Alan and Carmen had been back for two weeks on April first, and Allegra and Carmen met for two hours that afternoon to go over the details of her new contract. She'd already signed it before she left on her honeymoon, but there were some fine points Allegra had wanted to go over with her, to determine just exactly what her expectations would be when she started the picture. They needed to talk about what kind of dressing room she would have, the schedules she would work, and iron out all the little details ahead of time, to avert any unnecessary crisis.
They had worked most of it out when Carmen looked at her attorney with a mischievous smile, and Allegra remembered that it was April Fools' Day. Growing up, she and Alan had made all kinds of mischief around that, and played awful pranks on each other. And her brother Scott loved torturing his entire family on April Fools' Day. She was surprised that he hadn't called her. Every year, he gave her some dreadful shock, either claiming to be in Mexico, in jail, married to a prostitute, or in San Francisco having a sex change. But she had given it back to him over the years. And as they looked at Carmen, she could suddenly see one coming.
“There's something I've been meaning to tell you,” Carmen said with a huge grin, and Allegra laughed even before she heard it.
“Let me guess. You and Alan are getting divorced. Ha-ha, April Fools' Day.”
Carmen laughed at what she said. Alan had pulled two of those on her that morning. He had claimed that an old boyfriend of hers was at the door, and then that his mother was moving in with them for the next six months. Both announcements had given Carmen quite a jolt first thing in the morning.
“No, nothing like that,” she said, looking suddenly shy, but Allegra was still suspicious of what was coming. In her own way, she was too much like Alan. “We're having a baby,” she said, beaming.
“You are? So soon?” She knew they wanted kids, but she thought they would wait at least a little while longer. She was due to start her movie in June. She was only shooting for three months, but now it wasn't going to be easy. “How pregnant are you?” Allegra asked, holding her breath, terrified that they would lose the picture.
“Only a month,” Carmen said sheepishly. “Alan said it was too soon to say anything, but I wanted to tell you. And I thought maybe it would make a difference to the studio. I'll only be three months' pregnant when I start. But I'll be six months' when we finish. Do you think they'll break the contract?”
“I'm not sure,” Allegra said honestly. “They may be able to shoot around it. You probably won't show till close to the end of the picture. Thank God, you don't have a longer shooting schedule.” Some movies took eight or nine months to make, which in this case would have been a disaster. But Carmen was the main focus of the picture, though she wasn't in the entire movie. “Maybe they can move it up. They'll do something to work it out—I know how badly they want you. I'll call them this afternoon,” Allegra said, and then smiled at her. “Congratulations … Alan must be going crazy.” He loved kids. For him, it was what he had always wanted, a wife, a family, and a baby. “That's quite something. And it's not April Fool, I hope!” Allegra asked pointedly and Carmen laughed.
“I don't think so. That's not what the doctor said anyway. I went yesterday. We saw it on a sonogram. You could even see its little heart beating. It kind of looks like a jelly bean. I'm five weeks' pregnant.” She giggled proudly.
“It's hard to believe,” Allegra said, suddenly feeling very old. Carmen was only twenty-three years old, she had a career as a major movie star, and now she was married and having a baby. Allegra was almost thirty, and all she had was a career she loved, and a man she'd known for a little over two months, whom she loved certainly. But who knew where that would lead? It was still very new, and life was uncertain.
She sat at her desk, feeling wistful, and a little jealous after Carmen left, and then she felt stupid for feeling that way. They had a right to their happiness, and she still had things to work out in her own life. At least she wasn't with Brandon anymore, waiting for him to get up the guts to divorce Joanie. He had only called her once since he left. He wanted to know where his tennis racket was, and Nicky's bicycle. He had left both at her place. And he had come to pick them up the following weekend. Jeff had been there, and Brandon had eyed him curiously but he hadn't said much. He still looked very angry at Allegra, and he was cool when he thanked her, and left quickly. That was it. Two years and all that was left was a kid's bike and a tennis racket, and a lot of emptiness. But she had Jeff now, and the relationship was far more fulfilling. It was what she had always wanted with a man, understanding, companionship, emotional support—he was interested in her work, liked her friends, and he wasn't afraid of being close, or of loving her. Even after two months, they shared a bond she had never shared with anyone else, and certainly not Brandon.
She called Alan to congratulate him, and he sounded pleased but a little embarrassed. “I told her not to tell anyone yet. I think she got excited when she saw it on the sonogram yesterday. She wanted to run right out and buy a crib for it after we saw it.”
“It's better that I know anyway. I need to tell the studio what's going on. It's better if they know ahead of time,” she said matter-of-factly, tossing her long blond hair over her shoulder, and trying not to feel the emptiness and the envy she had felt when Carmen told her. She didn't know what was wrong with her. She wasn't usually this sentimental about babies. Maybe it was just because it was Alan.
“Do you think it'll be a problem with them?” Alan sounded worried. He didn't want to mess up her big movie deal, but it was too late now. The baby was due in December.
“I hope not. I'll let you know as soon as I call them. I think with this particular movie, they can pull it off. If they'd planned to have her in a bathing suit for three months, we'd be in big trouble. But the costumes call for a lot of coats and baggy clothes.” It was supposed to take place in New York in the winter. There were a few location shots, and most of it was indoors. But even then she wasn't going to be wearing a lot of slinky costumes.
“She's really excited, Al,” he said, sounding pleased, as though they were the first couple who'd ever done it.
“I know, it was sweet. It kind of made me feel old, to tell you the truth.” And a little left out. She had known Alan a lot longer than Carmen.
“It'll happen to you one of these days,” he reassured her.
“I hope not,” she laughed and said without hesitating, “I'd rather wait till I get married, if I can help it.”
“I think you ought to grab Jeff before he moves back East. He's a good one.”
“Thanks, Dad,” she said, amused at the advice. He was a good one, but it wasn't up to Alan to decide that.
“Anytime, and by the way, I saw Sam today, that's quite a sparkler she's wearing.”
“What sparkler?” Allegra looked blank at her end.
“The ring. Her engagement ring. Why didn't you tell me? She looks mighty proud of it.”
“Sam?” Allegra looked horrified. “She hasn't said a thing. She's engaged Since when?”
“Since yesterday, she said,” Alan said innocently, and then suddenly Allegra remembered.
“You shit. April fool, right?” she asked hopefully, but he was laughing at the other end. “I hate you.”
“You believed me though. I should have kept you going a while longer. You're terrific.”
“You're an asshole. And I hope you have quadruplets,” she said vehemently. He got her every year, and she always believed him.
She called the studio after that and told them the news, and they weren't thrilled, but they were grateful for the early warning. They assured her that the contract would remain in place, which was good news, and they would have a meeting with the director as soon as possible to figure out how to shoot it and work around the “problem.”
“We really appreciate it,” Allegra said.
“Thanks for telling us early,” the producer said. She was a woman whom Allegra liked very much and had
worked with before, though not with Carmen.
“I'll reassure Carmen that everything is okay. I know she'll be pleased. She was very worried.”
“Sometimes you just have to work around Mother Nature. I was working with Allyson Jarvis last month, and she'd forgotten to tell us that she was nursing. She must have worn a forty-eight double D, and I swear I thought we wouldn't even be able to get her chest into the picture.” They both laughed, and Allegra called Carmen to reassure her that she hadn't lost the picture.
And by the end of the day, when she went home to Jeff, she wasn't sure why, but she was drooping. It hadn't been a bad day, and things had worked out for Carmen, despite her pregnancy, but nonetheless Allegra felt let down somehow, and she wondered if it was because of their baby. Maybe she was jealous of them, she suggested to herself as she drove home, but that seemed really stupid. It was just that their lives seemed so fulfilled, so complete, and hers always seemed like a work in progress. She was still seeing Dr. Green, who seemed very pleased with her. She was impressed by the relationship with Jeff. And Allegra reminded herself of how happy she was with him, as she let herself into the house in Malibu. She had never had a relationship like this with anyone. She had never loved anyone as she did him. He was really everything she'd ever wanted.
“Anyone home?” She shouted toward the back of the house where his office was. And half a minute later he came out, with a pencil behind his ear and a grin on his face. He'd missed her all day, and had been working hard, and he was dying to see her.
He swept her into his arms, and kissed her long and hard, and any mild dissatisfaction she might have felt with her life, disappeared on the instant.
“Wow! What was that for? Either you had a great day at the typewriter, or a really bad one.”
“A little of both, as usual. I just missed you. How was your day?”
“Pretty good.” She grabbed an Evian out of the fridge, and handed him a Coke, and told him about Alan and Carmen's baby.
“So soon? That was quick. It must have been fun in Bora Bora. Maybe we should try it for our honeymoon.”
“By the time I get married,” she smiled at him, she was feeling a lot better, and she knew he was just kidding about the honeymoon, “I'll be so old I'll need a wheelchair, not a baby carriage.”
“What makes you say that?” He sounded interested, as they both sat down on the stools at the counter in his kitchen.
“I'm almost thirty, and I've spent a long time building my career, and I'm not there yet. I haven't made full partner yet, and I have a lot of things to do. I don't know, I haven't thought about marriage in a long time,” she said honestly. She just rolled along from day to day, and took things as they came. It seemed a more realistic way to look at her life, than sitting around waiting for Prince Charming and a white wedding.
“I'm kind of disappointed to hear you say that,” Jeff said, looking surprised, and somewhat mischievous. She figured she was in for another April Fools' joke, like Alan's.
“Why? Were you planning to ask me today?” she asked with a grin, turning it around on him. “Ha! April Fools' Day!”
But he just laughed when she said that. “Actually I was. I figured that April Fools' is a great day to get engaged. No one really knows if you're serious or not. I kind of like that.”
“Very funny. Alan already beat you to it,” she said, looking very relaxed as she sipped her Evian. It was always fun coming home to him. They had such a good time together.
“He asked you to marry him today? I think that's in really poor taste if his wife is pregnant.”
“No, you goof.” She laughed at him again. “He said Sam got engaged yesterday. I actually believed him. I should know him better than that after all these years. He does this to me every year. And I always believe him.”
Jeff was smiling at her, as they sat in his comfortable kitchen at sunset. “Would you believe me if I asked you to marry me today?” he asked, leaning closer to her until they were almost kissing. And she laughed at him softly, thinking about what he had said.
“No, I wouldn't believe you.” She played the game with him, and he kissed her and then shook his head.
“Then I guess I'll have to ask you again tomorrow,” he said, pretending to look crushed, and she laughed again, and kissed him again, but something in his eyes suddenly made her tilt her head to one side and look at him strangely.
“You're not serious, are you? This is all a joke, right?”
“Actually, being married to me probably would be something of a joke … but, yeah, I mean it. What do you think? Too far-out, or would you like to give it a try for fifty or sixty years? I've got the time, if you'd like to try it.” He was looking at her with such tenderness that it took her breath away as she realized he meant it.
“Oh, my God … oh, my God! …” She put her hands on her head and almost screamed as she looked into his eyes. “You mean it?”
“Of course I mean it. I've never proposed to anyone in my life. I just figured this might be a good day to do it. You'd always remember.”
“You're crazy,” she said, and threw her arms around his neck. It was incredible. She had known him for a little over two months, and yet it felt completely right to both of them. She had had other relationships for years, and they had hemmed and hawed, and kept her at arm's length, and avoided any real intimacy. And here she was with Jeff, and it was as natural as could be. It was amazing. “I love you so much,” she said, with her arms around him and kissing him. She had never been this happy. And even Carmen's baby seemed unimportant now. This was so much better. Jeff wanted to be with her for the rest of her life. It was what she had always wanted. It was a dream come true, and it was all so easy. It wasn't “work,” and it didn't have to be “ironed out,” and they didn't have to “try” or “give it some thought.” She didn't need therapy to figure out if she wanted him, and he didn't need ten years or two or four to figure out if he loved her. They loved each other, and it was right, and they were getting married.
“You haven't answered me, you know,” he reminded her, and she gave another squeal of delight, and ran around the kitchen like a kid, and he laughed and watched her.
“Yes, I have. The answer is yes … yes … yes … yes … yes!” And then she ran over and kissed him.
“April fool! Just kidding,” he said, but she laughed and didn't believe him.
“Don't even try to get out of this one.” And as they were talking about it the phone rang, and it was her brother. “Hi, Scott,” she said casually. “What's new? … Not much … oh, nothing … Jeff and I just got engaged … no, seriously. Not April fool, for real.” She sounded so casual, he didn't believe her, and Jeff was laughing as he listened.
“You're a monster,” he scolded her, knowing what she was doing.
“Honest. We were just sitting here and we decided to get married…. Yeah, sure,” she said when he said he'd just gotten engaged too. Needless to say, he didn't believe her. “Really, it's not April fool, it's for real.” But she sounded as though she were putting him on, and she was laughing.
“Well, be sure to invite me to the wedding,” was his final sarcastic response. She had totally spoiled his annual call, by the pretense that she was getting married. And he had to get back to his classes at Stanford.
“He didn't believe a word of it, I'll bet,” Jeff said and laughed.
“Nope. He's going to croak when he realizes I was telling him the truth, or have you changed your mind yet?” she asked, pretending to be worried, as he kissed her.
“Give me a day or two. I've never been engaged before. I'm kind of enjoying it for the moment.”
“Yeah,” she said, “me too.” And then as they kissed, they forgot their engagement and thought only of each other. He stripped her slacks and silk shirt away, and she stripped away his shorts and T-shirt. His legs were long and brown. He lay on the beach sometimes in the middle of the day when he was thinking and needed a break from his screenplay. And she looked ver
y white and thin and graceful as she lay in his arms. It was dark when they finally stopped making love on the living room carpet. And she laughed as she looked around them.
“Can we still do this when we're married?”
“I'm counting on it,” he said, sounding very sexy. They stood up finally amidst the debris of their clothes, and went back to his bedroom. And it was late that night before they thought of dinner, or going anywhere, or even their engagement.
“I like being engaged,” Allegra said, as she brought a bag of Oreo cookies back to bed, and he opened a bottle of champagne in honor of their engagement.
“Shouldn't we call anyone?” he asked. “Should I ask your father for your hand?” he asked formally, toasting her with the champagne a moment later.
“Eventually. Let's enjoy it first, before everyone goes crazy.” And then she began to think of the logistics. “When do you want to get married?” she asked. This was really fun. She'd never been engaged before either.
“Isn't it kind of traditional in June? I like traditions. I'll still be shooting the movie then, but we can probably fit it in. As long as you don't mind waiting till September for the honeymoon. Would that be too terrible? I'd rather not wait that long to get married.” Even two months seemed too long to him. He couldn't wait to be married to her. And the idea of marrying Jeff in two months didn't scare her at all. She loved it. They were almost living together now anyway. Why wait any longer? She had waited long enough with all the people who had never been there for her. She didn't need a waiting period with Jeff. She would have married him right then, if he'd asked her.
“We could go to Bora Bora for our honeymoon. Maybe we'll get as lucky as Alan and Carmen,” he said, smiling.
“Do you want kids that soon?” she asked, looking surprised, but she didn't mind that either.
“If you do. I'm thirty-four, you're twenty-nine. I wouldn't want to wait a hell of a lot longer. Anytime you feel ready. It would be nice to have them while we're still relatively young, though you're younger than I am. But I think having my first kid at thirty-five would be terrific.”
The Wedding Page 23