So I did that, and made sure that he could get to his room, had everything he needed, and then ran home to shower.
Tish and Kim finally got here. I talked to Mickie on the phone, gave her the run down of what my evening had been like, leaving out the specifics, and she was kind enough to feed the girls lunch. When she dropped them off, though, I invited her back for some supper. Nothing fancy, just some hamburgers. Dwayne is working tonight; I thought it would be nice for her, and she seemed happy about it.
The girls are in the pool, and I’m taking a few minutes to try and read. Only I can’t keep my eyes opened. I read a few lines and the book ends up on my face. Eventually I give up, and get into that state where you’re not quite asleep, but you’re not fully awake, either. I can hear the girls, and the water in the pool. I can hear the wind up high in the trees. But everything else is sort of muffled. I think to myself that I should tell the girls to make sure that I don’t oversleep, only my mouth won’t move.
The hell with it. They won’t, they’ll want something and wake me to get it anyway.
I think about last night. What a to do. What a shouting match. At least that other woman was a quiet one. In and out. Not search and destroy. I vote for bimbo number two. I smile. Bimbo. I have to say, from what I’ve observed so far, Mr. M has an appetite for bimbos. I wonder what else he’ll drag home?
Nothing, from the looks of him at the moment. He’s sacked out on a lawn chair much in the same way I am, only he’s sound asleep and snoring and turning red, last I looked. He’s not going to enjoy that sunburn any more than he’s enjoying his foot.
I wonder if he’ll want to eat with us? I should ask him. I mean, it’s just hamburgers, and how’s he going to fix himself anything? He won’t, but he can’t go get anything, either. He could always order in, though. But isn’t that stupid when I’ve got plenty of stuff for everyone? I’ll just ask him.
“Mom?”
“What?” Tish is standing over me in a towel, dripping a little.
“Mickie is here.”
Shit.
~~**~~**~~***~~**~~**~~
“This is a nice place,” Mickie says. She’s sitting at the small bar that separates the kitchen area from the main living room, having a drink and a cigarette. Another smoker. We’re a dying breed, no pun intended. You can’t go anywhere anymore where they’ll let you smoke. So I always let smokers smoke in my house. Not that this is my house, but it is for now. Anyway, Mr. M smokes, too. And this is an airy structure, with lots of windows. I have the ceiling fan on, I even have the air conditioner running in the background so it’s cool in here, but the air seems fresher.
“We like it,” I tell her as I’m shaping hamburger meat into generous sized patties. We’ll take them up to the grill and eat on the upper terrace, because the table is bigger there.
“You get all this?”
“Yeah, comes with the job.” I shrug. “There’s a suite of rooms up at the house, too, but I thought it would be better if we had this place. Keep things, oh, private as much as we can.”
“How was week two, besides the excitement last night?”
“All right. Slowing down. Once I have things settled again, I have no idea what I’m gonna be doing with my time.” I shrug again. “It’s a big house, but most of it doesn’t get used.”
“Pretty quiet then, hunh?”
“Pretty quiet.” I wash off my hands and begin preparing a salad. “I mean, most of the day I’m alone here, basically supervising other people. I guess I could start a few projects, because the place is kind of, I don’t know, undone, I guess, but that would be up to Mr. M.”
“Mr. M, you crack me up, does he make you call him that?” Mickie asked.
“Fuck no, but she can’t seem to stop.” Mr. M is awake and he’s hobbled over here to the poolhouse. He’s standing in the doorway, grinning.
“Hi,” Mickie says, as she swivels in her seat.
“Hi,” he replies. “I was wonderin’ if I could bum a cigarette from you, Shi. I didn’t want to go all the way up to the house.”
“Help yourself,” I tell him, sliding a pack across the bar. He hops in on one foot and slides onto the stool beside Mickie.
“I’m Mr. M,” he tells her.
“So I hear. I’m Ms. H, but you can call me Mickie.” She extends a hand and he takes it and I see a funny look cross his face. “Mickie Harper.”
“Alex McLean, I know you, you’re Mickie “T”,” he says, and he keeps holding onto her hand.
“None other.”
“How the hell you know Shi? Shi, you didn’t tell me you knew Mickie “T”.”
“Shi and I met through our daughters,” Mickie offers.
“Hell, I didn’t think you knew anyone in the industry,” Alex says to me.
“I don’t. Do I?”
“Mickie “T” has a helluva rep. I didn’t know you lived around here.”
“Lived in the neighborhood for more than fifteen years. I don’t recall the invitations for your housewarming making it to my mailbox,” she says, and gives him a look. Then she laughs a little to herself and takes a puff on her cigarette. “I guess that makes YOU the new kid on the block.”
The two of them laugh hysterically at this, and I have no idea why.
“Yeah, well, not quite,” Alex says.
“Would you like to have supper with us?” I ask him.
“Watcha makin’?”
“Hamburgers.”
“I’m all over that.”
“That would be a ‘yes’, I take it?”
“Yes. Thank you,” he says. Then he turns back to Mickie and starts up a conversation, which I’m grateful for because I just want to cook this meal and I have no idea what they’re talking about anyway.
~~**~~**~~***~~**~~**~~
~~**~~**~~***~~**~~**~~
Damn. Now how in the hell does Shi move out here and in like, less than a week know Mickie “T”? I’ve lived in this fucking house almost a year and I don’t know anybody from around here. Not a single person. I don’t think the neighbors on either side of me have even lived in their homes since I moved in.
I don’t know a soul in this damn town.
I know people in L.A. Plenty of them. And then there were Sarah’s friends. They were like the only people who ever came by. Not that I was inviting people over, I wasn’t, but, wow, I never even thought about who came and went here. I think I’ve had a guest here by my invite about twice. Yeah. My mother. My father. That’s it. And they were both such crap for company that I don’t think I’ll be havin’ THEM out here again any time soon. Never had the guys here. Or any of the people I’ve worked with.
Nope.
Sarah’s friends. Her family. That’s it.
Well shit.
I’m watchin’ Shi and Mickie; bein’ quiet for a while. I think I’ve talked Mick’s ear off tonight, and, I don’t know, she’s cool, but I can see that she wants to talk with Shi. About what girls talk about. And their kids. Kim is a cool kid, she’s not actin’ weird or anything, but I guess she probably sees a lot of ‘stars’ and stuff, what with Mickie and what she does. Anyway, she’s cool, and Tish is great, and Mick and Shi are yappin’ away.
I should probably go inside.
But I don’t want to leave. I want to sit here on the patio and listen to people talk even if I’m not the one talkin’. They don’t seem to mind me bein’ here, so I guess it’s okay.
Dinner was good. Shi made burgers. Salad. There was some ice cream for dessert. After a while I didn’t even notice my foot. Well, not much. And we’ve been out here all day, it was beautiful.
I’d have to say that this was a good day. A better day. I haven’t had this kinda day in a long, long time. I didn’t mind doin’ nothin’, I was tired. I slept a lot. That was good, too. No dreams. Just sleep. I got a nice burn goin’ on my chest, too bad I never rolled over, what an asshole. But tomorrow I can do that side. ‘Cause tomorrow’s gonna be a repeat of today. Do nothin’, sleep a lot, and feel better.
Man, Mickie “T”. She’s like a legend out here. There aren’t a lotta women who make music for a living like she does, not in the studio. Singers galore, but she’s a player. The only other person I can think of like that is Mindi. God, I should call her, she’s out here, fuck. But she’s busy, too. She put out this incredible CD. Jazz. Not really my bag, but it was Mindi and hearin’ it reminded me of that last, great, fun tour, when we toured for Millennium and every night was a party.
Damn.
Damn.
I wonder what Mickie is doin’ these days? I sorta asked her and she sorta hedged it. Must be somethin’ she can’t talk about. I wonder if she’d play with me? You know, I got the studio and everything here. Hell, she probably has her own studio, and she’s probably too busy. People like her are always busy. But maybe she’ll be around, what with Shi and everything.
Damn, Shi, she’s more networked than I am right now.
“What’s so funny?” Shi asks me.
“Hunh? Wha... nothin’,” I say. I didn’t even know I was laughin’.
~~**~~**~~***~~**~~**~~
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© 2003 Chandrah, Inc.
© 2003 (*> Baby Bird Productions, Inc.
