The Video Princess Diaries
"Uh, what about her?" Harm asked, clearing his throat nervously and repositioning his legs. At the same time, Mac exhaled loudly, making it sound like a cross between a desperate sigh and an irritated huff.
Maddie watched their startled reactions. Well, well, well . . . jackpot, she thought with a raised eyebrow, chewing on the end of her pencil. Renee' . . . the one name other than Mic Brumby's that had gotten a rise out of the both of them simultaneously. I think I've hit the mother-lode, she mused.
Mac tensed. She knew it was coming—ultimately Renee' would find her way into their sessions just as all the others had. Truthfully, Mac hadn't disliked most of Harm's girlfriends, even though she may have had a strong opinion or two. Annie in particular came to mind—she didn't dislike her as much as she had pitied her. And Jordan—she knew their relationship would never have lasted. Dating a shrink is one thing—but being married AND analyzed would have put him over the edge, in her opinion.
In Renee's case, though, it was easy to make the exception. In the time Harm had dated her, she had managed to not only build the wall between them, she WAS the wall between them. A tall, blonde wall, with 4 inch heels, lip gloss and nails—those fake, manicured ones like you'd find in Wal-Mart. Makes you wonder what else is fake, Mac mused with a wicked grin, her cattiness getting the best of her.
Once again, Harm shifted uncomfortably on the sofa, trying to determine exactly where this was heading, besides straight to hell. His relationship with Renee' was almost as complicated as his relationship with Mac. Of course, a different kind of complicated.
Deciding to take the proverbial bull by the horns, Maddie stated quite matter-of-factly, leaving absolutely zero wiggle room, "It seems that out of all the names I had listed in your file, we haven't really discussed her yet and I'd like to do that . . . now."
"Not enough hours in the day for this discussion," Mac muttered to herself, frustrated with the direction this session was heading.
She didn't like Renee' from the word "go". Obviously, Mac's "lack of fondness" for her was multi-layered. She had always seen her as a shallow bimbo-type, for lack of a more appropriate word. In fact, Mac had little respect for any woman who used her attractiveness and flirtatious mannerisms as a means to an end. In a nutshell, THAT was Renee' Peterson. And, when it came to Harm, she had it down to a science.
Harm glanced over at Mac again. He didn't catch a word of what she had muttered since there was still that chasm of the couch between them. He scrunched his face slightly as he thought about where to begin with Renee'. No matter where he started, he was sure that it would only be a matter of time before things spiraled out of control. Renee' had a penchant for rubbing Mac the wrong way during his time with her, whether she—Renee'—had known it or not. Harm was certain it was the former. Although she hadn't been part of his life for over a year now, she still managed to be the primary brick-layer of that wall separating him and Mac.
Resigned to the fact he wasn't getting out of the room without discussing his relationship with her, Harm relented, asking with a sigh, "Where do you want me to start."
"How about when you started dating her," Maddie replied quickly.
Again, Harm shifted uncomfortably on the sofa, as if someone had stuffed the cushions with tacks. "Uh . . . a couple of months after I came back from the Patrick Henry. She was shooting a recruitment commercial for the Navy and . . . I was . . . the . . ."
". . . poster-boy," Mac finished the sentence for Harm without missing a beat. Well, not the way he would have finished it, but I finished it, nonetheless.
". . . subject," Harm interjected, assertively of course, following it up with a sidelong glance and a raised eyebrow. He took a deep breath, quelling the desire to kick her Marine-ass for the comment.
Mac shot Harm a somewhat forced smile before turning her head to look away and stiffening her posture. Containing these emotions, chaotic as they may be, were becoming more difficult with each waning moment.
Suddenly, Maddie wished that she had just gone for the "basic overview" rather than the "take me back to the beginning" kind of question. She noticed how Mac bristled with every mention of Renee's name, and now this comment. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that there was some hostility there. She braced herself, wondering if she had just supplied the lit match to a room already filled will gasoline.
Video Princess and the Poster Boy, Mac thought to herself, half amused, half frustrated. She recalled the night she and Mic were sitting in a restaurant and Renee' came in. I wouldn't have been there with him had Harm not turned down my dinner offer.
Is that the woman who shot the commercial?
Renee Peterson, bitch director from hell! Am I being too catty?
Yeah, but don't stop!
She cleans up well. Is she alone?
Waiting for someone.
I cannot imagine the kind of guy who would go out with her! He'd have to be a whipped mama's boy who loves being dominated!
You think so?
Yeah, or a pot bellied sugar daddy who promised to finance her big movie!
No.
No, no, you're right. You're right, a mindless trophy boy toy!
You're getting warmer. He's here.
In the ensuing moments, when she described to Mic the type of man who would date Renee', it never occurred to her that Harm would be that type of man. But what upset her even more—Harm had turned her down for a date with Renee'. She had always wondered exactly what it was he saw in her, other than the obvious.
Harm's thoughts mirrored Mac. Walking into the restaurant that night and seeing her with Mic just flat out sickened him. Sure, he was having dinner with Renee'. It was all quite innocent, to his recollection. But the next day, jealousy was abundant as they got in each other's faces about their dates.
How long have you been seeing her?
How long have you been seeing him?
What did you do after dinner last night?
What did you and Brumby do?
That was just the tip of the iceberg, Harm thought. He had wanted to grab Mac by the shoulders and shake some sense into her. Maybe if he had, she would have woken up from that dreamland and let Bugme go back to his home planet or wherever it was he came from.
Somewhat impatiently, Maddie waited for Harm to expound on how he and Renee' started dating. Even in his silence, she could tell that he was still mulling the relationship over in his head. She hoped she wouldn't have to fill in the blanks with this girlfriend. And if she did, she could probably hit the facts, point for point—she was sensing a pattern here. Pretty girl shows interest, Harm likes the fun, she wants the commitment, he isn't the commitment type . . . buh, bye.
Trying to keep the discussion on track and her personal commentary under her hat, she pressed for more information, "What was she like, Harm? What kind of person was Renee'?"
Mac rolled her eyes, unseen by Harm or Maddie. Sitting through the life and times of Renee' Peterson was now grating on her nerves. Well, it doesn't take much when it comes to her, that's for sure, she thought. Had I known that today would turn out this way, I would have locked the doors and stayed in bed.
"Renee' . . . was . . . well, she was attractive," Harm said, trying to find the right words to describe her. "And, she had a very outgoing personality . . . she was talented and had a take-charge way about her."
"So she wasn't in the military? She was 'Hollywood'?" Maddie asked curiously, making quotation gestures in the air with her fingers to get her point across.
"Uh, no . . . not military at all. She was a director."
"Oh," Maddie responded, surprised. All of Harm's other girlfriends had some connection to either the military or government, with this exception. This intrigued her, to some extent.
She pressed for more information from Harm, "How long did your relationship last with her?"
Trying to calculate the time in his head, Harm gave it some thought, "It was probably about a year and a half, give or take a month or so."
Mac hadn't thought it would last longer than that one night, but to her disappointment, it had. Twenty months too long, she thought, inwardly sighing. That night in the restaurant, she and Harm had made eye-contact, both caught off-guard at the sight of the other with dates. It was a bizarre feeling, at least for Mac it was. In a strange way, it had felt like he was cheating on her—yet they were never in that type of a relationship. She had no basis to feel that way, yet she did.
In her restlessness, Mac had been unconsciously twisting the hairs of Zoloft's fluffy tail around her fingers. Deciding he had had enough, he loudly voiced his displeasure with her manipulations and jumped off her lap, heading to his favorite hiding place. In his wake, he left a layer of cat hair on Mac's sweater and a baffled look on her face.
Zoloft's quick exit left Maddie wondering what THAT was all about. Noticing her puzzled expression, Mac just shrugged her shoulders. Dismissing the incident as Zolly just being Zolly, Maddie continued despite the distraction, "What was your relationship with Renee' like, Harm?"
Dating Renee' had started out as fun, Harm recalled silently. She had done most of the pursuing and he didn't do much to dissuade her. Well, at least not at first. There were a couple of cancelled dates there, mainly because of case assignments. But nothing he had lost any sleep over. In all honesty, had Mac not been with Mic and taken his ring, he probably would have not gone beyond that one casual date with her. Seeing Mac go on with her life, he had felt left out. The longer she was with Mic, the more he felt distanced from her. Gone were the leisurely lunches and the working dinners with his best friend. It left behind an unmistakable emptiness. Sure, he eventually acquiesced to Renee'—after all, she was attractive and fun to be with. She was the diversion he thought he had needed to put his feelings for Mac away. But in his heart, she would never be Mac. The longer time went by, the harder it had become for him to just sever the ties with Renee'.
Drumming her pencil on the note pad in her lap, Maddie watched her client twitch with a certain nervousness and a definite reluctance to speak. She sensed the twenty-question game might again be afoot. However, she was far from the game-playing mood right now and if push came to shove, she'd tell him that in a not so ladylike fashion.
"Harm . . ." Maddie called to him. She wasn't sure if he was avoiding the answer, or he didn't know what the answer was.
Mac glanced over in Harm's direction, but he avoided making eye contact with her. There was no way in hell he could tell them how his relationship with Renee' evolved. It would certainly sound shallow . . . and to some extent, pathetic. He cleared his throat to find his voice before venturing an answer.
"Renee' was fun. We had a lot of good times together," he replied, trying to sound confident with his answer, but falling short.
Maddie picked up on Harm's tone of voice. He was purposefully glossing over his relationship with Renee' for some reason. And I'll bet the farm, it was probably because of Mac, she mused. Oh, this is getting interesting.
"So she was fun? Your relationship with her lasted for a year and a half because she was fun?" Maddie pressed, almost sounding sarcastic in her attempt to glean the information from Harm.
"Yeah . . . I guess," he stammered, a little flustered by the question. "Don't most men date women because they're fun?" This time a slight nervous chuckle found its way out. Not exactly the right phrasing or tone, but it was too late to take it back. Yep, definitely sounded shallow that time Rabb, he thought.
Maddie snorted at his response and countered with one of her own, "So, she never wanted more from your relationship other than just fun? . . . Hmm . . . interesting."
Harm was caught off guard by Maddie's counterpoint. He didn't expect his answer to be challenged. "Uh . . . well . . . she would hint every so often that she wanted, uh, more . . ."
This time Mac was the one who snorted. She could no longer confine her commentary to passing thoughts.
"Those gold wings act like a homing beacon for bimbos." Getting it all off her chest felt cathartic . . . inappropriate, yes . . . but definitely cathartic.
"Excuse me?" Harm sputtered, suddenly feeling like the only man at a Women's Rights convention. On most days, that wouldn't have been a bad thing. By his best perception, today wasn't one of those days.
Mac recalled the woman that Bobbi had tried to fix the Admiral up with—Caroline something-or-other. In a matter of seconds, Harm was holding court with her and she was hanging . . . no, drooling . . . on his every word. Score one for the flyboy charm, works every time.
"Never mind, Harm. It's not something you would understand," she said with an acerbic tone and a wave of her hand.
"Hint how, Harm?" Maddie quickly interjected, ignoring Mac's comments. She wanted to keep the discussion going before more fur started to fly, and she didn't mean Zolly's.
Harm regrouped, "Well . . . she . . ." another pause followed by a frustrated sigh, "I don't know how, she just did."
Before Maddie could follow up to his statement, Mac already had the words out. Her disdain for everything Renee' left the simmer stage and moved on to a full boil.
"You mean to tell me—tell Maddie—that you can't recall any specifics from your relationship with Renee'? Exactly how shallow are you, Harm?"
"Mac. . ." Maddie interjected, but she went unheard.
"Shallow?" Harm laughed, "You're kidding me, right? Fine. You want to play that way, let's do it." He was now standing, facing Mac at the edge of the sofa, "Let's talk shallow. How about taking a ring—an engagement ring—from someone you hardly knew?" His own sarcasm caught him off guard, but in a strange way, it also felt incredibly therapeutic.
"Harm . . ." Maddie tried again with the male counterpart of the duo, a little louder than before. Yet again, it went unnoticed.
Suddenly, Mac was on her feet, toe to toe with Harm and in his face, "Don't go THERE! You have NO idea what the HELL you are talking about, COMMANDER!"
to be continued . . . .