Tenacious Tuesday
Tuesday's Torrent: Chapter 6, Part 1
by Lindsey Michelle
Tuesday only stayed in London a day before heading to Los Angeles. It was just long enough to pack her most important things and prepare for yet another flight. The plane ride back from the island had been quiet. Andrew barely spoke to her, and while outwardly Nancy seemed her usual self, Tuesday suspected she was still disappointed in Tuesday for rushing through their meeting with Jake. After several card games, Tuesday feigned sleepiness and closed her eyes. She didn’t expect to sleep a wink after the disastrous end to her fling with Zack. Though she’d revealed to Nancy that Zack had left without a goodbye she had been too humiliated to admit that he wasn’t, in fact, Zack Meadows. She didn’t know who he was.
Surprisingly, Tuesday drifted off and awoke with little time until landing. She breathed a sigh of relief. All she wanted to do was get back into the rhythm of London life and, just maybe, work things out with Kenneth.
She took a sharp intake of breath. Thinking of his name surprised her. She’d been so wrapped up in Zack that she really had forgotten about Kenneth. She glanced at Nancy as they walked through the terminal.
Nancy seemed to know what she was thinking. “Credit Zack,” she said. “It worked.”
Tuesday nodded reluctantly.
“Are you going to see him?” Nancy asked tentatively.
“Not right now,” Tuesday replied. “There’s plenty of time.”
That didn’t turn out to be the case. Their film opened better than expected, with critics and viewers agreeing that Tuesday had a standout role. She had to head to Los Angeles to do some extra promotion before the film was released in additional theaters. Andrew and Nancy, meanwhile, would head to New York in a few days, and Tuesday would join them at the end of the week.
There was a message from Kenneth on her answering machine – short, to the point, asking her to let him know when she returned. Tuesday sat on the edge of her bed, telephone in hand. She didn’t know what to say to him:
“I’m back”?
“I had a random fling, but I got that out of my system… I think”?
She fiddled with the telephone pad, wasting time. Finally she dialed his home phone number. It was a wimpy move, she knew. Kenneth would answer his cell phone, but she doubted he’d be home.
Claire, Kenneth’s assistant, picked up after the third ring. She often worked out of Kenneth’s house when Kenneth was away on trips. Tuesday exhaled slowly.
“Hi Claire, it’s Tuesday,” she said, a bit sheepishly. “I was looking for Kenneth.”
“Tuesday, hi!” Claire replied, her tone bright and chipper. “Well, he should be back from Ireland tomorrow. He has his phone with him, as always. He’ll be thrilled to hear from you.”
Tuesday thanked Claire, leaving her with the false impression that she’d call his cell phone.
“Will you be over for dinner tomorrow?” Claire asked.
“I’m heading to L.A. for the week,” Tuesday replied.
Claire sounded disappointed. “That’s too bad. Next time, then.”
After Tuesday hung up the telephone, she lay back on her bed. It was better this way. She would hate for Kenneth to find out about her and Zack. She was embarrassed that the entire situation made her seem painfully naïve. She and Kenneth had been on shaky ground when she’d left; then again, if he’d been with someone else in the meantime, she would feel betrayed. Tuesday sighed. She decided not to answer her own cell during the next few days. By the time she spoke to him again, perhaps he wouldn’t even ask about her trip.
“And have you always been interested in comedy?” Tuesday’s interviewer, an excited young man who worked for a magazine she’d never heard of, asked.
She hesitated. Tuesday had, in fact, pursued drama. Many of the comedic sidekick traits of her current character had evolved, almost accidentally, throughout the filming process. Should she share that? Did it diminish her acting? Why was this so difficult?
They sat at a table in one of L.A.’s newest restaurants. Ever since sitting down, Tuesday had noticed many of the other patrons glancing her direction. She knew what it was like to be stared at – she’d gotten plenty of looks after her popular “His Girl Tuesday” magazine spread – but this was different. There was an undercurrent of excitement in their eyes. They were acting as though they’d seen a… movie star.
If they hadn’t seen her in the movie theater during the past week, then they’d seen her face on a massive billboard on the Sunset Strip. Tuesday couldn’t believe it herself.
“It’s fun to do comedy, to try to emulate comedic women I admire…” Tuesday finally said. “You get all the great lines you want to say in real life – to be that sharp and articulate…”
“Is there a specific situation in which you wish you could have been more articulate?”
Every day, Tuesday thought. Her mind raced. Soon he’d move into the do-you-have-a-boyfriend questions, she was sure of it. Deny, deny. Okay, don’t give him any leads on this one.
“This interview!” she quipped.
He managed to smile, albeit disappointed by neutral and somewhat bland answers.
As the interview progressed, the restaurant stayed busy, with new diners being seated every time a table opened. Tuesday was praising her co-stars when she casually glanced at a nearby table. She tried to wipe the shocked expression from her face.
There, perusing the menu was Peter. He must’ve sensed her gaze, as he noticed her at the same time. For a moment, Tuesday thought he was going to rise to come speak with her, but she must’ve stopped him by quickly turning back to her interviewer.
Peter! Her mind raced. She couldn’t avoid him completely, unless the interviewer walked her to her car. That was unlikely. Perhaps she’d leave first, though, and she could walk right past him. Could she? But now he knew she was in Los Angeles. Tuesday didn’t know whether there was any reason to avoid him. She wondered when he’d last talked to Kenneth.
She managed to compose answers to the remaining questions. She was a bit worried to read the final article – she hadn’t been very focused throughout their lunch together. Oh well, she figured. It’d probably be months before it was published.
“Thank you so much for your time, especially with the short notice,” the interviewer said. “It’ll be in this week’s issue.”
“This week?” Tuesday exclaimed.
“We’re a weekly tabloid,” he said slowly, peering at her. “On newsstands every Thursday.”
“Oh.”
“You’re one of the cover stories!”
She tried to smile. “Great.”
He did walk her out of the restaurant, though not to her rental car, where she’d managed to find street parking. Tuesday knew if she made a run for it, she could avoid Peter.
However, she couldn’t help turning around and peering through the restaurant’s window. She frowned. His table was empty.
“Hey.” She jumped as she heard a voice behind her.
“You scared me,” she said, turning to face Peter.
He chuckled. “Forget something inside?”
Tuesday ignored the question. “Just getting ready to leave.”
“Who was the guy? New boyfriend?”
She glared at him.
“Kidding! How was the interview?”
She wrinkled her nose. “Not good. I think I sounded like an airhead. I was kind of distracted…”
“Yeah? Too much fun in the sun?”
She stared at him. What did he know – did he know about her vacation? No, he couldn’t have, she reasoned. Still, the idea that Peter knew the truth didn’t bother her as much as if Kenneth did. She imagined he’d be less judgmental.
“I did go on vacation.”
“Anything exciting happen?” Peter asked.
“Nothing to report…” She couldn’t help being a bit coy.
“Where are you staying?”
She hesitated. “A hotel.”
Peter smirked. “Which?”
“Have you talked to Kenneth?” Tuesday asked flat out.
“He’s been busy.” Peter paused. “Me and you, we’re both in L.A. What are the odds? Let’s meet for dinner.”
She tilted her head and looked into his eyes. Perhaps it wasn’t the best idea. Perhaps it couldn’t hurt.
“Okay,” she agreed. “Dinner it is.”
To Be Continued...
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