J
"You two wait in here. Give me a minute. Let me get your bags out first, then I'll get you into the terminal," Mike said, leaning over the front seat to speak to us.
There must have been almost fifty photographers, fans, and people gawking out on the sidewalk by the doors for departing flights.
"This is fucking crazy," Lisa muttered. She had her back turned to the car door but the photographers ran to the other side of the car trying to get shots of her. It was hard to see in through the dark tinted windows.
"I hate airports," she whispered. "Are you ready for this?"
I nodded, despite the fact that I was feeling like a nervous wreck.
Airport security was waiting outside now; they were trying to move people away from the doors to the terminal. Mike opened the car door and Lisa slipped out. Her foot wasn't even on the ground yet when the frenzy began.
"Lisa! Lisa! Can you sign this?" People were yelling at her repeatedly.
"Lisa, over here." The cameras flashed non-stop.
"Can I take my picture with you?" some young girl asked sweetly.
My poor Lisa didn't know which way to turn. Mike and our driver flanked Lisa on both sides while she signed a few autographs. Some of these people had glossy photos of her movie character in hand and it amazed me that they were so prepared for our arrival.
Lisa scribbled her signature quickly with a borrowed pen while Mike used his arm and hands to block people from getting too close. I noticed she avoided the men with professional prints and signed her autograph for the fans instead. She posed and smiled for almost twenty photos.
I removed my backpack from the trunk of the car, slung it over my shoulder, and readied my small carry-on suitcase. The paparazzi swarmed like angry bees, fighting amongst themselves for better position to take pictures. Mike finally handed Lisa her messenger bag and duffel bag and then asked the crowd to back up.
I felt so helpless. These 'people' for lack of a better term had us surrounded. I grabbed the back of Lisa's jacket, fearing I might get left behind in the mayhem.
Lisa felt her jacket tug and glanced back at me to confirm I was the one doing the tugging. I tried not to look at the photographers, even though I knew my picture was being taken over and over again.
Lisa grabbed my hand and we hurried into the terminal. Mike was by her side; Lisa had me in tow. Airport security had us surrounded now. Never in my life had such a simple task like getting on a plane been so frightening!
"Lisa! So is it official? Are you and Ms. Kim an exclusive item?" some paparazzo asked. Lisa didn't answer.
"Is it true that you and Jennie are living together?" another photographer asked while running along side of us.
Lisa still didn't answer. She had that familiar look on her face; the one she wore when she was sick of all this shit but tried to look indifferent.
"Come on guys. That's enough," Mike said to the paparazzi who were walking backwards, taking our picture and filming us.
"Ms. Manoban, this way," an airport security officer called out. We followed him through a separate opening in the barriers so we could get in line to go through the airport security scanners. We were ushered to a small counter where Lisa showed our boarding passes to the waiting TSA agent who verified that we had seats on an outbound flight.
"Go first, Honey," Lisa whispered and nudged me ahead. She was looking down at the ground most of the time. I glanced briefly over her shoulder and noticed that the paparazzi were filming us removing our coats and shoes. Fortunately Mike was blocking them from getting too much footage of Lisa.
I grabbed a gray plastic tray and tossed my coat and shoes into the bin. I pushed my backpack and small suitcase down the rollers until it met the rubber belt that fed into the scanner. Lisa was still checking her pockets for loose change. I smiled at her; she always had random amounts of money stuffed in her pockets.
I waited for Lisa and Mike to clear through the metal detector. Airport security escorted us, and instead of leading us towards the gate, we were ushered through a plain white security door.
"Where are we going?" I whispered to Lisa.
"We're early. We're going to the VIP lounge."
I had never been in a VIP lounge before. It was beautiful! The large room had a high ceiling and was segregated into smaller sections, divided by walls and full length semi-sheer curtains. The walls were tiled in dark gray slate with stainless steel accents. Each wall had four flat screen TVs mounted across it, all broadcasting a different news channel.
In front of every TV was a cozy decorative chair and table for travelers to sit and relax. There was even a side room with free beverages and a small food buffet.
Lisa pulled out her phone and turned it on, scanning through her messages and calendar. I, however, was still in a slight daze from getting into the airport. This chaos was obviously old-hat for Lisa.
I can't tell you how many times I flew in and out of this airport and never knew that such a room existed. I stood by the large glass window, watching the planes take off and land, trying to get my heart rate to stabilize.
Lisa came over and stood behind me, placing her hands on my shoulders. "How are you doing?" she whispered.
I looked up at her and nodded. "I'm doing fine." I tried to sound convincing, but deep down I was still rattled.
"Ten more minutes and we'll head out for our flight," Lisa said, opening her bag to retrieve my Kim's Pub baseball hat. It made me smile when she winked and put the cap on her head.
"I've noticed you've been avoiding those Autographers lately," I said, questioning her.
Lisa nodded. "They make money off of my signature. I'm sick of it."
A man in a suit, wearing a TSA security ID badge, came into the lounge for us. We were escorted down a long hallway and through another plain white door that dumped us near our gate.
All the other passengers on our flight to Newark were already boarded onto the plane. Lisa, Mike, and I took our seats up in first class. I made Lisa sit in the window seat. People were already stretching their necks to see.
The flight to Newark airport was quick and after we landed the airline staff assisted us in exiting the plane.
Airport security had us surrounded as we walked to our next gate. Mike escorted us to our gate, then turned to say goodbye. He was headed to South Carolina to see family.
"Have a good holiday, Mike!" Lisa patted him on the arm and shook his hand.
"You too, Lisa. Jennie." Mike gave me a hug.
"Happy Thanksgiving, Mike! Thank you for everything!" I hugged him warmly.
"I'll see you in a week." Mike tapped Lisa on the shoulder. "Don't eat too much turkey!"
TSA agents and airport security walked us to our departing flight bound for Pittsburgh. Three young girls ran after us begging for Lisa's attention. Lisa graciously stopped to take a picture with them... forever smiling… forever pleasing her fans.
When we landed, we were again escorted by airport security who walked us towards the exit. As we hurried through the terminal, people were pulling out cameras and cell phones to capture the sight of Lisa Manoban walking through the airport.
I felt Lisa's hand squeeze mine tighter when we caught sight of her mom and dad standing there waiting for us. All four of us were smiling, happy to see each other again. Sure enough, a few paparazzi were waiting outside the airport doors.
The afternoon sun was starting to dip in the sky as we approached Lisa's hometown. She pointed out 12th Street, showing me the infamous hill where she took the maiden voyage in the laundry basket.
Lisa edged closer to the car door; her hand was reaching for the door handle. I could see the excitement in her eyes and the overwhelming anticipation she was feeling for being home.
I tried to visualize the neighborhood Lisa grew up in when she talked about it, but no verbal description could compare to seeing it with my own eyes. The tree-lined street was beautifully tinted with autumn's different colored leaves, many of which were already in piles on the ground.
The houses on her parents' street were situated fairly far apart. Each home was set back from the street and had large front yards with plenty of grass to mow.
We turned onto a long driveway which was lined with trees and simple but tasteful landscaping. Lisa let out a sigh.
Her childhood home was beautiful; a two story brick and vinyl home with a large flagstone porch leading up to the front door. The porch eaves had decorative wooden accents formed to look like archways, and from the center of each arch hung a basket with the remains of green ferns wilted from the cold.
We parked in front of the two car garage that entered into the side of the house. Her father pressed the garage door opener that hung from his visor. It was apparent that they were used to entering their house through the garage.
Lisa didn't even make it to the kitchen door – she had to pull the gray car cover up off the front end of her Shelby. The car was a beautiful shade of sapphire blue with two silver racing stripes from bumper to bumper. It surely was impressive.
"I've been running it every once and a while. She should start right up," her father informed.
Lisa pulled the entire cover off of her car and bunched it up in a pile in the corner of the garage.
"Don't just leave it lay there! Fold it up!" Bill reprimanded her.
"I will, Dad. Just give me a minute to say hello." Lisa beamed at her car. "Hello, baby!" she touched the car fender lovingly. "Did you miss me?"
I couldn't help but smile at Lisa. She reached into a cabinet mounted on the wall and pulled out the car keys, unlocking the doors to her precious car.
She was already hopping in the driver's seat when her father yelled at her again. "Aren't you even going to invite Jennie into the house first?"
"I just want to make sure she starts," Lisa defended.
I held up my hand to her father and tried to dismiss his anger. "It's all right. Let her start her car. She won't be able to think of anything else." I set my backpack down on the ground next to my suitcase.
A turn of the ignition and her car roared to life. The smile on her face was so huge it was like she died and went to heaven.
"Hop in. Let's go for a ride," she yelled over to me.
I ran for the passenger door.
I slipped down into the black leather bucket seat and snapped on my seatbelt. Lisa revved the engine and the car vibrated and purred beneath us. Her long fingers wrapped around the gear shifter with white-knuckled anticipation.
She, of course, had to squeal the tires when she pulled out onto her street, causing the rear end to fishtail a bit. Look out neighbors, the crazy Manoban kid is back in town!
She drove out on some long back roads lined with farms and cornfields, driving too fast most of the time. She made a left turn and mashed her foot down on the gas, shifting forcefully through all the gears. At one point we were slightly airborne over a little knoll in the road. Her driving was dangerous and exciting. I knew she'd been looking forward to this adrenaline rush more than anything.
Lisa from Pittsburgh was home.
"Did you have fun?" Ellen asked when we came through the kitchen door with our bags. She was busy making dinner. "Lisa, take your bags upstairs," she ordered.
Bill was sitting in a dark brown recliner chair in the family room that was off of the kitchen. He was reading the newspaper and peeking over the top of it to occasionally watch television. It made me smile, fondly remembering my own father sitting in his favorite chair reading the newspaper.
I followed Lisa up the tan carpeted stairs to her room. She smirked at me as she pushed the last door on the right open with her shoulder. Her old room had one four-paned window centered on the wall that overlooked the front yard. She flipped on the bedroom light, illuminating the lamp that sat on the single nightstand next to the bed. The light cast a shadow on the plain beige walls and new tan carpeting.
She had a dark oak desk with an old computer and printer sitting on it. On top of her tall wooden dresser were two baseball trophies and a small decorative lamp. And in the corner of her room stood a wooden coat rack, long empty of coats and clothing.
A tinge of sadness flowed into my chest. Her room, the room she spent all of her life growing up in, was obviously cleansed of most of her things. She didn't have an apartment, a house, or even an old bedroom that was her anymore. All the fragments of her existence were boxed up and put aside or forgotten.
I understood why she was dying to get in her car the moment we arrived. That car was the only thing that was hers… truly hers. More importantly, I now knew why she moved in with me so quickly and was rushing the thoughts of building a house by a lake. My love was desperately craving a home… a connection… a safe haven to call her own - for she had nothing in ther world but a suitcase and another lonely destination.
I dropped my bag off my shoulder and grabbed the front of her jacket with both of my hands. I wanted her to feel the depth of my love for her through my lips. I was desperate for her to realize that she was no longer alone in this world; that as long as I had a breath still left in my lungs I would provide her shelter and be her safe haven in all this uncertainty.
She slipped her fingers underneath my jacket and pushed it back over my shoulders. Her coat came off next. She walked backwards to the bed, pulling me down with her. We kicked our shoes off and twined our clothed bodies together, passionately kissing each other.
"I love you," I murmured on her lips, staring directly into her open eyes when I said it.
"I love you too," she breathed back.
I rested my head on her chest, listening to her heartbeat while she softly stroked my hair. She kissed my head several times and wrapped her arms around me tighter, conveying her own message of love back to me.
All too soon our unspoken conversation was interrupted by her mother's voice. She was yelling up the stairs that Nick and Janelle were here.
"Hey, Brother!" Lisa greeted Nick with a hug. I stayed off to the side, smiling and waiting to be introduced.
Lisa and her brother had similar features, but Nick took after their father more than Lisa did. Nick had darker brown hair and was just an inch or two shorter than Lisa in stature, but close your eyes and you couldn't tell which one was speaking. The similarity of their voices was uncanny.
Lisa hugged Janelle next, kissing her on her cheek.
"Hey movie star!" Janelle kidded her. "How are you doing?"
Janelle was just a little shorter than I was, but she was adorable. She had highlighted light brown hair, which was straight and cut blunt at her shoulders. She wore trendy black framed glasses and had a captivating smile.
"Nick, Janelle, this is Jennie." Lisa beamed.
Nick pulled me in instantly for a big hug. "It's so nice to meet you! Welcome to the family!" she whispered in my ear.
"Thank you! It's nice to meet you too!" I uttered back.
Janelle and I hugged next. She too welcomed me to the family. Lisa had already captured their daughter, Sarah, in her arms. The baby started to cry.
"She hasn't seen you in six months, Lisa," Janelle said, taking the baby from her. Poor Sarah was still crying.
"How old is she?" I asked.
"Ten months," Janelle answered.
"She's beautiful!" I tugged gently on her lacy outfit. "Look at the pretty flowers on your dress."
The baby stopped crying and looked at me.
"Hi Sarah! It's so nice to meet you! You look so pretty in your little dress!"
The baby smiled at me. Janelle looked at the baby then looked at me, smiling too.
"Can I hold you so mommy can take her coat off?"
Janelle leaned the baby towards me and I lifted her into my arms.
"Hi there! Do you want to go for a walk?" I paced around the living room with Sarah. She started to babble at me, telling me a big story and I answered her with sweet comments of my own.
I took her little coat off while she cooed at me.
"Say hi Aunt Lisa!" I waved her little hand at her. Lisa was forever smiling at me.
"Where's my little peanut?" Bill asked for his granddaughter. "Come to grandpa!" He took the little girl out of my arms.
Sarah didn't like it; she started to cry again.
We all moved into the family room, and Janelle set up a little play area on a blanket on the floor for her daughter.
Sarah was still crying while being passed around from person to person. Lisa tried holding her again but she didn't want any of it. Her little face was turning red. I sat next to her on the couch and started talking to Sarah. I was glad she stopped crying so Lisa could enjoy holding her.
"What is it with you and kids?" Lisa asked me. "You're like a freaking drug to them."
Her comment was absurd. I rolled my eyes and dismissed her question.
"See? Watch." She held the baby away from me and she started to cry. she moved the baby next to me and she stopped. She repeated her little test and she cried when she held her away. The third time she did it, Sarah cried in both places.
"There goes that theory," I kidded her.
"What are you doing to my poor child?" Janelle yelled.
"Experimenting," Lisa replied. "Every time we're around kids, they're drawn to Jennie like a freaking magnet. Watch!"
I thought she was making a big deal out of nothing.
She held Sarah away from me; she was still crying. Then she put Sarah on my lap. I stood her up on my legs and held her to my chest. Sarah grasped my heart necklace in her tiny fingers.
Lisa grinned at me smugly when Sarah stopped crying. She held her hands out. "See what I mean?"
"It's not me, it's this necklace," I defended. "Maybe it has special powers."
"No, I think it's you!" Lisa chimed back.
Sarah was busy playing with my necklace. Her little face puckered up with frustration when she couldn't get my pendant in her mouth. I made a funny face back at her which caused my nose to tickle. That's when I caught the scent of something else. I held her little bottom closer to my nose to confirm my suspicions.
"I'm not a drug, Lisa, I'm a laxative." I stood up with the little girl to get her changed.
"Did she poop?" Nick snorted when he asked.
"Yep. Constipated children seek me out wherever I go." I laughed.
"Bet Lis was a bit constipated when she stumbled onto you!" Nick joked.
"I was definitely backed up, that's for sure," Lisa mumbled under her breath, adjusting the waist of her jeans. "But I sat on Jennie's lap for a few minutes and then I felt better." Lisa grinned at him devilishly and Nick cracked up laughing.
I smirked at Lisa's comment.
"What?" she questioned my reaction.
I handed Sarah to her. "Here, go do another rite of passage," I suggested jokingly.
"What? Do you want me to change her? I don't care." She was all cool and confident.
"She's eating solid foods now, Lis. Sure you won't gag?" Nick asked.
"Give her to me," Janelle instructed. "I'll take her upstairs. We don't want the superstar to get her hands dirty!"
"You punks don't think I'm up for the challenge?" Lisa questioned assertively.
"Ten bucks says you gag," Nick taunted. "What do you say, Dad? You want in on this bet?"
Bill reached into his pocket, searching for money.
"I'll take that bet!" Lisa retorted. "Both of you!" she pointed.
The entire family followed Lisa upstairs to Nick's old bedroom. Janelle placed a pad down on the bed and readied a new diaper. The rest of us stood around watching. All eyes were on Lisa, waiting for her reaction.
She undressed Sarah down to her diaper and had to ham it up by cracking her knuckles and wiggling her fingers.
"I should get the camera," Nick mused.
"Nickhun!" Ellen scolded.
"What? Do you know how much money I could get for one picture of the movie star changing a poopy diaper?"
Janelle and I started laughing.
"Not as much money as you could get for a pair of her dirty underwear on eBay," I mumbled.
"You both suck! You know that?" Lisa was peeling back the tape on the diaper and had to stop because we were teasing her.
"Jennie," Nick whispered, "Gather up some of my sister's ass-stained shorts and sell them quick so we can all go to Hawaii for Christmas."
"You're a dick!" Lisa looked directly at her brother. We were all laughing. "You can all just shut the hell up and get your money out!"
Janelle slapped a few wet-wipes in Lisa's hand.
"Okay, I'm going in," Lisa announced.
"Is that what you say to all your women?" Nick teased.
Lisa was laughing so hard she couldn't breathe.
"Guys!" Ellen yelled. "Poor Sarah is waiting! Change her diaper already!"
"Nick, go get the scuba gear." Lisa had tears coming out of her eyes.
"Forceps, lantern, flame thrower…" Nick spit out his words with laughter.
"Move, I'll do it." Janelle was getting impatient.
"No! I got this!" Lisa gasped between laughs, trying to pull herself back together.
She hesitantly pulled the diaper back, briefly exposing the green explosion that awaited clean-up.
"Oh!" Nick shouted loudly.
"Damn baby! What are they feeding you?" Lisa teased.
"Beer and eggs with a side of peas, obviously." Nick laughed.
Janelle dove right in, cleaning up her daughter.
"Now stop. I can get it." Lisa elbowed her out of the way. "They sell these baby wipes by the truckload, right?"
"Yeah. We buy that stuff by the pallet," Nick volleyed, laughing. "We don't mess around with the single tubs anymore."
"You could always take her outside and hit her ass with the hose," Lisa suggested.
"Nah, we save that for when she's got the shit smeared all the way up her back," Nick answered.
"I'll take you both outside and hit you with the hose," Janelle warned. I couldn't stop laughing at their banter.
Lisa had the baby all cleaned up and was wrestling with the new diaper when she told her dad and brother to pay up. She handed Sarah off to Janelle.
I was standing with my arms folded when Lisa sauntered over to me. "Next one of those is all yours." She cracked me hard on the butt.
"Go wash your hands. It's time for dinner," Ellen ordered.
We were gathered at the dinner table when Nick started in on me.
"Jennie, Mom tells me you haven't seen any of my sister's movies." Nick leered at me.
"I think I'm the only one on the planet who hasn't," I joked. "She thought I was lying when I told her that."
Lisa kicked me under the table so I kicked her back. I clipped her right in the ankle by accident and she winced from the pain. She pinched me in retaliation.
"We should watch it tonight. Break her in." Nick pointed his dinner fork at me.
"You can do whatever you want, but I'm not watching it," Lisa stated firmly.
"What do you say, Jennie? You want to watch Seaside?" Nick asked. "See what a big-time actor she is?"
Lisa scoffed at his comment.
"No, that's okay." I knew that it would make Lisa uncomfortable. "Maybe some other time."
"You should watch it. It's really good!" Janelle added. "I've read all the books too. Then you'll know why all the women worship her," she said teasingly.
I looked over at Lisa and smiled. I knew why they worshipped her, but their reasons were completely different from my own.
"I'll watch it sometime, but not tonight. Besides Nick, Lisa tells me that you're a lousy poker player. I was curious to see if she was right." I felt Lisa squeeze my thigh.
After we cleared dinner away, we started playing cards. Lisa was right; Nick couldn't bluff his way out of a paper bag if his life depended on it. Needless to say, the poker game didn't last too long before egos got in the way.
We played a different board game, which was a lot more fun. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. I think I fit right in with Lisa's family and their teasing, although Nick seemed harsh on Lisa sometimes.
Little Sarah was hungry and needed a bottle.
"Give her here," Lisa requested, removing Sarah from her grandmother's arms.
The visions of her holding and feeding her added one more reason for worshipping her to my private list.
It was close to midnight when we finally crawled into bed together. I was tired from the flight and the delicious dinner that filled my stomach. Lisa's bed was only a full-size; not quite as roomy as the queen-sized bed we shared at home even though we never slept apart in it. Hmm… at home… the thought of those words made me smile.
Lisa's body molded around mine, keeping me snuggled and warm in my comfortable cocoon. My back rested on her chest as it does every night.
Lisa huffed in my ear. She was grouchy and restless.
"Honey, what's wrong?" I whispered.
"I can't sleep." She tugged on my T-shirt. "Can you take this off? I need to feel your skin."
I hesitated. At home we always slept naked, but we weren't at home.
"Don't worry, my mom won't come in here."
I took my top off and tossed it to the floor.
"Ah, that's better!" she snickered. "This is sort of exciting! Might get busted by the parents having a naked girl in my bed."
I giggled softly when she squeezed me. I understood what she was talking about. I felt like a teenager breaking the house rules.
"We'll have to be quiet then," I whispered flirtatiously.
She rubbed her chin on my shoulder before opening her mouth to playfully bite me. It made me giggle again.
"I love it when you bite me!"
She twined our fingers together.
"I know," she whispered. "And it also drives you crazy when I run my nose down your neck."
"Yes," I confirmed. "And it drives you insane when I bite your earlobe."
I turned over to face her.
"My parents think I'm sleeping over at Anna's house tonight. Are you sure your parents are sleeping?"
She smiled and laughed softly, growling when she palmed my rear in her hand.
"Maybe tomorrow night we can go parking in that fancy car of yours," I teased.
"I'll have to do you on the hood," she groaned seductively. "We can't go parking in the Shelby tomorrow. We have a limo taking us to a hockey game, remember? How about this? If I promise to respect you in the morning, will you give me your virginity tonight?"
"Is it going to hurt?" I shyly asked, batting my eyes.
"I'll be very gentle, I promise."
--
The sound of Lisa's mom clanging pots and pans down in the kitchen woke me up. I had promised her I'd help since she had planned to cook a feast.
"Ellen, this pie is ready to go in the oven." I slid the glass pie dish out of my way and wiped the flour off of the recipe card. "What's next?"
She handed me another recipe card.
"This is Lisa's favorite," she whispered.
"What's Lisa's favorite?" Lisa asked. She was sitting at the dining table with her legs stretched out, scanning through her cell phone.
"Pumpkin roll?" I answered.
She looked up and smiled. "Put extra filling stuff in it, please."
Ellen stood next to me. "You'll have to double the recipe for the cream cheese filling. I think I have enough of everything."
I was reading the recipe card when I heard Lisa huff. She proceeded to text someone.
"Everything all right?" I asked.
"Come here. I want to show you something."
She handed her phone to me and I read her reply.
"Flattered but not interested very happy w someone"
I looked at her, confused.
"Hit send," she instructed. I did what she told me to do.
"What is this about?"
She slipped the phone out of my hand and tapped the screen a few times before handing it back to me. There was another text message.
"Hi! Next time ur in LA want to go out? Promise u will have good time all night guaranteed!"
I felt my lips curl in disgust after reading that. I handed her phone back to her. "Who's that from? Anyone you even know?"
She tapped another button and showed me the name of the very famous actress who sent that message. I was shocked.
I looked at her and shook my head.
"Don't get mad!" she cautioned. "I'm not interested in that. And you saw the exact message I sent back." She took a sip of her coffee. "Besides, sleeping with her would be like sleeping with half of Los Angeles. Yuck!" she shuddered and stuck out her tongue, trying to be funny.
"How many of those offers do you get a day?" I asked.
"Don't worry about it. All you need to know is how I reply back."
"How many?" I asked again.
"How many guys ask you out each day?" she sharply retorted. "I'd say we're just about tied."
I stood at the sink, washing some of the dirty dishes while hoping that the overwhelming jealousy would burn away my other insecurities. She had met thousands of women, dated well-known actresses in the past, traveled the entire globe and visited exotic locations… why she would want to settle for just one woman when she could have so many was beyond me.
I thought about what I would do if the situation were reversed. If I had her opportunities, would I be out there playing the field or would I want a relationship with one person? Well, that was an easy question to answer. Of course I'd want a meaningful relationship with one man. But men are different creatures.
I peered at her through the corner of my eye. She was sitting at the wooden dining table drinking her coffee while trying to do the crossword puzzle in the newspaper. The famous celebrity who just won three awards for her acting skills was just sitting there in a wrinkled T-shirt and sweatpants. Her bare feet were scrunched up on her toes, bouncing her heels up and down as she chewed on the tip of the pen.
She had no idea of the damage she just caused in my brain. That little text message felt like just another nail in my coffin. She wasn't interested in that one, but what would happen if she got another offer she simply couldn't refuse?
Lisa was beyond jealous of Mino, hence why Mino was dismissed from being my bodyguard so quickly. How easy it was for Lisa to eliminate the true competition with a simple phone call. Despite how attractive and sweet Mino was, I used my brain and heart to rationalize my feelings.
They however don't always think with the brain that sits between their ears. All too often it's the little brain in their pants that they listen to. Would Lisa's love for me stop her dead in her tracks before she listened to the devil that lived in her pants?
"Shoot," Ellen grumbled.
I quickly turned my head in her direction. Her butt was sticking up in the air while she rummaged through the refrigerator.
"I don't have enough cream cheese," she groaned.
I tried to shake off my other thoughts.
"What are you going to do with the turkey? I think it's just about completely thawed." I poked it with my finger. She had it setting in the other sink.
"There's no room in the fridge," she announced. "I don't know."
"You should soak it overnight in brine and ice. That will make it nice and juicy tomorrow."
She looked at me, perplexed. "Brine?"
--
Lisa escorted me to her dad's office so I could print off a recipe from the web. I really think she wanted to make sure I didn't Internet surf while I had the chance.
"Here's the recipe." I handed it to Ellen.
"I have to run to the store. I don't have some of these things." She sounded stressed. "Janelle is bringing Sarah over soon. You two will have to watch her for me."
About twenty minutes later, Janelle came through the door with Sarah in one arm and a diaper bag containing an arsenal of baby supplies in the other. She was running late for her appointment.
Lisa was on the floor playing with Sarah when Janelle darted out the door. She was helping Sarah stack up little wooden alphabet blocks. She was concentrating so hard; her angelic face showed her determination.
I couldn't help myself; the sight of her playing with the baby overwhelmed me. I shut the mixer off and joined them on the floor. Lisa patted me on the thigh a few times before clamping her hand down on my leg.
"What do you say? Think you want one or two of these someday?" she mused, twisting her finger into Sarah's ringlets.
"I think you already know my answer." I smiled.
Lisa grinned widely. "Two would be cool."
"I'm surprised though," I continued. "Someone in your position… I would have thought that having kids would be the last thing on your list."
"Why would you say that?"
I was surprised that she questioned me. "I don't know… you're young. You're a famous celebrity. You travel the world."
She rolled her eyes at me.
"Sometimes I'm surprised that you even want a girlfriend. Why have one when you could have so many."
Lisa rolled onto her back and groaned. "Not this conversation again. I thought we were beyond this?"
I took a deep breath and sighed. "Lisa, you're only twenty seven. And you know damn well you can get any girl you want whenever you want. Hell, they even text their offers to you! There are women all around the globe who would pay to have sex with you. Before you talk to me about having children, are you sure you're done sowing your wild oats?"
She covered her eyes with her hand. "I can't believe you're asking me this," she muttered to herself.
"That's what anyone do. Fast cars, fast women. I don't want you to wake up next to me when I'm all pregnant and have regrets." I teasingly squeezed the inside of her leg.
She started laughing. "How much money do you think I could make from all these women who want to have sex with me?"
"Billions!" I quickly replied.
"Really? Help me drag a mattress out into the front yard. You can sell lemonade and I'll just fuck people all day!" she cackled.
The baby crawled over to Lisa and whacked her in the head with a wooden block.
"Ow!" she rubbed her forehead. "You're right, Sarah. That was a bad idea. Aunt Lisa's junk will fall off if I did that all day."
She crawled onto her chest and slapped her a few times in the face.
"Hey! Why are you beating me up? Huh? Do I have a potty mouth? Go beat up Aunt Jennie – she's the one who's being silly." She picked her up in her hands and pressed her up into the air.
Lisa sat Sarah on the floor and rolled to her side.
"Sarah?" Lisa whispered a whole bunch of nonsense in her ear. "Tell her!"
Lisa used her finger to make Sarah's bottom lip move. Her voice changed to a high pitch. "Aunt Lisa says she's done sowing so you can just chill."
Lisa whispered in her ear again. "Aunt Lisa says you have to be married first before you have babies. And I stink so you should change me."
"Give her to me," I requested, reaching out for her.
I lay Sarah on the floor between my legs and grabbed the diaper bag. Lisa turned on the television, stopping on a channel just in time to hear some announcer say her name.
"Today on CTV…"
"We got Lisa Manoban in the airport in Providence with her new girlfriend."
Large graphics streamed across the screen and the announcer's voice came back. Different embarrassing pictures of Lisa were flashed between the verbal comments. "Keep your panties on Seaside fans! Just when you thought you saw it all – Lisa Manoban eats – Lisa Manoban picks her nose – Lisa Manoban sits in a car – we bring you…"
"We caught her feeling herself up."
Video of Lisa patting her front and back jeans pockets when we were in the airport in Providence was shown on the screen.
"What's up with this guy?" the obvious show host asked.
"I don't know but our camera guy caught her feeling herself up before she went through the metal detectors," some young guy answered.
"Feeling herself up?" the host questioned.
"Yeah, she was searching her pockets and stuff. I mean what idiot goes to the airport with change in their pockets!"
The video of Lisa patting her pockets now included me in the shot.
"Do we know who the girl is? Is she an actress?" The host circled my picture on her video screen.
"Her name is Jennie Kim. She owns a bar or something in Rhode Island."
They showed old, random photos of Lisa with different drinks in her hand, pretty much accusing her of having a drinking problem.
"Wow, that's impressive! Are all the girls in Hollywood dead?" the host sneered.
Everyone on the television screen laughed.
"I'm sure her fans hate that new girl!" one woman commented.
A clip from an old black and white movie was shown. All the townspeople had torches and pitchforks.
Another girl chimed in. "She's a lot prettier than Mina Myoui, I think."
"Yeah, and she can help her turn into another celebrity alcoholic!" some other man bantered.
"Our camera guy asked her if they're officially a couple but she didn't say anything. She's dragging her through the airport by the hand. I mean, isn't it obvious? I don't know why she just doesn't admit it. She's not her wardrobe consultant that's for sure!"
The picture refocused on me, on my face, and then zoomed in on Lisa holding my fingers as we walked through the airport. Sound bites of women crying were added in. The segment ended with repeat shots of Lisa feeling her back pockets and one more close-up of her shoving her hand in her front pocket. They even threw in sound effects of women moaning when Lisa patted herself down.
I let out a sigh and lifted Sarah up so I could fix her yellow tights over her new diaper. I gave her a few kisses on her forehead while she played with my heart necklace.
Lisa turned the television off and threw the remote onto the couch behind me. She looked like she just got punched in the stomach.
I reached out to her. We were both upset from seeing that garbage on TV. Lisa slowly moved to sit next to me on the floor. We leaned back on the couch and looked at each other. Lisa rested her arm behind me, combing her fingers into my hair; her other hand gently rubbed through Sarah's little brown curls. She sighed heavily and I knew she was agitated.
I leaned over and kissed her lips, just to let her know that everything would be all right. Her fingers tensed and pressed into my scalp, holding my kiss tenderly to her. Her lips were troubled.
I wondered which one of us would crack from the bullshit first.
I spent the rest of the afternoon helping her mom in the kitchen. She was preparing a feast for Thanksgiving and I wondered just exactly who she thought was going to eat all of it. I handled making the brine for the turkey. Her mom watched me intently as I mixed the concoction.
I was standing at the sink when Lisa came up behind me, holding me in place again with her long arms. She brushed my hair off my shoulder and drifted the tip of her nose up and down my neck. I tried to keep the volume of my moan turned down.
"As much as it warms my heart to see my daughter happy and in love, get the hell away from my helper," Ellen squealed.
"You've had her long enough, Mom. We've got to go get ready for the game. Our car will be here in an hour."
Soon after Nick and Janelle arrived, the sleek black stretch limousine pulled into the driveway. The four of us were going to the game together; Lisa's parents were watching Sarah for the evening.
"You should come home more often!" Nick teased Lisa, noting that the limo was fully stocked with beer, liquor, and two bottles of champagne. Janelle was preoccupied; eventually she pulled a magazine out of her purse.
"Here, I thought you two might want to keep this one!" she teased and tossed the glossy paper onto Lisa's lap.
Lisa took a sip off of the champagne bottle she and I were sharing and narrowed her eyes on the cover. She handed me the bottle and turned the little light on above her head so she could get a better look.
Lisa and I were on the cover – the entire cover. We were both dressed up and it was apparent to me that the photo was taken on the night we took her parents to dinner. The caption below our bodies read "Lisa's in love!" Next to our photo were several side notes under the bold letters "Lisa Manoban shows off new girlfriend." The additions informed the world that she was living with me in our "Love nest in RI" and that she had introduced me to her parents.
"Well, at least it's a nice picture of us!" Lisa stated indifferently.
"The story isn't bad either," Janelle added. "I thought it was something you might want to keep, you know." She looked unsure.
Lisa handed it to me with a smirky grin on her lips. "I'm sure you want to read it."
I set the magazine down next to me on the seat and took another sip of champagne from the bottle. I could only imagine the horrible things that were said about me in there. It would only take seeing one negative comment about either one of us to send me into my own downward spiral.
Lisa gave me a perplexed look. She presumed I would have ripped the magazine open immediately, dying to know what was written.
"I'm not reading that now. I'd rather not cry my eyes out before a hockey game," I whispered.
"Why?" Janelle asked. "It's not bad. Really!"
I disagreed. "I just know there are lies printed in it. There always are. I've been blamed for breaking her and Mina up, for causing rifts on set between the actors. They print that I'm keeping her from seeing all of her friends. I even lost out on the national poll on which girl the public would rather see her with. Mina won with 72%."
I rubbed my cheek, trying to keep from getting upset.
"Well there's nothing like that in this one," Janelle admitted.
"I'm sure there is," I muttered, pushing the magazine further away. It was the paper version of poison to me. "Every one of these writers seems to have the need to get at least one good dig in. I don't understand why they feel I'm not good enough."
"Honey! Who gives a shit what they write?" Lisa stated. "I sure don't."
"Let me see it," Nick asked. "I'll tell you whether or not it's safe to read."
He quickly thumbed through the magazine, stopping to flash us the large interior picture of Lisa and me walking down my sidewalk, obviously ignoring the paparazzi.
"Oh my God!" Nick looked over the top of the magazine. "It says here that you forced my sister to learn how to make stained glass picture frames! Is this true?" He looked horrified.
Lisa laughed at her brother's antics.
"I have to admit, that one is true." I nodded.
"Does it say anything about her being mostly naked when she subjected me to a day of arts and crafts and power tools?" Lisa asked. All of a sudden her interest was piqued. "Are there pictures too, 'cause I want those!"
"No, no pictures like that," Nick stated. He resumed reading.
"What's this? You…" he gasped, holding her shaky fingers in front of her mouth to emphasize his fright. "You bake birthday cakes - and then you had the audacity to make my parents eat it?" Her voice changed to a high pitch to sound like he was crying and he cringed. "How could you?"
Lisa gave me a teasing shove. "Yeah Jennie! How could you?"
I hung my head down. "I'm sorry. I have no excuse for my actions," I whispered.
"No champagne for you!" Lisa took the bottle from my hand.
"She even begged us to come to some birthday party in Rhode Island. We're lucky I was traveling last week or else she would have subjected Janelle and me to more of these horrors!" Nick focused back on the magazine.
Nick made me jump slightly when he gasped loudly. "Tell the limo driver to stop. We have to kick Jennie out. It says right here she's just using my sister for sex."
Lisa sat up quickly. "That's true! She forces me to…" she covered her eyes with the champagne bottle and pretended to cry, slumping back into the seat. "All the time!" she wailed. "And she beats me too! She says 'you get naked and get in that bed or I'll give you something to really cry about missy.' I mean, I'm only human. I'm not a machine."
"Janelle beats me all the time," Nick cried. "I feel so used."
"You wish!" she laughed.
"I don't know about you Janelle, but if I have to pick up her dirty socks and underwear I want something in return!" I defended.
"I know!" she agreed. "The Manoban scent sure doesn't smell like roses."
"Hey, we take pride in our scent!" Lisa argued.
"If your fans only knew…" I replied. "Maybe they wouldn't be standing so close to our doors."
"I thought your fans were too busy kissing their Seaside pillowcases to travel all the way to Rhode Island," Janelle teased.
"Go ahead and laugh, Janelle. I'm laughing all the way to the bank."
"Pillowcases?" I questioned. I had no idea what she was talking about.
"And bed sheets! Now girls all around the globe can sleep with Blake at night!" Janelle laughed.
"I dry humped my Blake pillow just last night," Nick chortled, making obscene gestures.
Lisa threw the champagne cork at him. I gathered Lisa didn't like that last dig, because Lisa threw the cork with some force. Nick flinched away, smiling.
"I used the real Lisa Manoban as a sex toy last night," I whispered in Lisa's direction, trying to keep her in a good mood.
Lisa gave me a high-five and winked at me. "Damn straight! And then I sprayed you with my personal scent to keep the other animals away!"
Our limo drove past the main entrance to the arena, but the driver didn't stop. Maybe he didn't know where to drop us? We ended up stopping in the back of the arena near a few large buses. The driver opened Lisa's door and we headed towards a private entrance. Lisa took me by the hand; I drew in a deep breath and followed her towards the back door. Lisa Manoban would never again enter through the front doors of any place like a regular person.
Two arena employees were waiting for us, obviously aware that we were coming. We were escorted into an elevator that took us to the upper deck where all the private suites were located.
"Whose suite is this?" Nick asked.
"The bank I deal with has it rented for the season," Lisa answered. "They gave up four of their tickets for us, but we won't be alone. There are eight other tickets for this suite. All these suites are completely booked. This is as private as I could get." I watched as she rubbed her forehead.
"So we're party crashing? That's cool." Nick belched and cracked open a beer.
The suite was fully stocked with beer and wine and there was a hot buffet of food already laid out on a long table. Lisa and Nick dove right in, helping themselves to the assortment of food and snacks. The two siblings were already partially drunk and I was glad that Lisa was getting some food in her stomach.
I looked out the large glass window that overlooked the arena. On the other side of the glass were twelve private seats. I knew where I was going to be sitting during this game!
The suite door opened, causing a flash of light to reflect off of the window. I instinctively turned around to see who was entering. What a big mistake that was.
Four young, giggling girls came through the door. They just about burst out into hysterics when they saw Lisa Manoban was truly in the suite. My eyes quickly flashed over to Lisa; I noticed she stopped chewing the wad of food that was crammed in her mouth for a brief second while her lips pursed together in annoyance.
Janelle subtly elbowed me and we both chuckled lightly. The girls were all decked out in short skirts and low cut tops. One even had her copy of Seaside in hand. Lisa quickly darted away from the buffet table and positioned herself between Nick and me. No matter where we went Lisa could not escape her fans.
--
The following afternoon, Lisa's family gathered in the kitchen, readying Thanksgiving dinner.
"Honey, where do you want me to set this?" Bill asked. He was lifting the enormous turkey out of the oven.
I turned around to see what he was referring to.
Ellen pointed to an obvious empty space on the stove, slightly irritated that she had to give him direction.
Memories of my dad asking my mom the same question flashed in my mind. My dad was helpless too. I returned my attention back to scooping sweet potatoes into a serving bowl. Janelle was softly humming songs to herself while she set the dinner table.
"Hey, Honey... where is Sarah's bottle?" Nick yelled from the brown recliner in the family room.
When Nick yelled, I instinctively looked over. His voice sounded so much like Lisa's it was hard to tell the difference.
Lisa came sauntering into the kitchen wearing one of the new pairs of jeans that I got for her. For some reason that thought made me warm inside. I noticed she was looking around the family room for something.
"Hey, Honey? Do you know where my sneakers are?" Lisa asked, momentarily distracted by the television. My head naturally turned to answer her.
Instead of replying I broke out in laughter. I held onto the counter as my hilarious internal thoughts cracked me up. Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at me, wondering just what the heck was wrong with me.
"There are too many honeys in this room!" I breathed out in jest, answering Lisa's glance. That term of endearment must have been engrained in all of them. It was also apparent that all the Manobans were now incapable of independent thought and action.
"Every time someone yells 'Honey' I turn around!"
I asked for it. I was bombarded with repeated "Honeys" from all three of them.
Lisa started our first Thanksgiving dinner playfully kicking me under the table. We were both smirking when she slipped her leg under mine so our legs were resting together.
"Did you guys have fun last night?" Bill asked, passing the bowl of stuffing to me.
I opened my mouth to speak, but Nick was quicker.
"It was all right, up until Lisa's fans showed up in the suite," Nick interjected curtly, poking his butter knife at Lisa. "Superstar had to sign her autograph and pose for pictures and everything with her little girlfriends." His snide tone was evident. "Ooh, I want a picture. No, pose with me!" Nick teased in a forced high-pitch voice.
Lisa slapped some mashed potatoes on her plate. The serving spoon clanged loudly when it made contact with the china; the noise made me flinch. The scowl on Lisa's face was evident. Instead of Nick being thankful that Lisa provided an entire evening of first class entertainment - free of charge to him and his wife – he saw the opportunity to give Lisa a cheap shot and took it.
"How the heck did that happen?" Bill questioned. He looked over at Lisa. "I thought you had a private suite?"
Lisa shrugged. "It was a private suite Dad, but there were still eight other ticket holders. One of the girl's fathers was some senior VP at the bank that has it rented for the season. She brought friends."
Bill's face pulled down in a frown.
"It's humbling, you know. I mean most actors would kill to have my problems. This is what all actors strive for. A-list movies, A-list parts… not having to go to audition after audition only to be turned down or passed over. I should count my blessings, after all it is Thanksgiving." Lisa took a moment to eat some food.
"Besides, I'm getting used to all of the unwanted attention." She looked right over at Nick when she said it. "It used to really bother me but I'm finding that I can just tune it out and ignore it."
I picked up on her little dig back to her own brother. Sibling rivalry was alive and well right here at this dinner table.
"Fleury made some incredible saves last night and Crosby scored two of the three goals," I said to their father, hoping to break the tension that was starting to build between the two siblings. Lisa's left hand slipped over my shoulder and she smiled at me.
"I've been a Pens fan all my life and that was the first time I got to see them play live on home ice. I had so much fun! Thank you again for taking me," I gushed, hoping Nick would get the message to appreciate his sister.
"Mom, this turkey is really delicious," Nick complimented. "Everything is really tasty this year."
"Don't thank me, thank your sister," Ellen stated between bites. She paused to chew.
Nick quickly tossed his next jab. "Why? Did Lisa open her fat wallet and hire a professional chef to cook for us this year?"
I noticed Janelle smacked him in the leg under the table. I was wondering if this was Nick's normal behavior or if he was going above and beyond to be an asshole.
"No, Nickhun." Ellen broke out her corrective mother tone. "But your sister did bring Jennie home with her. She's the one who cooked most of this delicious food, including the turkey you're enjoying."
Lisa set the gravy boat down. "Who knows, Nick. Maybe next year we could have Thanksgiving at my multi-million dollar completely pretentious house," Lisa snarled. "I'm sure Jennie will be gracious enough to spend an entire day cooking for my family again. And, by the way, the next time you feel inclined to dry-hump your 'Blake' pillow, imagine ten percent of all the royalties going into your daughter's trust fund before you get yourself off. By the time she's two, she'll be worth ten times more than you."
"Okay, that's enough," Bill reprimanded, trying to tell his children to knock it off.
"I'm just teasing her, Dad. I don't know why the superstar is getting all sensitive," Nick defended.
Lisa set her dinner fork down and pushed her chair back, audibly noting her departure from the table. Her fingers touched my chin. "Honey, I need some air. I'll be back."
"Daughter, sit back down," Bill somberly requested, but Lisa didn't listen. She grabbed her coat and keys and stormed out the kitchen door.
I folded my hands on my lap when I heard the Shelby squeal out of the garage.
"Jennie, I'm sorry," Nick uttered, trying to sound sincere.
I stared at him for a moment. "Thank you, Nick. But I'm not the one you should be apologizing to."
"I can't help it if she can't take a joke!" Nick laughed uncomfortably, stuffing more food in his mouth like his insults were no big deal.
I sat there in shock. I couldn't believe how a member of Lisa's own immediate family, her only brother that she looked up to, could be so callous and cruel. After all the crap that Lisa has to put up with being an actor, coming home to her family should be a relief for her, not another source of pain. I looked at their parents before I turned my attention back to Nick. I couldn't hold my thoughts any longer.
"Before you chastise your sister, Nick, you should know how much she envies you."
"Envies me?" Nick scoffed.
"Yes, you," I stated calmly. "You have things in your life that you take for granted every day - freedom, anonymity, privacy, security. Things your sister no longer has. Her success that you tease her about comes at a very steep price, but I thought you knew that already." I glared at him.
"You also have things she desires - a home, a wife, a child - normalcy. You know what your sister has?" I tilted my head, making sure to hold his eye contact.
"She has acute paranoia from deranged stalkers and fans coming after her, public humiliation on a global scale when they print lies about her in forty different languages, negative criticism about everything she tries to do, and constant scrutiny by everyone – even from her big brother that she adores." I counted them off on my fingers. "But surely you must know that already. So if you feel inclined to let her know how remorseful you are, perhaps you should think of that before you apologize."
Nick looked completely dumbfounded. He was sitting there with his mouth hanging open.
"Would you excuse me, please," I whispered at Lisa's mother before rising from the dinner table. "I'm going to make sure she's all right." I grabbed my coat from the closet and called Lisa's cell.
"Honey, come back for me. I want to go for a ride too. I'll be waiting outside."