Greetings, SelfScribes readers and Tuesday fans!
My apologies for posting this latest portion so late in the day...
Hopefully Tuesday will be just as enjoyable on Wednesday of this week :)
Tenacious Tuesday
Tuesday's Torrent: Chapter 6, Part 3
by Lindsey Michelle
The next morning, Tuesday was still in her pajamas when there was a knock on her hotel room. She padded across the floor to the door.
“Room service,” she heard the man call. She knew there must’ve been a mistake, because she’d forgotten to fill out the breakfast card the night before. She opened the door, and the man began to push the room service table into her room.
“I’m afraid this belongs to someone else,” she said, as the hotel phone next to her bed rang. “Excuse me.”
She picked up the phone and said hello.
“This is the front desk,” the voice said. “You have a visitor – a Peter. Is he allowed up?”
She heard mumbling in the background, then a sigh, and the question was rephrased. “He’d like to join you for breakfast.”
Tuesday felt herself grinning. “Sure, send him up. Thank you.”
She dug in her purse for money to tip the room service man. “It’s for me after all.”
“You’re pretty sneaky,” Tuesday said, digging into her omelet, “If I weren’t so hungry, I may have let you wait down there.”
“I thought you needed some strength for your busy schedule,” Peter said.
She smiled. “Some company, too?”
He grinned. “I didn’t want to eat breakfast alone.”
“I understand why. I remember your apartment.”
She remembered Kenneth taking her to Peter’s drab apartment. As she mused on how long ago that seemed, she noticed that Peter had grown quiet.
“Peter?”
He fiddled with his fork. “It’s weird to think you’ve been there. It’s not where I’m going to live forever. I may never buy something as grand as Kenneth has, but I’ll buy something. Right now, it’s just, I’m always traveling...”
Tuesday felt a bit guilty, as though she’d made fun of him, which was the last thing she intended.
“You don’t need to explain, Peter,” she assured him.
He nodded. “I better get going, anyway. What are your plans later today?”
Tuesday hesitated, remembering the demanding call her agent had left her that morning. She was not eager to confront him, but she was worried that any more avoidance may do more harm than good.
“I may have to meet my agent,” she said. “Then there’s some store opening this evening.”
“Do you need a date?”
Tuesday hesitated. As much fun as she had with Peter, she didn’t want to think of the implications of them being photographed together. She was trying to word this nicely when he grinned.
“I was just kidding,” he said. “It’s your thing. You can call me after, though, if you want to talk.”
She smiled. “Okay. Thanks.”
Before she left the hotel for her agent’s office, Tuesday stopped in the gift shop to buy a pack of mints. She surveyed the selection of magazines, smiling when she saw Nancy on the cover of one of the British fashion magazines. Then Tuesday recognized the title of the tabloid for which she’d been interviewed. It was already after Thursday, she realized.
Glancing around to make sure the gift shop was mildly empty, Tuesday grabbed the magazine to pay for as well.
She stopped at the front desk to pick up a message. The women handed her a fax.
It was from Kenneth.
“Sounds like you and Peter are having a great time,” it read. “Looks like the fun little brother is winning out again.”
Tuesday’s heart sank. Was she imagining things, or did Kenneth’s tone sound hurt? What did Peter say to him, if anything?
She glanced at her watch. She’d have to figure it out later. Though she had a rental car, she figured it’d be easier to take a town car to her agent’s office. When she was safely in the backseat of the car, despite the driver’s presence, she opened the magazine.
Oh no, she realized, it wasn’t just a question-and-answer interview, it was from the writer’s perspective. He mentioned that she was on time, which was good, but also noted that she was a “picky eater.” Tuesday wanted to argue. Her quotes didn’t sound too bad, a little bland, but perhaps she’d be perceived as guarded.
But then, halfway through the article, she read: “As Tuesday ponders my question, I see her expressive eyes dart to a nearby table. An attractive, casual man sits there. Anyone with an ounce of perception realizes these two know each other. Tuesday’s eyes are full of questions; the mystery man’s eyes are full of lust. She seems flattered and somewhat excited until she remembers I, as well as fifty other people, are in the room.”
Tuesday gasped aloud. The driver looked at her in the rear view mirror, inquiring if everything was alright. She nodded, slumping in her seat.
She’d only looked at Peter for a second. Why’d he have to show up at the restaurant, anyway? Why was he always showing up where she was?
How many people read this tabloid? Tuesday wondered. Was it popular in London? Of course, everything was reprinted on the Internet. Kenneth was on the Internet all the time for work.
The door to her agent’s office opened, and he stepped out.
“Tuesday, what are you doing, sitting out here?” he asked her. “We’re waiting inside.”
“We?” she repeated, rising. She followed him into his office.
There were two chairs in front of her agent’s desk, and one of them was occupied.
Tuesday stared directly at Zack Meadows as he rose to greet her.
“Hi, Tuesday,” he said, smiling.
“Hi… Zack?”
Her agent shut the door.
To Be Continued...
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