Part 2

Fame Tag Her Tail

Mum has gotten better though. Only a little bit. She's gotten back her memory of the house, her likes and dislikes (most of them) what her work is about and what she's supposed to do. But that's only minor things. Because the most important things she still doesn't remember, is our family. And her friends. No people, nothing in the past. She doesn't remember me, Angie or Dad. She doesn't know anymore that she's supposed to be divorced with Dad, so it's unbearable to watch when she calls up Dad, tries to get together.

It's still hard for Dad, since he's in a stressful condition. He doesn't know what to do with mum, because he long ago had constant fights with her, and the house was always filled with loud arguments. Anyway, he has a girlfriend. Which in fact he is already engaged with. So I guess sometimes it’s not the best thing to be utterly handsome like my dad. He told me most of the girls back in his days were dying to go out with him. I do admit he's a bit of the 'rock star' type.

My Iphone started beeping faster, almost as though it was impatient for me to finally answer. I picked it up. It was the same man who had been calling me for days. Yet again, he asks me to call him back. Tell him my interests, dreams. The man, who is called Derrick, wanted something from me.

He said I could be very famous. He said I can earn millions, make albums and star in movies. Derrick said I had lots of potential. He said for me to just try and give it a go. This is his third time calling. I really do want to become famous, but what was holding me back was the fact that I had to work with him. He probably was a fat man with a red face, who always stomps around and carries sagging flesh on his arms that wobbles when he walks, which makes him look like Kungfu Panda.

Dad says it’s an excellent idea. So I will give it my best shot then. “Hello, Derrick! Um, so what did you call about?”

“You of course! So have you made up your mind yet? Has your mother agreed on this? Come on, Kat. This is the last time I offer you this once in a lifetime position.” I took a deep breath. “Actually yes, I accept the offer. I would like to become famous, like you said. Uh, you did say I had potential, right?” After that Derrick couldn’t stop babbling on excitedly. I imagined him jiggling his stomach and making his rocker chair shake. I giggled as another image of him in fluffy bunny slippers waddling around his house appeared in my mind.

It was arranged I was to meet him at 2:30 pm tomorrow. Tomorrow was show time. The day when he might become my agent and when the beginning of a perfect superstar life will be born.

He looked at me with his dark brown eyes, sparkling and twinkling in the sunlight, which seemed to pierce through my soul. They melted my heart. His chestnut brown fringe swept over his eyes, his cheeks a tint of pink. He waved at me and smiled, showing his dimples. My insides turned to mush and my knees buckled. My heart thudded in my chest, pounding…pounding…

I woke up with a jolt. I had dreamed about Josh again. My secret crush. He was tall and skinny, and sometimes made me laugh. His smile always felt like a light bulb that turns on whenever he grinned. The only problem is that he is four years older than me. I am fourteen, he is eighteen. I started liking Josh Crawford when I was pretty little. I guess I’ve liked him for quite some time. It was 3:00am. I went back to sleep.

Sunshine creeped through the cracks of my curtains into my room. I rolled over in bed. The clock read 8:00 am. I wondered why my alarm hadn’t rung. I slapped my forehead. I was in dad’s house. My room didn’t have one at dads. I figured I’d just miss school anyway, there was no point coming so late. I pulled the covers over my head. A rush of colour painted my cheeks when I thought about my dream a couple of hours ago. I dozed of for another half of an hour.

When I woke up I heard Angie singing in the bath. Dad must have filled one up for her before he left to work at the factory, his job. Angie always loved having a bubble bath with her dolls in the mornings. I tiptoed to the bathroom and peeked my head over the door. Angie was laughing, piling bubbly foam high on top of her head. Crissie, her big bath toy mermaid, was leaning against the side of the bath opposite her.

When she saw me she exclaimed, “Kitty! Guess what! I’m having a beauty pageant with Crissie and she says I won! Do you like my hairstyle? Say hi to Crissie!” I shook the bath toy mermaid’s hand. “How do you do Crissie? You a good judge. Angie deserved to win, didn’t she?” Angie giggled and ducked her head underwater. “Look, look Kitty! I’m swimming like a mermaid!” I snuck a coin (it wasn’t a real one) at the bottom of the bath. “And look! Mermaid Princess Angie found some treasure! A mysterious golden coin!” She squealed with delight. I mimed a crowd of merpeople cheering. “I am a really kind mermaid so I will give the coin to Queen Crissie!”

Angie wedged the coin under Crissie’s arm. I really loved playing with Angie. I liked playing along with all her games because it gave me an excuse to behave like a little girl again. I mean, I didn’t really want to grow up. I wanted to seize the chance to be a little girl again, as long as I could anyway, before I grew too old anyway.

I quickly glanced at my watch. It was getting very late. I took hold of Crissie and made her shake her finger. “Mermaid princess Angie, I believe it is time for me to go back to my castle! You’d better get out quickly, before the ocean sucks you up forever!” She splashed water all over the bathroom floor when she jumped out. I pulled the plug out and the water drained out, leaving a trail of white foam. I wrapped her up in her pink towel. I gave her Crissie. “Kitty, can you help me dry Crissie? What hairstyle should I do for her?” I carried Angie into her bedroom. Sometimes I had extra time and I always chose to spend it with Angie, like today.

I pretended to listen to what Crissie was saying. I cupped by hand over my ear. I nodded and made her whisper. Angie watched intently, waiting what her favourite toy would ‘tell’ me. “Oh, Crissie said she would like to have hers in bunches, with the cherry hair ties and hot pink flower clips. Come on, let’s start brushing her hair!” Angie beamed. I knew this hairstyle was her favourite. And she loved the cherry hair ties and hot pink flower clips. “Kitty! Crissie and me like the same things! Don’t you see? She really likes me!”

“Yep, she sure does. Crissie even told me one day that you were her best friend ever!” “Really? Cool!” Angie jiggled around. We combed her hair with Angie’s emerald comb and Angie did her doll’s hair, tying it up into five ponytails.

I was feeling very hungry. My stomach grumbled at the thought of a warm breakfast of buttered toast, steaming pancakes with maple syrup and hot chocolate… “When are we going back to mummy?” Angie cut through my thoughts.

“Wh-what?” I nervously fiddled with the mermaid’s tail. Was it yet time to tell Angie the news about mum? I myself hadn’t thought about it for a while. Dread crawled over me and hung in the air like branches dripping heavily with creepers. Angie repeated her question. “Um, yeah, Angie. We are going there really soon. Uh, I think we are going back tonight or-or something. But Angie, I just want to tell you that things won’t be the same,”

Bother, I really didn’t want to spoil her fantastic mood. “When we’ll come back, mummy won’t remember us anymore. So I’ll have to t-take care of you.” Angie blinked at me with confusion. “But, but why not? I’m her Angie!” I took a deep breath. I could see that this was going to be hard for her. She was still very young! “I’m her Kitty too and you’re her Angie. We’ll always be. It’s just that mummy won’t act like that for a while or remember us because she hit her head hard, in the car.”

Angie started crying. I started crying too. “But why? Why? No, mummy! I don’t want her to leave me! No!!!” Poor Angie, she didn’t know how to control her feelings. This is true. Sometimes young people cry when they don’t know how to control there feelings. They just cry for no reason, so there body can get all the pressuring stress building up inside them. This is quite a lot for a little five-year old.

Sadness mingled through her eyes. “Angie, I know this must be so upsetting for you. And I agree. It’s not good. But bad things happen, Angie… they always do. You just have to not let yourself be sad a lot, okay? This won’t be like this forever; Mummy will get her memory back eventually.” Angie sniffed and blew her nose in a tissue. “Is that true? Do ya think so?” “Definitely. We just have to wait. But daddy is still here. He’ll take good care of us. And mummy is in good hands too.”

Dad arrived home from work early to drive me to see Derrick. I put on my best outfit, a pair of skinny denim jeans and a silky tank top adorned with sequins, and my strappy sandals. I straightened my blonde hair and applied a little bit of mascara and some lip gloss. I slammed the door of the car and belted myself in the front seat. “I’ve hired a babysitter to come home and take care of Angie for a while, until we get back from seeing Derrick.”

Dad backed the car out of the driveway and we drove the eight kilometres to Derrick’s place. We pulled up in front of a huge, white Victorian mansion, with two big palm trees decorating the front and a twindling pebble path leading up to the polished stairs. The shiny stairs stopped in front of the grand front door, which was a magnificent arch fringed with gold. A silver knocker in the shape of two dragons, tails twined together and fire flaring out of their nostrils hung on the door. My dad banged the door with the knocker.

A small black screen next to the door flashed a red light. A digital voice said, “Please come in.” The door automatically opened and we stepped in. I gasped in shock and surprise. The place was huge! It looked like a palace! Sparkling white floors with cream walls surrounded us. There were glass tables, crystal and diamond chandeliers, gold lining everywhere, flat screen plasma TV’s the size of cars. Silky curtains, spacious living rooms with neat, squishy sofas and coaches that could fit more than ten people. The walls were decorated with photographs and portraits framed with what looked like the finest wood. Stoned and crystal ornaments hung on the walls. Elaborate clocks and big expensive-looking mirrors were on the walls as well.

While we were still trying to see everything in this four storey mansion fit for Kings and Queens, Derrick walked up to us in a black suit and tie and teeth whiter than pearls. He had chestnut brown hair and dark brown eyes that reminded me of someone… and he wasn’t fat at all. He had quiet a good, tall and muscular figure.

My mouth dropped open as realization struck me. He looked like Josh. A taller and older version of Josh. Could it be true? “Um, excuse me, Derrick? Are you related to some boy called Josh Crawford, somehow?” “Hey, how’d you know about my son Josh? You know him?” Josh was Derrick’s son? I couldn’t believe my ears. “Uh, he goes to my school. And his sister Chloe is in my year.”

Derrick was beaming from ear to ear. “Really? I never knew that. Chloe never said anything about someone called Kat McKenzie in her year. What about Melody? She’s in the year above.” I told him that I wasn’t really best friends with Chloe, but I told him I was once, many years ago.

Derrick nodded and lead us up the spiralling staircase into a large white room with glittery drapes, a King sized four-poster bed, bookshelves full of books and all sorts of displays and frames, a big mahogany desk of Tasmanian wood, Apple MAC laptop and some expensive camera, filming and recording equipment lying on the desk. A glass turning display was revolving around slowly in a corner showing many precious crystals, diamonds, pearls, emeralds and sapphires. Wow-eee. This feels just like the snobby, rich girls house in those Hollywood movies.

I had never in my life imagined anyone so rich. But then something struck me as bizarrely strange, being so rich. I mean, why are they so comfortable displaying such fine things worth billions when they could be robbed? The question popped out of my mouth before I could stop it. “Why do you have all these gemstones and never get robbed or something?” I blurted out. Derrick raised his eyebrows. “We have one of the world's best security system complete with lasers, an alarm system and security cameras everywhere and special devices that detect identity and any other traces.” I was completely gobsmacked. He smiled coyly.

Derrick didn’t seem to notice the expression on my face and mistook it for a dog about to sick. “Um, do you need to use the bathroom in Josh’s room?” I nearly fell head first in Derrick’s marble bedside table. “Oh, no no I’ll be absolutely fine! Um, I think I hear my phone calling. I gotta get it!” Before I made my mad dash out of the room Derrick said that he and my dad would be in the study discussing and making plans. I barely heard the last word as I raced down the stairs at break-neck speed. I nearly slipped on the floor tiles as I jumped off the last step. I still had my head turned behind me. Which wasn’t the wisest thing to do. I ran smack dab into guess who? Josh.

He looked surprised when he saw who he had collided with. “Oh hi Kat. What are you doing here? I would’ve never guessed it was you who my dad was talking about, having lots of potential, huh?” I giggled.

Looks like Derrick had been talking about my ‘potential’ not just to me. His family too. “So, I guess I'll be seeing you around?” I could not think it was physically possible for my heart to be plummeting in my chest like this, or either my knees to be knocking so violently. I smiled weakly and asked where the bathroom was. He showed me to it and then was gone. Gone somewhere in the midst of vast interior and twisting hallways. Lost in the mystical splendour of this house.

I shut the toilet door behind me and finished off a few minutes later. I was washing my hands (and checking my hair) in one of Derrick's many grand bathroom mirrors when I noticed a framed photo leaning on the other bench. I dried my hands and walked to have a closer look at the picture. I peered at the five faces. 

There was Chloe and Melody about three and four, Josh of about seven, a younger and skinnier-looking version of Derrick, and a beautiful blonde woman were all huddled together smiling at the camera. I wonder who that woman is? And what was she anything to do with them back then? I wondered. Probably she was their mother, but where is she now? I hadn't seen her not even once since my stay. Maybe she was out somewhere? Slim chance. What if Derrick is divorced with her or... no, I will not let myself think that thought. I placed the frame gently back on the bench and left the bathroom. By the time I walked back to where Derrick and Dad were, they were busily scribbling on pieces of paper and making phone calls.

“Hi guys. So what you’re up to?” I lazily flopped down on one of the armchairs and faked a yawn. It was getting late, and I wanted to go home and email Becky, my still-best friend who’d moved to Canada last month. Becoming ‘famous’ or at least starting out was exciting and all, but right at this moment it seemed as exciting as watching my mum knit a quilt. Derrick glanced up momentarily at me and then continued to furiously write. Dad gazed wearily, rubbing his temples with his index finger. Derrick licked the edges of an envelope and slid some folded pieces of papers inside. He sealed the envelope and gave it to my temple-rubbing dad. “Oh, Kat, your back. We’ve come to some sort of arrangement with your dad, and we’ve worked out a little contract that youse can mull over tonight.” Derrick smiled, displaying his shark-like teeth (more like razors, if you ask me). “Oh and Kat,” he added as I turned around and started putting on my jacket. “Your still my number one girl! Smile like a super star!” I smiled to myself. Derrick was real phoney, but cool.

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