Facades

by Alex Marcoux

  Sidney shook her head. “No, it goes beyond the closet. You need to give your audience what they expect. The closet shelters the world from who you are. A façade gives the world what they want to see. To live a facade would require total sacrifice and commitment from you and Stephanie. Stephanie could no longer be your road manager. The two of you would have to limit your time with each other in any public situation. The two of you would need to establish separate residences. You would have to date men. Have you considered marriage or even children? And if you think that’s enough, you’re wrong. You’d have to be more dedicated and work harder than ever before.”

  Sidney left the table, opened the door, then turned back to the group. “Anastasia, as cold as this may sound, I have no interest in working with you on the first two options.”

  The group stood and started to exit. Tension saturated the room.

  As Stephanie passed through the door she turned to Sidney and mumbled, “Homophobic bitch.”

  Anastasia was silent as she walked through the door, staring at Sidney. There was something about Sidney that seemed familiar to Anastasia, but she could not put a finger on it.

  *

  An hour later, Sidney was working in her office when Nelson and Natalie knocked at her door. “Do you have a minute?” Natalie asked.

  “Come in.”

  The two entered her office and sat on her couch. Sidney noticed that Nelson slouched. “I guess you have something on your minds,” Sidney stated.

  The two looked at each other, as if encouraging the other to talk.

  “You’re upset with me,” Sidney said.

  “Not upset, just wondering if we did the right thing,” Natalie answered.

  “You mean if J did the right thing.”

  “No, we’re a team, and we stand behind your decisions. But…don’t you think you were a little harder on her than you had to be?” Natalie asked.

  “I just can’t believe you made a decision of this importance, without discussing it with me,” Nelson added. “Since when are commissions for a star of her class not negotiable? Or since when have we not considered getting creative with contract clauses?”

  “I’m sorry if I disappointed the two of you, but I believe I made the right decision. Nelson, just because I made a decision without consulting you doesn’t undermine your role in this company, but last time I checked I still had the authority to do it.”

  “You’re right. I’m sorry; I was out of line. I guess I’m just disappointed at the way it turned out.” Nelson excused himself and left the office.

  Natalie also excused herself and started to leave. Then Sidney asked, “Do you really think I was wrong?”

  Natalie hesitated, then, maintaining eye contact with Sidney, “If you don’t want to represent her because she’s gay-yes. Then you’re just as bad as the rest.” She turned and left.

  Chapter 2

  The grand disco sphere sparkled as it rotated, and the colorful lights reflected off the ball, high above the dancers’ heads. Strobe lights followed, simulating slow motion dance. The loud music made it difficult to think, and the bass from the speakers vibrated the room.

  Tonight was the grand opening celebration for Alternatives, a lesbian dance club located in Essex County of Northern New Jersey. The club targeted professional women in their late twenties and older. Rochelle, the club owner, was watching the opening-night celebration. Most of the women were tastefully dressed, complying with her no jeans policy. It was only 11:45 P.M., and already a good-size crowd had gathered. Rochelle appeared agitated as she checked her watch. She was exhausted. She had prepared for this night for months, and she’d had limited sleep, especially the past week.

  Rochelle seemed relieved when she saw Stephanie at one of the bars. The friends exchanged hugs.

  “How’s it going, are you nervous?” Stephanie asked as she held her Absolut and water.

  “I was getting nervous. I was starting to wonder if you were going to show,” Rochelle admitted.

  “I told you we’d be here, we’re here.” Stephanie continued looking around the room. “Good crowd.”

  Rochelle seemed pleased as she inspected the room. “Yeah. I’ve been working round-the-clock, ever since you said you’d help me out. I put up a bunch of opening night flyers in the Village.” Rochelle pulled a flyer from her pocket and gave it to Stephanie. “I also sent flyers to gay-owned businesses in Northern Jersey and the city. I think it’s paid off.”

  Stephanie just glanced at the flyer. There was a picture of Anastasia on it, advertising her special appearance during the grand opening celebration. Stephanie crumpled the flyer and shoved it back in Rochelle’s pocket. “Don’t let Anastasia see it.” Then Stephanie slipped into the crowd.

  “Where are you going? And where’s Anastasia?” Rochelle asked.

  Stephanie turned back to her friend and smiled. “I’m going to play for a while, relax. Anastasia’s back in the dressing room.”

  Rochelle shook her head as she watched her friend work the room, flirting with just about everyone she ran into. “What a fool; she doesn’t realize what she has,” she whispered. But her voice was lost in the loud music.

  At one o’clock, Rochelle addressed her audience. “I want to thank everyone for coming and celebrating the opening of Alternatives. As promised, tonight I have a special treat for you. It’s my privilege to introduce to you one of the best performers of our times. Ladies, please welcome…Anastasia.”

  The audience seemed genuinely excited about Anastasia’s appearance. She performed two songs, “I’m Here to Stay” from her first album and another from her second album.

  After the performance, Anastasia joined Rochelle and Stephanie at the bar for a drink. Rochelle appeared less stressed and more relaxed and was grateful to Anastasia. “Can we have a picture taken together to commemorate the occasion?”

  “Sure,” Anastasia agreed. The three women lined up in front of the bar, posing as shutters clicked.

  An hour later, Anastasia was leaving the club by herself when she spotted a grand-opening flyer, boasting her picture. The advertisement was posted outside the main entrance of the club. Earlier, she had entered through the rear access and had not seen the flyer. Shit. Anastasia removed the flyer, stuffing it in her pocket. I’ll have to talk with Steph about it when she gets home.

  *

  The following morning, Anastasia was awakened by a ringing telephone. “Who the hell is calling at seven on a Sunday morning?” Rolling over, she realized she was alone in the bed. “Steph?” she called out, but there was no response. Anastasia reached for the phone and asked the caller, “Steph?”

  “Now you’ve really done it. I warned you; it’s over. We’re through,” Jeffrey Simon, her personal manager, yelled. Then there was a dial tone in her ear.

  Although Jeffrey’s call confused her, Anastasia was more concerned that Stephanie was nowhere to be found. Anastasia’s stately house in Bernardsville, New Jersey, was only about a forty-minute drive from Alternatives. Stephanie had planned to return home after she helped Rochelle close the club.

  Around ten o’clock that morning, Stephanie finally called, complaining about the work involved with closing a bar. Apparently, she had crashed at Rochelle’s home, and planned to return home that afternoon.

  Later that morning Jerry Benson called. “Have you seen the New Jersey Gazette this morning?” The Gazette was a newspaper that targeted the Northern New Jersey and New York Metro market. Although its circulation was modest compared to the larger metro papers, the paper was one of the oldest and most respected in the state.

  “Is there a reason why I should see the Gazette?” Anastasia asked.

  “This is one day you may want to get it,” Jerry insisted. Then he hung up.

  Anastasia dressed quickly in jeans and a T-shirt. She was accustomed to dressing in disguise when going out in public and stuffed her long dark hair under a baseball cap and put on sunglasses. She drove her Jaguar to her favorite coffee shop
for breakfast.

  “Good morning, Cindy.” Anastasia greeted the waitress who filled her mug with coffee.

  Cautiously, the waitress greeted Anastasia. “How are you today?”

  Anastasia took a sip of coffee. “Better now. Thanks.” She raised the mug to toast the waitress, then took another sip and pulled out the Sunday Gazette. As she unfolded the paper, her heart seemed to skip a beat. “Oh my God,” she said, as she read “Anastasia frequents lesbian bar.”

  Sitting quietly, Anastasia read the article that started on the front page. The column was damaging; it portrayed Anastasia as deceitful, because she had not been honest with her fans. But the article was not what upset Anastasia the most. When she turned the page to continue reading, she found an enlarged picture of herself, Stephanie, and Rochelle at the club. The picture showed Rochelle and Stephanie kissing Anastasia while standing in front of a bar with neon lights spelling out Alternatives.

  Anastasia’s problems were just beginning. The following day, Jeffrey Simon’s lawyer contacted her to discuss contract termination. A call from a Quench Soda product manager followed. The company had been talking with Anastasia about becoming the spokesperson for their product. Now they were no longer interested in her. Later that week, she learned that Global Records had frozen the funds for her new album. Jerry further explained that Global had no intention of releasing the new album after it was recorded.

  Frustrated, Anastasia asked Jerry if Global would release her from her contract. Later that afternoon David Jacobs called and informed her that Global would not free her from her obligations.

  The press ate up the Gazette article, and soon the newspaper reporter was being interviewed by every TV newsmagazine. She attributed good old-fashioned investigative reporting to how she broke the story.

  Sidney was busy reviewing market research information on new candidates when Nelson knocked on her office door. He entered her office and placed the most recent edition of The National Enquirer on her desk. The cover showed the compromising picture of Anastasia with the headline “Anastasia Comes Out to Play.” Sidney skimmed the article, then said, “That picture sure gets around.”

  “I need to apologize, you were right. She’s a walking time bomb,” Nelson added.

  Chapter 3

  That Friday evening, Scott picked up Sidney from her office. He looked handsome in his tuxedo, and Sidney looked equally beautiful in an elegant gown. As a principal for the New York City Public School system, Scott did not have many opportunities to rub elbows with celebrities. So each year, he enjoyed attending the Kramer Benefit with Sidney.

  The attractive couple entered the formal ballroom of the New York Hilton & Towers. Sidney was radiant. She carried herself expertly among the crowd of entertainers and peers from the music business. Over the years, she had perfected her techniques of working the crowd. She manifested power, was poised, polished and confident. People went out of their way to be introduced to her or to greet her. Scott always enjoyed himself at this function, but knew this was Sidney’s vocation and was quick to sense when she wanted him to leave so she could discuss business.

  Shortly after they arrived, Sidney noticed that Jerry Benson accompanied Anastasia, and Stephanie was noticeably absent. Anastasia seemed reserved and spent most of the evening at an isolated bar, among friends, but away from the party’s mainstream.

  Later that evening, Sidney decided to make an effort and greet Anastasia. Seeing an opening, she walked to the bar that Anastasia had been frequenting. Warmly, she greeted the bartender. “Hi. Can I have a Perrier, please?” Then she turned toward Anastasia. “Hi Anastasia, how are you?”

  Anastasia acknowledged Sidney by turning in her direction, but remained silent. She stared at Sidney with cold eyes. “Are you here to tell me ‘I told you so’?”

  Sidney shook her head. “No, I just wanted to say ‘hi,’ and I have.”

  As quickly as she said it, Sidney turned to leave and was rejoining Scott when she heard Anastasia’s voice behind her. “I’m sorry.”

  Sidney acknowledged Anastasia by nodding, then turned to leave with her escort.

  “Can we talk?” Anastasia asked. Sidney continued to hold her escort’s arm, signifying to Scott not to leave. “Please?” Anastasia asked calmly.

  Sidney hesitated, then turned to Scott and introduced Anastasia. Scott briefly enjoyed his encounter with the celebrity, but quickly excused himself when he recognized the five-minute signal from Sidney.

  The two women moved back to the secluded bar. “I need your help…,” Anastasia started. “Will you manage me?”

  “I’m sorry Anastasia; I don’t think there’s anything I could do for you. There’s just been too much damage this time.”

  “I’ll do what you tell me to do, you know, I’ll live fucking Cinderella’s life if that’s what I need to do,” Anastasia continued.

  “Anastasia, it’s not that I don’t want to help. I just don’t believe I can help. I can’t take you beyond where you’ve been. To be honest, I don’t think I could take you back to where you’ve been.” Sidney studied Anastasia and realized how hard it must have been for Anastasia to approach her. “You’re a talented person. With some creative marketing, you can still have a successful career as a mid-level performer, and be out of the closet. I would think you’d be happier that way.”

  “You’re not even going to consider it?”

  Sidney shook her head.

  Anastasia pulled something out of her purse, and placed a folded piece of paper in Sidney’s hand. “For the record, I didn’t go to the club to socialize. I was performing.”

  Sidney opened the flyer that advertised Anastasia’s special appearance the opening night of Alternatives.

  Scott rejoined the women, but could see they were not finished. So he was surprised when Sidney took his arm, suggesting it was time to leave. The two turned to leave, then Sidney abruptly returned to Anastasia. “This isn’t personal, this is business.” She studied Anastasia. “I’m making no promises, but I’ll run a new analysis regarding the recent press. I don’t believe the results will be favorable compared to my other options. Remember, no promises, but I’ll look at it.”

  Anastasia smiled after Sidney left. Somehow, she did not feel quite as alone.

  The following Monday morning, Sidney was in a staff meeting when she addressed the group. “I want another market analysis on Anastasia.”

  Nelson was surprised. “I thought that was a dead issue?”

  “She expressed interest in MPI once again.”

  “That’s because her manager ran out on her, with good reason,” Nelson added. “You know I didn’t agree with the way the first meeting was handled. But you were right; she’s a walking time bomb. Let it go.”

  “I will, just as soon as I see the new report.” She delegated the areas of research to her employees. Specifically, she wanted to know revenue projections considering the recent publicity. She also asked for an analysis, assuming the Gazette published a retraction and an apology to Anastasia. The group was given ten days to finish the work and report their findings.

  An hour later, Sidney pulled out an old business card from her Rolodex and called Dimarto’s Private Investigation Services.

  “Yeah, this is Dimarto,” a male voice answered the phone.

  “Tony, this is Sidney Marcum. I need some research completed in a week or so. Do you have the time to do it?”

  “Well, I am really busy right now. But, I suppose I can bump some of my work and squeeze you in,” the man said.

  The two agreed to meet at the Bethesda Fountain in Central Park at noon.

  It was 12:10 P.M. when Tony arrived. Rather than greeting him, Sidney rose from the park bench and started walking away from him. He followed her until she believed no one was watching the two, then she spoke to the man. “I need you to check out the New Jersey Gazette and a reporter for the paper. Nancy Roberts.”

  “What are you looking for specifically?” Tony asked.

>   Sidney told the investigator that the paper broke the initial story on Anastasia. “I want to know, about the reporter. What was she doing at the bar that night? Is she gay? I want financials on the newspaper and a list of their top ten advertisers. Who are their creditors? Who makes the decisions at the paper? What lawsuits have they been involved in over the last ten years? I also want to know about the nightclub, Alternatives. What was Anastasia doing there?” She handed the man a white envelope. “I need your report by next Wednesday. I know this is a lot of work for a short period of time. I’ve included overtime in your payment. Give me an accurate report, and I’ll match what’s in the envelope.”

  The man casually opened the envelope and counted the cash. Obviously satisfied, he pocketed the envelope. “I’ll call you next week.”

  A meeting with Anastasia was scheduled on Friday of the following week. Sidney expected to hear from Tony by the Wednesday before the meeting, but he did not call. On Thursday morning Sidney’s staff gave their report. As expected, their recommendation was to contract with another group of entertainers, not Anastasia. Their recommendation was supported by good research. Sidney thanked her staff for responding to her request so promptly and dismissed the meeting.

  The rest of day dragged by. At three o’clock, Sidney called Tony, only to get his answering machine. At five o’clock she picked up her staff’s report regarding Anastasia. For two hours she reviewed their report, concluding that their recommendation was sound and supported by the facts. Shortly after 7:00 P.M., she packed her attaché case and started walking to the garage. As she entered the multi-level parking facility, she thought, It’s just as well I didn’t hear from Tony, after all, facts are facts and business is business. Anastasia is just not good business.

  She opened the trunk of her Mercedes and stored her briefcase. Then she sat in her vehicle, fastened her seatbelt and started the ignition. A disturbance from her backseat startled her and a cold hand collapsed her mouth. Her heart was racing, then she heard, “It’s okay, it’s me, Tony.”