Chapter 53: Upper East Side

Monday, January 2nd, Morning

The alarm went off and she shot straight out of bed. Every day at the same time Trinity "Trin" Adams would get out of bed and shuffled off towards the bathroom. Her morning routine was so ingrained it went off like clockwork.

After the bathroom Trin would go out to the kitchenette, start the coffee machine, and make Wyatt breakfast. Next, she would click on the smaller TV to listen to the news, and on the large TV, she would play her Yoga Tape. Trin would do her yoga in the morning while Wyatt showered and got dressed. She found it helped her with the stress of being a single working mom.

Once Trin was done with her workout she walked into the kitchenette, dabbing herself with her towel. With her free hand, she poured herself a cup of coffee. While drying herself, she would, one-handed, in a very practiced way, make up her coffee. Once she finished, she took a sip while headed towards her bedroom. Wyatt walked in just as she was about to enter the hallway.

Wyatt would normally be dressed in his school uniform, but no school today so he was dressed like what she suspected most eleven-year-olds would dress like and he looked up at Trin, "Morning Mom," Wyatt said.

"Morning, breakfast is out," Trin said.

"Thanks, Mom, the usual?" Wyatt asked.

"Yes, the usual," Trin said.

Wyatt smiled and went into her bedroom. As she drank her first cup of coffee, she took up her smartphone and checked the messages from various people in the New York Operation. It was going to start getting crazy as they had to get stuff ready for New York Fashion Week. Entering her bathroom, she put the phone down and took one gulp of her coffee, then started the shower. The empty mug was now sitting next to the smartphone, as she stripped out of her work out gear, which she hung up.

After a shower, Trin got out of the shower and wrapped herself in a towel. Trin blow-dried her hair and did her make-up. Once done, she went into her bedroom and got dressed. After returning the towels to the bathroom, she took up her empty coffee mug, left the bathroom and bedroom, and walked down the hall to the kitchenette.

Wyatt looked up from the breakfast bar and smiled, as Trin lowered her smartphone, "Are they starting to panic over fashion week?" Wyatt asked.

Trin chuckled, Wyatt had become a hardened veteran of her dealing with the New York Operation. Trin had worked her way up from some junior position, and during college, she started working in the mailroom. Wyatt had been there the whole time. Her big break happened when she took the position as the assistant manager for New York Operations, she worked under her "Aunt" Rachel Gatina. That was until about three years ago when Rachel retired, it was sudden, but considering that year, the annus horribilis, it was perfectly understandable, and leading up to that Trin really was running the show. Sabrina Cohen, who ran the business side of Davis Enterprises and only answered to Trin's Mom, Brooke Davis, had suggested that Trin take over Rachel's spot. Sabrina's reasoning was and she even paraphrased Pepin The Short "Who should rule, the figurehead or the one with the power?" At the next meeting, Trin was moved up to head the New York Operation. Now three years hence Wyatt, her rock, and companion on her rise could tell what season it was by the number of dings on Trin's smartphone from the messages she would be getting. "You know this so well," she said.

"Mom, I was raised in it," Wyatt said, speaking a no truer statement then she had ever heard.

Trin sighed, "Why can't you do normal things?" she asked.

"What is normal, Mom?" Wyatt asked.

Trin shrugged and had her breakfast ready with a second cup of coffee. When she took a seat across from Wyatt at the breakfast bar. "When I was your age I didn't think of such things," Trin said.

"You were worried if Aunt Chase of Aunt Izzy would come home alive," Wyatt said.

Trin shook her head, "Not at eleven, Smartie, that was a few years later," Trin replied.

"So, what did you worry about at eleven?" Wyatt asked.

"I was really into movies and music," Trin said.

"Cheerleading?" Wyatt asked.

Trin shook her head, "That was only after I moved down to Tree Hill," Trin said.

Wyatt nodded, "Is that how you met my Dad?" he asked.

"Cheerleading?" Trin asked.

"Yeah," Wyatt said.

"No, your grandmas were old friends, that's how I met your Dad," Trin said, in-between bites of her breakfast, "I've thought I've told you this before."

"Okay, and you have," Wyatt said, "Why don't we ever talk about him?"

Trin shrugged, "Well he's never around, so I don't think I should burden you until you're older," she said.

"But you take me to visit Lennon, Lacy, and Darren all the time," Wyatt said, "Also we go to Barclay's Center and Madison Square Garden whenever Uncle James is playing in town."

"They're your family, you should have a relationship with them," Trin said.

Wyatt nodded, "It's weird seeing my Dad's face on t-shirts," Wyatt said, "I walk down the street and see them in the tourist shops. It's just weird."

Trin nodded and reflected on how hurtful it was too. Over the last few years, Brian's face had been everywhere, and the younger generation was starting to consider him the voice of their generation. Brian a voice of a generation, Trin found that hard to believe. "Yes, it is," Trin said.

Wyatt finished his breakfast and looked at Trin. She checked her watch and smiled, "Well Smartie, time to head off to Madam Legrand's," Trin said.

"Oh, Mom, do I have to go?" Wyatt asked.

"Yes, you do, and try to make it a good day," Trin said.

Wyatt nodded, hopped off the stool and came around to Trin's side of the breakfast bar. Trin slipped off her stool and took Wyatt's kiss on her cheek. Wyatt ran off, grabbing his book bag and left the apartment. Trin got back on her stool and looked to the door that Wyatt just left through. Wyatt would only be a few doors down and Madam Legrand was kind enough to watch him. Trin assumed Wyatt got along well enough with Madam Legrand's children. Trin turned back to her breakfast, about once a month Wyatt would ask about Brian. Trin shook her head, she had always been finding ways to shuffle his questions off until the next time. That would only go for so long.

It didn't help that recently Brian had become something of an icon. It has been getting worse since that fashion trend bringing Brian's face and Mental Lapse logos to t-shirts that everyone around Wyatt's age were wearing. Brian's face for the first time in years was seen all over the place, again. In the growing hype, someone had decided to re-release a re-mastered edition of several of his albums, the most popular had been his solo album, Legba's Crossroads. Trin knew that Red Bedroom Records was sitting on a fortune because they wouldn't re-release or re-master the most sought-after Mental Lapse Album, the first album, which has been considered the best of the Mental Lapse catalog. There was a call for High-Performance Heart Attack's first album. Trin nodded, but they sat on them.

One of the most popular songs was the re-release of the first single from Brian's solo album, and it was getting all sorts of traction. It was the slowest and bluest song Trin ever remembered Brian ever recording or releasing. There was a line near the end of the first verses that still haunted Trin to this day, and made her blood turn ice cold, "And I said, 'Hello Satan' I believe it's time to go."

Her phone buzzed for a Facetime call. Trin reached over and answered it, setting up the phone so she could look at it. Trin smiled when Brooke's face popped up.

"Morning Mom," Trin said.

"Morning Trin, is my grandson near?" Brooke asked.

"No, you just missed Wyatt, he's off to Madam Legrand's," Trin said.

"Oh, darn, I wanted to see him," Brooke said.

"Won't you be up here MLK Weekend?" Trin asked.

"Yeah," Brooke said nodding, "I'll be here late on the thirtieth, after the basketball game," Brooke said.

"Because of Keni and Brett?" Trina asked.

"Both and don't forget Sassy," Brooke said.

"Oh my god, how can we forget Sassy? She's never let us forget her since she could speak," Trin said.

"She just has an outgoing personality and you love her for it, admit it," Brooke said.

"Okay, I'll admit it," Trin said, "So, where will you be staying when you get here?"

"A hotel," Brooke said, "Don't know which one, yet."

"Mom, we have the room," Trin said.

"I'll think about it," Brooke said, "Anyways what's wrong?"

"Just the usual, the office is in a panic about Fashion Week, and getting those final details done," Trin said.

"That's typical, it happens every year, and I know you we'll have it hammered out in plenty of time. Sabrina wouldn't have recommended you for that job if she didn't believe in you, and I've always believed in you," Brooke said, "Trin, but that's not what I mean."

Trin raised an eyebrow, "Then what do you mean, Mom?" she asked.

"Trinity don't play with me, because one, I'm your mom. Two, I raised you and know you. Three, I know, and you know you have the preparations for Fashion Week handled, and finally. Four, I'm your Mom," Brooke said.

Trin exhaled loudly, "Fine Mom, you want to know?" she asked.

"Yes, I would, or I wouldn't have asked. Also, I'm your mom and want to make sure you're okay," Brooke said.

"Wyatt asked about Brian, again," Trin said.

Brooke went wide-eyed for a moment then her eyes reset, and she sighed heavily, "Trin, you know you can't keep putting it off, he needs to know about his Dad," she said.

"Like we needed to know about Tucker and you didn't tell us?" Trin asked.

"Exactly, don't make the same mistakes I did," Brooke said.

"We've been doing a piss job of it," Trin said, "Wyatt is case in point."

"You have a beautiful son, and he's not a mistake," Brooke said.

"I know he's not a mistake," Trin said, "It's just tough with Brian's popularity surging again. Wyatt's eleven now and he's asking about him more and more, it's tough."

Brooke nodded, "I've been hearing that damn song too," she said.

"Which one?" Trin asked.

"That one that starts early this morning," Brooke said.

Trin nodded, "Yeah, Me and the Devil Blues," she said.

"That song gets annoying," Brooke said.

"Tell me about it," Trin said.

Brooke nodded, "Come to think of it, I'll be staying at a hotel when I come up the weekend of the thirteenth," she said.

"Why mom?" Trin asked.

Brooke sighed, "I just remembered that Sam and Bobbi are also coming up, so we need more space than your spare rooms," she said.

"Okay, why are you bringing them up?" Trin asked.

"Want to get our shit together for Fashion Week, and well it gets Bobbi away from her cats," Brooke said.

Checking her watch, Trin looked back at Brooke, "Alright Mom, I'll call you when I get to the office, it's time to get packed up and go," Trin said.

"Okay, I'll talk to you soon," Brooke said and hung up.

Trin smiled and cleaned up from breakfast. Once done she collected her stuff and headed downstairs to wait for her UBER.