The Perfect Location (34 page)

Rose understood, her studies of art at university had been restricted to what was in galleries or hung on walls; she had never considered what she hung in her wardrobe also fitted into that category. She was inspired and started to speak up about what she liked, what felt good on her body, what worked with her lifestyle. They talked about clothes and fashion and image all day. It was the best fun Rose had had since Italy. They finally relaxed at Barneys after hours, which allowed Rose and Sophie to peruse the accessories and shoes department at their leisure, with staff on hand to help them with their needs.

‘You need to come to LA to look over what I have there as well,’ Rose said as she and Sophie headed back to the Four Seasons, tired but victorious.

‘Of course, I will be there next week actually as I am filming a TV pilot,’ said Sophie.

‘Of course you are. You deserve a TV show. What you do and what you know is very accessible and smart, Sophie. You are a stylist of a new generation, working with a woman’s body, not making her feel bad about eating pastries,’ Rose laughed.

‘Oh no, there is always time for pastries. Life is too short for just fruit salad,’ said Sophie. She kissed Rose on both cheeks. ‘I’ve arranged for some of the designers’ next-season samples to come to you soon. If you like anything then we can discuss,
oui
?’

‘Of course, I’m not going to take a step out of my wardrobe without approval from the French Minister for Fashion,’ said Rose gravely.

‘You have all the right clothes, the perfect body, and you seem a lovely person, Rose. You just have to have the courage to show it now. Tell the world you are ready for whatever is coming next,’ said Sophie philosophically.

‘Thank you, Sophie. I enjoyed myself. I will call you in LA, okay?’

‘Okay, make sure you go out and show off your art. That’s an order. Bye.’

‘
Adieu
,’ said Rose, smiling. It was time to step into the world again, not as a character but as herself. It had been a long time coming.

Calypso sat on the wooden bench under the frangipani tree in her garden. TG was due to arrive any minute. It had been a hell of a day. TG had not gone sailing along the Amalfi Coast as he and Calypso had planned; instead he had come back to LA the day after she had, he said on the phone.

It was late afternoon and Calypso was tired but she knew there were things to say to TG and if she waited she would lose the courage that had accompanied her for the past few days.

She picked up a perfect frangipani flower from the ground at her feet and put it behind her ear. The five petals of the frangipani, she had once read, were said to represent the five states of psychological perfection – sincerity, faith, aspiration, devotion and surrender. Feeling a long way from all of these enlightened states, she got up and walked inside the house. She had changed after meeting with the FBI and the blackmailer. She wanted TG to listen to her, not look at her, so she dressed carefully in black pants, a white silk t-shirt and her favourite red flats. No make-up, and no accessories apart from the flower behind her ear.

She heard a car in the driveway of her house and saw it was TG pulling up in his black Porsche. Feeling nervous, she opened the front door and waited.

‘Hi,’ he said as he walked towards her.

Calypso felt her stomach flip. Shit, she thought.

‘Hi,’ she said. ‘Come in. Thanks for seeing me.’

‘Of course, I was pleased you rang me. I was getting worried.’ He kissed her on the cheek. She turned her head at the last minute and his kiss landed on the flower. ‘Cute flower,’ he said.

‘Oh, I forgot about that,’ she said and pulled it out.

‘Leave it, it looks pretty,’ he said, looking at her intently.

‘Listen, I’m sorry about the way I left Italy. Something happened and I needed to take care of it.’

‘Are you okay now? Did you work it out?’ he asked, concern all over his face.

‘Yes, I did. It’s been a tough time but I managed it okay,’ she said carefully.

‘Want to talk about it?’ he asked.

‘No,’ she said emphatically.

‘All right then. So what about us?’ he asked, cutting to the chase.

‘I don’t know, TG. I’m scared. What you did for me in Italy was wonderful but I need to start to take care of myself. My whole life someone has taken care of me and I need to grow up. I feel like I’ve had this enormous weight lifted off my shoulders. I’m a grown-up, there’s no mother, no boyfriend, no rescue mission out there with my name on it. If I want to live a life that means anything, then I need to do what I want, not what others want from me.’ Calypso plucked at the frangipani flower in her hand, sounding braver than she felt.

‘I don’t want anything from you. I just want to be with you.’

‘I don’t want you to be my saviour. I can’t do that. I need to do stuff for myself. In Italy you were amazing and I’m so grateful for the care you gave me but I cannot rely on that all the time.’

‘I’m not planning on being your saviour, Calypso, I just want to be with you,’ he said, angry at her logic.

‘Every significant relationship I’ve ever had has been because someone wanted something from me, or for me to do something, or be someone for them. I don’t know how to make decisions for myself, for what I want for me.’

‘Are you angry about what happened with Raphael?’ asked TG.

‘No, I understand now. Trust me, I do,’ she said wryly. ‘I need to get a life, TG. I need to find out what I want. Not what my agent, management or mother wants.’

TG stood up and walked around the room, bewildered. ‘So the life you want, I’m assuming it doesn’t include me? Jesus, Calypso, I love you. Don’t you get it? I love you.’

Calypso started to cry. ‘You think you love me because I’m a little girl in your mind. I’m helpless and silly and you need to come on your white horse and make it better. If I’m with you, I don’t think I’ll be able to find out who I am and what I want.’

‘That’s total bullshit!’ he yelled at her. ‘I love you because you are the funniest person I know. Because you are smart as hell. Who else knows that the cassowary is the world’s most dangerous bird? No one, only you! I love that you have stayed true to yourself in this fucked up city. Your work ethic is unbelievable, and you went back on set and did your job very fucking well, I might add.’

TG was still pacing the room, wound up to the point where he was almost shouting.

‘I love you because of the crazy shit you wear that always makes you look amazing, and you make whoever you are speaking to feel like they are the most important person in the room. I know your life has been shit, I know it’s been a struggle from the minute you started to walk. But don’t throw us away because you think being alone is the best place for finding out what you want in your life. No one really knows what they want. I don’t know shit except that I want you.’

Calypso was sobbing. ‘I’m afraid of everything. I’m afraid of you and what I feel for you. I’m afraid you’ll take over my life, I’m afraid of what we could have. I’m afraid of being happy.’ She looked down at the frangipani in her hand. One petal left. Surrender, she thought.

TG sat down and pulled her into his arms. ‘What you went through in Italy was horrific. I get what you are saying and I know Italy seemed like a dream, good and bad, but this is the real world now. We can make this happen. I know it. I’ve never, ever fought for anything in my life. My life has been charmed in some ways, in ways your life hasn’t, but this is the first time I’ve ever fought for anything. Give us a chance, Calypso. Please.’

Calypso lifted her face to him and he kissed the tears away on her cheeks and then put his mouth gently on hers. Tasting her salty tears, she kissed him back, softly.

‘I do love you, I do. I’m sorry. Just stick with me till I work myself out, okay?’ she cried.

‘Of course, but working yourself out can take a long time,’ he said, holding her close.

‘Then you might be stuck with me for a while then,’ she laughed through her tears.

‘Fine with me. I just want you to do one thing for me, okay?’ he said into her ear.

She nodded. ‘Okay, what?’

‘Call me Tim.’

Calypso laughed.

‘I want to take it slow, okay?’ she said, finally coming out of his arms.

‘Sure.’

‘I want to be dated and wooed. Did you know I never went on a real date as a teenager? I didn’t go to school. Any dates I had were set up by my agent or my mother.’

‘Really?’ said TG, incredulous.

‘Really,’ she answered. ‘I never went to a prom, I never did football games or roller-skating, shared a milkshake or anything like that.’

‘I don’t think people really date like that. I think you’ve read too many
Archie
comics,’ he said, laughing.

She stood up. ‘You may laugh, Midwest boy, but I am a dating virgin. The only guys I’ve gone out with are ones I met on set. Sad but true.’

‘Okay, I get it, date we shall do,’ said TG. ‘Can we make out?’

‘We’ll see. Hand under the sweater seems a long way off for me just yet,’ she said primly.

‘It seems odd you don’t want to be treated like a child but you want to date like a teenager,’ said TG, smiling kindly at her.

‘I know, but I want to experience myself outside of work. I’ve told my manager and agent I’m taking a break for a while to plan what I’m going to do with my career and my life. It may not make any sense to you, but I want to live a little. Have fun.’

TG laughed. ‘All right, then I’ve got my work cut out for me.’

Calypso heard her intercom buzz. ‘Who is it?’ she said into the speaker.

‘Hi, Calypso, it’s the FBI,’ came over the crackly speaker.

‘FBI?’ asked TG. ‘Why are they here?’ Concern flooded his handsome face.

Calypso looked away. ‘Okay, short story and no judgements from you, okay? If we’re going to do this then you need to know the truth.’

TG sat down.

‘The phone call I got in Italy was my agent saying I was being blackmailed. He had received a tape and unless I paid two million dollars they would release it to the world on the internet. I set the blackmailer up this morning at the Chateau Marmont and the FBI arrested him after I recorded us speaking. All very tawdry and awful, as you can imagine.’

TG felt his heart in his mouth. ‘Can I ask if the tape was of you?’

‘Would it matter if it were?’ she asked warily.

‘No, not at all, I just want to know you’re okay. I don’t care if you’re nude with the seven dwarfs. Actually, I would watch that, not a great example. Calypso, I don’t give a shit about anything but our future.’

Calypso laughed and buzzed in the FBI.

‘Actually, it was of my mother. Giving sexual favours to a director I worked with a long time ago. Her and I are no longer speaking. It’s a complete mess.’ She looked sadly at TG. ‘Do you think I’m a joke now? I’ve got my career because my mother blew directors and did God knows what else to them over the years.’

TG smiled at her. ‘Well, I cast you and your momma was nowhere near me, so there’s one gig you know you got on your own.’

Calypso smiled at him. ‘Thanks.’

The female FBI agent and a younger male agent came into the room.

‘Hi,’ said Calypso, ‘This is my boyfriend, Tim.’

‘We just started to go steady,’ said TG, winking at Calypso.

The female agent looked at them both, a little confused. ‘That’s nice for you.’

‘Ignore him, please,’ Calypso said, relieved at feeling something other than stress.

‘We’ve interviewed Jason. He is quite an unwell man actually, and we have requested a psychiatric assessment. I don’t think it will go to court. I’m pretty sure it won’t. He may be hospitalized for some time.’

Calypso sat. ‘He seemed so lost and sad somehow. Deluded about celebrities and the fact he thinks they have perfect lives.’

‘He had some items in his house which indicates he was a danger to the community and on this evidence we will be looking for long term care for him, in an institution equipped for his issues. We came today because I wanted you to know what you did was extraordinarily brave and you were great. I know I said it before, but you helped a lot of people today and most of all you helped him, sad as it seems.’

TG looked at Calypso. Whatever she had been through was tough but she had done it and he was proud of her.

‘We’ll keep you updated with any progress on the case, and you have our word the tape will not be accessible to anyone not connected to the case.’

‘Thanks,’ said Calypso.

‘Have you told your mother yet?’ asked the female agent as she left Calypso’s house.

‘No, we’re no longer speaking,’ said Calypso.

‘Okay, well, do you want us to talk to her for you?’

‘No. It’s fine,’ said Calypso and shut the door after them.

TG sat on the couch. ‘What the fuck happened? Agent Scully seemed to think you were the ant’s pants. Did you get all Dirty Harry on that guy’s ass today?’

‘No,’ she said, punching him. ‘I just did what I needed to do to get the job done.’

‘Well, look at you, all cool and stuff in the crisis. So, what about your mom, when are you going to tell her?’ he said, crossing his legs.

‘I’m not. We no longer speak as far as I’m concerned.’

‘Okay, well, I get you’re pissed with her for this situation but surely you can work it out,’ he said nonchalantly.

‘No way, Tim. She gave head jobs to make sure I got roles. I wasn’t an actor, I was a pawn and she was my pimp. Once I saw her do this to a director, years ago. I had a shitty audition, I was sick with the flu and the director told me to fuck off because I might make him sick. My mother said she was going to tell him off. Oh, she did all right, she gave him a mouthful. I ran back to the car and pretended I never saw it, told myself I was sick from the flu and hallucinating, but deep down I knew. Now I look back on every role I did as a child that has led me to this moment in my career and I’m suspicious. I don’t deserve it. I didn’t earn it. Leeza did it for me and I never asked her to do any of it.’

‘Well, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to get the job done, as you said. I’m not condoning your mother but she wanted this for you so badly, she was prepared to give up a part of herself to get it. Do you think she liked doing it? I doubt it but if she did it, then you never had to. Maybe it was her fucked up way of protecting you.’