“Look at Hair, Man Of La Mancha, or Oh! Calcutta! They made the move.”
Another plus from the same producer was the news that some people on the coast also showed interest in the property. That meant there was even a chance for a movie deal.
Nicky loved his life in London but couldn’t deny he found the idea of going to New York with a hit—and maybe even the coast—very tempting. The fly in the ointment was having to leave his new haven. Fletcher was everything to him: a lover, a confidante, someone who loved him and cared for him. They weren’t competitive. They worked for each other. Nicky was secure enough to be able to be proud of Fletcher. And it was mutual. Money was just beginning to come in for them both. Not the kind of money Nicky had made in movies, but in London with his rich friends money had never been a problem.
The New York production would definitely mean more money, and of course the prestige would be priceless. He talked it over with Maxie, who was always an excellent sounding board, usually giving honest, down-to-earth advice. As Nicky heard himself going over the details with Maxie, New York appealed to him more and more. The extra challenge of having a success there gave him the kind of rush he hadn’t felt for a long time. He had to do it! His decision was made. Fletcher agreed with him 100 percent. Nicky went ahead and signed with the producer in New York.
When the subject of casting the lead for the New York production came up, Nicky was bombarded with headshots from New York. It was then that they realized for the first time that Fletcher couldn’t be in the off-Broadway production. They had taken it for granted that he would be, but he was tied up with a run-of-the-show contract in London, and it looked like he had a long run ahead of him. Getting Fletcher out of his contract was nigh on impossible. The legal problems hadn’t occurred to either of them and after anger and tears and getting nowhere with lawyers, they both decided it was too great an opportunity for Nicky to pass up. Fletcher did manage to go to New York with him initially, but he could only stay for two days.
The business side of show business had reared its ugly head once more.
CHAPTER 52
Another Exit Wound
When Val awoke the day after seeing Nicky, the first thing that popped into her head was how much she hated him. She hated him because he was happy. She hated him because he had a career and a new lover. She hated him because he looked great and was doing something he loved. She was sick with jealousy. He had broken her heart all over again. He was off to New York and L.A.—both places where they were supposed to have been together.
She looked around the flat and saw the bodies that had crashed there. She hated all of them, too. The hangers-on with no life of their own. She gathered enough strength to scream at the top of her lungs. “Everybody out! I want everybody out. Now!”
Bewildered, the crashers staggered around getting their things together. They had seen Val have tantrums before. As a rule, these childish outbursts didn’t last long, and after a couple of days they were back having fun. They waved their good-byes and told her they’d ring later.
She had wanted to be alone; now the quiet was overwhelming. She picked up a roach from the ashtray and took a long drag. She looked at the clock: it was eight o’clock in the evening. She went to lie down, but that didn’t work. She took a couple more hits of the J, then went around the room and drank all the booze in the half-empty glasses. She picked up the phone and dialed her mother’s number without even realizing what she was doing. When the phone rang, she panicked and was just about to hang up when her mother’s voice came through, loud and clear. For the first time in her life she felt a warm feeling at the sound of her mother’s voice.
“Mummy, it’s me Valerie. How are you?”
“Valerie, dearest, how nice of you to telephone. Where are you?”
“Still in London, Mummy. But I’m ready to come home.”
“Well, well that is a surprise. I think that would be wonderful. What brought this on? Is the film finished?”
“Oh yes. That’s all done. I’ve had fun but funnily enough—” She hesitated, then blurted out, “I miss you.”
“Valerie, I can’t begin to tell you how happy that makes me. Let me know when you’re arriving. I’m sorry I have to cut you short darling, but Jimmy Buford is here.”
“Oh. Okay, Mummy. I just wanted to say hello. I’ll let you know the date when I book my ticket.”
“Yes, dear you do that. Be happy and God bless.”
Val said God bless to the dead phone in her hand and burst into tears. Even her mother was happy and with someone. It wasn’t fair! The phone rang and she thought it might be her mother calling back to say how much she loved her. She picked it up.
Of course it wasn’t. It was a nice girl named Jessica who had been in her Broadway show. She had been kind to Val during the run. She bubbled on about bumping into Val’s mother on First Avenue. She’d been walking Joey, her new poodle. The puppy was named after Joe the hairdresser who still came to the house to do Anne’s hair. Joe now had a blond afro and so did the poodle, hence the name. Jessica said she’d begged Anne for Val’s number. She couldn’t be in London without seeing her. She was with her girlfriend. They had done Europe and were on their way back to the States. They were only going to be in London for a couple of days. Val gave them her address and told them how nice it was to hear an American accent again and that they just had to stay with her, she wouldn’t take no for an answer.
She was on good behavior for the first day of their visit. She smoked a joint with them and took just one lude when they went dancing. The second night they talked Val into going to the theater. Jessica was thrilled; she’d managed to get a box for one of the biggest hits of the season. It was great fun until Val nearly fell over the balcony. Then she fell asleep through the entire second act and snored loudly. They helped her stagger out before the end of the show, too embarrassed to be there when the lights came up. Val had forgotten to tell them she’d washed down three downs with half a bottle of wine.
After that fiasco, when they thought things couldn’t get any worse, they arrived back at her flat to find someone had broken in and all their jewelry and money had been stolen. Thank goodness their passports were still there. The next morning they left as fast as they could without even waking Val to say good-bye.
Val felt terrible about the incident—so terrible, in fact, that as soon as she realized they’d left, she took two ludes with some wine. She managed one phone call to her connection and told him to bring her some hash. Luckily, he was there when she collapsed. It was serious. She ended up having her stomach pumped by a very private Harley Street doctor. He warned her that if she continued abusing her body to such a degree it was going to kill her. He suggested going to a private rest home for about six weeks and said it would take that long to clean out her system. She was appalled by his suggestion and left the office in a total panic. When she got back to the flat she immediately called her agent. He made reservations for her at once on the next available flight to New York.
CHAPTER 53
Home Sweet Home?
Beneath her, New York City looked like a carpet of dancing lights. She landed at Kennedy, went through customs, and saw her immediately. There she stood, her dear mother, waiting for her at the gate. Val had to admit she looked quite good. Her mother had a limo waiting for them and once they were settled in the back, she opened a split of champagne and made a toast.
“Here’s to your return and to getting on with your career. I’ve made an appointment for you with a new agent and a lawyer friend of mine is going to manage our financial affairs. You still have some money from the film don’t you?”
Val nodded. She still had some money; it wasn’t much, but it had let her feel for the first time in her life that she hadn’t had to ask anyone for anything. Oh well, she could forget that. Welcome home, Valerie Rhodes. She smiled as she sipped her champagne and got off on the dazzling skyline of the city. The silence between them only lasted a minute or two.
Val let this all go in one ear and out the other. Surprisingly enough, she found a certain amount of comfort in the familiar rhetoric.
The apartment looked beautiful and seemed so spacious after England. One of her mother’s beaux had sent an enormous bouquet of fresh flowers. Another had sent an appetizing tray of dainty sandwiches, pastries, and a bottle of Perrier Jouet. Her mother looked pleased with herself as she carried on about her beaux. At least the change of subject eased the mounting tension between them.
The piercing sounds of police sirens and the blaring of fire engine horns were overwhelming after being away from the city for so long. The doorman appeared with Val’s luggage and took it to her room. She followed him, and when she stepped through the doorway she gasped.
Her mother had framed every eight by ten glossy of her from the beginning of her career, as well as the programs, posters, and even ticket stubs from the Broadway show. Her publicity shots with Nicky covered another wall. There they were in Rome. How young they looked. She didn’t know where her mother had found half of them. It seemed like she’d found pictures of her with every celebrity she might have said hello to. Val had no idea who half of these people were or where the pictures were taken, but there was the proof looking down at her. It was as if she were visiting a shrine…looking at someone else’s life. It was cruel.
She needed something to take the edge off. She was on the verge of a meltdown and had to get through the night somehow. Frantically rummaging through her bags, she knew Kenny had hidden some Darvons and ludes somewhere to avoid getting busted by customs. Now she just had to remember where he’d put them!
She saw the Tampax container and it dawned on her—that’s where they were. Sure enough, when she pulled the container apart there were her precious pills wrapped in tin foil by Kenny himself. Relieved, she swallowed a Darvon.
CHAPTER 54
Two’s a Crowd
Joe came to the apartment the next afternoon. Val had managed to stay in her room claiming jet lag. He popped his head around the door.
“Come on lazy bum. Move it! I have a couple of very needy ladies who are waiting for my golden hands to make them look sensational. Without me, they dare not venture out into the world.”
“Joe, oh my love, I’m so happy to see you. It’s been so long. Give me a couple of minutes. I’ll be right out.”
He’d tried not to show how shocked he was when he saw her up close. She looked so frail; there were dark circles under her eyes. She sat on the kitchen stool sipping a cup of tea.
“Well, do you think you can do anything with me?”
“Precious, I know exactly what I’m going to do. A few highlights round your face and one of my brilliant scissor jobs, and we’ll have my Val back before we can say poof. You have to be ready to make an entrance with me. There’s a hot new club that’s opening tomorrow night.”
Val laughed. He was exactly the same.
“As you would say, my love, it looks like nothing has changed but the date. But honestly, I don’t know if I’m up to that.”
“Of course you are. This new place used to be a church. In fact, the queens that own the place are even calling it The Church. How’s that for creative thinking?”
He mixed the bleach for her hair, filling her in on the scene around town. She finally asked if he had seen Karen.
“I see her when she’s in town, but that’s not very often. She really took it very badly you know, with the Sharon thing. Did you know her body washed up on the Florida coast somewhere?”
Val didn’t answer. When she had arrived in London and asked Sydney where she should send the rent, he told her Karen paid it in advance for six months. And on top of that, she’d opened a checking account for Val with a five thousand-dollar balance. She never once tried to reach Val. Sydney told her it was part their deal. She didn’t know what he meant by that and really didn’t want to. Joe broke into her thoughts.
“Well anyway, last I heard she bought a house on some island in Greece and spends most of her time there. She’s into photography now and meditates. She’s trying to levitate or you know, something far-out like that.”
They both got a kick out of that. As far as Joe was concerned that was the end of the Karen chat.
“Okay, precious, it’s time to hit the shower and wash the bleach off.”
Val was still in the shower when Anne appeared in the hallway, dressed up and leaving for cocktails with friends. She kissed Joe, paid him, and thanked him for coming on such short notice. She asked him to tell Val she wouldn’t be back until after ten. She had purposely not spoken to her. Used to living alone now, she wasn’t sure if she liked, what she considered, this invasion into her private life. Val was thrilled when Joe told her the news.
“Now I can have an evening alone. Thank God. I’ve been living alone and it’s outrageously hard to live with my mother again. We’ll probably end up killing each other. I just know it.”
“Darling, downers are not allowed today. We only want up, up, up. That’s orders from headquarters.”
He was snipping away at her hair, loving every moment it took to create one of his masterpieces.
“Talking about downs, Joe, can I get some?”
“I think that could be arranged. What do you want?”
“I’ll give you my laundry list when you’re through.”
They both laughed. She from relief. Joe was her only connection in the city.
“Just have to blow you now, precious.”
“What would I do without you? I love you, Joe.”
“Well, top of my list is a request to see if you can get your mother to change your dog’s name. You should see her on First Avenue telling Joey the poodle to do his poo poo in the gutter. Okay, gorgeous, it’s time for you to look at the new and sensational Valerie Rhodes!”
Val ran to the mirror and was thrilled. Joe had given her a long version of the Shag, a hairstyle Jane Fonda had made popular in the movie Klute. The blonde highlights lit up her face. She shook her head and her hair moved, then fell magically back into place. He really was a genius with his scissors.
She made out her list of goodies and he said he’d come for her around ten the following night.
Alone and feeling halfway decent, she took a lude. Every so often she got up and looked in the mirror. It had been a long time since she had liked what she saw looking back at her.
CHAPTER 55
How Much Is Too Much?
The following day Val and her mother continued to stay out of each other’s way as best they could. They only met in the kitchen when one of them was making a cup of tea. They were overly sweet to each other, both feeling things could erupt at any moment.
“Everything all right, darling?”
“Everything’s lovely, thanks, Mummy.”
“I’ll be out this evening.”
“Me too.”
“Have a lovely time.”
“Thanks, Mummy, you too.”
Neither wanted to know any more details than that. They went to their respective rooms and closed the doors.
Val took her time getting dressed. She’d bought a few things in London at Covent Garden and Camden Town markets, where on the weekend, young, aspiring designers sold their creations. She wore a long wrap dress made of vintage scarves and hip-hugger jeans underneath, rolled up to reveal her hand-painted platform boots. It was so London. She loved it. When Joe came to get her, he flipped out when he saw her.
He had scored most of the goodies on her list. They had a J and took a lude; then he suggested a nibble
of mescaline. He thought it would be the perfect combo and was sure they’d be able to dance all night with that setup.
When they arrived at The Church, a line of people reached around the block. Two huge bouncers at the door checked names against a list, collecting the prized invitations held by a special few. She would have turned around and left, but Joe led her to the head of the line, pulled out his invitation, and they were in.
The place was enormous, the gothic ceiling and stone carvings dramatically lit. The light tapered off to a flattering warm gel that made everyone look like they’d spent the season in Palm Beach. That wonderful I-got-tanned-without-trying color.
The rows of velvet pews where the choir used to sit were now the VIP area. The altar held the DJ and his equipment. Monty Rock III was the guest DJ. The music mix was perfect and no one could sit down.
They danced their way across the floor. Joe bumped into lots of people he knew. The crowd was mostly gay and mostly boys, but some of the Upper East-Side dykes had put on their mink coats, not wanting to miss being part of the show.
Two of the most beautiful girls came running over to Val and raved about her dress. Joe introduced her to Candy Darling and Harlow. They were both sex changes and part of the in crowd at Andy Warhol’s Factory. Val had known them briefly at Arthurs’ before their sex changes. They insisted Val and Joe come and sit with them and say hi to Andy. What a night they had! It was brilliant! Before leaving, they were invited to a costume party scheduled for the following night; it would start at The Factory and continue on to who knows where. Val tried to get out of it, saying she had no costume, but they wouldn’t take no for an answer.
Holly Woodlawn, a beautiful transvestite, piped in. “Come as a boy, darling. You’d make a gorgeous young hoodlum in a 1940s suit. You only need a bit of padding in the right place. I’m sure one of those ladies over there would lend you her dildo.”
Murder! Hollywood Style Page 22