Starstruck

by Yuriko Hime

  “Okay,” she mumbled before biting her lips and staring out the window.

  The ride passed like that. The four of us silently sat inside the car, lost in our own thoughts. Before I knew it, we were already outside Glace’s old home. I parked the car on the street so the four of us could gaze at the mansion. So that was where she grew up. It must have looked great years ago when her mother was alive. Now it looked large and dreadful. No wonder she left.

  “That’s my old home,” she said, as if reading my thoughts. “I don’t know if Rick is there right now. He’s a talent scout and sometimes work keeps him away. But there are also days when he lounges around in the study.”

  I turned to her and smiled. “Don’t worry baby. Even if he’s there, the three of us will deal with him. You never even have to talk to him if you don’t want to. Right guys?” Our friends nodded.

  “Can we find anything there that will give us a clue about your true father?” Patty asked.

  “To tell you the truth, I don’t really know.” Glace sighed. “But there’s nowhere else we can look. This is the only place I can think of.”

  I opened the car door. “In that case, let’s get this started.”

  Following my lead, the trio got out of the car and headed straight to the property. We didn’t bother knocking on the door. As we opened it, an older woman wearing a maid uniform greeted us with a worried expression on her face. “Miss Glace. I didn’t know that you’d come here.” She glanced hurriedly behind her, as if afraid that someone might catch her talking to us. When she spoke again, she did so in a low tone. “Your father is in his study miss. He told me not to let you in.”

  “He’s not my father,” Glace replied, her jaw clenching. “And I don’t care about his instructions Martha. This is my mother’s house. He doesn’t have a right to keep me out of here.”

  Before Martha could answer, I heard Rick’s voice. “Why are you here you imbecile?” He was standing not far from us, holding an empty wine glass in his left hand, looking at Glace with distaste.

  “She’s not an imbecile,” I heard myself say with loathing. “She’s an amazing human being that I have the pleasure of falling in love with. If you can’t see that, then not only is there something wrong with you, you’re clearly a monster.” Rick advanced angrily towards us. I continued my rant. “I’ve heard about you when I was young. You told Glace that her mother went nowhere. That she simply didn’t exist anymore. Who tells that to their seven year old daughter? You’re a pathetic guy.”

  “She’s not my daughter,” he said angrily, taking another step closer to me. Glace took a sharp breath. I couldn’t allow him to hurt her further. It had to stop.

  “We’re all glad that you’re not her dad,” I said with challenge in my eyes. “You’re an awful human being. I don’t want you to be my father-in-law someday.”

  Rick raised his free hand, moving to strike my face. Before he did, Tim was already standing right in front of me, his shoulder squaring so he was at full height. “Sorry dude. I won’t allow you to hit my best friend. She’s too beautiful to have a bruise.” To our amazement, Tim grabbed Rick’s arm and dragged him all the way to the front door. My friend had the advantage because of his size.

  Rick protested. “What do you think you’re doing young man?! This is my house. I’ll call the police on you!”

  “Go ahead,” Tim said, trying to hold his ground while Rick struggled against him. “Make sure that the police you’re calling are cute. I’d like to get their number too. Oh but wait. I have a boyfriend right now and things are serious between us, so no thanks.” He pushed Rick harshly out of the door. “You have a problem with gays? Tell that to someone who cares. And don’t forget to knock.” He slammed the door in front of Rick’s face.

  All of us, plus Martha, stood shell shocked, staring at Tim. Patty was the first one to break the silence with a loud cry. “Oh my God Timmy! You’re my idol.” They raised their fists and made these weird gestures that I never cared to understand when Tim was near us again.

  Glace tore her eyes from me when Martha made a move to open the door. She stopped the older woman by touching her shoulder firmly. “Please don’t. I know that you don’t understand what’s happening, and you’re probably scared that he’ll fire you. But we really need to do this right now. I need to read my mom’s files to know who my real dad is. And if ever he decides to fire you, I’ll welcome you happily as a staff in my house.”

  Martha considered. She would nervously glance at the door every few seconds. “Ok miss Glace. I’ve known you since you were a little girl. There must be a good reason behind this. I’ll make sure to keep all the doors locked.”

  Glace nodded happily and turned to us. “My father will not call the police because this is also my house. Another thing is he hates the media. If they discover that Frio is having family problems, he’s the one who has to deal with it since I don’t live here anymore.”

  “Okay baby. Where should we start looking?”

  She pulled her hair up in a ponytail. I knew that move. It usually meant that she was getting serious. “When my mom died, all of her stuff was moved in the attic. That would be a good place to look.”

  Though the house was large, it didn’t take long for us to reach the attic. “Wow. I thought everything would be dusty and creepy but it’s actually well organized,” I said to Glace as my eyes roamed around the spacious place. Several mannequins were carefully lined to the right. They were all wearing fashionable dresses and hats. It must have been her mother’s. In the middle were big chests and drawers that probably held all her other clothing and shoes.

  “Martha loved my mother like a sister,” Glace said. “She’d clean this place once a week to preserve everything.” Glace pointed to the smaller chests on the left. “The fan letters and all her other files are there. Let’s take a look.”

  We divided the boxes and chests among us. Each of us got six. Wordlessly, we thumbed through the hundreds of papers that it contained. Some of them were fan mails. Others were correspondence among friends and family. Reading through it one by one, I discovered that Glace’s mother was not only a kind woman but an exceptional one with a passion in acting, music, and life itself.

  She was truly a person to be adored. No wonder Glace loved and idolized her so much. Her mom was gifted and humble, just like Glace herself. Like mother like daughter, I thought proudly of my girlfriend. Hours passed like that. We searched, read, and discovered. By nightfall, Tim found what appeared to be a diary. When he handed it to Glace, she quickly scanned through the pages. We stared at her as she sighed sadly, gripping the diary in her hands.

  “Did it tell you something we can use?” I asked.

  Glace hugged her knees and shook her head. “She kept mentioning a man. But she didn’t say his name. She. . .” Glace swallowed. “She loved this man. I think he was my real father.”

  “He must be,” I supported. “Isn’t there anything else? A letter perhaps that will tell us more about it?”

  “No,” she said dejectedly. “I already finished looking through my chests. How about you guys?”

  “Done,” Tim said. Patty mumbled the same. Glace bit her lips in disappointment, looking like she was about to cry.

  “Hey. . . Don’t lose hope baby. I’m sure there are other places where we can look. Maybe your mom left something with one of her friends. Or maybe you have other properties where we can try searching.”

  At the mention of other properties, Glace gasped and stared at me with renewed hope in her eyes. “My mom owned a cabin. I saw a couple of letters the last time I went there. I wasn’t able to inspect it one by one but there must be something.”

  “Let’s go.”

  We arranged the letter and chests back to its original position and quickly went on our way. Martha was nowhere to be seen. She must have been asleep in her room. I have almost forgotten about Rick. We were painfully reminded of his presence when we opened the front door and saw him sitting on the bac
kyard, still wearing his bathrobe and slippers. He stood up after seeing us come out.

  Before he spoke, Tim glared at him. “Don’t try to argue bro. You don’t want to piss off a gay. I’ll smack you. And by that I meant smack with my fist and not with kisses.”

  “I’ll sue all of you,” Rick hissed.

  “My parents are well-known lawyers. See you in court bitch!” I dragged Tim away before he ended up pummeling Rick to the ground. I loved him too much to see him in jail.

  We reached the cabin in an hour or so. Glace ran inside. I found her in one room, leafing through pages of letters that were previously housed inside a chest, very much like the ones in their old home. Tim and Patty stayed in the living room area while I sat beside Glace on the floor and helped her with her search.

  “Glace,” I said, a tremble in my voice. “I think I found something.” Both of us read the letter silently.

  Dearest you,

  It has been a while since we’ve spoken. A lot of things have changed but my love for you didn’t falter. When you left me to fulfill your parent’s wishes, I felt so much pain and disappointment. You chose them over me and found another woman to whom you got married with. Because of anger, I chose to keep our daughter a secret from you. Yes my love, those stolen nights bore fruit. Watching our daughter grow up, I’ve always had a deep regret in my heart. She deserved to know her real father. She deserved to have known you. But my selfishness kept you a secret, and now I must atone for my sins. I know that you are a good man. A cowardly one who left the love of his life, but a good one nonetheless. I have every confidence that you will love her and shower her with kisses when you meet her.

  The letter was addressed to a man who I recognized immediately. Glace and I stared at each other with panic in our eyes. “Oh God,” I whispered.

  Chapter 29. Found

  Dulce

  “He can’t be my father,” Glace said. She rocked back and forth on her heels, looking uncertainly at me from time to time. Poor girl. I would feel the same if the situation was reversed.

  I guided Glace to the mattress. “We can’t say for sure baby.” I sat behind her and worked my hands up to her nape in a soothing massage.

  “If he really is, this is going to cause so much trouble, not only for me but for both of us. Can you imagine Dulce?” The two of us shuddered in horror.

  “It’s not the end of the world though. Look at the bright side. If he is indeed your dad then you’ve acquired a sister.”

  “Don’t remind me,” she said uneasily. I knew exactly what she meant. It would start another round of World War, and it wouldn’t be pleasant. Not for me and for Glace, especially their dad. Vibrations coming from her bedside table made us look at each other. Her eyes were wide in a mixture of panic and surprise. The mobile phone kept on ringing.

  “Answer it,” I urged. When she didn’t make a move, I reached for the phone and greeted the person on the other line. “Good afternoon.” Glace continued staring at me with her mouth opened. “Yes, I’ll make sure to relay the message to her. Bye.” I hit the button. “He wants to meet you at his house. Do you want me to go with you?”

  “I won’t go if you’re not there. I need you.”

  “I won’t leave you for one second.”

  Glace had every right to be nervous and distant on the way there. Wanting to be the supportive girlfriend, I kept mum while she drove. As I stared out the window, I kept wishing that things would turn out for the best. That her real dad wasn't another Rick, and we weren't making a mistake by contacting him.

  “What if he doesn’t like me?” she said in a small voice.

  “Why would you think that? You’re simply perfect," I said reassuringly. "Anyone who doesn’t see that is either blind or has mental issues.”

  “Rick didn’t think so.”

  “He's a jerk," I retorted. "And he smells like strong aftershave anyways." A small smile formed on her lips, but she quickly glanced out the window to hide the sadness in her eyes. "Don’t think about him. I‘m sure your real dad is better than that. Don’t you dare doubt that he’s going to love you once he finds out.”

  “Okay.” She sighed.

  “Shall we then?” We hopped out of the car and walked hand-in-hand to the house. Towards the truth. I didn't bother using the doorbell on the side. I knocked on the door a couple of times before a tall familiar man opened it.

  “Come in," he said. Glace stared nervously at me as the man turned to his heels and proceeded ahead of us. I held her hand to keep it from shaking. We followed her dad to a room. Glace and I were amazed at the collection of books in the library. From the sheer number of novels there, he was an avid reader like his daughter. “Please sit.” He motioned to the two chairs placed in front of a large mahogany desk.

  As Glace and I followed his suggestion, he went around the table to rest on a luxurious leather seat. “Can I see the letter?” He reached his hand. Glace gave it reluctantly, unwilling to part with her mother’s words. Her dad unfolded the letter carefully, like it was an artifact from the early civilization instead of a confession from a dead woman. A departed lover. His brows knitted together as he read, his coffee brown eyes exploring the paper hungrily. Glace got her eyes from him.

  The longer I stared at her dad, the more I was convinced that they shared the same blood. For starters, both of them had full lips. Their raven colored hair was an exact match. Even the manner of how they both sat straight in their respected seats, their right leg crossed over the other was eerily alike. How could they not be father and daughter when their features and habits were the same? I couldn’t help but warm up to the man because of this.

  Glace’s dad placed the letter on the table. “Can I take a look at you?” he said. With her permission, he went silently to her. Seconds were spent studying each other as they stood face to face. “You have my eyes and my hair,” he said appreciatively. “But everything else is your mother’s.” Glace gave a startled gasp when he suddenly embraced her. She went limp in his arms. Unshed tears threatened to spill from my eyes. She was waiting so long for this. I was happy for her.

  “Thank you Henry.”

  “Don’t call me that,” he said shakily. He was as nervous as her, which was understandable. How often would you find out that you had another daughter? “I’m dad from now on. Ok princess?”

  “Okay,” she whispered. Her face was buried on his chest. While Glace was taller than most girls our age, the man towered over her. So that was where she got the height.

  He shifted his attention to me. “Are you a friend of Glace? Thank you for accompanying her here. I know that it must be hard for her.”

  My girlfriend broke the embrace and stepped back to my side. She kissed my hand in front of Henry, which made me blush profusely. “Dad, I want you to meet my girlfriend," she said without batting an eyelash. "I know that you’ve heard rumors about my gayness when we worked before. They were right. I don’t want to keep anything from you. This is me. And she’s the person I want to be with.”

  Henry chuckled. “Dearest. . . Everyone in Hollywood is gay. No I’m just kidding,” he added when we gaped at him in surprise. “But all the signs were there. You didn’t agree to do a kissing scene in the movie. You barely signed the contract when you discovered that it was a love story. You’ve never had a boyfriend. It was either you were a saint or lesbian. It doesn’t take much to figure it out.”

  “Oh,” was all Glace could say while Henry walked to me to shake my hand. “Nice to meet you?”

  “It’s Dulce Gavin.”

  “How long have you been dating her?” he asked with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. He was more open at this than I anticipated. He must have had a lot of gay friends.

  Glace answered for me. “I’ve been married to her since we were seven. I met her at mom’s funeral.” She tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “Can you tell me what happened dad?” The last word rolled naturally from her tongue.

  He gestured to the wooden chairs agai
n before going back to his original position on the leather seat. “Please make yourselves comfortable.” Glace and I obliged and stared at him, waiting for an explanation. He didn’t disappoint.

  “Your mom and I." His eyes became unfocused. As if he was reminiscing things that happened before. “Met at a party. At that time, she was a budding star and I was a trainee director. My parents were well-known directors then and wanted me to follow in their footsteps. When they learned about my relationship with your mom, they thought it was best if we separated.”

  “But why?” Glace asked, her forehead creasing.

  “Because Hollywood can be a cruel place,” he explained. “When people see that you’re on your way to stardom, they will hurl things your way. Insults, false stories, and whatnot. They will invent lies to see you fall down. Now who does these things? Everyone. Even the people you think you know. My parents didn’t want me to be associated with your mother because of it.”

  He pleaded at her with his eyes. “Please understand. Your grandparents were not cruel people. They wanted the best for me because I was starting my own career. Looking back now, I should have fought for your mother. She was the love of my life.” He brought his hands together on top of the table. It was trembling. He wasn’t lying when he said he loved her. “I was a coward. We all suffered because of that. If I had known that I had a daughter, I would have done everything to keep you and your mother with me. I’m so sorry.”

  My eyes trailed to Glace beside me. She was biting her lips hard and took several deep breaths. I stroked her back soothingly. “I’m here baby,” I whispered.

  She stared Henry in the eye. “I forgive you. You didn’t do anything wrong to me because you had no clue that she got pregnant. But you have to apologize to her. Go to her grave and beg for forgiveness even if she doesn’t answer back.”

  Henry nodded solemnly. “I’m planning to do that Princess. Let’s go together with your girlfriend.”

  “No you won’t,” someone spoke sharply from the door. “I will never allow you.”