Authors: Chamein Canton
After an extra long workout in the morning, Marcus
had lunch in his room. Some of his teammates invited
him to go out for lunch but he wasn’t in the mood. He
wasn’t sulking about the loss the night before; he was
anxious to see the article in
The Tattler
and didn’t want
an audience.
Ben slowly walked down the hall with a copy of
The
Tattler
under his jacket. If it looked like a covert operation, it was. They couldn’t afford to have anyone snap
him with that rag in his hands. Ben knocked once and
used the extra key card to let himself in.
Marcus was appalled by the cover. “Good grief. Here’s
Cybil’s tale of woe listed next to the latest sighting of
Bigfoot.”
The Tattler
.”
“You should relax, Marcus. Cathy didn’t take it seri
ously. It was just a passing raindrop. I wouldn’t give it
enough weight to call it a shower.”
Marcus sighed. “I guess I forgot to mention that Lisa
Spellman has been on the scene.”
For the first time Ben looked alarmed. “She has?
Since when?”
“Cathy’s not sure how long but she did say Lisa was
asking questions about her at her gym.”
“What did you tell her?”
“I told her to stay away from Lisa, not to engage her.”
“Good.” He glanced at the television. “You can’t help
yourself, can you?”
Marcus looked up at the sports show. “I know it
seems masochistic but sometimes these guys are on the
money with their comments.”
“And the rest of the time they’re talking out their
behinds,” Ben retorted.
“It makes for good television, I guess.”
“Did you talk to Cathy after the game?”
“No, I was going to call but it was kind of late. I
talked to her this morning.”
“That explains your chipper mood.”
Marcus smiled. “I’m feeling pretty good.”
“So she was really okay with that Cybil thing
yesterday?”
“It didn’t seem to faze her.”
“I’m glad it didn’t faze her but it sure fazed me.”
“I know, Ben. I think Cybil’s up to something, too.
What, I don’t know.”
“Keep a wide berth from her while she’s here shooting
her movie. The press would love to see any inkling of you
two getting back together.”
“You’re preaching to the choir. I’ve been down this
road before.”
“You know where all the speed bumps and potholes
are, just make sure you steer clear.”
“I will. I promise.”
“Let’s get back to Cathy. When is she flying into
Tampa?”
Marcus lit up. “Friday morning and I can’t wait to see
her.”
Ben laughed. “You know, I wasn’t sure about it until
just now.”
“Sure about what?”
“You’re in love with her.”
Marcus got flustered and bobbled his fork. Ben
laughed and patted Marcus on the back. “Young man, if
your nose was any more open, we’d be able to get two
Mack trucks through it.”
Marcus opened his mouth to protest then thought
better of it. “I would prefer to say the words to her. If
that’s okay with you.”
“Hey, that’s all right with me.”
Marcus wiped his mouth. “You like her, don’t you?”
Ben smiled. “She’s a keeper, Marcus. What’s not to
like?”
Marcus grinned. “Now who’s preaching to the choir?”
Two most unusual lunch companions sat across from
each other at Pete’s Diner, a well-loved Amityville place
to meet and eat.
Lisa answered. She was relaxed.
“Sounds impressive. Where did you study?”
She hesitated for a minute. ”You wouldn’t believe it if
I told you.”
“Try me.”
“Columbia University.”
Cathy’s interest was piqued. “My uncle got his
doctorate in education from Columbia.”
“Really? I bet he’s doing something productive with
his degree.”
“He’s the chairperson of the Criminal Justice
Department at UC at Sacramento.”
“Wow, that’s something.”
“What about you, though? I know freelancing for
different tabloids probably pays the bills but just below
the surface you seem to have a passion to do something
else.”
“Hi. Can I get you two ladies something to drink?”
the waitress asked.
“Sure, I’ll have a cup of coffee with half and half,”
Lisa said.
“I’ll have the same.”
“When I graduated I was filled with ambition. I was
going to be an investigative reporter and write the great
American novel.”
“So you had a plan,” Cathy said.
The waitress brought the coffee.
“Are you ladies ready to order?”
Lisa looked at the menu. ”What’s good here?”
“Everything’s good, but for lunch I like the turkey
burger deluxe.”
“Sounds good to me. I’ll have that too.”
“Very good.”
“So what happened with your plan?”
“I got a job with
The Post
but instead of reporting I
was a fact checker. It wasn’t what I wanted but I toughed
it out waiting for my big break.”
“And the break didn’t come.”
“Actually I got a break, just not the one I wanted.”
“How’s that?” Cathy asked.
“My boyfriend and I were total tourists on vacation in
the Caribbean. One day I was on the beach to take some
scenic shots when I realized a certain Republican senator
was vacationing at the same resort. At first I brushed it
off until I saw him making out with a woman who wasn’t
his wife.”
“Not exactly the picture of family values.”
“Tell me about it. I investigated the esteemed senator
and sold the story with pictures for nearly 7K. It would
have taken more than a couple of months of working
crazy hours to make that kind of money at
The Post.
”
“That was serious cash.”
“And it led to more work, until eventually I stopped
pursuing a traditional journalistic career, for a different
one that paid very well.”
“Sometimes it just comes down to economics.”
“I have a nice house, my husband and I go on at least
three vacations a year, and we’re even talking about
starting a family.”
Cathy smiled. “That’s terrific.” She sipped her coffee
to get her nerve up to ask the question she wanted
answered. “Tell me, other than what was in the newspaper, why were you so interested in me?”
“I’m sure you’re aware that I’ve been to your gym.”
“There’s not much you can hide from the five
A
.
M
.
crowd.”
“By the way, I just have to know. How in the world
do you manage to get up at four every morning and go to
the gym?”
“Is this on or off the record?”
She laughed. “Completely off the record.”
“I hate to sound like a Nike commercial but I just do
it.”
“Good for you.” She sipped her coffee. “Just so you
know, I’ve been a member of the gym for five years.”
“So you didn’t just join to cover me? That’s good to
know.”
“To be perfectly honest, you aren’t the typical athlete’s
girlfriend. Especially for Marcus Fox.” She qualified her
comment. “No disrespect intended.”
“None taken.”
“He was just one of those players with innate star
quality from the start. So naturally every singer, actress
and model was all over him, which, let’s face it, sells
papers.”
“I know it does.” Cathy sipped her coffee. “What can
you tell me about Cybil George?”
“Oh, I can tell you a lot about that one. She’s a real
piece of work.”
The waitress brought their burgers to the table.
“Thank you,” they chorused.
Lisa took a bite. “This is good.”
“I told you.”
Lisa wiped her mouth. “Anyway, Cybil put Marcus
through the mill. They were always on again, off again.
She tried to do things to make him jealous and if she
couldn’t do that she would leak something to the press
about him. It was a mess.”
“Do you think they’re really over? Or is this a break
and not a breakup?”
“It’s a breakup all right and it was Marcus who ended
it.”
“Really? She told
The Tattler
she broke up with him.”
“
The Tattler?
Please. Just for the record, even I don’t
bother with that rag.” She took another bite. “He definitely broke it off with her. He finally got sick and tired
of the games.”
“One of the entertainment news shows had a
newslink report about Cybil being seen with him in
Baltimore. Marcus said she was filming an upcoming
movie there.”
Lisa sipped her water. “Cybil is filming a movie in
Baltimore, but it’s being shot in the same area they shoot
The Wire
, which is a long way from Camden Yards.”
“So she was there just to see him.” Cathy shook her
head.
“I’d put money on it. At this point you’re getting
better coverage than she is. She had to take the bait and
run with it.”
“I told Marcus that.”
“I think the final straw with her happened Friday
night.”
“What about Friday night?” Cathy was a little bewildered.
“In the three years they were together we’d see her at
games every now and then, but never sitting with his
parents. When you were seen sitting with Mr. and Mrs.
Fox, I knew he was serious about you. I’d say it was the
final insult to Cybil.”
“I had no idea I was going to be seated next to them.
I didn’t even know they were going to be at the game.”
Lisa had a strange look on her face. “I’m going to tell
you something I haven’t reported on.”
Cathy was a bit cautious. “Okay. Are you planning to
report it?”
“I gave it some thought and I decided against it.”
“Now I have to know what it is.”
“I heard his parents came in especially to meet you.”
She was astonished. “They came all the way from
Jamestown to meet me? I can’t believe it.”
“I heard it from a very good source. Apparently
Marcus called them about you. They came down to
check you out for themselves.”
“In a way, then, I’m glad he didn’t tell me. I would
have freaked. Not that I didn’t when I saw them.”
“Good thing.” She went back to her fries.
“Wait. I’ve seen pictures of him with other girlfriends
at events with his parents. What’s so different about me?”
Lisa ate another fry. “God, you are going to make me
tell you, aren’t you?”
“Make you tell me what?”
“If you breathe a word of this I will go public with the
supermarket thing.”
She laughed. “I promise. I won’t say a word.”
“Not even to Marcus. Promise me. Swear on your Ivy
League honor.”
Cathy looked at her cross-eyed. “Do you know who
else graduated from an Ivy League school?”
“I know. Politicians aside, swear on your honor.”
Cathy held up her right hand. “I swear.”
“His sister Cecily and I are friends.”
“She works at a record company.”
“Right. I’ve done some articles and puff pieces on
several of her acts. She didn’t want me to do a whack job
on you. She said, ‘Big brother really likes this one so back
off.’ ”
“So I have her to thank for this kinder, gentler version
of you?
“Sort of. Besides, you just seemed like a good person.
I probably wouldn’t have found a traffic ticket.”
“You would have gotten a few late library fees.”
She laughed. “Seriously, though, Cybil can’t have it
look like she was thrown over for a full-figured woman,
no matter how beautiful she is. Make no mistake, Cathy,
you are a beautiful woman.”
Cathy got a little embarrassed. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome but don’t be so modest. Cybil is
threatened by you. I’m surprised she wasn’t at Club Z the
night you were there.”
“To be honest, so was I. I’m still trying to get over
that nightmare.”
“As soon as I read it, I knew Marcus would get a
retraction. There was no way he’d let it go.”
“That was such a relief.” Cathy ate a couple of fries.
“You know, if I didn’t know any better I would say you
and Marcus were friends, or at least friendly.”
Lisa smiled. “I’m sure he had something to say about
me but I am more of a pesky Chihuahua than pit bull as
far as he’s concerned. Cybil is another story.”
“Doesn’t sound like you like her much.”
“I don’t. Take my advice and watch your back with
that one. She is some piece of work.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Just don’t let her get under your skin.” She finished
her burger. “Would you think I was a pig if I ordered
another one? This was amazing.”
“No, I wouldn’t think you were a pig. FYI, it does
come as a double deluxe entrée.”
“Good to know.”
Cathy enjoyed having lunch with her stalker, Lisa.
She was glad to learn more about Marcus’s relationships
without having to pry it out of him. She realized she had
to keep a watchful eye out for Cybil’s shenanigans.
After lunch Cathy needed a little quiet time to think
about what Lisa had told her and connect with her inner
geek. For her money, there was no better place in the
world to do it than the Barnes and Noble Café. Cathy
had always loved going to the bookstore and as a literary
agent, she had an excuse to hang out and check out the
new releases, see if any of her writers were on the shelves
and talk to the manager, Larry, to hear about things not
reported on in
Publisher’s Weekly
.
Larry walked over while she browsed the new cookbooks.
“Hey there, Cathy. How are you?”
“I’m good, Larry. How about you?”
“Can’t complain. Checking out the competition, I
see.”
“You know me. I have to stay on top of these things.”
“We sold out of your cookbooks this past weekend.”
She was pleasantly surprised. “Really?”
“Oh yes. In fact I just ordered some.
“I assume this recent peak in interest coincides with
my higher profile love life.”
“You
are
dating baseball royalty.”
“Don’t I know it?”
“It sells books. Even a few of your clients’ books have
picked up.”
“I guess I can’t complain then, can I? It would be nice
to say the work speaks for itself but this is a celebritydriven society. At least for now.”
“I’ve even had a few orders for Cybil George’s book
and you know it’s complete tripe.”
She nodded her head. “It is amazing, isn’t it?”
“Anyway, I have a few things to do in the back so I’ll
leave you to your research. Good to see you.”
“Same here, Larry. Thanks for the heads up.”
“Anytime.” He went back towards his office.
You can’t buy this kind of PR. My name hits the paper
and now my sales have picked up. I suppose I shouldn’t look
this gift horse in the mouth.
Cathy treated herself to a decaf caramel latté at the
café.
I know I had a burger and fries but I love to rationalize calories I don’t chew
, she thought as she sipped.
“So this is what it takes for me to see one of my two
favorite nieces.”
Cathy looked up to see her Aunt Peg. At 65 she was
as fashionable as ever. Cathy got up and hugged her.
“Hey, Aunt Peg. How are you? When did you get
back?”
They sat down. “I got back a couple of days ago. You
know how it is. I had to sort through mail and try to get
my house back in order.”
“I know what you mean. You certainly look good,
Aunt Peg.”
“Thank you. So do you. I’d say this new man agrees
with you.”
Aunt Peg didn’t miss a trick, never had. “He does.”
“Imagine my surprise when I picked up a New York
paper at Heathrow and saw a picture of my beautiful
niece and this very handsome man hugging.”
Cathy smiled. “It’s been a bit of a shock to me too.”
“I hope you’re not still flipping out over the weight
thing.”
“I hate to say it, Aunt Peg, but you know my
mother.”
Peg rolled her eyes. “I don’t know why she is so
ridiculous with that. It’s not as if we come from petite
stock. Your uncle used to say when we got together with
our cousins we looked like prison matrons.”
Cathy laughed. “I remember hearing that.”
“Remember, Anna’s ex said he thought he’d wandered
into a camp of female lumberjacks.”
Cathy laughed even harder. “You know, I forgot
about that.”
“How is your sister doing? Has she set a date yet?”
“As a matter of fact they just set the date. November
9th of next year.”
“That’s wonderful. Does my sister know?”
“She hasn’t asked.” Her Aunt Peg looked aggravated.
“Why is she still on this kick? I told her you were
grown women and she had to accept your decisions, even
if she doesn’t like them.”
“It doesn’t stop her. I took her to the store this
morning and she was talking about how she didn’t
approve of our conduct.”
“Approve of your conduct? You’re not seven years
old,” Aunt Peg said in disbelief.
“I know.”
“Sometimes I think the worst thing that ever
happened was that knock on the door more than thirty
years ago. I don’t have anything against religion but there
has to be a balance.”
“I think so, too.”
“My God, they really did a number on you, and my
sister only compounds it.”
“It’s all she knows now.”
“No matter what your mother says, you and Anna are
good girls.”
“Thanks, Aunt Peg. It’s a shame but even at 40 years
old, I need to hear that.”
“The two of you are always doing for your mom. You
drive her places and take her to hair appointments. Hell,
you even help dig her out when it snows.”
“We have the aches and pains to prove it.”
“I don’t know why those folks don’t come around to
dig her out.”
“They’re busy doing God’s work.”
“Too busy for the widows in their midst?”
“Apparently. She says she has children so we can take
care of it.”
Aunt Peg shook her head. “Lord help us. We can talk
a blue streak about this, but she’s not going to change. So
you have to move on and not let it get you down. You
still deserve to be happy, Cathy.”
“I know. I can’t let anyone steal my sunshine.”
“Right. So how are the boys doing?”
“They’re good, Aunt Peg. I think they’ve adjusted to
college life.”
“You know, I was so glad when you told me you left
that religion because you wanted your sons to have a
normal life. I think it’s been good for them.”
“I do, too,” Cathy agreed. “They haven’t gotten into
any trouble with drugs or drinking and they’re good
students. I couldn’t ask for more.”
“Especially these days. You have to count your blessings.”
“You’re right.” Cathy paused. “By the way, Aunt Peg,
does Madison know you’re back?”
“I tried to call my son but I haven’t been able to reach
him. Have you seen him?”
“He stops by practically every single day. I’ll tell him
to call you.”
“Thanks. Is he keeping out of trouble?”
“He’s a good lawyer so trouble sometimes comes his
way.”
“Is there something going on?” She quickly became
concerned.
“I don’t want to alarm you, Aunt Peg. Everything is
under control.” Just then her cell phone rang. “Excuse
me. Hello?”
“Hey, Cousin,” Madison said.
“Well, speak of the devil. Your ears must be burning.”
“Why?”
“I have someone here who wants to talk to you.”
She handed Aunt Peg the phone.
“Hello there, stranger, it’s your mother.”
Cathy stepped away to put some books up and give
her aunt some privacy. With cameras in her own life,
Cathy had a new respect for privacy. Her aunt was still on
the phone when she came back.
“I’m glad you’re okay but you need to stay on top of
this thing. People lose grip with reality when it comes to
money. All right then, you give me a call at home later.
I’ll tell Cathy you’ll talk to her later too. Okay, honey.
Love you. Bye.”
She handed Cathy the phone. “Thanks, sweetie.”
“Not a problem, Aunt Peg.”
“Lord, I’m glad my son is a good attorney, but sometimes I think he is too good an attorney. You know what
I mean?”
“I certainly do.”
Eager to hear more about her niece’s new paramour,
Peg leaned in. “So tell me about this Mr. Fox. I know he
plays baseball. How did you two meet?”
Cathy liked the idea of being able to share her news
about Marcus with her aunt; she knew she wouldn’t
judge her for the budding relationship with a younger
man.
“We met at Keen’s by chance. I was there to have
lunch with a client who didn’t show up and he happened
to be there for lunch, too.”
“I know you didn’t go up to him. You have a bit of
that wallflower thing when it comes to men. You don’t
have it in business, though.”
Cathy was a little bashful. “You’re right. He
approached me.” She smiled. “I really like him.”
Her aunt gave her skeptical look. “You remember that
old commercial that said it isn’t nice to fool Mother
Nature? The same thing applies to me. Don’t kid a
kidder. You look like a woman in love. Are you?”
Cathy hesitated. She hadn’t admitted it out loud to
herself yet. “I am, but it might be too fast, don’t you
think?”
Her aunt shook her head. “Sweetheart, I don’t think
you’re old but once you are over thirty you don’t have the
same kind of time or energy to mess around trying to
figure things out. Besides, who says love has to adhere to
some kind of schedule?”
“The heart wants what it wants.”
“When it wants it, my dear niece.”
“Being with him has been incredible. He’s a real good
guy.”
“Of course he is. If you love him, he has to be. Just
do yourself a favor and don’t let all the size bull get to
you. They have to sell papers.” She stood up. “Just
remember, today’s news lines the bottom of tomorrow’s
bird cage.”
She laughed. “That is too funny, Aunt Peg.”
“And too true. I have to run my dear.” She gave Cathy
a kiss. “Tell your sister I will give her a call soon and we
can talk wedding.”
“I will. I know she’d like that.”
“I won’t tell her you told me the date. I’ll let her
spring it on me.”
“Okay.”
“So you take care, honey.”
“I will, Aunt Peg. You do the same.”
It never ceased to amaze Cathy how different her
mother was from Peg. Her Aunt Peg always counterbalanced her mother and set her straight whenever it was
necessary. Religion or not, she didn’t let Elizabeth get
away with anything. For Cathy and Anna it was nice to
have someone in their corner.