Caught in the rush
Chapter Four
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"We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming to bring you a special update of the situation on the 405 freeway…"
The face of Fernell Chatman then appeared on the scene. "First of all, my apologies to all of you for interrupting your show, but we now have singer Penny on the phone right now, to update us on the situation on the major hold up on the 405 freeway, Penny, are you still there?"
"Yes Fernell, and thank you."
"I just want to say that I'm very flattered you requested me to conduct this interview."
"You're my favorite anchor, what can I say."
"Thank you, now Penny, whats it like out there?"
"It's miserable as all hell. About an hour ago, people gave up honking their horns, I guess they realized it wasn't doing any good, but we've got to do something. Everyone is probably hungry, I managed to get some cookies to one little girl, but I don't have enough for everyone."
"If I may ask, how did you wind up out there in the first place?"
"Chasing a man."
"Would that be your boyfriend, Dirk Monahan?"
"That's right. We got into a big fight, and I was trying to intercept him before he got to the airport."
"Why was he going to the airport?"
"Like I said, we got into a very big fight and things were said that shouldn't have been said, and he was going back home to Scotland, and I can't let him ruin his career by leaving in the middle of the tour."
"Wouldn't your career be ruined as well?"
"My career doesn't matter Fernell. I can bounce back, even if I can't, it doesn't matter. I can't let what happened ruin what he and the rest of his band worked so hard for."
"And what about you?"
"I love him too much to just let him walk away from me without trying to fix things, I think he misunderstood me, and I don't think he meant the things he said, I know I didn't mean what I said. I just hope I'm not too late."
"I'll have to interrupt you for just a moment, Penny, we have breaking news. Apparently, we have a call from someone else trapped in this gridlock, caller go ahead."
"Dude, am I on the air?" the young man called out. Fernell resisted the urge to make a face.
"Yes sir, you are, what have you got for us?"
"Well, I don't know if this is important, I mean everyone out here is suffering, but you're never going to believe who's in this limo right next to me? Dirk Monahan…"
Everyone watching, heard relieved cry come from Penny's cell phone on the air.
Meanwhile, Dirk decided that now was the perfect time to try to get to know his driver, and rolled down the window that divided the front and back seats. "You know, we don't talk much, Bjornar," he stated, "did I pronounce that right?"
"We don't talk ever sir," Bjornar mumbled, peering at his boss in the rearview mirror, "and yes, you did pronounce it right."
"Oh good."
"What's on your mind sir?"
"What do you think of Penny?"
"Miss Breslin seems like a very nice lady."
"That's because she bought you a DVD player for Christmas, what do you really think of her?"
"Like I said, she seems like a very nice lady. Not a lot of celebrities I've ever dealt with are very kind to their drivers, if indeed they ever remember their names at all. I'm not even her driver, and she's always been very nice to me."
"What about what you think about her and me?"
"I think you make a nice couple, but you need to learn to listen more, and she needs to learn to talk less."
"What do you mean?"
"She seems overly concerned about making her point, that she tends to drag it on. You on the other hand, only seem to listen to part of what she says and you misinterpret what you hear."
"Do you think she was only using me as a publicity stunt?"
"Personally, no. I always saw her look at you with love, not with indifference. Publicity stunts only last a few months, not almost two years."
"Why won't she marry me then?"
"I'm sorry sir, I didn't know you had asked her."
"I did, she said no. Just like that."
"I don't have any clue as to why she would refuse to marry you."
"She has never written a song for me, or dedicated a song to me."
"I don't know why she would do that either. Maybe she's just nervous about what you're reaction would be."
"She lied to me about being pregnant."
"She said she was pregnant?"
"No, she said she wasn't. She thought she was, and told me the test was negative. I found out later that she was."
"Did she have an abortion?"
"I accused her, but she denied it. She said she miscarried. I didn't believe her, and I told her so. Then she accused me of sleeping with one of my back up singers."
"Did you?"
"No, I didn't, but I couldn't prove I didn't."
"Then how do you know she didn't have a miscarriage?"
Dirk got quiet. "Bjornar, she doesn't think I'm good enough to be her husband," he replied, as a tear fell from his cheek, "why would she want me to be the father of her child? Especially when her career is more important to her than anything else?"
"Maybe you should ask her that," Bjornar replied, starting to feel sorry for his boss, "this can be worked out, but you guys really need to talk."
"Wouldn't do any good, I just need to go home, get away from the press, get away from the tour, and get away from her. I don't know if I even want to look at her anymore."
* * *
Dirk made sure he caught all Penny's televised performances while she was away. The one he liked in particular, was when she was on Letterman.
After her performance of "Too Soon, Too Late", a tribute song to the late Dean Martin (so far his favorite song of hers), she sat with David Letterman to talk about her new CD and her personal life (something that not many of the musical guests do, but she made it a condition that she would only perform if she could be interviewed by the man himself afterwards). "Penny, thank you for coming," he smiled, as he and Penny sat down in their respective seats after the usual introductions, "that was a great performance, now I believe you wrote that song for Dean Martin?"
"I'm honored to be here, thank you for having me," Penny replied, nervously as she smiled at the cameras, "and to your question, yes, Dean Martin was my favorite male vocalist growing up, my mom practically raised me on him and Frank Sinatra. In fact, she had told me once that when I was about 2 or 3, I pointed to a picture of him and said 'I love him.'"
"That is cute," David grinned, as the audience did a collective "awww", "so, where did you come up with the title?"
"When Dean passed away in 96, I was crying to my mom who said, that he was born too soon and I was born too late, and I thought what a wonderful idea for a song that would be."
"So, tell us about your new album."
"Well, it's titled "Penny for your Thoughts", we just released it a few weeks back. "Too Soon, Too Late" is actually the second release from the album, the first was a cover of an Information Society song called "Something in the Air", and I was really lucky to get Paul Robb, one of the original members of the band to produce it for me, and he was fantastic, and the video was so much fun to make.."
"I saw that video."
"What did you think?"
"Well, unless my girlfriend is sitting right next to me, or I have a pitcher of ice water, I can't watch it anymore."
"See, you know you've made it in the world when your video serves as an aphrodisiac for David Letterman."
"Now, how did you get that guy in the video to do those scenes with you?"
"That was the easy part, he's my boyfriend, I managed to get him to take a break from recording his first major album to be in the video with me."
"Oh, he's a singer too, anyone I've heard of?"
"His name is Dirk Monahan, and everyone will be hearing about him soon enough, him and his band were big overseas, in fact, the first time I saw him was when they performed on Top of the Pops in England, the same show I appeared on, and I met him a couple of months later when the label I work with signed him and they were having a party to celebrate."
"Where is he from?"
"Edinburgh."
"That's in New Jersey, right?"
"No, I believe its in Turkey."
"What's the name of the band, I'll definitely keep an ear out for them."
"Dirk Monahan and Trouble, I don't know the official release date of their album though."
"That's all right, I hope he'll grace us with a performance when it does."
"I'll see to it personally."
"Well, it was nice to meet you, good luck with the album, Ladies and Gentlemen, Penny!"
Dirk was especially proud of the statement she made to Craig Kilborn when he asked her if she was single:
"Yes, but I'm unavailable, in fact my relationship was officially consummated before I left for New York. Would you like to see the hickey on my thigh?"
The only thing that really pissed him off about her being on that show was when Craig Kilborn replied, "Please, may I?"
And he liked the bit on Total Request Live when she flashed Carson Daly her new "Dirk Rules" tank top. He was then a bit concerned that Carson liked that bit as well.
When Penny arrived back in L.A., she tried reaching Dirk at his hotel room, but there was no answer. As badly as she wanted to see him, she didn't want to wake him, or waste her time going to his room if he was still at the studio.
Then, another thought crossed her mind. Maybe he was entertaining another woman while she was away. She immediately dialed the hotel again. "I'm inquiring about your guest in room 712," she blurted out as the night clerk answered the phone.
"Mister Monahan, yes ma'am, are you a relative?"
"No, I'm his neurotic, jealous girlfriend."
"Yes Miss Breslin, how can I help you?"
"Has he had any other guests in his room besides himself in the last week?"
"He hasn't been here. He came by a couple of nights ago and left with some clothes, but as far as I know, he's only called to check messages."
"Thank you."
Needless to say, she was puzzled. She wasn't sure if she was nervous puzzled or scared puzzled, but she was puzzled.
Until she got to her apartment.
The first thing that greeted her was the scent of her favorite cinnamon-apple incense. The only light in the whole apartment was from several candles scattered about the room. As she quietly placed her suitcase and purse on the floor, she noticed also that one of her Dean Martin CDs was playing quietly in the stereo by her bed. Then, she found out why Dirk wasn't answering his phone at the hotel.
There he was, shirtless, fast asleep on her bed.
Penny covered her mouth with both hands, in joyous shock, and just stared at him. She couldn't believe she belonged to him. This gorgeous, five foot seven, brown hair, green-eyed Scotsman asleep in her bed waiting for her to come home, was her man.
In that instance, she realized how much she really loved him.