The Fallen Starlet

by Eve Corso

  Finally, Vivianne looked him in the eyes. “You’re not kidding around, are you?”

  Jack shook his head. “No, ma’am. I’m afraid not.”

  She softened up a bit. “You said your name is Jackson?”

  “I go by Jack, actually.”

  “And you said you’re in the Hollywood business?”

  “I’m a producer, yes.”

  “Funny, Hollywood turns its back on me, and the one man who can now help me is the one man I abandoned all those years ago. Life has a funny way of working out, doesn’t it?”

  “I’m guessing you were an actress. Were you in anything I would know?” he asked to be polite, though he had already looked her up and had found nothing on her.

  “Commercials, ads, a few plays. Nothing like a major motion picture, no.” She held up a finger and set down her glass. “Though I did audition. Don’t think I didn’t try.”

  Jack watched as she stood up and walk away. She left the kitchen and turned down the hall. Jack wondered if he should follow her, but he decided to stay put. She had left her vodka after all.

  He took another sip of his own drink, the alcohol warming his stomach. Maybe he should have eaten something that morning. He saw a loaf of bread sticking out of one of the grocery bags and wondered if he should make toast with some of the peanut butter he had seen.

  Vivianne returned moments later, a headshot in her hand. She handed it to Jack and stood next to him, admiring her own beauty in the old photograph. It was in black and white and she was dressed for the roaring 20’s period. Jack studied it, marveling at how beautiful she had been. He saw his own eyes in hers, the same sparkly blue. In fact, they looked a lot alike, the more he looked at the picture. He could even see some of his own daughter in her.

  “Remarkable,” he whispered.

  “Yes. Wasn’t I a catch?”

  He turned the old headshot around, a thought forming. “This had to have been the sixties or the seventies? What’s with the costume?”

  Vivanne took the picture back angrily. “That’s no costume. That was my own attire. I wanted to bring back class and dignity to the motion pictures. The world was giving way to hippies and slobs. I wanted to showcase that I was available for something a little different. I was sure one of the studios would snatch me up given how I looked. But no one did. I was out there all those years and I have nothing to show for it.”

  Jack set his glass down. “I’d love to hear all about it, if you have some time.” His big blue eye searching hers.

  As if being called out of a dream, Vivianne looked at Jack as if she was seeing him for the first time.

  She laughed at him. “Why? You wanna sell my story? Be my guest. At least it would be good for something after all these years.”

  Jack only laughed. “I just want to know it, that’s all. I came down all this way. Couldn’t I at least have that?”

  She nodded, giving in. “Very well. But we’re going to need more of this, I can tell you that right now,” she said, lifting her glass.

  Jack laughed. “Okay, sure. But I’m going to need to eat something if I’m going to have another drink. I think I saw some bread sticking out of one of these bags. Mind if I help myself to some toast and a little bit of peanut butter?”

  “Oh, you can do better than that, can’t you? I had them deliver chicken, steak, potatoes. It’s all here,” she said.

  Jack let out a small laugh. “Well, it’s a little early for steak and potatoes. In fact, it’s a little too early for this,” he said, indicating his glass and setting it down on the counter. He decided he’d help put her groceries away while she watched him.

  “You said you had help for all of this?” he asked.

  “A mother of four. She comes by once a week while they’re in school. She’s from a town over. She’s quiet, keeps to herself.”

  “And who cooks the food?”

  Vivianne looked at him with large eyes. “I have a cook who comes from four to five. He preps my meal twice a week. It works out quite nicely.”

  Jack opened up the bread and made himself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, wiping his fingers on his jeans. He folded the sandwich in half and took one large bite.

  “The plates are over there to your left,” Vivianne pointed as she looked at him, a frown on her face.

  Jack shook his head, his mouth full. “Don’t need one.”

  Vivianne gave him a look of disgust and rolled her eyes. She walked over to the cupboard and pulled out a plate with a gold-rimmed edge. By the time she handed him the plate, the sandwich was gone.

  He gave her a smile as he finished chewing.

  “Very well, then,” she said.

  “I’m thinking about having a second one. Do you mind?”

  “Help yourself,” she replied, her accent thick and her voice soft. “But use the plate this time, thank you.”

  “Would you like one?”

  “Why not?” she said and shrugged, as if disinterested.

  “I haven’t had one of these since I was a kid,” he said, as he turned his back and made two more.

  “I haven’t in quite a while, myself.”

  He handed a full sandwich to Vivianne and she took a plate, thinking about how the texture felt in her mouth.

  “Needs milk,” she said with a slight giggle.

  Jack laughed. “Now you’re talking.” He pulled out two small glasses and poured milk into them. Afterwards, he took his own plate and the two glasses to the breakfast table, which was covered in a tablecloth that reminded Jack of a quilt, but wasn’t. He noted the fabric, rubbing it in between his fingers.

  “This is nice. Different, but nice.”

  “It’s like everything else in this damned house, old!” she exclaimed and switched back to her vodka, pushing her milk and peanut butter and jelly sandwich off to the side.

  Jack gave her a small smile. “What brought you all the way back here to Alabama, if you don’t mind my asking?”

  He watched as Vivianne took a deep breath. “I was in love, or thought I was. He was married and we had been seeing each other since the sixties, when I was a newcomer to Los Angeles. I think everyone in Hollywood knew of our affair, including his wife,” she smirked. “He promised me he’d leave her, but when I became pregnant, he threatened me. It was my broken heart that brought me back here.”

  “Who was the guy?”

  “He was head of United Cinema. He promised me roles. When I didn’t get them, he said I was still too green, wet behind the ears. He promised to make me a star and he preferred my older sense of fashion and taste. When I got pregnant, he threw all of it in my face, telling me that Hollywood was changing and that I would need to change with it if I ever wanted to become a star.”

  She stopped for a moment, then gave Jack a devilish look and smiled at him. “Want to know what I said to him after that?”

  Jack washed down his bite with a sip of milk as he listened eagerly. “Yeah, what’d you say?”

  “I said, ‘Well, I’m an unwed pregnant woman at the age of thirty-six and I’m pretty sure I can pass for one of your actresses to star in your trashy no-good films! Why don’t you hire me now, you son-of-a-motherless goat!?’” Her eyes twinkled as she spit out the curse, remembering it as if it were just yesterday. But her laughter quickly faded. “But then the truth hit me and I knew no one would want to hire me after that scandal. There was only one place for me to go, and it was here. This was our family home, but it was never lived in. You see, the water has always been bad, worse so than what you saw. After the house was built, it was deemed unsafe to live here. But all that was when I was a little girl. Anyway, I figured I’d come back here and make the best of it. Slowly but surely, the small town grew and I grew old with it.”

  Jack shook his head. “You came back to live here all alone?”

  “What was I going to do? My family was back in Louisiana. I couldn’t face them.”

  “What did you do for money?” Jack asked.

 
“Money has never been an issue. I assume that’s why you wanted to find me?”

  Jack leaned back and made a face, scoffing. “What? No. I had no idea if you were well off or broke, or what. I just wanted to meet you.”

  Vivianne nodded, believing him. He had an honest look about him. She wondered if it were possible. Could he really be her son? They had the same eyes, the same smile. He must have been handsome when he was younger. He was still very handsome now. Chiseled jaw, hair a mix of salt and pepper, and he appeared to be in shape. He even looked vulnerable, the same way she had looked when she left Hollywood to come here.

  “So, you came to meet me? What now?” she asked.

  Jack shrugged. “I have a room nearby. It’s reserved for the month. Honestly, I just needed an escape for a little while.”

  “And what is it you’re escaping from?” she asked.

  “My wife died.”

  Vivianne’s face softened as she watched him, slumped in his chair as he was. “I’m so sorry,” she said softly. “How did it happen?”

  He cleared his throat. “She was my ex-wife, actually. She left about six years ago and passed from breast cancer some months ago. I haven’t slept much ever since she was diagnosed. I worry about my daughter, and I was curious about your health history and what my little girl is up against. I’d also like to know who my biological father is and look into his side of the family as well.”

  Vivianne took a sip of her vodka. “Some escape,” she said with a laugh. “What you should have done is booked a motel in Hawaii, taken a vacation away from all this.”

  “My daughter’s well-being comes first. Then, I will work on me.”

  “Well, I can tell you what I know.” She gave her own breasts a quick squeeze. “Never had cancer, breast or none. My mother, bless her soul, died an old woman in her bed, or so I heard, at the age of ninety-three. She also had both of her breasts when she left this fine world. My youngest sister Madeleine is still very much alive, unfortunately, and suffers from an ulcer. As for my mother’s mother, she died giving birth to my mother. And my father’s mother died from pneumonia at the age of seventy-something. Everyone got to keep their breasts.”

  Jack nodded.

  Vivianne looked at him. “Now that you have our health history, what do you plan on doing here for a whole month?”

  Jack shrugged. “Visit some nearby towns, get to know some new people, read a book. I don’t know.”

  “You could check out the library.”

  “Yeah, I think we drove past one in the town over.”

  Vivianne shook her head and pointed towards the hallway. “Not the one in Graceville. I have one here. It’s just off to the left. One of the few things I spend my money on. Food, jewels, and books. What more does a woman need?” she asked.

  She set her cup down and looked at him, giving him a cold hard look. “I don’t know what you hope to gain from all this, but, darling, I am too old to play mother to you if that’s what you’re looking for.”

  Jack shook his head. “It’s not. I just wanted to get some medical history and maybe get to know you a bit. I’m not asking for anything more.”

  Vivianne nodded and leaned back in her chair, watching him.

  Jack shrugged. “Would you like to have dinner with me? I could make my famous spaghetti, with garlic bread and a side salad.”

  “Pasta? Heavens, no. Too many carbs. My cook, Jonah, does my meal prepping. Sometimes he brings his rascal of a son, and that’s what I have the peanut butter and jelly for. But I wouldn’t mind a fresh salad, and some company would be nice.”

  He was happy she was allowing him to come back. He was curious about her life and wanted to know more. He waited until she finished most of her sandwich before announcing that he’d come back for dinner.

  “Be here at six sharp. We eat at seven,” she said as she let him out. After she closed the door behind her, reality set in. She had a son, and he looked exactly like her, and maybe she had done some good in this world after all. She had blocked him from her mind all those years. The pain of leaving him was too much to bear. It had been the right decision then, she knew, but it didn’t mean it was an easy one. Vivianne found that she was looking forward to their dinner that night and in getting to know Jackson. Her eyes watered as she leaned against the door when he left. She closed her eyes and tears fell. She wiped them quickly, lest her make-up smear. She took a deep breath and walked back to the kitchen to finish the rest of her morning vodka.

  Chapter Four

  Jack walked back into his motel room, feeling the effects of the vodka in his system. He took a water bottle out of the fridge and finished its entire contents without stopping.

  He took off his coat and unbuttoned his jacket. After unbuttoning his dress shirt and taking it off, he changed into a white T-shirt and called his daughter, anxious to give her the news.

  The call went to voicemail. Frustrated, he threw his phone on the bed. He realized he shouldn’t be upset. She was most likely in class, after all. Instead of waiting around for her to call him back, he decided on getting a bite to eat. He was starving and the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches he had had earlier were not cutting it.

  Jack left the motel in his T-shirt and jeans, his mouth watering when he got to the Get It N Go establishment. He looked for Willadeen and his face erupted into a large smile when he saw her.

  “Jackson, honey, back for more? Couldn’t resist Harper’s family recipes, could you?” she yelled from across the restaurant as she walked other to give him a hug. She held on to his torso longer than he was used to and he was surprised. “We’ve got to do something about all this skin and bones before you head back home, don’t we? And I think I have just the thing.”

  “Oh yeah?” Jack answered, realizing it must have just been her personality. “Whatcha got for me?”

  “Well, Lorraine Hunt just dropped off her famous batch of mac and cheese.” Willadeen stepped in close. “Now, I don’t know what her secret is, but it’s the best damn mac and cheese in the whole state of Alabama. I make a mean mac and cheese myself, but I ain’t got nothing on Lorraine’s.” Willadeen gave him a playful shove. “So, you’re in luck. We also have some fresh fried chicken waiting just for you, with some mashed potatoes and some spinach to keep you strong.” She patted him hard on the back. “How’s that sound for you?”

  Jack nodded and couldn’t help but chuckle. He wasn’t used to this Southern hospitality. “Sure, sounds great.”

  Willadeen pointed to a free table. “Sit your cute little ass down and make yourself at home. I’ll take care of the rest.”

  Jack turned red at the comment, but did as he was told. Moments later, a cold iced tea was delivered to his table. He hadn’t remembered ordering one, and really would have preferred a nice cold water, but didn’t have the heart to return the iced tea. He took a sip, feeling surprisingly refreshed. He would have to remember that when Los Angeles hit its record hot summer days.

  The food was delivered and Jack savored every bite. Willadeen was right, the mac and cheese was close to having an orgasmic experience and he closed his eyes after the first bite. He knew one thing for sure; he’d be coming back to this place often. The food was unlike anything he had ever had. Back home in Los Angeles, he had already grown tired of avocado on toast, brownies, and bagels, which were popular among the movie sets. It’s no wonder he was so thin. This type of food though, this was something he could get used to.

  The very moment he was done clearing everything off of his plate, save for the chicken bones, Willadeen parked herself across from him, her eyes bright and cherry, with a fresh glass of iced tea waiting for him.

  “So, whaddya think?”

  Jack wiped his mouth with the napkin from his lap. “Hands down, the best meal I’ve ever had this side of the Mississippi.”

  Willadeen’s eyes shone at the compliment. “Well, that’s really kind of you to say, Jack.”

  Jack realized how much the compliment meant to her. H
e shook his head. “Who am I kidding? Willadeen Harper, that’s the best meal I’ve had on the whole planet.”

  “Well, that touches my heart. I’m so glad you stopped by today.”

  “That makes two of us.”

  “So, tell me, did you find what you were looking for with Ole Lady Viv?” she asked, her eyes searching his.

  “Uh, yeah. I think so. I plan on staying here for about a month. As long as I’m here, you’ll have a customer in me, that’s for sure.”

  “Good, challenge accepted. I plan on putting some meat on those bones. What business do you have with Ole Lady Viv, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  Jack tried to be as kind as possible as he answered her question. She had been nothing but hospitable towards him. “Well, now, I’m afraid it might be a little personal. I don’t want to share her business without her knowing. But it’s nothing to worry about.”

  Willadeen waved a hand at him. “Oh shoot, no one is talking about being worried. She’s as sharp as a pistol, that one. Sure, she’s in dreamland, but she’s mostly aware of her surroundings, or so I hear. I haven’t seen her in person since I was a child, but a few townspeople work for her. It’s too bad things didn’t turn out for her in Los Angeles. Seems to me that while she’s been back in Alabama, she’s never really left la la land.”

  Jack nodded. “What can you tell me of her past? In Hollywood, I mean?”

  Willadeen motioned for the waiter bring her an iced tea. “Plenty of ice in mine, you know how I run hot all damn time,” she said, fanning herself with her teal v-neck blouse.

  When the drink was placed in front of her, Willadeen finished half of it in one long sip through the red straw. Jack waited patiently, wondering what information she’d be able to give him.

  “She’s been here since I’ve been born. I don’t know much about her past, to be honest. She’s always been a hermit in that mansion of hers, a kind of recluse,” she said, whispering the last word. She wiped sweat off of her forehead with her napkin and continued. “Never sign of any men in her life, children, friends, or anything. From what I know, she carries on as if she were the Queen of England, but there’s a fragileness to her, too. Like she’d crack if you dropped her. Crack and break into a million pieces. That’s what they say, anyway,” Willadeen said, her voice soft.