Authors: Denyse Cohen
“Include me? Ha! She is waiting on the sidelines for me to disappear so she can move in. But I don’t care, I’m not worried about her. Besides, I wouldn’t have time to do anything anyway. I have too much work to do.” Seven out of the twelve pieces she’d created sold and the show had another five weeks left. Ben urged her to print replacements along with a few new images.
“Then, my friend, more power to you.”
• • •
Traffic in L.A is a cancer, Audrey thought, surprisingly irritated at the prospect of not getting at the party before Jennifer had spread her tentacles all over John. She thought about what he’d said: everything they did lately kept them apart. He was right, of course. She tried so hard to not be labeled as a groupie so she didn’t make an effort to stick to her job at Atlantis.
Her eyes swept the area when she exited the elevator at the top floor of the hotel. The rooftop was divided in two sections with the bar in the center. John, Tyler, Matt, Kevin, Jennifer and Bill were at one corner talking around a high top table with a bottle of champagne inside a frosted ice bucket. Audrey saw Tyler elbowing John and pointing in her direction. John detached himself from the group, leaving Jennifer with her mouth open mid-sentence. She held his gaze as he approached, giving her a subtle nod of his head and a gleeful smile.
“Happy Birthday, baby.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, stood on her tiptoes and kissed him.
“You look amazing,” he said, arms around her waist.
Audrey had worn the same outfit she did on their first date, down to the smoky eyes and black jewelry.
“Thanks. I don’t believe you told me that the first time around.”
“I couldn’t speak then, I was too scared.”
“Hmm. And you’re not anymore?”
“Just a little.”
“Scared of what?”
He whispered in her ear, “Of you not wanting to be my wife.”
Her heart skipped a beat. “You don’t have to fear that, I’ve already said yes.” She kissed him. Then, he hugged her tighter and lifted off her feet. “Yes, yes.”
“Yes, yes,” Kevin said with mockery, peering at their faces as he moved toward them. “What’s going on?” he asked.
John put Audrey down and turned to Kevin. “We’re” — he looked at Audrey who nodded — “getting married.”
“Oh yes, yes! That’s awesome.” Kevin ushered John and Audrey back to the table. “Let’s have a toast.”
Before they reached the table, Kevin shouted, “They’re engaged!”
Matt and Tyler let out grunts of excitement, Bill grunted as well and, although Audrey couldn’t read lips, she was certain it was “fuck” he muttered under his breath. Jennifer knocked back her flute of champagne and parted her lips in a muted smile.
At the table, Matt, Tyler, and even Jennifer hugged and congratulated them. Bill refrained from physical contact with Audrey but tapped John on the back and went to the bar to order another bottle of Dom Pérignon.
“Ahhh.” When Megan arrived, she screamed so loud even blabbermouth Kevin looked abashed. “It’s okay, I’m okay.” She told the people staring. “My friend is getting married.”
“Let me see the ring.” Megan reached for Audrey’s hand.
“I don’t need a ring,” Audrey said.
“Good for you.” Tyler said. “If — and if is a big word here — I ask a girl to marry me, there will be no ring. I hate when the woman needs to look at the damn thing before she says yes or no.”
“There is a ring. It’s just not here,” John said.
“Um, last minute decision. How romantic,” Jennifer said.
“It wasn’t last minute. I wanted this since the first time I laid my eyes on Audrey.” John said with no hint of irony, his face stiff as a piece of oak.
Jennifer gave the slightest shrug and smiled sheepishly.
• • •
Sometime later, the other executives and producers from Atlantis had arrived and the party moved to a semi-private area near the pool. Orange cushioned seating spread the length of two walls that converged at the corner of the room. Jennifer arranged a birthday cake from a fancy Beverly Hills bakery famous for their rich chocolate flour-less cakes. A waitress with a big smile on her face brought it to the table, flickering candles on top. Later, the waitress asked the band to autograph a napkin while she cleared the glasses and beer bottles from the acrylic white tables in front of them.
On the dance floor, Megan and Matt moved to the never-ending stream of music the DJ put out. Kevin and Tyler talked to a group of girls who sat inside a red Hershey’s kiss shaped pod. John was engaged in a discussion with Glenn and Bill about the lack of acoustic guitars in contemporary music.
“Where’s Matt?” Audrey asked Megan when, minutes later, she sat on the orange couch beside Audrey.
“He went to get us drinks.”
“So?” Audrey said conspiratorially. “Is he a contender for the body fluids exchange?” Audrey slid closer to Megan who snorted with her gaze averted. If Audrey didn’t know better she would think Megan was embarrassed.
“Actually, he is pretty sweet,” she said.
Jennifer must have eavesdropped on their conversation, because as soon as Megan closed her mouth she walked away from her group to intercept Matt who was coming from the bar with two glasses in his hands. Audrey and Megan watched as Jennifer smiled, tossed her hair to the side, and touched his forearm — apparently, her favorite moves.
“What’s with that girl?” Megan repositioned herself on couch, clearly ticked off.
“I don’t know.” Audrey hoped Matt would know better than to fall for Jennifer’s feigned interest. When Matt pointed his drinks in their direction and stepped away, Audrey let out a breath of relief and asked him, “What was that about?”
“Something about another party and if I wanted to go with her.” Matt handed Megan her drink and took a sip of his. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Later when the party dispersed, Audrey and John leaned against the white metal rail which circled the perimeter of the roof. For once, L.A. seemed peaceful. Angelical. She glanced at John surveying the immensity of the city. Not long ago, she was small and lonely, now she felt important because he’d chosen to share his life with her.
“When I got in that bus seven months ago, I could never have imagined I would be here tonight — with you.” She turned to face him. “I’ve never believed things happened because they were meant to … I was so scared to make the wrong choices and end up living a life I’ve never signed up for. But since that night in Augusta, when you brought me a Snickers bar and smiled.” Her voice stumbled around the word smiled. “I knew all the decisions I would make from then on would be because of you.”
John gently kissed her lips and said, “A Snicker’s bar, huh?” He moved an unruly strand of hair off her face. “I have to remember that.”
• • •
Light seeped through the windows of their bedroom when John drew open the curtains the next day.
“You already up?” She stretched her arms. “What time is it?”
“About ten.” He sat on the bed and kissed her. “I want to give you something.” Between his fingers a delicate engagement ring with a split-pea sized diamond guarded by two soft pink stones set in polished white gold. “It arrived a few days ago. I asked my father to send it to me.”
“Wow.” Audrey whispered, propping herself on her elbows.
“I wanted to plan something romantic — ”
“Like, maybe, writing a song?”
“Maybe.” He chuckled. “But I couldn’t help myself yesterday.”
“It’s beautiful.”
“It was my mother’s. She gave it to me before she died.”
“Oh, John.”
“I didn’t wanted it … I told her no one in the world could deserve it. She told me I would find someone.” His voice dropped to a murmur. “And when I did, I should let her in. Not be so serious. So stubborn.” He stared at the ring in his hand.
“She must’ve loved you very much.” She sat up and caressed his face.
He held her gaze and said, “I didn’t believe her — until now.” He scooted closer and took her hand. “Audrey … love of my life. You make me so happy.” — He slid the ring on her finger — “You’re the one for me. The woman I’ve never believed existed.” — He tenderly kissed her hand — “Will you marry me?”
The courtyard of the small restaurant off Sunset Boulevard was cobbled. The feel of the smooth bumps beneath the soles of Audrey’s shoes reminded her of the farm in Brazil. Her grandfather and uncles had hauled hundreds of cobble stones in a wheelbarrow to create a trail connecting the main house to the outside kitchen. Audrey thought it was odd to have a kitchen outside the house, but she learned it was not uncommon in the rural areas of Brazil. It was actually very logical. Her mother had explained they cooked mainly with a wood stove and the smoke would impregnate everything inside the house.
“And your grandpa would bring mud into the house every time he came in to have a drink of his Jurubeba.” Audrey’s grandmother had told her in Portuguese.
Audrey’s grandfather was lean and tanned from walking the land, doing task after task until the sun went down. During the day, he would make several stops in the kitchen to pour himself a dose of the dark liquid into a tin cup that remained always on top of the bottle. Once he let Audrey taste it, laughing while she twisted her face and stuck her tongue out.
“It’s medicine.” He had told her.
“
Não é não
.” It’s not. She’d told him with no hint of accent. For her, medicine was pink and tasted like bubble gum.
Bitter and spicy, the liquid was an herbal concoction made with cloves, cinnamon, wine and the extract from the jurubeba plant. Supposedly, it strengthened the weak stomach and cured inflammations of the liver and spleen. It also had a seventeen percent volume of alcohol, which was the medicinal benefit her grandfather seemed to prize most.
“Audrey.” Megan waved her hand from a corner table.
“Hi, I’m sorry. Have you been waiting long?” She sat across from Megan and threw her purse on an empty chair.
“No. Ten minutes tops.”
“I lost track of time in the darkroom.”
“How is it going?”
“I’ve finished the reprints, now I’m working on the new ones.”
The waitress brought water, took their order, and hurriedly walked away, as if the restaurant was packed, when in fact, there were only other two tables occupied.
“That’s cool. Then you’ll be able to go to London.”
“I don’t think so. They leave in two days, and I won’t be able to finish it by then.”
“Are you serious? It’s their first concert abroad, it’s a big deal.” Megan said.
“I know exactly how important this is.” She took a sip from the glass of water in front of her.
“You finished the show replacements, right?”
“Right.”
“Then?”
Audrey remained quiet.
“You’ve fulfilled your commitment,” Megan said.
“Well — ” Audrey waited for the waitress to place their salad plates on the table. “I did, but I still have to print the new images he’s asked for.”
Megan shook her head and ferried a forkful of lettuce to her mouth.
“Besides, my passport is at my parents,” Audrey said.
“Big deal. Have you heard of FEDEX?”
“I don’t know. I just … .” Her voice trailed off.
“Listen, I understand you didn’t want to be the center of attention when ‘North Star’ came out. And you didn’t want people to think you’re sponging off and sleeping with the whole band.”
Audrey creased her eyebrows.
“But you’re going to marry the guy now. Who cares what people think anymore?”
“It’s not about what people think.”
“What is it then, Audrey?” Megan put her fork down. “Because I’d love to know why you’re going to put an ocean between you and John, so the Edwards and Jennifers of the world can come between the two of you?”
Audrey slumped in her chair. “John is a wonderful musician. I know he’ll do well. I just want to do the same.” She sighed. “It took me a long time to find something I could see myself doing for the rest of my life. I don’t want to give it up.”
“Sweetie.” Megan touched Audrey’s hand. “You don’t have to give it up. You’re an artist; it’s within you. You don’t need a gallery in North Hollywood to make art.” Megan snorted. “You certainly don’t need Ben. Can you believe he called me a sweet bun at the show opening?”
“Absolutely,” Audrey smiled.
“You know … Matt asked me to go with them.” Megan gave her a witty grin.
“Really? Are you guys … why didn’t you tell me?”
Megan shrugged.
“How? When? It was at John’s party, wasn’t it?”
“We didn’t sleep together that night, so you know,” Megan said.
Audrey giggled at Megan’s newfound self-righteousness.
“We just talked and danced. He is so funny.” Megan’s eyes sparkled. “He asked if I wanted to go to the movies the next day. I said yes. We made out in his car when he dropped me off.”
“Oh, how sweet.”
“It really was.” Megan mused. “It had been a while since I had a proper date. Usually, you sleep with a guy and, if you like him, hope he’ll call the next day. If you don’t, just try to forget it ever happened.”
“You said a mouthful there, sister.” The waitress, bringing the dessert menu, winked at Megan.
Audrey and Megan laughed and ordered crème brûlée to split, and two espressos. When the waitress left, Audrey turned to Megan with an inquisitive gaze.
“So, on our second date,” Megan said. “Third, really, if you count the party. We went back to the hotel and got a room — our places are so crowded.”
“I am happy for both of you.”
“Thanks. And guess what?” Megan beamed in a smile. “He called the next day.”
“Of course he did.” Audrey was the one now who lightly touched Megan’s hand. “Matt is a smart man.”
The waitress arrived with their dessert and coffee.
“Are you going, then?” Audrey asked.
“I can’t. It’s the middle of the semester. I can’t miss classes.”
“Oh.”
“But you can go, Audrey. Please! Please!” Megan said, with her mouth full of crème brûlée. “Go stay with your” — she singsonged — “fiancé. And remember: it also took you a long time to find someone you wanted to do for the rest of your life.” Megan winked.
• • •