The Perfect Location (41 page)

‘All children are sweet when they’re asleep,’ hissed Max.

Rose stifled a laugh. Kicking off her shoes in the hallway, she padded into the bedroom and lay on the bed. ‘I’m rooted.’

Max walked into the dressing room and took off his suit and slipped on his robe. ‘Well done, Ms Nightingale. You were sensational,’ he said, sitting at the end of the bed and rubbing her feet.

‘You weren’t too bad yourself, Mr Craydon,’ said Rose with her eyes closed.

Max left the room while Rose undressed and put on her pyjamas. He returned with two glasses.

‘What’s this?’ she asked.

‘Lucia’s poison,’ he said, handing her a glass of the limoncello. ‘It reminds me of us.’

They raised their glasses and sipped.

‘Happy?’ he asked.

‘Ecstatic,’ she answered.

‘I love you, Rose,’ he said. ‘You are the bravest, most together person I know. Thank you for giving me another chance.’

Rose sat up. ‘Listen, Max, I’m not as sorted as I might look. It’s taken almost up until you arrived in New York to get my life together. There’s more to me than you know.’

‘You don’t hold any mystery for me, darling. You don’t. There isn’t a particle of you I don’t know, remember, and want,’ said Max, quoting her line to him from the play.

‘I’m serious. I want to tell you something. Something few people know. I figure if we are going to try to be together then you need to know this about me.’

Max nodded, listening.

‘A long time ago I was married, married to a man who was very unhappy with his life. His unhappiness wore down my sanity to the point where I didn’t know if I existed or not. I was in pain, heartbroken and I had a breakdown. A full breakdown. I tried to kill myself, Max. I went to hospital for a few weeks and then when I was released I flew to Poland, made a film and came back and divorced him.’

Max shook his head, stunned at her revelation. ‘Jesus, Rosie. I’m so sorry you went through that. I knew you were married to that film star but I didn’t know it was so awful for you. He must have been an idiot to lose you.’

‘He wasn’t an idiot, we were just not meant to be. We made each other very unhappy.’

There was silence in the room.

‘Are you afraid to have me around your kids now that you know I was once an unhinged mental patient?’ asked Rose fearfully.

‘Are you afraid to have me around because of my shocking housekeeping skills?’ he asked in return.

‘Well, as long as we accept each other’s absurdities, then we will be fine,’ she laughed.

Max took her hands. ‘Rose, we all have our brand marks of pain in life. Some of them have burnt our souls deeper than we would have liked but we are stronger for it. Whatever pain you felt in your marriage only makes you more certain about what you want now, I’m sure.’

They held hands, smiling.

‘Rose?’

‘Hmm,’ she said as she lay back on the bed.

‘I’m glad you didn’t kill yourself.’

‘I’m glad too,’ she laughed.

Max took a sip of the drink. ‘Rose?’ he asked.

‘Yes?’ she answered sleepily.

‘Will you marry me?’ Max asked.

The next morning, in Perugia, Lucia picked lemons from her tree. Lemons were the final ingredient in her spell for Rose and Max. Lemons were all about marriage. Lucia always knew it would work, lemons hadn’t failed her yet.

Leeza was waiting for her in the street when Calypso drove into the cul de sac. Calypso was calm and in control, prepared for Leeza’s dramatics and accusations. Stepping out of the car, she parked in the driveway and saw Leeza waiting by the door. She was wearing no make-up, her hair scraped back into a ponytail. She wore pink sweats and no shoes.

‘Hi, Leeza,’ said Calypso.

‘Hi, baby. Come in, your dad really wants to see you,’ said Leeza, nervously.

Walking inside the house, Calypso felt tired. She sat on the white leather lounge in the living room and looked around. Framed photos of her sat on every surface and hung on the walls. As she looked at her life in photos from babyhood to now, she realized every photo Leeza had displayed was on a set or was for a promotional purpose. There were no photos of Calypso playing outside, or riding her bike for the first time, no friends and her laughing, no joy.

The realization that happiness had not been her companion during these years came to Calypso and she spoke harshly to Leeza. ‘I just wanted you to know I worked with the FBI and we have handled the issue with the blackmail. I hope this will be the end of it.’

Leeza sat on the chair, her hands clasped in her lap. ‘I am so sorry, Calypso. I am so sorry.’ And she started to cry.

Calypso was unmoved. ‘Leeza, are you sorry you did it or sorry for the inconvenience you have caused?’

Leeza wiped her eyes with the pink sleeves of her zip-up top. ‘I’m sorry for everything,’ she said softly.

‘That’s great, Leeza,’ said Calypso sarcastically. ‘It doesn’t change the fact you did everything in your power to manipulate outcomes for me in my career that I may not have necessarily wanted. I hate to think what else you did or are capable of.’

Leeza was silent.

‘Well, what do you want to say?’ asked Calypso, frustrated at Leeza’s silence.

‘I can’t say anything. I know what I did was wrong. I knew it the minute I walked out of the door. I wanted so much for you to succeed, baby. I wanted you to be a star and look at you now,’ Leeza said, smiling at her wanly through fresh tears.

‘I don’t remember ever being asked what I wanted, Leeza. Never, in fact. You ran my life as though I was you. There were no boundaries, you were the one who wanted to be in these pictures.’ Calypso gestured at the side table covered in frames. ‘Look at these, I am a product to you.’ She held up a pink china frame with ‘birthday girl’ written on it and a picture of Calypso blowing out candles on a birthday cake. ‘It wasn’t even my real birthday, it was on the fucking show,’ she screamed.

‘But you look so pretty,’ cried Leeza.

‘Oh Leeza, you have no idea, do you? I have no life. I’ve worked for you for years. I was your little slave.’

‘Well, you’ve done okay, haven’t you,’ yelled back Leeza, angry. ‘You’re famous, you have money, what else did you want, for God’s sake?’

‘I wanted a childhood, Mom,’ said Calypso, sitting down again, feeling defeated. Coming to see Leeza was a mistake, she thought, she would never understand what Calypso was trying to express.

‘I did the best I could. I did what I thought was right. Your father and I were never going to get anywhere. I wanted more and when we had you, and you were so beautiful, I knew we had a ticket out of being ordinary,’ she said, her eyes on Calypso’s face but her mind back years before.

‘Mom, we are ordinary. We are all ordinary, that’s the kicker in this. I am ordinary. I am so ordinary you felt you had to blow directors to get me the work.’ Calypso laughed harshly at her own logic.

‘You were never ordinary,’ said Leeza, shocked at Calypso’s argument. ‘You could have been anything,’ she said, her eyes widening.

‘Then why didn’t you let me be anything else? Why did you choose this life for me?’ she yelled, throwing the frame down on the carpet at Leeza’s feet.

‘I didn’t know anything else, Calypso, goddammit! I was eighteen when I got pregnant with you. I never thought this would last, but to your father’s credit he stayed around. We were poor, baby, real poor. I never had enough schooling and your father left to start work as soon as he found out I was pregnant. The only thing I knew was the movies and the TV. It seemed like the best life for someone who didn’t know anything about nothing. I could never have done it; it was easier to put you out there. Then you started to get work and I don’t know, I guess I forgot to be your mother and I became your manager. I don’t know how to make this better. I can’t go back in time and fix it, Calypso. I wish I could, but I can’t.’ Leeza picked up the frame at her feet and looked at the picture of Calypso. ‘Your life was prettier in these photos than in real life, I guess I wanted to believe that’s how it really was.’

‘Leeza, you’re out of your mind,’ said Calypso, standing up. ‘I didn’t come here today to tell you anything other than the news the blackmailer is in custody.’ Walking towards the door, she turned at the last minute. ‘Oh yes, and that I’m leaving show business for a while. I’m going to go to college. Tell Dad I said hi, and tell him I’ll call him as soon as I can.’

The look of shock on Leeza’s face was priceless.

Calypso drove home and laughed till she pulled into her driveway. Walking inside she found the UCLA booklets she had read on the beach with TG. She found the number and dialled it. ‘Hello, I would like some information on admissions, please.’

TG was supportive of her choice to go to college. He was spending most of his time either with Calypso or in the editing suite on
The Italian Dream
. ‘It’s really good, it’s fantastic, actually,’ he said as he watched Calypso sand down a new outdoor bench she had found on a sidewalk rubbish dump. ‘Look at you go. Geez, if you don’t want to be an actor anymore then you can always become a set decorator. You work those tools better than I could,’ he said admiringly.

‘It relaxes me. I love to transform things,’ she said, wiping the perspiration from her forehead, a stray curl sticking to her temple. ‘I’m glad the film is good. It’s a great script with a great director.’

‘Thanks, babe, but everyone is good in it. You are so gorgeous. I forgot I knew you and watched some of your scenes last night. I was totally absorbed by you,’ he said, smiling at her lovingly.

‘That’s because you’re sleeping with me,’ said Calypso, laughing at his enthusiasm.

‘No, I swear, you are good, Calypso. I know you think acting is not where you want to be right now but don’t let it go completely, you are wonderful in this, trust me.’

‘I’ll take your word on it,’ Calypso said as she knelt down to sand the legs of the bench.

‘Have you decided on what courses you’re going to take?’ asked TG as he played with a piece of used sandpaper.

‘I have, actually. I’ve enrolled in film and television producing and also dramatic literature,’ she said casually.

‘That’s great, babe. I’m proud of you. A producer, huh? Look out! Now I can hit you for funding.’ He jumped up and pulled her into his arms.

‘Maybe. Let me start it first. I just thought I would like to produce someday. Make my own projects, be in charge of my own destiny for a change.’ She put her hands into the pockets of his jeans and they held each other close.

‘You know when you said before that I’m just sleeping with you … you know it’s more to me than that?’ he said, searching her eyes.

Calypso met his gaze. ‘I know.’

‘I love you, Calypso.’

‘I love you too, Tim,’ she said, and they kissed slowly and gently. ‘I’ve got something to ask you.’

‘Yes,’ he said as he kissed the top of her head.

‘Do you want to move in? I understand if you don’t, but you’re here all the time and I figured we might as well. I know I said we should take it slow and we have but …’ Calypso’s voice trailed off and she was nervous.

TG pulled away and looked at her. ‘You can’t be serious?’ he said, his face puzzled.

‘I’m sorry. Too fast?’ she asked, disappointment flooding her face.

‘No, but where the hell would I put all my crap? You and I are like packrats. Yes, I think we should live together but we need to find a bigger place, babe, and one with a workroom outside for your stuff,’ he said, pointing at her half-sanded bench. ‘And with a study for you and a games room. I would like to get a dog, too. Is that too much for you? Do you like dogs? I always had dogs when I was a kid.’

TG was so excited, Calypso started to laugh at him. ‘Calm down, oh my God, you’re crazy.’

‘Crazy for you, my Calypso,’ said TG.

The house hunting was another matter. Between Calypso selling her beloved property and starting college, as well as looking at houses whenever they could, Calypso and TG found their schedules clashed. She threw her hands up one night.

‘I can’t do all of this. It’s driving me insane. You find the house. You know what I want, what I like. You tell me when you find it and I will move in.’

And that is what TG did. He found a beautiful Spanish villa from the 1920s with a full work shed for Calypso’s projects, a pool with mosaic tiles around the edge and palm trees and a frangipani tree. There was a study, a huge rumpus room for TG’s toys, an office for him, four bedrooms and a balcony that looked out over LA.

He rang Calypso who was packing up her precious items. ‘I found it. It’s unoccupied. Settlement terms are ours to choose. It’s fucking perfect, babe,’ he yelled down the phone from his car. ‘We can move in next week if you want.’

Calypso who was knee deep in bubble wrap and boxes looked around at the chaos. She had refused to let anyone come and pack; she was still fearful of her experience with the blackmailer. ‘Do it. I trust you. Sign the papers,’ she said as she opened a roll of bubble wrap.

‘You sure?’ he asked.

‘I’m sure and can you get someone to help me pack this shit? I don’t care if my underwear is on the front cover of the
National Enquirer
, this is doing my head in,’ she said angrily down the phone.

TG laughed. ‘Leave it with me, babe.’

One week later, TG and Calypso were following the moving van from his place to their new home. ‘I can’t believe I still haven’t seen it except in the pictures you took,’ said Calypso as they rounded the street and parked behind the van in the driveway.

‘I know,’ said TG. ‘Your stuff is coming this afternoon and then we get to play house.’

Calypso stood in the driveway in her denim shorts and TG’s t-shirt tied in a knot showing off her brown flat stomach. TG looked at her and his heart lurched. She was everything he had hoped for and the fact they would now be living together made him happier than he could have imagined. She calmed him down, made him laugh at himself. Helped him to think outside of just the world of film. She was his Calypso and he was never going to let her go as long as he could help it.

They walked together from the car, holding hands. TG opened the front door and swept Calypso into his arms. ‘I have to carry you over the threshold.’