by Liza Brown
I was reminded of the conversations with Carl. I had seen the contract. Was I really supposed to sign those? “I didn’t know that was really a thing. They tried to get me to sign something but I said no and Elsu ripped it up.”
“Can he do that?”
“I don’t know. But he did.”
“That’s impressive.”
I nodded and smiled. The store was starting to fill up and I needed to get my purchases before I started stressing about the crowd. “Well, it was nice to meet you. All of you,” I smiled at the two teenagers.
“You too, Mae. If you ever need anything just give me a call.” She pulled a business card from her purse and handed it to me. She placed her hands on my shoulders and leaned into my ear. “You’ve got this.” She whispered and she and the girls left me with that and I had to admit I felt a little better.
Once in line at the register, a few more people asked me to get their pictures with them. It was a really weird feeling, but no one was being rude and no one mentioned asparagus, so I went with it. I quickly grabbed my purchases, two bobble-heads of Hooper, the Piston’s mascot. I figured with each new arena I went to, I’d get each of my nephews one and they would have a nice collection by the end of the season. Pistons fans or not, who doesn’t like a cute bobble-head?
I went to the register to make my purchase and one of the cashiers recognized me. “Isn’t this kind of going against the grain? Elsu’s girlfriend buying Pistons gear?” she asked with a smile.
“I’m pretty sure I felt a warp in the time-space continuum when I picked them up. But nothing I can’t handle. They’re for my nephews.”
I felt a hand brush my hair off my back and I cringed. “Where did you get that shirt?” said an unfamiliar voice behind me.
I turned around to see a little old woman. She eyed the front of my shirt and nearly grabbed my boob trying to get a good look at the owl. “That is adorable!” she said.
“It was a gift, I assumed it was from here.” I looked at the cashier.
“Nope, we don’t carry visitor merch in the main shop. The concession stands sell the visitor stuff. But that doesn’t look familiar.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know then, Elsu gave it to me because I wasn’t even supposed to be here today and what I was dressed in when I got here was kind of drab.”
“Turn around,” said the woman behind the counter. I did and she pulled the tag out to read its source. “Elsuwear? Does he have his own line?” she asked me.
“I guess he does,” I said curiously.
“That is rather awesome. Even if it is Whoopsters.”
I laughed and returned to my seat shortly after.
I sat next to Millard and showed him my purchases. “Really, Mae? Pistons?”
“Stop it! I’ll get them at every place I go. The kids will love them.”
“I’m just joking. Very cute. You do have the owl, right?”
“Not yet, I will though. Does he even have a name yet?” I asked.
“I think I heard ‘Owlington’.”
“Wow, clever,” I rolled my eyes.
“You know it.” He smiled.
“Speaking of which, this shirt? Someone asked me about it. It’s ‘Elsuwear’? What is that?”
“His clothing line. He had to go through a lot of red tape to get the team to let him use the Owl on that thing. I’m pretty sure that’s the Christmas release jersey he’s been talking to his people about.”
“His people? I thought you were his people.”
“I’m just his assistant slash bodyguard. He has a whole army of people, Mae. Lawyers and publicists and stylists and masseuses and and and…” he tallied his list with his outstretched fingers. “He probably has ten to fifteen people he pays to make him who he is. In fact, the guy who sometimes gets these seats is the guy who helped design that shirt you’re wearing. That’s most likely where that came from. You’re wearing a limited edition, Mae.”
I laughed at the silliness of a statement like that being directed at someone like me. “And I went and bought him clothes. He has stylists that would have done that for him. I should have known that. I’m an idiot.”
“Mae you are definitely not an idiot,” said Millard as he turned his body to face me. “This world you’ve stepped into is unlike any other. It’s only comparable to that of musicians on tour. He’s got the money to make sure people do what he needs done. That’s why he’s so good at what he does.” Millard pointed to the court. “He can keep his mind off of day-to-day drudgery and concentrate on the game.”
“Day-to-day drudgery?”
Millard looked at me crossly. We’d only known each other a week and a half but he was already reading my mind. “Mae, you are not day-to-day drudgery.”
“It’d be ok if I were. I know what being someone’s drudgery feels like. You heard that conversation with my mom.”
“Mae,” Millard looked at the fake-fur lined hood of the coat in front of us. He studied it for a moment before he carefully removed a piece of fuzz from the hairs. We both watched as it floated away and attached itself to someone else’s coat. “When new seasons begin, Elsu really gets into them. Mind and body. I’ve been sitting beside him when his legs will twitch because he’s practicing a play in his mind, or he’ll make a shot with his hands like a golfer practices his swing. I’ve even heard him talk to an invisible coach. When he makes himself his disgusting protein smoothies he talks to himself about how he’s going to tackle the day.”
“I thought he didn’t use protein shakes.”
“He doesn’t use prepackaged ones. He makes his own. Just a word to the wise. Never take an offered taste, you will never get that flavor out of your mouth!”
I nodded and smiled. I had so much to learn about this man.
“It used to be that when he’d make his shakes, he’d work himself up to get ready to work out or practice or whatever he was going to do.”
“He was really intense, wasn’t he?”
“No, not was.” said Millard as he crossed his ankle to his knee. “He is still that intense, but his subject of concentration has changed.”
“Changed?”
“I probably shouldn’t be telling you this, but now he talks about what he needs to do to make sure ‘she’ will be happy. That ‘she’ won’t be offended. That ‘she’ will be pleased.”
“She?”
“Really, Mae? She is you.”
“ME? Why does he have to work himself up for me? I’m a simple person, Millard. I’m pretty sure that’s rather obvious.”
“He is head over heels for you, Miss Mae. He cherishes you even more than he cherishes the game. He doesn’t want to screw either one up.”
I looked toward the court and sat quietly for a few moments. “He cherishes me.”
“Like nothing I’ve ever seen, Mae. I’m not talking just about him. I’m talking about anyone I’ve ever met.”
“So, Mae,” I heard Saraya say from beside me and I sighed loudly. I wanted more time with my thoughts. “When you’re not with Elsu, are you off giving Millard here some lovin’?”
Millard sat forward angrily to glare over my shoulder. “Shut it, Saraya!”
“I just wondered. You were always so uptight, Millard, and you two seem to be getting along so well. All this quiet chit-chat. I’m surprised Elsu doesn’t keep you two in separate corners.”
“Elsu doesn’t ‘keep’ me anywhere. Plus, I can be trusted to keep my affections to one man. Unlike his ex-girlfriend,” I said.
One of the women in front of us turned and glared at Saraya.
“I don’t think you ever joked with me, Millard. Why is that? You’re going to have to get re-acquainted with me since I’ll be coming back.”
“Keep dreaming, honey,” said Millard.
Someone came to take our drink and food order. Millard and I ordered beers and a large order of nachos to split. Saraya ordered wine and sushi. “You can put it on Elsu’s tab,” she said to the woman.
“
Elsu doesn’t have a tab here,” said Millard.
“It worked in New York and Boston,” she said.
“You were in Boston?” I asked.
“I sure was, didn’t Elsu tell you? We spent the night together last night,”
How she was ever hired as an actress I was unsure, but she really stunk.
“In your fantasies, maybe,” I said.
I looked at Millard. “I can still trade you seats,” he said.
“Ask me again at halftime.”
The pregame festivities began. Being the first one of the season, we were treated to a kick-ass performance of the national anthem from a huge songstress. Instead of standing and being quiet, Saraya mumbled under her breath the whole time, wondering why she hadn’t gotten to sing instead.
A few minutes after the game started, our nachos and beers came. Saraya’s sushi looked dried up and old. I’d had sushi before and didn’t mind it. But what she had in front of her looked like it was left over from the end of the last season. “You’re going to eat that?” I asked her as even she eyed it suspiciously.
“What can happen?” she asked as she popped a piece in her mouth.
I raised an eyebrow at her then scooped up some cheese and peppers on a chip.
My phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out to see another message from my stranger.
I HOPE YOU’RE ENJOYING THE GAME.
I showed it to Millard.
“That last message is what is worrying me, Mae. He’s trying to not threaten you because he knows the law. I just don’t like it at all,” he said.
I agreed and sat back to watch the game. Saraya spent most of her time texting as she had done at the dinner the week before.
I couldn’t resist the urge to poke the beautiful, well-dressed bear. “Which one of your boyfriends are you texting now?”
“You know Mae, you think you can just sweep in here and take my man but you don’t know how this shit works. I’m Elsu’s girlfriend. Our fans want us together. We look good together. He’s hot, I’m sexy, we’re both tall, we match well. You think celebrity couples ‘just happen?’ Well, they don’t! I’m not going anywhere until he’s mine again.”
“You’re going to be waiting a long time, missy. He’s mine!” I turned to face the court again. I wasn’t going to argue with her any more.
Elsu had made eye contact with me a few times during the game, but he was definitely in his zone. At halftime the Whoopsters were up by fifteen.
My phone made an odd noise and I pulled it from my pocket. “What kind of sound is that?” I asked as I tried to find the source. “Oh shit!”
“What’s wrong?” asked Millard.
“The security system at work notifies me if any of the motion sensors go off after the alarm has been set. Usually it sends me multiple snapshots of the grounds. There aren’t any pictures.” I scrolled through the app to find the source of the sound. “Sometimes it’s a mouse in the shop, or Steve had to go back because he forgot something, or the hobos I told you about before.” I froze. “There’s a fire, Millard!”
I quickly called Max and put the phone to my ear. “Mae, you’re at the game, are you trying to just rub it in?” Maybe that was why he was so mad about me and Elsu, he was jealous! I didn’t have time to test my theory.
“Max, there’s a fire at the shop. I just got a message from the system. Can you go over there and see what’s going on? Please?” I begged.
“Seriously, Mae? It’s probably just a false alarm.”
“Max, I’ve never gotten a message like this from the system before. It wouldn’t be sending an alarm for no reason.”
“Fine, I’ll call you back.” He was mad. I had a feeling he wasn’t planning to do anything.
“Why do I bother with him?” I asked.
My phone rang. “Hey Steve, did you get the message about the shop?” I asked.
“Yeah Mae, there’s a problem.” There was a long pause on the line. “The showroom is gone, Mae.”
I froze. Did I hear what I thought I heard? I plugged my other ear to block out the din of the halftime excitement. “Gone?” I asked.
“Gone, Mae. Wiped away. It’s just…not here, Mae. I heard a loud bang from my house and came over because I could tell by the way the firetrucks went that it was in this direction. I had no idea it would be here.”
“Gone?” I started to panic.
“I’m sorry, Mae. It’s gone.”
What was I supposed to do next? I tried to catch my breath. “I called Max, but I don’t know if he’ll come. I don’t think he believed me when I called him,” I said.
“I’m not going anywhere, the fire departments are here.”
“Departments?”
“Massillon, Jackson Township, and Canton are all here, Mae. It was loud. But from what I can tell there wasn’t a lot of actual fire.”
“What? How can that happen?”
“I don’t know, Mae. I’m just saying what I’m seeing.”
I stood up immediately, completely blind to my surroundings. Millard stood and looked at me. “Let’s get you a plane ticket, and you can head home. I’ll have April meet you at the airport,” he said. I sat back down with him and stared blankly into the backs of the people in front of me.
“You know who did this, right?” I said to no one in particular.
“Just calm down,” said Millard.
I couldn’t cry. I had to be strong, independent, smart Mae. I had to be the Mae who knew what to do in an emergency. I couldn’t be the supporter I wanted to be, I had to leave. Elsu was playing like Elsu does. I wanted to watch, but I couldn’t.
“If you leave now, there’s a flight that leaves in about an hour and a half. I’ll bring your stuff later, ok?”
I heard him, I just couldn’t comprehend what was being said. I nodded.
“I’ll forward you the information. Just give them that number when you get to the desk. You’ll be good.”
“I can pay for it,” I said mindlessly.
“And so can Elsu, now go!”
I stood up again and walked away. I took one last glance at the empty court and was sad that I couldn’t even make eye contact before I left.
Once out in the cold Detroit November air I was jolted into the realization of what I was doing. I hailed a cab and got myself to the airport with very little thinking. I pulled the info from my phone and showed it to the first person I came to. I was pointed in the right direction and got to the plane as everyone else was loading as well. Once onboard, I was stuck in the middle of the economy class between two women who both smelled like they had bathed in cheap perfume. Two different cheap perfumes.
The woman to my left started listening to an audiobook with the sound so loud I could nearly make out every word that was being piped into her ears. The woman to my right began clipping her fingernails. The sounds, smells, and visions were making me want to vomit.
I reached for the air sickness bag in the pocket of the seat in front of me and just held it in my hand. The woman to my right eyed me cautiously. “You gonna hurl?” she asked.
“I sure hope not,” I said as I closed my eyes and tried to picture friendly things. Flowers, kittens, fields of sunflowers, and blue skies. The things that the quack doctor had said to do when I was in an unavoidably claustrophobic situation.
“Would you like some gum?” asked the nail clipping lady. I took a piece and thanked her. Maybe the mint would settle my stomach. I chewed but the flavor ebbed fast and I was left chewing what tasted like a glob of rubber after only about a minute. Not only was her perfume cheap, so was her choice in gum. I discretely spit the gum into the vomit bag and sat with my head against the headrest for the rest of the flight.
CHAPTER 15
Once we landed, I found April waiting for me and we headed straight toward the shop. “Miss Mae, how are you feeling?” she asked.
“Like I wish I had been in the building when it blew up,” I said as I watched the blackened city fly by. “Have
you been to the shop?”
“No ma’am, I was helping to keep Magdalena and Richard settled down. They both wanted to come with me and I had to use every trick I could think of to convince them to stay. I won’t be surprised if they show up at some point.”
“Thank you, April. This was obviously not expected.”
“I know ma’am,” she said.
My phone rang and I pulled it from my purse.
“Elsu,” I said and a tear streaked down my face.
“You’ve landed?” he asked.
“Yes, I’m so sorry I left mid game. Did Millard tell you why?” I asked.
“Don’t be sorry. Yes, he told me. Have you seen the shop yet?” he asked.
“No, not yet. But Elsu, all the guys’ cars were in there. They’re going to be so pissed at me.”
“Mae, no one is going to be mad at you. Don’t worry.”
“When are you coming home?” I asked him.
“Not ‘til the morning. The next flight out isn’t until after the one the team is scheduled to take, so I’ll be coming with them. Stay strong, Mae. Call me whenever you need me. I’ll keep my phone on.”
I didn’t reply, we had just pulled up to the shop. The entrance to the parking lot was blocked off. Fire trucks and police cars were the only vehicles on the other side of the yellow tape. April pulled up to the entrance and we both just stared in stunned silence. Paparazzi and random gawkers were milling about at the property line.
“Mae? Are you still there?”
I heard his voice but I couldn’t talk. I handed Elsu to April. I got out of the car and walked away from it…and her…and him.
The paparazzi swarmed like vultures on a freshly downed soul. I pushed my way through them and walked toward the tape. I stepped over it and my foot hit something. I looked down to find pieces of debris at my foot. I scanned the parking lot and realized it was littered with it. I stood still as I took in the sight of my showroom. Or, the place where my showroom had been the last time I had been there. The first familiar face I saw was Steve’s. I ran to him and he scooped me up like the pseudo-uncle that he was. I bawled into his shoulder.
“I know baby, I know.” He patted me on my back and held me for a while. The paparazzi made sure to get good shots of our embrace. They seemed to ignore the yellow ‘DO NOT CROSS’ tape and started to come closer.
