by Tara Ellis
For three hours Vanessa was staring into the bottom of Chuckey’s bed. It wasn’t because her bunk mate snored; hell Brenda snored louder than him, and she would snore right in her ear in most nights. It was because she felt very uncomfortable sleeping in the same room with a group of guys that were way older. She tried counting sheep, when the one hundredth eighty-fourth hopped over the imaginary fence she gave up. She knew she couldn’t wake up the next morning tired on the job. That would leave a bad first impression on her coworkers. She slipped out the cabin with a blanket and found a lounging sofa in the isle way. The train was much louder out here. She heard the constant clickity clack of the rails, it didn’t bother her though. The repetition almost had a soothing effect. It reminded her of the constant ticking of the clock tower. She shut her eyes and she could almost fool herself that she was home. She yawned. Wiped her eyes, and recounted the sheep. She slowly started to drift into the entrapment of slumber until she was completely snared.
Five minutes later she heard a scream. She perked up. She heard voices coming towards her direction. There was a slovenly type of speech one could only get from drinking. As the voices came nearer she hid behind the sofa. Timsley was with some other woman, a brunette. It was dark but she knew it was Timsley from the accent. But this other woman, when she stepped into the moonlight Vanessa thought she was too ugly to be a performer, she must do maintenance or something. She smelled a thick musky odor like Timsley hog washed himself in cologne. Perky giggles came off the woman. Timsley quieted her with a hush.
“I don’t want you to wake the other lads,” he said. “Tonight we are going to be celebrating.”
Then Vanessa heard the smack of a wet kiss.
“What are we celebrating,” said the brunette. “A one day anniversary.”
Vanessa heard the slush of a liquid, she peered over a little more. It was Timsley’s closest ally in life, Jack Daniels. She heard more lip smacking. She saw Timsley grab her bottom like a bowling ball. The brunette moaned.
“What we’re going to celebrate is this moment right here.” The woman giggled. She then grabbed the bottle and took a sip. The whole time Timsley and this woman were whispering, unsuccessfully, no one peered out their cabin curtains.
“We alcoholics don’t need a reason to drink,” he said. He put the bottle to his lips and chugged hard. “Just an excuse.” The lady smiled, went up on her tiptoes and smacked another kiss with him. Sloppy drunk wet kisses.
“My excuse is I have you here with me and I plan to poke a hole in you.” They smacked once more. “Let’s go to my cabin.”
“Wait, what’s this?” said the brunette. Vanessa eyes shuffled, her blanket was hanging over the sofa still. “Somebody left their blanket out here.” Vanessa heard the woman come her way. She felt her tug on the blanket.
“Just leave it,” said Timsley.
Just listen to him lady, thought Vanessa. But she wouldn’t. Vanessa had no choice, she raised out from her hiding spot. All three of them just stood there for a second with eyes wide and jaws unhinged.
Joyce flickered through the television all night; she didn’t know what she wanted to watch. She was kept awake by the memory of all the love the spectators had thrown her way. She replayed the cheers in her head and blushed instantly. Her cheeks went purple. People pointed out to her that she was the only girl of color they seen with the ability to blush. She was dark and lovely. One of the most vibrant personalities anyone could come across. There was something about that young girl that made people draw into her. She was attractive on the outside, attractive on the inside and perhaps that is why she could attract people to her.
She eventually caught the stomach warbles. She looked into her mini fridge and pulled out a Redbull. She figured she wasn’t going to sleep anyway so she told herself who cares. She also wanted something to chew on; she saw nothing but sweet snacks. Joyce was more of a salty snacker. She remembered there being a kitchen section in the train car. She went there looking for potato chips in her tweety bird pajamas. The kitchen was the same size that would be in any modern home.
“Mr. Sebring really goes all out for his talent,” she said to herself. She grabbed a chair, stood on it, reached on top of the refrigerator and pulled the Sun Chips. She then poured some into a bowl. She popped one into her mouth and crunched; the familiar snack of choice dazzled her taste buds. She became curious to what was inside the refrigerator. To her it was a fancy rich person’s refrigerator that opened with two doors. She pulled both doors open and the illumination came out like light from heaven. The inside was decked with bottles of wines, vodkas and beers. There was enough ammunition to support a frat house party. She could recognize Bacardi, Absolute and Jack Daniels but all the others to her were fancy bottles with silly names.
Scarlett pushed Joyce out the way. Scarlett then grabbed a whole bottle of Absolute. She scowled at Joyce in her Tweety bird pajamas, flexing her upper lip in disgust. One look Scarlett would give could say it all. And what she was telling Joyce was you look busted and I’m disgusted. She was wearing a black lacey top and bright polka dotted panties that read pink on her bum. Scarlett then grabbed the rest of the bag of chips and she was gone. Joyce looked down on her clothes feeling a little silly. She thought maybe she could wear something more mature and grown up to bed. Then she went on thinking she liked herself more than to care what that stranger thought of her. “Don’t let her get to you,” she said to herself. “Don’t let her get to you.”
“Oh shut up!” shouted Scarlett from around the corner. Joyce breathed in deep and sighed long. Then she closed the gates of heaven.
“What are you doing out here?” asked Timsley. Vanessa had the blanket wrapped around her head making her appear more like the child she was.
“I couldn’t sleep,” she said. If awkwardness was a liquid the three would be drowning right then. The brunette’s eyes shuffled around on the floor, trying not to look the girl in the face. Vanessa’s eyes stayed wide; her expression was that of a child who just caught two adults being naughty.
“So the cabin with the boys was too much for you huh?” said he. Vanessa mumbled a reply but it really wasn’t clear.
“Selena, Charlotte.” Timsley fingers flicked back and forth from Vanessa and his date. “Charlotte, Selena.” Both ladies said hey simultaneously. Vanessa then chewed on her fingernails. “Go on to me cabin and I will meet you in there lassie, okay?” Then Charlotte was gone. Vanessa was nervous to the point she felt sick in her stomach being left alone with Timsley. She had perceived him to be a pervert and he turned out to be.
“I’m sorry to have caught you off guard I was just…”
“You shouldn’t be apologizing.” He stepped closer to her, getting in her space, making her feel uncomfortable. The stench of alcohol on his breath was nearly corrosive to her nose. “You caught us fair and square.” He hitched up his belt to his sagging beer gut.
“It won’t happen again.” She tried to walk away back into her cabin, but Timsley stomped on the tail of her blanket.
“Enough with the sorrys.” She felt him pulling her in. “I hired you because you seemed like a fun lass, you should join me and Charlotte back in me cabin.”
“Sorry, oh,” she said. Then she apologized once again for her apology. “But I don’t swing that way sir.”
“You don’t? It could be mostly me and you.”
“No it’s just that… I don’t want to have sex.”
“Fine.” He gazed into her big brown water eyes. “But if you want to move up in this company you’re going to have to show a little enthusiasm.” Then he left.
Vanessa was disgusted beyond her belief. She hated herself for getting into this type of situation. Her eyes started to burn. Her shoulders started to jerk. Her knees got weak. She fell back on the sofa. And let it all loose. She sobbed like the baby she wasn’t trying to be. This whole situation, she w
as now in was too adult for her. Timsley made her feel dirty, like a piece of meat to tear into.
When living like a recluse at the clock tower she didn’t ever have to worry about guys hitting on her. Sitting on the sofa she tried to calm herself down because there was no one she could run to. Grow up, she told herself. This happens all the time just grow up. Vanessa rushed to the bathroom. She heaved over into the toilet and dinner made a comeback. “This is pathetic,” she told herself. “Tomorrow I’m going to jump train.”
Joyce had her snacks filling her tummy as she continued to flick through the TV, until it was her own face that caught her eye. Billy Bush of Access Hollywood was reporting El Circo de Fantasias hottest new act. He set up the opening dialogue then the TV showed a clip of Joyce’s performance. Joyce watched herself on TV for the first time. Her whole body went numb. She wondered how in the world they got this footage before the episode aired. Her excitement led her to call her best friend Jodi.
“Jodi,” she said. “I’m on Access Hollywood.” Then she squealed like a baby piglet. Her friend asked why she was on TV.
“I don’t know just flip on channel four.” On the other line her friend said “oh em effing gee.”
“I know right,” squealed Joyce. She then put her hand over her mouth afraid she shouted a little too loud. “I can’t believe it.”
Her friend told her she looked good and Joyce thanked her. They both were giddy like 12 year olds over the newest teen pop star. Except the newest teen pop star was Joyce. Her friend told her she was now famous and that she should give her a shout out once she is on Jay Leno. Joyce laughed. “I definitely will.”
Jodi also told her to not be all haughty once the paparazzi start to follow her. A big fat grin was planted between her swell blushed purple cheeks. She sniffled; tears of joy soon sprang out of her.
Her friend screamed. Jodi told her to turn to NBC. Joyce saw her face once more in the background of Inside Edition with Deborah Norville giving coverage on a young talent that will pump new blood in the entertainment business. They showed Joyce’s act. She appeared graceful yet stunning. She became more and more impressed with herself every second she was on the screen.
“Jodi, I’m taking you to Hollywood with me. We’re going to go on all the red carpets and get our picture taken. Rub elbows with all the movie stars. You know what? I’m going to meet Leonardo Decaprio, but I’m not going to say anything. I just want to touch him. I just want to tap him with my finger and then walk away.” Jodi told her how creepy she sounded. But Joyce didn’t calm down. “I’m going to get so much swag. You’re never going to see me with my satchel again. Now I can only be seen with Gucci, Fendi, Praderr.” Jodi corrected her pronunciation of Prada. Joyce was practically dizzy continuing on with her state of giddiness.
Jodi told her to turn to fox. She saw Mario Lopez hosting EXTRA talking about the ten hottest stories of the week. She was number nine. She was in the spotlight; the cameras were caressing her ego, she loved every minute of it. The world was talking about Joyce.
Breakfast
