O.J.

by Penny Hawking

  Ornelia grinned. “You’re silly…wait till you fall for a hot ass American lady.” She joked as she walked out.

  I already have. Antonio thought watching her leave.

  Ornelia rushed to her bedroom and grabbed her skirt and blouse from her closet. Her phone rang and she pressed a button on the wall to Answer. “Yes?” she said, the call activating the speakers in her room.

  “How’s my favorite goddaughter?” Guy asked.

  Ornelia smiled as she stripped off her pants. “I’m good.” She said. “Getting ready to leave Norway.”

  “Ready to be back in America?” He asked.

  “I guess…” Ornelia said pulling off her shirt. “It’s been way too long.”

  “Hi aunty Nee-nee!” She heard Kimmy yell in the background. Kimmy was Guy and Yuri’s adopted aboriginal 5 year old daughter. She’d been in an Australian orphanage 4 years ago when she’d first laid eyes on her, doing a shoot with her godfather and one of his partners on the wildlife. The dark skinned big eyed baby had immediately grabbed her attention as she wobbled around the orphanage laughing. When Guy walked in and laid eyes on her, it was love at first sight. He’d taken a picture and immediately sent it to Yuri who flew over the next day to hold the little orphan in her arms. They’d been debating and waiting for years for the perfect time to adopt and there they had it.

  “Hi Kimmy, how’s school?” Ornelia asked laughing.

  “Good, okay I love you bye-bye!” she yelled.

  “Ornelia sweetheart, we can’t wait for you to come back, there’s this festival that I know you’ll just adore.” Yuri said into the phone. Yuri was the go to person for anything entertainment and musical.

  “Sure thing Yuri.” Ornelia said. She heard a call waiting on the other line. “Guys I have another call.”

  “Okay hunny call us when you land.” Yuri said. They said their good-byes and she clicked over as she pulled on her skirt. “Hello?”

  “Tell me Jazmine wasn’t lying.” Nico said into the phone.

  Ornelia grinned as she reached for her shirt. “I wanted to surprise you…” she said walking around the room. “It’s no fun now that you know.”

  “Great, so does this mean now that you’re back in the America, you accept my marriage proposal?” He asked hopefully.

  Ornelia laughed as she slid her shirt on. “Nico, what happened to that girl Carla?” she asked.

  “She wasn’t you O.J.” Nico said charmingly.

  “You cheated on her didn’t you.” Ornelia said walking to her closet. “Tell me was it with Jazmine or Brittany this time?” she asked as she looked at her shoes. After all these years she would still never understand what these three had going on. At one point she believed that her best friends had no qualm in sharing Nico. One summer she would hear he was with Brittany and the next with Jazmine. She couldn’t understand. Brittany had finished medical school and was on her way to becoming a promising doctor. She didn’t need Nico in her life. Jazmine, had shocked all of them by being a successful counselor. She didn’t need Nico either. Yet they always gravitated to him every time something happened, each one cheating on their significant other with Nico or Nico cheating on his with one of them.

  Ornelia knew there must be a simple solution to all this, she just couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

  “O.J, how can you say such things?” Nico asked feigning shock. Ornelia laughed as she slipped on some turquoise heels.

  “I know you better than you know yourself babe.” She said.

  “Mr. Howard there’s a call on line three from Miss. Critton regarding case 65.”

  “Thank you Leslie.” Nico said. “O.J sweetheart…call me when you land, let me take you out, marry me and the world will be a better place.”

  “Bye Nico.” Ornelia said shaking her head.

  “I love you.”

  “Love you too.” She responded. She grabbed the small make-up bag she didn’t pack and headed to the bathroom. The phone rang again and she pressed the answer button on the bathroom wall, activating the speakers in the bathroom.

  “You’re coming home!” Fleur screeched into the phone.

  Ornelia smiled as she applied her foundation. “Hi gorgeous, did Cece give the secret away?” She asked.

  “YES!”

  “Did not!” Cece said sounding further away. “Nee-nee.” She said her voice right into the phone.

  “Traitor.” Ornelia said jokingly.

  “Hahaha.” Cece said un-amused. “Anyways, you told Fleur you were coming to visit her college, she put two and two together.”

  “Oh my gosh and then you can meet Princeton.” Fleur yelled into the phone.

  “Who the hell is Princeton?” I asked. “And why are you growing up so fast, talking to me about boys?”

  Fleur laughed. “Princeton Stone…he’s my best friend. I told you about him. He’s a senior at my college and he’s really smart and nice and he helps me out all the time because sometimes not everything is accessible to the blind here, so he kind of looks out for me, you’ll love him.”

  “What’s a senior doing hanging out with a blind freshman girl?” Ornelia asked possessively. “What does he want? Sounds like an opportunity to take advantage.”

  Cece chuckled but Fleur gasped. “Oh no, he’s not like that, he’s really sweet, and he never tried anything.” She said her voice sounding slightly disappointed. “I don’t think I’m his type anyways.”

  “Oh yeah?” Ornelia said defensively. “And why wouldn’t you be his type? What’s wrong with you? Absolutely nothing. Is he blind or something?” she asked.

  Fleur laughed loudly. “Oh God Nee-nee, I missed you so much.”

  “Hey let me talk to Nee-nee for a little while.” Cece said taking the phone from her sister.

  “Love you Nee-nee, see you soon!” Fleur yelled.

  “Bye Fleur.” Ornelia said smiling sadly. Fleur was like her daughter, now she was all grown-up, first semester in college, meeting boys and shit. She felt herself getting emotional.

  “Hey sis…” Cece said in a low voice. Ornelia could tell she moved away from their little sister.

  “Wassup?” She asked.

  “So….” Cece dragged out. “Did you call mom for her birthday?”

  “I did.” Ornelia said applying her mascara. “I said happy birthday mother.”

  “And?” Cece asked.

  “And, I didn’t know what else to say.” Ornelia admitted as she sighed and looked in the mirror.

  “She said, you didn’t want to come home.” Cece said.

  “I did not say that.” Ornelia said sharply. “I said I have a couple shoots as soon as I land and I didn’t know when I’ll be able to come home.”

  “Nee-nee….” Cece said slowly.

  “Look Cece how’s Greg and the kids hun? Are those two munchkins still up to no good?” She asked referring to her scientist brother-in-law and their 5 and 3 year old sons respectively.

  Cece laughed... “Oh they’re good…just waiting for their opportunity to terrorize their aunt again.”

  Ornelia laughed as she applied her lipstick.

  Antonio rushed in shaking her IPad in the air. “The bride is having a nervous breakdown.” He whispered.

  “Cece, I have to call you back.” Ornelia said promptly. They said their good-byes and I love yous and Antonio pressed the wall to hang-up. Ornelia gave him a guilty look. “Did you tell her I was still in Norway?” she whispered.

  “Still in Norway!” The hysteric voice screamed through the IPad.

  Antonio gave Ornelia a sympathetic look as he handed her the device. He smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear as he left her alone to the screams of Bridezilla.

  “I swear to God Ornelia, if you don’t shut her up, I’m going to rip my sister’s throat out.” A very pregnant Carly said, her face appearing into the screen.

  “Hey.” Ornelia said waving. Carly grinned at her. She was still so beautiful, even more so without the heavy eye-liners around her
eyes making her look like a raccoon. Pregnancy looked good on her. She knew Bernard must be so proud.

  Christina came into the picture, her hair in rollers as she sat on the bed. “Why are you doing this to me?” she asked Ornelia panicking. “My wedding is in a couple hours and you’re not even in America?” she asked.

  Carly rolled her eyes.

  “He said he can get me there in six hours.” Ornelia said smiling guiltily. “That gives me enough time.”

  “Oh God…I’m not getting married.” Christina said burying her head in her palms. “I can’t marry Jared.”

  “Look Christina calm down.” Ornelia said. “Take a couple deep breaths….you’re getting married to the most perfect guy on the planet, your wedding will be perfect, it’s the talk of the century, you have artists and actors bragging about how they’ve been invited to this exclusive event, nothing can go wrong.” Ornelia said soothingly. “Absolutely nothing.”

  “Nothing can go wrong.” Christina said softly as she took a couple deep breaths. “Nothing can go wrong.”

  Ornelia sighed at finally having calmed her down.

  “What?” Carly yelled behind her. “Don’t you see we’re busy?”

  “I’m sorry ma’am but we spotted a couple paparazzi around the east gate and we’ve been asked to move---

  “Oh shit! My Wedding!” Christina hollered grabbing her head. “What the fuck happened to security?”

  “We’re working---

  “Okay Carly, do whatever you can to calm her down.” Ornelia said, cursing the bellboy behind the two sisters for interrupting the intervention.

  “Whatever?” Carly asked mischievously.

  “This time, let’s stay away from the tranquilizers please.” Ornelia said gaining a couple laughs from Carly.

  “Okay got it…but you need to hurry up and get here fast.” Carly said.

  “I’m on the plane right now.” Ornelia said blowing them kisses good bye. She hung up and exited the bathroom. She found Antonio ready, holding out her purse and a glass of champagne. Ornelia grinned at him as she took the champagne and gulped it down. They walked out of her bedroom. “Get ready Antonio….America is nothing like here.”

  Ornelia crossed her legs as she flipped through her IPad. She looked up to see that 25 year old Antonio had fallen asleep. She smiled softly, he looked like a little angel. A very handsome angel. His long eyelashes, the angular structure of his jaw, his slight pouty lips. Ornelia grinned as she lifted her IPad and captured a picture. She would keep it a secret from him until they got there. Make it a surprise for him. She clicked to e-mail his headshot to Jaime Young, the recruiter for Ford Model’s whom she’d worked with before in the past. As she looked back down at her IPad, she was unaware that Antonio opened his eyes briefly and smiled at her before closing them again.

  “Oh a Torn Rose interview with Ellen.” She said clicking on the link. She sat back to enjoy the three more hours left on her ride.

  “Oh and now for our special guests…two members from Torn Rose!” Ellen DeGeneres said happily. The audience smiled as the two guys walked in nodding shyly to the audience. Ornelia smiled as Brad was the only one enthusiastically waving and gaining more screams from the fan.

  “Sit…sit…welcome to my humble abode. “ Ellen said bowing to the guys. “You guys look amazing.” This had the audience clapping hysterically. “Please, please welcome Andy Perth and Brad Hasler!”

  Ornelia shook her head smiling softly as the crowd screamed for a good two minutes. Brad looked around happily, his blond hair tied back in a ponytail. Andy was sitting back on the couch, his hair was cut shorter then he’d ever worn it. It was away from his face and forehead, revealing his beautifully structured face and his startling blue eyes. He seemed slightly uncomfortable…but then again after years of this, he never seemed comfortable on T.V.

  “SO how does it feel to be the number one band in the world?” Ellen asked happily.

  “It feels great.” Brad said. “We could not have asked for anything more…except for maybe like world peace or something.” He said flashing his charming smile. The audience which Ornelia wanted to conclude must have consisted of very young females clapped enthusiastically.

  “So are you ready for your sister’s wedding?” Ellen asked.

  Brad nodded. “It can’t come here fast enough. She’s a perfectionist so she’s going crazy right now.” Brad side. Ornelia grinned, Christina probably killed him after that. “In fact, she almost disinvited all of us from the wedding, including Jared.” The audience laughed.

  “I’m still invited to the wedding though right?” Ellen asked.

  “Definitely you’re sitting right next to me.” Brad said. “And of course Portia’s is sitting on the other side of me.” Brad said winking.

  The audience laughed as Ellen hit Brad playfully with her notecards. “I’ll have to have a talk with Portia before the wedding on how to resist your charm to try and turn her straight.” Ellen said. The audience laughed louder as Brad high fived Ellen.

  “Now Andy.” Ellen said turning her head to Andy. “How does it feel to be named sexiest man alive by People magazine?”

  The crowd went into an uproar as the girls yelled and screamed his name, telling him they loved him. Ellen looked around laughing. “I think this is the horniest audience I’ve had in years.”

  Ornelia chuckled along with them.

  “I don’t know how that happened.” Andy said rubbing his hands together. “They probably switched up the piles and were too embarrassed to fix their mistake.”

  “The sexiest man alive ladies and gentleman.” Ellen said as she pointed behind her. The screen lit up and a picture of Andy on the cover of people’s magazine appeared. The crowd went wild. You could only see the top half but he was wearing a black V-neck and holding his guitar. His supernatural blue eyes piercing through the picture and that infamous smirk of his at the corner of his pink lips. “Do you know…” Ellen started. “You are the second non-actor since John F. Kennedy Jr. to win this award?” she said.

  The audience clapped.

  Ornelia scoffed and rolled her eyes. She lowered the volume of the interview as she checked her e-mails. She was going to close her IPad when something that Ellen said made her switch back to the video.

  “Special Mistake has been topping the charts for the past 2 months. Seems more and more people can relate to that.” Ellen said. “After Christina let out in an interview on Jay Leno, that you wrote it about somebody dear to you…I’m going to pry and take the next step.”

  Andy leaned back in his seat and stared at her.

  “Who was this girl that took your heart for a rollercoaster ride?” Ellen asked.

  The audience fell into silence.

  Ornelia put her IPad closer to her face as she studied his expression. He absent-mindedly chewed his bottom lip. The camera focused on his face, illuminating his crystal blue eyes. Andy didn’t answer right away as he rubbed his arm and let out a small chuckle. “Just some girl.” He said vaguely.