Cathy laughed so hard her eyes teared. “Hey, I’m not putting pressure on you, okay?”
“The bar is set kind of high here. I have three games, three pre-game shows, three post-game shows, batting practices and at least three team meetings.”
Cathy was insistent. “I repeat, I’m not putting pressure on you.”
Marcus pretended he didn’t hear her. “The way I see it, we have to go through at least a third of them for a respectable number.”
Cathy’s mouth fell open. “A third? Math isn’t my strong suit but I know one third of 48 is 16. I think.”
“Right.”
“Sixteen times? We still have to eat, sleep and bathe in addition to all the baseball stuff. Not to mention we’re leaving Sunday afternoon after the game.”
“It’s totally do-able. We have the rest of this afternoon and tonight after the game. Then we have Saturday morning and Saturday night. We even have Sunday morning.”
“You’re kidding?”
“No. I’m perfectly serious. We have to bring up our average.”
“We have to what?”
“Bring our average up.”
“What are you talking about? We’re 2 for 2. Doesn’t that mean we’re batting 1,000?”
“Yes, if you look at it that way it does. However, we have 16 at bats which means our average is only 125.”
“I don’t think I’ve had sex 16 times in several months, let alone a weekend.”
He moved closer to her. “Then it’s time we changed that.” Marcus hovered over her.
“Really?” she asked.
“Oh yes. Really.”
He planted little kisses all over her neck and breasts before he devoted his attention to her lips. She ran her hands through his hair and down his back. It was a perfect way to spend the afternoon and quite an accomplishment. They brought their average up to 250.
v
Marcus left around four, which left Cathy with some time to get ready for the game. She wanted to look nice and so she chose a skirt paired with a Yankee shirt with Marcus’s name and number. Cathy noticed her skirt was a little loose, a pleasant side effect of being in love with such a gorgeous man.
There was a knock on the door.
“Cathy? Are you ready to head out?”
“Yeah. I’ll be there in a minute.” She checked her
makeup and clothes in the mirror before stepping into the hallway. “I’m caught up! I get lost in the afterglow!” Madison sang off-key.
Cathy put her key card in her purse. “Very funny, Madison.”
“You do have a glow about you, big sister.”
“Yes, I must say your hair looks great, Cathy. Yours, too, Anna,” Madison smirked.
They ignored him.
“It’s nice to see you happy, Cathy.”
“Thank you, Roger. It feels nice too.”
“So what are we doing about tickets?” Madison asked.
“We have to go to the concierge desk.”
“All right then, Yankee fans, let’s boogie.”
“Ahem. I’m a conscientious objector.”
“That’s right, Roger’s a Mets fan.” Madison laughed.
“But Marcus is a cool guy, so I’m rooting for the Yankees.”
Cathy laughed. “Thanks, Roger. I guess we’d better get downstairs.”
Anna pressed the button for the elevator. Just as the doors opened, Cybil and her entourage walked out. Cathy and Cybil stared at each other like fighters at opposite corners of the ring. Nothing was said and they simply let it pass.
Madison pressed the button. “Did you feel that cold wind?”
“Shut up, Mad,” Anna shot back. “Are you okay, Cathy? That was weird.”
“I’m okay. Marcus and I talked about it and I’m fine.”
“She doesn’t look fine.”
“Madison, shut up.” Roger crossed his arms.
Roger had lightened the mood. They were laughing when the elevator doors opened. Cathy went up to the concierge desk.
“May I help you, ma’am?”
“Yes. I’m Catherine Chambers. I was told to come to the concierge to get our tickets for the game.”
“Yes, ma’am. May I see some identification please?”
Cathy was a little taken aback as she opened her wallet for her license. “My goodness, who on earth would want to impersonate me for baseball tickets?”
The desk clerk checked her I.D. “Thank you, Ms. Chambers. I’m sorry if we offended you.”
“None taken. You’re just doing your job.”
“We are. We certainly didn’t want a repeat of what happened earlier.” As soon as it came out of his mouth it was obvious he regretted it. “I’m sorry, Ms. Chambers. Here are your VIP passes for the game.”
She took them. “Thank you, but what did you mean by a repeat of what happened earlier? Did someone else try to get the passes using my name?”
He spoke in a hushed tone. “I could get in a lot of trouble.”
“I won’t say a word. Just tell me what happened.”
“A woman came to the desk earlier claiming to be you and she wanted the passes.”
“What did she look like?”
“She didn’t look like you at all. Although I hate to admit I read those rags, I’d seen your picture before so I knew it wasn’t you.”
“Why on earth would anyone impersonate me? I don’t know anyone here.”
He leaned forward. “Well, I saw her get into the elevator with the people of that model Cybil just a few minutes ago.”
“Is that right?” She reached in her bag and gave him a tip. “Thank you. That was good looking out and I appreciate it. I really do.” She looked at his nametag. “You’ve been a big help, Fred.”
“Anytime, Ms. Chambers.”
Madison, Anna and Roger were waiting for her.
“All set?” Anna asked.
“Yeah. I have everything.”
“What’s wrong? You don’t look happy. Are they bad seats?”
“No, Madison, they’re not bad seats at all.”
“Then what’s wrong? It’s written all over your face.”
“Apparently Cybil sent one of her cronies to try to get the passes earlier.”
“How?” Roger asked.
“The woman tried to impersonate me but Fred there knew better.”
Anna’s face dropped. “You’re kidding me. The nerve of that witch.”
“I asked Marcus how Cybil took the news. He said she was fine, but I had a sinking feeling she was far to the left of fine.”
“She can’t change his feelings for you. They’re a done deal.”
“Maybe so, Anna, but that doesn’t mean she has to like it or me.” She stopped to take a couple of breaths. “Let’s go. I don’t want to be late.”
Distracted, Cathy searched through her bag to find the keys.
“Give me the keys. I’ll drive.” Anna held her hand out.
She handed Anna the keys. “Thanks.”
As they walked towards the exit she stopped. “Listen, I want us to have a good time at the game, so let’s take Cybil and her antics off the discussion table for now.”
“I second that.” Madison raised his hand.
“Good. Now the Devil Rays have been giving my boys a hell of a time this year and they need all the good thoughts and energy we can give them. Okay?” She smiled. Cathy could only imagine that she looked like a deer in headlights. God knows, she felt like one.
Even though Jonathan was no Melvin, he was just as sweet and helpful. He made sure he gave them the real VIP treatment. As for Cathy, she felt safe at the game. Marcus was on the field and the Yankees returned to form, beating the Devil Rays quite handily. By the seventh inning stretch, all was right with the world.
Madison returned from the bar with his third rum and Coke. “You know, I think I like baseball.”
“What’s the matter with him?” Cathy asked.
“He’s on his third rum and Coke.” Roger smiled
as he worked on his one and only beer.
Anna shook her head. “Can’t take him anywhere, especially when top shelf liquor is concerned.”
“Normally I would resent that statement but I don’t care. I need to let my hair down and have a few drinks.”
“Good thing we’re the designated drivers,” Anna said.
“True.”
Cathy looked around the stadium and noticed Lisa. “Hey, Anna, that’s Lisa over there. I wonder what she’s covering.”
“Don’t worry, whatever it is it will be in on the supermarket stands before you know it,” Anna answered.
“True again.”
“From the looks of things I’d say you spend a lot of time in the supermarket.” A voice came from over her shoulder.
Cathy turned around to see Cybil George standing there looking as if she were far more than half in the bag.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me. You look like you spend a lot of time in the supermarket.” She seethed.
“Ms. George, I think you’re drunk and you should leave before you say anything else.” Cathy tried to take the high road.
“Why?” She stepped towards me. “What are you going to do about it? Eat me?”
Anna stood up. “I think you should shut up.”
“Anna, you don’t have to stand up for me. I’m not paying her any attention.” She turned her back to ignore her.
She was persistent. “What did you do to him? Huh? Did you put something in his food to make him love you? I mean, you are so not his type. You might have a pretty face but you’re fat.”
Angered, Cathy stood up. “I didn’t do anything to him. I didn’t drug him or anything like that. He wants me for me.”
“You don’t even know him. We were together for three years.”
“So you’re not together anymore and the only reason this bothers you is because you lost him to a fat chick and everybody knows it,” Cathy shot back
“You are what you are.”
“You know what? You can call me fat, large, obese or whatever label gets you through the night. I know that I love him and he loves me. It doesn’t change the facts, and you know it.”
She lunged towards Cathy. “You fat bitch.”
Cathy moved out of the way and she fell flat on her face. Cathy bent down to try to help her up. “Don’t touch me.”
“Fine. Get up,” Cathy said.
Cybil stood up and touched her split lip. “See what you did to me!”
“I didn’t do anything to you.”
Madison piped up. “It’s not her fault! You lunged at her, not the other way around.”
Although neither of them had noticed, Roger had gotten security.
The security guards flanked Cybil on both sides and she got indignant. “Take your hands off me!”
“Miss, you need to come with us.”
“Get off me. You have no right to put your hands on me!”
“Miss, you are causing a disturbance and we need to remove you from the stadium. If you continue to resist, we will call the police who will then take you into custody.”
“You can’t arrest me! Do you know who I am?” Cybil insisted.
“I don’t care if you’re the queen of England. You’re intoxicated and disorderly.”
A third security officer appeared.
“Fine! I’ll leave. Just don’t touch me!”
She stumbled up the stairs and nearly fell again. When the guards caught her, she flew into a rage and they physically escorted her out. In the meantime, Cathy was in a daze.
“Cathy? Cathy are you all right?”
Her face felt flushed. “It’s the ninth inning and I want to go. I have to go.”
“Okay, we’ll leave now. Roger, can you drive?”
“Yeah. Not a problem.”
Cathy felt she walked past a firing squad of looks. Honestly, she would have preferred bullets; they would hurt less. She was the humiliated fat girl, whether she’d gotten a few good barbs in or not. As they walked out, Cathy saw Lisa out of the corner of her eye. She would have waved but she couldn’t bring herself to look anywhere but straight ahead.
On the other side of the parking lot a group of reporters surrounded Cybil.
“What’s going on over there?” Madison asked.
Roger looked over. “It looks like the police are taking Cybil into custody.”
“I guess her manners didn’t improve any.”
“Could you two stop talking about this? Look at Cathy. She’s in a daze and I can guarantee you that feeding frenzy will turn its attention to us if we don’t get her to the car and out of here.”
“You’re right. Let’s get the lead out.” Despite three rum and Cokes, Madison picked up the pace.
No one wanted to draw attention. As nonchalantly as possible they picked up the pace to get to the car. Roger and Madison hopped into the front seat while Anna and Cathy scooted into the back. Cathy bent down in the back seat until they cleared the parking lot. Even once they were out of harm’s reach, Cathy remained quiet in the car.
“What was the guy’s name at the concierge desk again?” Anna asked.
“Fred,” Roger answered.
“Madison, call the hotel and ask for Fred. Maybe he can help us get Cathy to her room.”
“Why? Cathy’s okay to walk. Aren’t you?”
“Yes, Madison, I can walk.” Cathy sounded robotic.
“Idiot. I don’t mean to help her to walk to her room. I’m talking about the media that’s likely to be at the hotel.”
While the car was stopped at a light, Roger looked at Anna. “You really think they’ll be there? We left before them.”
“Absolutely. The media is better organized than the military. Their strategy is to have an entrance and exit plan when it comes to news items. So you can bet there’s someone at the hotel waiting for Cathy and there’s another one down at the police station waiting for Cybil.”
Madison dialed the hotel. Anna rubbed Cathy’s hand. “You’re okay, Cathy. You did a great job of standing up for yourself. This wasn’t your fault.”
Madison closed his cell phone. “I spoke to Fred and he said he’ll meet us around the employees’ entrance near the kitchen. This way we can take the service elevator up.”
Just as Anna had predicted, reporters and photographers surrounded the front entrance.
Roger was mystified. “Even vultures take a while before they feed.”
“Okay, Cathy, you’re going to have to put your head down.”
Cathy put her head down. “Is this low enough?”
“Yeah.”
She couldn’t believe she was reduced to hiding from reporters.
“Okay, we’re clear.”
Roger pulled into a space. Fred was waiting near the door.
“Fred, we can’t thank you enough.”
“Not a problem. Anything I can do.”
Cathy forced a smile. “Thanks.”
“I still can’t believe all this commotion.” Madison looked around.
They used the kitchen entrance to avoid prying eyes, and Fred used his key for the service elevator.
“Thanks, Fred,” Anna said.
“We really appreciate it,” Roger added.
“How in the world did those reporters find out so quickly? That’s what I want to know,” Madison said.
Fred piped up. “It was on the radio. They said a fight broke out between Marcus Fox’s ex-girlfriend Cybil George and his new girlfriend Catherine Chambers.”
“They over-hype everything. You would have thought it was the Thriller in Manilla between Ali and Frazier,” Madison scoffed.
When the elevators opened, Fred stayed behind.
“This is as far as I can take you. My break is over and I have to get back to the desk.”
Anna reached into her bag and took out a hundred dollar bill. “Thank you.”
“No, really. It was my pleasure.”
Anna got back on the elevator and put t
he money in his pocket. “I insist. This was above and beyond the call of duty.” She gave him a peck on the cheek.
“Thank you. Take care of yourself, Ms. Chambers. I hope to see you around tomorrow.”
“Maybe so.”
“Listen, I’m going to Cathy’s room with her for a while. Why don’t you two get something to eat and bring it back to her room?” Anna said.
“Yeah. We can do that. Come on, Madison.”
“We’ll be back, Cathy.”
“Okay.”
“Where’s your key card?”
She handed it to Anna.
After Anna opened the door, Cathy only took two steps before collapsing into a sobbing heap in the middle of the floor. Anna didn’t say a word. She knew Cathy had to let it go somehow, so she just hugged her while she cried for herself and anyone else who’d ever been the fat chick.
CHAPTER 24
After the game there was a bigger media presence than usual. A crush of reporters was trying to get to Marcus. A longtime pro at handling himself around the media, Ben managed to snake his way around them to an alternate exit.
Marcus stole away to another area to get away from the commotion.
Mark slid in the door. “It’s crazy out there.”
“I know. I have no idea what any of this is about.”
“I do,” Ben interjected. “I have two words for you: Cybil George.”
“What?”
“That woman is bad news.” Mark shook his head.
“What happened?”
“As best I can tell, it seems that Ms. George was inebriated and caused a disturbance in the suite.”
“Wasn’t that where Cathy was seated?” Mark asked.
“Yes,” Ben answered. “It gets better.”
Marcus sat down. “I’m afraid to ask. How much better?”
“She exchanged words with Cathy and there was some sort of altercation.”
“They had a fight?”
“No, it was more like Cybil tried to start one but landed on her face.”
Marcus was frantic. “Where’s Cathy now?”
“No one has seen her.” Ben was sorry he didn’t have an answer.
There was a knock on the door. Tim stepped in.
“Sorry to intrude, but Lisa Spellman just handed me a note for you, Marcus.” He handed him a piece of paper.
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