�I didn�t. I just came here and knocked on your door,� he said never taking his eyes off of me.
�Why?�
�I thought it was time that I saw my little girl,� he said.
�Little girl? Take a good look I�m a grown woman, now.�
�I thought it was time that I saw my daughter.�
�Oh ok, so you just woke up today and thought, �Hhhhmmm, I think I�ll visit the daughter I haven�t seen in over thirteen years. I guess I should be honored. Well, I�m not,� I said before swinging the door closed. He caught it and pushed it open.
�We really need to talk, Alexis.�
�Oh do we?� I asked turning away from him and going back to what I was doing in the kitchen. He followed me. I ignored his presence as I removed the bacon from the pan and got my mug out of the cabinet.
�Yes, I�ve stayed away for far too long. I know what happened between me, you and your mother was completely my fault but that doesn�t mean that we can�t sit down and talk. . . . like adults. Let me tell my side of the story. At least hear me out,� he said. I sat my coffee mug down so fast and hard I�m sure I chipped it. I turned toward him.
�Now? You want to talk to me, now? What about thirteen years ago when you abandoned us? Or when my mother broke her ankle and couldn�t work anymore? How about when she committed suicide? Why didn�t you need to talk to me then?� I said getting louder.
�Alexis. . . things were different then. Now things have changed.�
�Yeah things have changed! Thirteen years have gone by! I�m a grown woman, now not some scared little girl, anymore! You can�t just come in here. . . into my life and think you�re going to kiss it and make it all better.�
�If you would just listen to me! I�ll explain!�
�Explain what?! Why you left us? I already know the answer to that! You had another family! You didn�t need ours! I don�t need this, I don�t need you and, I don�t want to hear another got damned word out of your fucking mouth! In fact I want you-� I started but Nick interrupted me.
�Alexis, what�s going on?� he asked from the top of the stairs. �Are you ok?� I froze. I had almost completely forgotten that he was upstairs.
�Yeah, I�m fine. Nick, would you give me a minute, please,� I said trying to send him a signal with my eyes. He stood there for another minute looking from me to my father and back again.
�Ok, I�ll be right in your room, if you need me,� he said never taking his eyes from my father. He turned and went back into my room. I faced my father.
�Get out!�
�So. . . . that�s him. I�d seen the pictures of you and him in the papers but I didn�t believe it. I didn�t think he was your type.�
�It�s none of your business. I want you out of here.�
�Ok, I�ll go but promise me you�ll call Madeline and talk to her.�
�If it�ll get rid of you, I�ll call the pope.�
�I mean it call Madeline. If you won�t listen to me maybe you�ll listen to her.�
�Ok. . . . I�ll call her. Leave!� I said. He stepped into the hall and turned to look at me, again.
�You look as beautiful as your mother. . . . just like her,� he said.
�Bye,� I said closing the door.
I went back up to my room and climbed back into bed. I pulled the sheets and the comforter up over my head. This is where Nick found me when he came out of the bathroom. He sat down next to me and knocked on the comforter.
�No one�s home,� I replied. He pulled the sheets down from my face.
�What happened? Who was that guy?� he asked.
�You know breakfast. . . . or brunch. . . . or lunch or whatever you want to call it considering it�s after 3 o�clock. . . . is basically ready,� I said trying to change the subject.
�Alexis, I know you heard what I just asked you and it had nothing to do with food. Don�t try to change the subject,� he said. Then he asked me again, �Who was that guy?� I didn�t answer him at first. I didn�t want to talk about it. I wanted to just put it out of my mind and go on with my day. I looked up into Nick�s stormy blue eyes and knew that he wasn�t going to let me just put it out of my mind.
�That guy. . . was my father,� I started. Then, �After thirteen years of nothing � no phone calls, letters, cards, birthday or Christmas gifts. . . . he didn�t even come to my mother�s funeral. . . . he suddenly has the urge to talk to me,� I said staring out the window. I could clearly see in my mind all of those special occasions he missed and the devastation I felt because of it.
�Are you ok?� he asked stroking my hair and breaking me out of my reverie.
�Yeah, I�m fine,� I said sitting up. �I just really would have liked to start my day a little differently.�
�Do you know what he wanted?�
�Beside �really� needing to talk to me? No. . . . not really. He just said �we really need to talk� then before he would leave he made me promise to call Maddy.�
�Joshua�s mother?�
�Joshua�s mother,� I replied. I could read the question in his eyes. �My father and mother and Joshua�s mother were all friends when they were about our age. They used to hang out and go to auditions together and everything. He fell for my mother, though. That�s all I know.�
�Maybe he wants you to get the whole story from her.�
�I probably should go see her. She�d be furious if she knew I was in town and hadn�t called her, yet. I want you to meet her. She is quite a woman and I know she�s going to love you. She has a weakness for blondes,� I said sitting up. I was getting excited about seeing Maddy and introducing Nick to her. I knew she would support our relationship wholeheartedly.
�I thought you didn�t want to share me with anyone, at all.�
�Yeah I know. I don�t want to share you anyone, yet. If it were up to me I�d lock us in this room and not come out for another couple of days.�
�So why don�t we do that?� He asked nuzzling my neck.
�Now, I�m really excited about you meeting, Maddy. I really want to find out what the hell my father was talking about, too. So that means, hibernation is over, sweetie.�
Madeline Miller Owens Santiago or Madeline Dubois as she is more commonly known was very much the �Broadway Diva� and she lived her life that way. She was glamorous, outgoing, a little dramatic and somewhat eccentric. She had been married three times, technically four but her very first marriage was annulled. She married her high school sweetheart right after his graduation. She was a year younger than him. When their parents found out they ordered them to get it annulled. Madeline wasn�t eighteen yet so she couldn�t object to her parents' wishes and the court found their marriage �null and void� because she was underage. Soon after that Madeline ran off to New York City to start her stage career.
She had Joshua with her first official husband and agent Theodore Miller. After eight years of marriage they realized a working relationship as well as a personal one wouldn�t work any longer. After the divorce they remained friends and he�s still her agent to this day.
Her last two husbands she calls �lustful mistakes�. Don Owens was a movie director she dated when she was going through her �I want to get into movies!� phase. This was her second huge wedding with the whole ceremony and everything. I was even in it as a bride�s maid, my mother was her maid of honor. She remained married to Don for about three years and never appeared in any of his movies. Sometimes I wonder if that�s why she divorced him
Juan Santiago was a costar of hers in several plays. They were always paired as love interest because there was so much chemistry between them. One night after a cast party they acted on that chemistry and the next week they were married. Their union lasted a total of five months and came to a grand conclusion when she found him in bed with her understudy. After all that, Madeline declared herself done with matrimony.
To the world she may be the �Broadway Diva� Madeline Dubois but to me she was simply, �Maddy!� I exclaimed hugging the statuesque woman.
She was a few inches taller than me. Maddy was a beautiful woman in her early fifties and it was clear that she had been a raging beauty when she was younger. She was still raven-haired with few grey hairs and her face barely showed her age. Her skin was still the color of porcelain and just as baby soft. Her soft light brown eyes still gleamed and sparkled with excitement like they always did. She wore her long dark hair in a stylish chignon. Her clothes, which were clearly loungewear, were still immaculate and elegant.
�Alexis, my dear! It is so lovely to see you. My girl is back! Oh! And is this the young man that I have heard and seen so much about?�
�Maddy, this is Nick Carter,� I said presenting him to her.
�Hi ma�am. Nice to meet you.�
�Ma�am? Isn�t he polite? I am nobody�s ma�am. I don�t plan on ever being a ma�am. You can just call me, Maddy, dearheart.�
�Oh ok ma�. . . . Maddy.�
�You are just delicious! I bet if I were just a few years younger I could give Alexis a run for her money,� she said winking at me. Then, �Anyway, where are my manners? Caring on a conversation in the hall like this. . . . come in. Come in.� She ushered us into her spacious penthouse apartment and sat us down in the sitting room while she went to get some refreshments.
�She seems like a lot of fun,� Nick said.
�Oh she is. She has always been just so cool. She was always understanding of me and never judged me, no matter what I said or did. To me, when I was younger, she was ultra glamorous. She was like the definition of glamour. She went to the coolest places, wore the greatest clothes and hung out with the most interesting people. When I was younger I wanted to be her.�
When Madeline returned we sat and made idle conversation. I told her about the tour and Nick filled in the blanks about the upcoming second leg. I told her about my time in Los Angeles. I was going to tell her about my time with Nick�s mother but figured I should save that for a time when we were alone. She told us about the show she just finished, the ones she�s thinking about doing next and the shows we had to see before we left. She told me anything about Joshua that he might not have already mentioned, which turned out to be nothing. After an hour I got down to the real reason I was there.
�You won�t believe who visited me this morning. . . . earlier today,� I said.
�Who darling?� she asked.
�My father,� I replied.
�Oh?� she asked raising one perfectly arched eyebrow. �What did he want?�
�All I know is he thought we should talk, him and I. I told him �no� and tried to kick him out. He wouldn�t leave until I agreed to talk to you. Is there something you have to tell me, Maddy?�
Madeline looked stricken for a moment but only for a moment. She turned to Nick saying,
�Nick dearheart, what I am about to do is completely rude but I need to speak with Alexis and its very, very important that I speak with her alone. Right out there and down the hall about three doors down on your left is the media room, there are movies, cable TV, music and a computer. There should be enough in there for you to occupy the time I need to speak with Alexis. In fact I�m sure if you look you can find some photo albums of Alexis when she was little that might interest you.� Nick looked from Madeline to me.
�Its ok. I�ll come and get you when we�re done. Just don�t look for the albums.�
�Alright. I�ll be in the media room,� he said laying a soft kiss on my lips. �Looking at some old photos.� I shot him a disapproving look. He grinned. �I�m only kidding. I do need to make and return a few phone calls.�
Madeline and I watched him leave the room and waited till we thought he was out of earshot.
�Well, well someone appears to be blushing.�
�I�ve been doing that a lot, lately. I didn�t think I could do that. He just. . . . he gets me. . . . ya know? He is just so great about everything. . . . . and we can sit down and talk. . . . . about anything. . . . just about. Did you see his mouth? God that pouty bottom lip. . . . his kisses are amazing. His lips are amazing. . . . among other things. He�s so sweet, too. I. . . . . I don�t know how to explain it,� I said still staring after him.
�That�s ok, darling. One day you will,� she said patting my knee. I snapped out of my daydream to face her.
�So what did you need to speak with me about and why did you have to kick Nick out to do it?�
She took my hands into hers and paused as she gazed into my eyes. I could tell she was looking for the right words. I could see the wheels turning in her head. She looked away. When she looked back it was with a face that I had only seen twice in my life. The first time was when my father left and the second time was when my mother died.
�Alexis, what I am about to tell you may be a little bit shocking but it�s the absolute truth and it's about time you knew everything.�
