“Madison…”
“I’m sorry. It’s not my business. I just wanted—”
“I’m not seeing anyone, secretly or openly.”
“It’s not my business. I just wanted to say I’m okay with you and my mom talking. That is my business. And I’m telling you, in case you wanted to know, that I don’t have a problem with it. Not anymore.”
She had her mother’s ability to exasperate me. “What was your problem?”
Madison resumed her work with a sigh. “It’s just that she always freaks out about me. I didn’t want her freaking you out, too.”
“I can form my own opinions.”
“I know,” she said warmly. “I can tell. It’s appreciated.”
Ever since she cried at my tardiness last Tuesday, Madison had declared a ban on all unprofessional emotions and expressions. I wasn’t sure if she was trying to impress me or imitate me. Either way, she succeeded far too well. I could have used some mushy sentiment at the moment. I could have handled hearing what a wonderful guy I was.
Still, her genial praise was enough to get me out of the grim mood I’d been hiding. And what excellent timing, too. At five o’clock my “weird” red phone rang. As I carried it upstairs, Madison held up her hands. Not my business.
Although my face was cool and bemused, the inner me was howling with relief. Thank God. Thank God. Thank God. With just one hour to go before speaking to Larry King and the world, Harmony was finally speaking to me.
________________
“Hey.”
“Hey yourself.” I closed the bedroom door. “You look wonderful.”
“Oh, you saw me?”
“I never miss you.”
Harmony was quiet. As I threw myself down on the bed, I could hear the hum of the limo’s engine. I could hear Alonso chattering away in the background.
“Who’s he talking to?” I asked.
“I don’t know. He’s always talking to someone on the phone.”
“He’s always talking.”
She chuckled. “Yeah.”
“Well, for tonight he’s been given firm instructions to shut up and let you speak for yourself.”
“I know. That scares me.”
“You’ll be terrific,” I promised. “This is the part we’ve all been waiting for. This is where you really get to shine.”
She vented a long, tired breath. “You make me crazy, Scott.”
“I know.”
“I mean you really drive me nuts.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
Now I could even hear the bumps in the road. I could hear Alonso bitching about the New York Post. Jesus. Get over it, already.
“I decided what to do about my father,” Harmony told me. “If he wants to be a part of my life, I’m going to let him in. See if he’s worth getting to know. But if he asks me for money again, even once, I’ll know he’s not for real. I’ll know he’s just playing me.”
“I think that’s very smart.”
“Not that I’ve been doing much thinking about him today,” she added with a nervous titter. “Ever since I woke up, I’ve been all about Larry. Larry, Larry, Larry.”
I smiled. “I’m sure Larry’s been thinking about you too.”
“Yeah, but he’s not scared of me like I’m scared of him. And these guys haven’t helped. Maxina and Alonso have been telling me things all day. They’re like ‘Okay, if Larry asks you this, don’t say this. But if he asks you that, definitely say that.’ And they keep reminding me how he’s been doing this stuff for a million years. I get the point already.”
We sighed in tandem. Harmony groaned.
“Scott, what do I do?”
That was all I needed to hear to come alive. I sat up. “I’m glad you asked me that.”
She laughed. “Come on. You think I’d go on live national TV without talking to you first? You’re the only one who makes sense of this shit for me.”
Life was good again. I hopped out of the bed, pacing with fierce new energy. “Okay. First I want you to forget everything that Maxina and Alonso told you. Can you do that?”
“Oh, that’s not a problem.”
“Good. Now forget that proper diction you seem to be using. Just talk the way you normally talk.”
“Oh no, Scott. I’ve been practicing all day.”
“I don’t want you wasting precious energy on grammar. It’s unnecessary.”
“Yeah, but I don’t want to sound stupid.”
“You never sounded stupid to me. And I’m pretty smart.”
“It used to be easy for me,” she lamented. “Before the accident. I used to be able to turn it on and off like a light switch.”
I knew that. By now I was very familiar with the “before” model. She was a good kid but she never could have smiled from a Polaroid the way this Harmony did. This was the Harmony I wanted.
“Just turn it off and leave it off. Will you do that?”
She loosened up already. “Yeah. Okay. Shit, so far this is easy. You only telling me to forget things.”
“Yes, but here comes the hard part. You want everyone to like you, don’t you?”
“Of course.”
“Okay. I want you to forget that too.”
She paused. “Forget I want everyone to like me?”
“Absolutely. Anyone who presumes to judge you from the other side of a TV screen and a big bag of Cheetos is not worth impressing.”
She laughed loud enough to quiet Alonso. “But what about Larry?”
“Larry’s just a big old softie. He already loves you for the numbers you’re bringing him.”
“Yeah, but—”
“Harmony, take a step back and look at yourself. Look at what you’ve got.”
“What do I got?”
“You’ve got five roommates who turned down large amounts of money to protect you. You’ve got at least six bodyguards who’d probably protect you for free if it came down to it. You’ve…”
I stopped at the window, momentarily stuck for words.
“You’ve got a talent for affecting people,” I said. “Even the ones who aren’t so easily affected. You do it without even trying. All I’m saying is don’t start now.”
She was dead quiet, but it was all warm silence.
“Harmony, when that camera light comes on, you’re going to snap into place. Mark my words. You were born for this. I saw it before I even knew you and you knew it before you met me. Don’t shit a shitter.”
She let out a soft, cracked laugh. “What you doing to me, Slick? You trying to make me cry before I even get there?”
“No. I’m just trying to hold your hand.”
“I wish you were.”
“I wish I were too.”
“I don’t know why you mess me up so much, Scott.”
“I don’t know.” I rested my head against the window. “I don’t know. Somehow you and I just got tangled up.”
“Yeah, but I don’t see us ever getting married.”
“No. Doesn’t look likely.”
“I mean I knew from the beginning that you too old, too white, and way too smart for me.”
Grinning, I paced again. “Yeah. And I knew you were too young, too short, and far too nice for me. But I probably could have overlooked those things.”
“If?”
“If you weren’t so goddamn famous.”
She didn’t laugh. I was almost hurt until I heard the faint sounds of cheering from the other end of the line.
“Harmony? You there?”
“Yeah. I’m here. Holy shit.”
“No, I mean are you there at the studio?”
“Yeah. I guess so. Oh my God. Holy shit! Are you watching this?”
“No,” I said, fighting the urge to run downstairs. “Tell me what’s going on.”
“There are people,” she began, then stopped to listen to Alonso. Come on. Shut up and let her talk to me.