A Life More Complete(100)
“Hello?” I say flatly knowing exactly who it is on the other end and not following through with my usual informal greeting of “Hey Mel”.
“Krissy?” she says almost near bewilderment at my answering of her call.
“Yeah.”
“Hey. I’m sorry about your dad. Are you doing okay?” The tone in her voice is far more formal than I am used to and I get the feeling that my dad’s death isn’t her sole reason for calling. The opening to the conversation seems like more of a formality before she plunges into the real reason for contacting me. It would be quite cold for her to call and jump right into her reason without asking about my current situation.
“I’m fine. Thanks for asking.” Instead of waiting around for her I come right out and ask, “Did you need something?”
“Um, yeah,” she mutters. “Trini was arrested again last night. It was far worse this time around.” I cut her off abruptly.
“You’re kidding me? What for? I thought things were going better. I had lunch with her recently and I talked to her before I left. Unreal.” I run my hand through my hair and lay down on the bed.
“First off, she was driving. Enough said right there. She’s on a suspended license. But worse, this time she backed into a crowd of people outside of an L.A. club, drove off hitting several parked cars along the way and then abandoned the car in a neighborhood somewhere in south L.A. How she ended up there, I have no idea.”
“Where is she now?”
“Well, I think she’s at home. There are two problems. The first one totally work related. She’s under contract for that movie that began shooting last week. She missed her call time today. Just didn’t show up. Do you want me to handle the statement the media is asking for or do you want to take care of it?” She pauses to let me answer, but I can sense there is more she wants to say, so I keep my answer brief.
“If you wouldn’t mind. I’ve got enough to deal with here right now. I probably won’t be back in town until late Wednesday or early Thursday. I’d appreciate it if you’d issue a statement. Make sure I get a copy.”
“No problem,” she says kindly but formally. This is highly unlike our working relationship and the tension is beginning to wear on me.
“Hey, Mel?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m sorry I lost my shit at the bar. We’ve been friends a long time and even though I’m still mad, I’ll get over it.”
“I know and I’m sorry, too. I don’t know why I did that to you. I guess I was looking for something real. Ben is so great; I just thought maybe I could have what you once had with him. It was a poor choice on my part and I apologize. I never want to lose you as a friend.”
“Thanks. That means a lot to me to hear you say that. We’ll get back to where we once were. I just need some time. It was more than just you being with Ben, but I don’t really want to get into that.”
“I know that right now things are weird between us and all, but I have to tell you something.” I feel my heartbeat begin to race as a feeling of nervousness runs through my body. My hands shake and I can feel the sweat begin to form on my upper lip. Panic is something I am familiar with, but it still takes me by surprise every time. A lump has formed in my throat blocking all sound from being released and when I don’t say anything she begins to talk quickly. “Tyler was with Trini.” I exhale so loudly that it reverberates back into my ear through the phone. “I’m sorry,” she says, yet I’m not sure what she is sorry about. “He wasn’t with her when she was at the club, but he showed up shortly after she abandoned her car. The paparazzi was following her and caught everything on camera.” I can feel my panic turn to anger.
“He’s her lawyer, Melinda.” I practically shout at her. “That’s his job. She is obviously having some kind of legal trouble. Who else would she call?” By now my voice is several decibels higher than necessary and if the people in the next room are sleeping they have surely been woken up by my voice tearing through the paper-thin walls. “I’m not sure I appreciate what you are insinuating here. He’s my husband and you’re tossing around some serious allegations.”
“Krissy, I’m not insinuating anything. I just thought you would like to know. I apologize if I’ve offended you. I understand that things are strained between you two right now, so I thought you’d want to know.” Damn that Bob! I should know better than to unload my feelings on him.