by Mells, J. C.
Tony burst out laughing as he plopped a large steak on my plate from the platter.
“Zak told me about that. I told him to leave you in peace and stick a note under the door or something. He never listens to me. He won’t be coming around uninvited again, I can tell you that.”
“I’m sitting right here, dear,” Zak muttered under his breath while dumping a big helping of coleslaw onto my plate. “I can hear you.”
“I guess buying a bathing suit is going to be top of my list of things to do tomorrow,” I chuckled.
“The Meadows Mall isn’t too far from here, if you want to do a quick shop,” Tony stated, adding some potato salad to what was already in front of me.
“Oh, for Petunia’s sake, Tony, she’s California Huntington. She’s not going to be shopping at the damn Meadows Mall.” Zak looked at his husband in disbelief as he draped mixed greens over everything now on my plate.
I began to giggle as I looked at the dish in front of me. I couldn’t stop myself. Then Tony, realizing what he and his partner had just done, began to laugh along with me.
“We’ve done it again, Zakary. Look at her plate. I’m so sorry, Cali, it’s one of the side effects of being a parent. I’m so glad we noticed before Zak started cutting up your steak for you, too.”
This made us all laugh.
“I still might if we don’t start eating soon,” Zak threatened jokingly.
“So, you know who I am then?” I asked in between mouthfuls of salad and steak. “Oh, and this is delicious, by the way.” I was never going to finish all this food. I couldn’t finish all this food. I wasn’t exactly dieting, but portion control of whatever I ate was really important. If I ate everything in front of me now, I would be tempted to throw it all up again later.
“Thank you, and yes, we know who you are. Zak, open up that wine Cali brought over. I’m dying to see what she pilfered from Eric’s cellar.”
“Oooh, a 2002 Quintessa; you have outdone yourself, Cali. Are you sure Eric won’t miss this?” Zak asked the question, but still started to open the bottle anyway.
“I was told to make myself at home and help myself to whatever I wanted,” I laughed. “There are some perks to having ‘Huntington’ as a last name, you know. But none for me, though, thanks,” I added as Zak started to pour.
“Not drinking tonight?” He asked.
“Not drinking for a while, I expect. Or, at least I hope. I just got out of rehab this morning.”
“Oh, really?” Zak raised an eyebrow in that ‘please do tell me more’ way.
“Well, not technically a ‘rehab’ – that’s just what I refer to it as. It was more of a recovery center for people with psychological and eating disorders. I have some…food issues. I hope you won’t hold it against me if I can’t clear my plate.” There I said it. It was out in the open for all to see now. Step One accomplished.
It felt very freeing to say it out loud.
“I had a roommate in college who was anorexic. He was so thin he had to practically run around in the shower to get wet.” Despite the comic statement, Zak delivered it straight-faced and looked completely serious.
“My disorder is the other one,” I added with a small smile.
“Ah, binge and purge. I dated a drag queen back in my late teens during my experimental phase. She couldn’t eat a dry cracker without having to go stick her fingers down her throat.”
“See what I mean, Cali,” Tony winked at me. “You can’t say anything that could possibly shock Zak. He’s done it all and seen it all. He always seeks out the interesting and the strange. The weird and unusual are attracted to him like moths to a flame.”
“What does that say about you then, Tony?” I joked.
“Tony is my rock, my dear,” Zak interjected. “Without him God knows what dark pit of despair I would be lying in today. That’s what you need, my girl: a rock. Someone who knows all about your dark side and understands what you need to control it.”
“You know I have a dark side?”
“Well, I’ve seen TMZ, read the gossip magazine headlines, and you just admitted to getting out of rehab today. I’d say you have a dark side. We all have our demons.”
“Just some of us have them displayed on national television for all to see,” I laughed.
“I have to say, Cali,” Tony said, jumping into the discussion, “you’re not really what I expected.”
“So the invite tonight was more an information reconnaissance mission, was it?” I smiled. “Trying to see if the new neighbor was going to be hosting wild parties and trashing up the neighborhood, eh?”
“Something like that,” Tony responded sheepishly. “We expected you to be more… well… Kardashian.”
This made us all giggle.
“Truth be told, I do have a little bit of a sordid past. I’ve been a bad girl for the last year – but I’d like to think it was just a phase I was going through. The trip here is to get away from the paparazzi, five-star hotels, and all that socialite lifestyle that was playing havoc on my mental and physical health. That’s all behind me now. To new beginnings,” I added as I raised up my iced tea glass in a toast.
“To new beginnings,” Tony and Zak chanted back, wine glasses in hand.
“Only, don’t lose all the bad girl side of you,” Zak stage-whispered. “Then, you wouldn’t be quite so much fun.”
The night progressed pleasantly onwards from there.
After Hayley was put to bed, I sat up chatting with my new friends until way after ten.
Tony was a pediatric doctor with his own private practice and Zak was a stay-at-home dad, who apparently participated in so many community events and was on so many boards for them, it was like having a full-time job.
They met back in L.A. at a LGBT fundraiser and the rest, as they say, is history. Zak moved to Vegas to live with Tony three months after they started long-distance dating and they never looked back.
Tony looked one hundred percent Italian, with thick, jet-black hair and olive skin. He was tall, broad and fit, and obviously spent some of his time in a gym.
In contrast, Zak was a little on the chubby side, had strawberry-blond hair, and was dimpled. I’m pretty sure he didn’t know what a gym was.
Their daughter, Hayley, was a gorgeous blend of African-American and Italian, with large dark eyes and milk chocolate-colored skin. She’d inherited Tony’s thick, black hair and in terms of mannerisms and expressions, was a dead-ringer for Zak.
By the end of the night, I think I was in love with all of them.
The charming couple had a way of getting me to share information with them I had no intention of doing originally. In my position as a Huntington, I’d been taught to keep certain things very close to my chest. You never knew who was planning on sharing juicy gossip over social media or calling TMZ with a promise of the next big scoop. Zak and Tony Solano I sensed I could trust.
Let’s face it, I wasn’t quite on the same level as a Kardashian or Paris Hilton – I could still go out in public and was only recognized on rare occasions. Put me on a red carpet with my father, or next to Lake stumbling out a club at four in the morning, and people knew who I was. Throw me in regular clothes and a pair of good sunglasses, and I wouldn’t get a second glance.
I’m not going to lie; I lived a spoiled and privileged life. Zak was right – I’d never shopped in a regular mall in my life. The jeans I now wore cost five hundred dollars and the shirt, three hundred. I’d also never been happy. It’s so true that there are some things that just can’t be purchased with an American Express Black Card.
“So what’s your big plan then, Cali?” Zak asked. “Are you going to pull a Sophia Loren from Houseboat and mix it up with the working class for a bit?”
I laughed at this. “Maybe. I haven’t quite thought it all through yet.”
“There has to be a reason you came to Vegas of all places to work on your sobriety and get away from your family back in L. A.” Tony passed me another glass of ic
ed tea and settled down on the couch next to me. We’d moved into their living room after dinner.
“It’s about a boy, isn’t it?” Zak exclaimed. “It’s always about a boy,” he added, lifting his eyebrows at me in a way that was obviously his trademark look.
“Okay,” Tony interjected before I could reply, “so more Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday then. Who is your Gregory Peck, missy?”
“I can’t keep anything from you two, can I?” I chuckled. I also inwardly thanked the Center for introducing me to classic movies. The Turner Classic Movies station had always been on and I’d actually seen both of the movies they referenced.
So I told them. Well, I sort of told them. I gave them the PG-rated version of how I’d met Thatch and how we’d left things unfinished.
“So I’m here to say sorry, that’s all,” I said as I concluded my story.
“Bull. Shit,” Zak said knowingly. “You’re here to see if the sparks still fly even when you’re sober. I can’t wait to tune into Ultimate Ninja Athlete tomorrow night and check this stud out!”
“Me either,” I agreed.
“See! I told you!” Zak said triumphantly. “So, what’s your next move? Heading over to the tattoo shop tomorrow?”
“I guess…or I might take a couple of days to settle in…”
“Oh, don’t you chicken out now, girly.” Tony frowned at me before adding: “Even if the guy wants nothing more to do with you, at least you can say you tried.”
“Though he would be completely crazy if he didn’t!” Zak interjected vehemently.
“Thank you both, but look at it from his point of view for a second. I don’t exactly have the best reputation in the world. He has a father in AA and a five-year-old son. He knows firsthand about addictions and he has responsibilities. Add to that all the crazy shit that went down last year…” I paused, not meaning to bring up last year, but it had just slipped out.
“You’re referring to the ‘Girl Who Cried Wolf’ scandal, aren’t you?” Zak asked.
“That’s personal, Zakary. Don’t answer him, Cali, if you don’t want to. It’s really none of our business.” Tony was definitely the more tactful one of the pair.
“That’s okay, Tony. I won’t go into too much detail, if you guys don’t mind. The trauma surrounding the kidnapping is something I’m still dealing with. Just another log for my food disorder fire. I had food issues before it happened, but they got worse as a result of it.”
“So, you really were kidnapped then?” Zak asked, ignoring his husband’s disapproving look.
I looked down at my hands to collect my thoughts for a brief moment before I answered him.
“Yes, I was kidnapped. I was chained in a basement for three days in a cabin out in the middle of nowhere. I managed to get away though. If you’re wondering why I don’t have bodyguards or an entourage or anything, I tried to… but just can’t go on living my life like that. If I just stay away from the limelight, I shouldn’t need twenty-four hour protection. Anyway, besides all that, no one – including my family – believed me. That should give you more than enough background information as to why I want to move away from Los Angeles. That’s really all I want to say on the subject.”
“Oh, you poor girl. I’m sorry that happened to you. We won’t bring it up again, will we Zakary?” Tony glared at his partner again.
“We said it earlier,” Zak said, nodding to Tony before looking at me, “but it’s worth repeating again. To new beginnings.”
“Agreed,” I smiled back.
{6}
Thatch
“I miss you, Daddy.” Hearing Thaddeus’s voice through the telephone in my motel room made my chest clench.
“I miss you too, little man. Only seven more sleeps and I’ll be home again, okay? How was school today? Did you do anything fun?”
Thaddeus had recently started attending pre-school part time. Leaving him there had been so damn hard in the beginning. Harder for me than for him, I think. That experience paled in comparison to being separated from him for two weeks to attend the mandatory Ultimate Ninja Athlete boot camp, now that I’d made it to the Las Vegas Finals.
“I showed Miss Wade my ninja flip and she told me not to do it at school anymore,” he said sadly.
“Well, you can get hurt, little man. It’s okay to do it at the gym with me – where there are mats and things to protect you. You might fall and hurt yourself at school.”
“Okay. I won’t do it anymore.”
Damn, my kid was so melancholy all the time. It fucking killed me.
“What else did you do, Thaddeus?”
“We did singing. Bobby singed really loud and it hurt all our ears.”
I smiled into the phone, just so completely in love with the sound of my son’s voice.
“How’s Pop-Pop? He taking good care of you while I’m gone?”
“Yeah, Daddy. He’s making vegetables and everything. Today, he let me come down and watch him do a tattoo on a hairy man with shiny pants on.” Of course ‘hairy’ came out as ‘haiwy.’ So damn adorable.
“Shiny pants, eh? Like leather, you mean?”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“Did Pop-Pop tell you I’m going to be on T.V. tonight?” I completed the Dallas Regional Finals course a month ago, but it was only being televised tonight.
“Oh, yes!” Thaddeus’ voice got animated for the first time since our conversation had started. “He says I can stay up and watch, but only until you’re on. Then I have to go to bed.”
“Make sure you pay attention when I get to the Wall, okay Thaddeus? I wave to you, little man. The wave is only for you.”
“And Pop-Pop too, right?”
“Yeah, and Pop-Pop. But no one else, got it?”
“Okay, Daddy. I’ll pay extwa attention then.”
“I love you, Thaddeus.”
“I love you too, Daddy.”
{7}
Cali
The next day, after my night spent with my neighbors, I didn’t get up until noon. Even with a nightmare-free, restful night’s sleep, some old habits die hard.
Then it hit me that I was alone for the first time in my life. Alone, alone, that is. No servants, no room service, no orderlies – just me, all on my lonesome.
It was a pretty great feeling.
I took another naked dip in the pool, ate an energy bar, got showered and dressed, and decided to take a stab at going grocery shopping.
It sunk in that I’d never been grocery shopping before, either.
Well, shit.
Don’t get me wrong; I’ve been into gas stations and drugstores to raid the junk food aisles before, but actual food shopping?
Using the kitchen phone, I called Zak.
“Hey, Zak, it’s Cali. You doing anything right now?”
“Hi Cali. I was just thinking about you! I was wondering if you’d headed over to see your hunka-hunka burning love yet. And, in answer to your question: nothing. Just puttering about the house while Hayles is at school.”
“No, I haven’t gone to look for him yet. I’m psyching myself up to it. Maybe I’ll go tomorrow. In the meantime, want to come grocery shopping with me?”
“You’ve never been grocery shopping, have you?” Zak chuckled.
“Not once in my entire life.”
“Meet you out front in ten then, girlfriend.”
We decided that Zak should drive.
“I’m going to start you out small, but with quality, for your first venture into the daunting world of provisions acquisitions,” Zak said as we drove along Sahara Avenue. “Up ahead on the right you’ll see Smith’s. Smith’s is where you’ll go once you’ve got a little experience under your belt. Consider today as the warm-up to Smith’s.”
“Is it weird that I’m curiously excited about going into a grocery store right now? Maybe even a little aroused?” I laughed at Zak as I spoke.
“Ooh, too much info, girlfriend. Save it for Tattoo Guy,” he joked back.
Z
ak finally pulled into a parking lot and we both got out of the car.
“Here we have Fresh & Easy. If the name alone doesn’t make you want to shop here, the quality product will. They’re a much smaller store when compared to some of the other chains, but they have good, fresh produce, as well as some great, easy-to-warm-up, homemade packaged meals. I’m going to assume you haven’t done too much in the cooking department either?”
“I’ve had to fend for myself in the past before. I’m not that helpless.”
“By ‘fend for yourself’ you probably mean you had to heat up something made by someone else, right?” Zak rolled his eyes at me.
“Maybe… all right… God damn it, yes. You got me. I’ve made sandwiches. Oh, oh, oh… and popcorn in the microwave.” I puffed out my chest with pride.
“Oh dear. It’s worse than I imagined,” Zak mocked. “You know you filthy rich bitches can have gourmet meals delivered fresh to your door every day, right?”
“But where’s the challenge in that, Zakary? This is the new, more independent me, remember? Oh, can I push the cart?” I asked as soon as we crossed the threshold into the store.
“God, help me now,” Zak said laughing and rolling his eyes up to the heavens again.
“Just don’t let me buy any junk food. You know, things like cake, or cookies, or potato chips,” I said changing my playful tone to a more serious one. “Purging empty calories is how I started my bad habits in the first place. I’m so close to getting my green chip. If I have a weak moment and have things like that in the house….”
“Say no more, girlfriend. I’ve got your back,” Zak replied.
An hour later and we were loading bags upon bags of groceries into the back of Zak’s SUV. I thought I was going to be nervous being around all that food, but with Zak keeping me clear of the bakery and snack sections, I really had a blast. Grocery shopping just made number three on my top three list of favorite things to do – just one below spending time with Zak. Sex with Thatch Reston was still holding out at number one. Go figure. Could be worse. Getting high and numbing my body to not feel any guilt used to be up there at the top of that list a few months ago.