» Allison exclaimed, very pleased.
A job as a teacher in a women's high school ? No thanks. Just having to deal with someone like Allison could have sufficed.
«I cannot, I have too many commitments.»
«Oh, come on... it will be fun.»
«I cannot, seriously.»
She looked a little disappointed, but then immediately found her smile.
«Well, I will inform Miss Ramirez by telling her that you are too busy, my dear writer.» She said, mocking him.
James ignored her and turned to get the cigarettes on the counter. He lit one and snorted the smoke out of his lungs.
«Have you anything else to say?»
She thought about it. «Actually, yes.» She paused for a moment, and looked him straight in the eye. «Why mom yesterday was down when she came back?»
«It's none of your business.» He said little change, going to the sliding door of the apartment and opening it in half.
«Uhm, all right. But I don’t want you to make your mother feel bad.»
«If you really care that she doesn’t worry, then do not get messed up again in loot like those I had to get you out of, a couple of nights ago.»
«What you mean? Mom never discovered me and never will»
«That doesn’t mean you have to do things like that... you have to be more careful.»
Allison smiled. «Oh, oh. You are not playing the part of the caring father who cares about his stepdaughter, I hope!» And then burst into a big laugh.
«Why not?» He replied. «Although you're a tough girl to keep at bay, this doesn’t make you a bad person.»
She seemed really struck by those words.
He had probably received more attention from him in the last few days than from Glenn, his real father, in recent years. It always happened like this, when you had a career in your hands and a divorce behind you. He knew this well, apart from the fact of his career, which compared to Glenn's had not the slightest comparison. Allison stood up and walked toward him, resting a hand on his chest.
«How caring you are, Daddy.» She gave a mischievous smile.
«Yes sure. Now out, I have a lot of things to do. And then, should not you be at school?»
«I have a permit.» She answered, moving away from him. «The principal signed it yesterday to be able to talk, so within an hour.»
«You'll never get there in time. It's already a quarter to nine.» He said, looking at the watch on his wrist.
«Not if some go
od Samaritan accompanies me in the car.» She replied, with an amused grin and a knowing look.
***
They arrived in front of Allison's high school shortly before the bell rang. He couldn’t believe it, now he had to act as a driver for a young sixteen-year-old brat.
«Come on, get out.» He said, direct and concise.
«Thank you very much.» She answered with a mocking smile.
The girl got out of the car and turned to the building, but just before he left he turned back to James.
«You'd better give her a nice present when you show up in front of her next time. It was really down last night.» She gave him a smile that he did not return.
Then he left, whistling the tires, while Allison watched him leave.
He moved to the bookshop, and when he got there he got out of the car and walked along the sidewalk. He stopped in a jewelry store and came out with a small wrapped box. Then he entered the library.
He didn’t see Stacy anywhere in the room already full of people, even though it was early morning. After a couple of seconds, she glimpsed her slim figure and her blonde hair, leafing through one of the books in the pink romance department. He approached her shoulders, but she did not notice anything, too focused on leafing through the pages of the book she held in her hands.
«You're a romantic breakout who believes in happy hay at all costs.» He paused. «Since I am too, though, I try to understand your sentimental and tender side.»
She jumped in fright, and spun around at him. «You scared me.» She said then, trying to calm down.
«Sorry.» He did, then handed him the small box bought or in the jewelry shop next to the bookcase.
«This is to make me forgive for how I behaved last night.»
«What is it?» She asked, curiously.
«Nothing special. Just a little thought.» He replied with a smile.
She unwrapped the package and when she lifted the box lid, she gasped.
«Wow... it's beautiful... »
He looked at the necklace more closely, then raised his head and turned to him.
«Thanks, but you didn’t have to. Really... » she said, embarrassed.
«Don’t worry. I really wanted to forgive me, I behaved badly with you yesterday and you did not deserve it.»
«Excuses would have sufficed, and after all, I can understand your situation well, because I've been there too.»
«Anyway, I'm sorry.» He then said, seriously.
«Don’t worry.» She replied. «It’s all right.»
He smiled at her, and then announced that his muse had finally appeared to him.
«I have something between my hands, nothing definitive yet, but it's a beginning.» He explained.
«Seriously? But it's fantastic!» She said, clearly pleased with the news.
He smiled. «Besides, I've decided to take that job for L.A. Star Magazine.» He announced, then.
Stacy seemed seriously surprised.
«Wow... you always leave me speechless, James Alliston. Where did all this willpower come from?» She asked, stunned by her radical change.
«I’m not sure, but I'll try to go this way... you never know that it will lead to something good.»
She smiled, visibly happy for him and then kissed him, taking him completely off guard.
Once their lips parted, he could still feel the warmth of Stacy's on his, and their softness. At that moment it occurred to him that he still wanted to: of his lips, of Stacy...
He didn’t allow himself to be misled by those thoughts.
He headed for the exit while Stacy continued to watch him leave with a big smile on her face, until he was out of the library again. He woke up that sunny morning and once climbed into the car, he thought about what to do first. He still didn’t want to tell his agent that he had started writing again until the novel took shape, although Andy would have been thrilled. He took the pre-printed business card John Craimer had given him and dialed the number on the back. After a couple of seconds, a woman with a kind and cordial voice answered.
«John Craimer's office. My name is Danielle, how can I help you?»
«Hi, Danielle. My name is James Alliston, you could kindly tell John Craimer I accept the job.» There was a pause, so he added:«don’t worry, he'll understand.» With a smile, despite Danielle could not see him.
«Of course, I will tell him the message. Have a nice day.» She concluded, attacking the phone.
He put the phone back in his pocket and hurried back to his apartment. He had a novel to write and didn’t want to waste any more time.
He stayed all afternoon with his eyes glued to the computer screen until evening. It was twilight when he finally decided to take a break. He had spent the last seven hours writing, without stopping; if not for nibbling something or going to the bathroom. Probably, his agent would have been proud of him, he thought sarcastically. He was facing the window watching the sunset. He lit a cigarette and let those rosy colors, full of nuances, fill his mind, but at that moment his cell phone rang. He took it, and answered with great surprise.
«Karen.»
«Hi James. How are you?»
«Well, and you?»
There was a long pause.
«Karen? Are you still there?» He asked, still waiting for an answer.
«Let's say yes... » she said, in a strange tone.
«It doesn’t seem... Elizabeth how is she, all right?» He asked, more and more worried.
«Yeah.» She replied, Karen. «She's fine.»
«So, what is it?»
«It’s my father... » another long pause. «He's gone, James.»
«What? When did it happen?»
«Last night in sleep. By now it was months that had to happen, he was very old, you know, but... » Karen began to sob on the opposite side of the phone and he, in spite of everything that had happened, deeply displeased for her.
«I'm sorry, Karen... »
«I know, I wanted to inform you before you’d read the news on some obituary.»
«I see.» He said. «Now, how will you do with the funeral?»
«I will come to Los Angeles to celebrate the vigil and be buried with my uncle.» She explained, Karen.
The brother of Karen's father, or his uncle, was dead years ago and as almost all of Karen's family had always lived in Los Angeles, they wanted his grave to be placed there.
«Damn, what a bad situation.» He could only say. «How is your mother?» He asked, then.
«Not well, but we knew it would happen sooner. He was very old.» He repeated, Karen.
The relationship with his father had always been very sporadic, and it never happened that James and Karen had an ongoing relationship. To be honest, even he had never had it with his own parents. At that moment it occurred to him how little time, in fact, they had passed with their respective relatives.
«I'm sorry to bother you, James.» Karen said, suddenly.
Lost in those memories, he almost forgot he was still on the phone with Karen.
«It’s ok.» He said flatly, unable not to think of Jonathan, Karen's father.
«Anyway, how are things going there in Los Angeles?»
«They doing well.» He merely said.
«I'm glad for you... it’s a good thing, really.» Said Karen, and he s' imagine his smile, the one he was in love.
«Thank you.» James said, barely embarrassed.
«Now, I'll leave you. I'll let you know when the funeral will be held, and maybe we'll spend some time together, so you can see Elizabeth.»
«Great.» He replied.
He hooked up, and set the phone on top of the kitchen counter, still watching the sunset and reflecting on what Karen had just told him, and not only about the bad news but also about spending time together.
Andy Jackson was in his office, sitting on his usual leather chair, more expensive than he could afford at the time. He had never been the kind of person who li
ked to squander his money with unnecessary frivolity, but once, business as a literary man was fine, and he was one of the most sought after. His tremendous descent into oblivion had begun approximately at the same time, as a perfect idiot, he had let himself be swept by a young secretary who was all pepper ‒ so would have called James ‒ and then be blackmailed by the latter, who in exchange for an increase would have wanted to get his place. With hindsight, he would have done better to accept. Unfortunately, he hadn’t let himself be intimidated, and the young woman had spread her video anywhere on the web, until he arrived at the mailbox of his best customers, and in the best literary agencies in the area, even coming up to his wife. Michela had forgiven him, but Andy knew that by now their marriage was not what they once were, and even though his wife had never betrayed him because of his personal ethics of rigid values, they were come to a standstill. Just people who loved him and who fucked while. Passion was not lacking, but what was missing was something else: attentions. He, lost behind his work crisis and Michela totally taken over the restyling works in the interior of the most beautiful houses on the west coast. Suddenly, something had changed, and the arrival of a new client had completely taken him by surprise. Lucy, a beautiful woman as talented, both in bed and on a film set. There was no history, and when it came to sniffing business, it remained the best in doing so, in spite of the gossips that had always wanted to sink it. Moreover, the arrival of James, from New York had been more than a cure for him as for James himself. Where the hell you could find a talented writer like him today, he thought, with regret; while the sound of the computer keyboard beats filled the air with their ticking, in his office at the Cross n 'Sweeny. It was still early to say, but slowly it was getting better. The only problem, would be the division of the assets of the house, and such a patrimony could hardly divide it. It was hard, but he should have been good with Lucy, or Michela would really have taken him away from the last penny. For the time being, it would have been cheaper for things to happen as peacefully as possible, letting divorce with his wife flow smoother than ever. On the other hand, she could hardly keep herself with Lucy, and just thinking about her felt her whole body quiver with eagerness. However, now he had to work, so he couldn’t get lost in similar fantasies, with the pile of papers he still had to do. At that moment, an email arrived. He saw the incoming mail signal through the fixed computer screen, and slid the mouse arrow over the opening button. The e-mail opened, and all of a sudden he found himself full of photos in Lucy's decidedly provocative positions. For a moment, he stood staring in amazement at the images that the young woman had sent him, unable to take his eyes off the screen. At that point, without being able to restrain himself, he began to undo his trouser belt and lower his underwear. The photos flowed on the display in representation mode, and just in the highlight, in which Lucy, in the picture, was turned back on all fours and looked at him straight with those eyes so penetrating and those thighs so inviting.
A New Beginning (#4 of California Dreaming) a Los Angeles Series Page 2