Taming Precious Sinclair

by Sasha Combs

  Hamilton tapped his finger on the table. Precious had called him two days ago, demanding to talk to him personally. He’d seen the writing on the wall, after hearing from Artie. His director had phoned him, and explained that Precious had been displeased with his finished product. Shortly after that, Hamilton received a call from his personal assistant, telling him to call Amelia Precious Sinclair. She’d been short and too the point. Precious had instructed him, when and where she wanted to meet him. He was here, and she was seated in a chair right next to him. But all she’d done so far, was to order a cup of coffee, then stare at her hands. He’d patiently waited, and he could see that she was fuming but she couldn’t find the right words to say. Hamilton looked over his shoulder and he applauded her choice in meeting places. This restaurant was far enough from her hometown, for her not to be recognized. He said...

  “Amelia... I spoke to Artie and according to him; you weren’t very pleased with the season finale.”

  “No one calls me Amelia Mr. Gantry. No one who knows me personally.” She clarified.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you. And please... Call me Hamilton.”

  “Sure... I’ll call you Hamilton if you call me Precious.”

  He didn’t know why he’d done that. He’d never used her first name in the past; not even during her casting call. Hamilton nodded, then he continued.

  “Precious... It’s obvious that we both have thoughts weighing heavily on our minds. Otherwise we wouldn’t feel so uncomfortable in each others company.”

  “We always tend to be a little uncomfortable... Don’t you think?”

  Hamilton’s mouth curled into a half smile. He liked her blunt honesty. He responded.

  “I wouldn’t say that we’re uncomfortable in each other’s company.”

  “Then, what would you call it Hamilton?” She fell silent, while staring at him but Hamilton held his smile. He said...

  “Maybe, we’re just too much alike. Ever consider that?”

  She did, but that wasn’t the answer. Precious lifted her mug. She took a sip then she said...

  “You’re right you know.”

  His smile loosened, when he said...

  “Right about what? Us being alike?”

  “No, not that. You were right when you said that I was’t pleased with Artie’s handy work. He blindsided me. He aired details about my life without giving me a heads up. I think that was heartless on his part.”

  Hamilton wouldn’t debate this issue head on. In his business, there were varying degrees of right and wrong. Most times, the wording could be interpreted in more than one way. As for the taping, then airing the filmed scene; Artie had acted within the scope of his role. He had not done anything wrong. Precious and the other women cast on the reality show; they had signed contractual agreements. They had consented to be filmed for a reality TV program. A show that centered on their lives and the people involved in their lives. Stone Norris had made it perfectly clear that he had an extreme interest in Precious. The man wanted to marry her and that made him fair game, as far as Artie was concerned. But Hamilton wouldn’t convey this to Precious. At least, not in those terms. He was wise enough to know that his star didn’t want to hear about contracts or Artie’s award winning directing style.

  Hamilton watched Precious as she sipped from her mug of coffee. He couldn’t blame Stone for wanting her and he imagined that more men did. He was certain that Precious had left a number of heartbroken men in her wake.

  “Precious...” he started, and he spoke cautiously. “I’m sorry that you believe Artie may have withheld information from you. But...you’ll have the entire second season to vindicate yourself. You can put your own spin on this whole Stone Norris business.”

  “There won’t be a second season.” She said, definitively.

  He frowned while saying...

  “Sure there will be. The show has already been picked up for its second season.”

  “You don’t understand Hamilton.”

  His face still held a disagreeing expression. Apparently someone was confused, but when she lifted her head and met his eyes; it was then that he fully understood. During his first few seconds of comprehension, Hamilton felt a spasm in his throat, preventing him from responding. The idea of losing Amelia Precious Sinclair, was something he didn’t even want to consider and he couldn’t allow it to happen.

  Hamilton’s word came out in a rush.

  “Precious... If anyone can fix this...it’s Artie.”

  “No... This can’t be fixed. It just can’t.”

  Hamilton turned in his seat to fully face her.

  “Precious.” His voice was low, filled with bass when he said... “If Artie can’t repair the damage...how about you let me. I’ve been in this business for a long time and I have the best PR firm that money can buy.”

  “Hamilton, public relations isn’t the cure.”

  Now he was truly confused. He’d thought they’d been talking about Stone, and the backlash his marriage proposal had heaped on life. Precious had told Artie that she’d been humiliated. She’d told the director that her parents were more determined now than ever to see her married. Even the people in her hometown were siding with Stone. The gossip columnist at the local paper started a daily poll. ‘Who believes that Stone and Precious should get married’ is how she titles her column. Each day, a new tally is entered; and each number is always greater than the last.

  Precious pushed her mug across the table. She said...

  “Hamilton, I don’t want to be a part of the show anymore. I came to this conclusion before the final program aired. When I thought about my decision, I found myself recalling how I’d gotten involved. After talking to my friends, it had been their bright ideas that urged me to join the show. They told me that they didn’t want anyone else to be the fourth, so I agreed because they didn’t like the alternatives. But I never expected my life to be picked apart, then thrown on a heap for examination. I liked the crew. I even liked Artie and I’ll miss him but Hamilton, I’ve had enough and I won’t be returning for the second season.”

  The little restaurant had been quiet, so they should have heard the sound of high heel shoes approaching from behind; but they didn’t. Precious had felt a sense of relief; getting this news off her chest. Hamilton had been confused, then disappointed to learn that Precious didn’t want to return to his show. Each of their expressions governed their mind and their ears. So much so, that neither noticed a young brunette standing alongside their table. They didn’t see her until she shouted out her protest.

  “You!” the young woman pointed at Precious.

  “I knew I recognized you!” she shouted again. Elizabeth Mackey attended Oakland University and this restaurant was a weekly pitstop for her and her friends. Elizabeth turned to the other women seated at their usual booth near a large window. “It is her. I told you. This is Amelia Precious Sinclair. The snotty witch who thinks she’s too good to marry Stone Norris. He isn’t rich enough for her. He isn’t good enough for Precious Sinclair.” The young woman perched her hands on narrow hips saying...

  “You witches from Grosse Pointe think you’re all that and so much more. Well, I’ve got news for you. Not everyone subscribes to your way of thinking.” The perky brunette turned up her button nose saying... “Miss Amelia Precious Sinclair, too bad you aren’t precious anymore.”

  Neither Hamilton nor Precious could have predicted what came next.

  In her hand, Elizabeth held a glass filled with a freshly prepared frozen strawberry smoothie. The chilled drink flew out of the cup, landing on the side of Precious’ face. It would have been far worse had Hamilton not acted, pulling Precious in his direction.

  Hamilton lurched forward, coming to a standing position. Precious wasn’t quite sure how he did this; but he pulled them both up out of their seats, then he was guiding her out of the restaurant. As they made their way to the front door, the women jeered while chanting...

  “Stone Norris,
Stone Norris, Stone Norris, Stone Norris...”

  They recited the man’s name like cheerleaders or a newly founded fan club. Over and over, they said his name. The sound got louder each time they said it. When they were finally outside, Hamilton was grateful the women chose not to follow them.

  “Where’s your car?” He asked her, and Precious pointed down the street near the curb. Hamilton raised his hand, then his driver appeared out of nowhere; double parking in the street.

  “Can you call someone to pick up your car?” he asked, while leading her to his limo.

  “Yes, but...”

  “No buts Precious. I’m not letting you out of my sight until I know that you’re safe.”

  He was opening the side door to his limo, guiding her in and she eased across the seat. Hamilton said...

  “Has this happened before or is this the first incident you’ve had to deal with?”

  Precious was still in shock, but she nodded saying...

  “Yes, this is the first incident. After the last show aired, I’d heard that some of the female viewers were angry when they realized that I didn’t accept Stone’s proposal. However until now, those viewers had been using the message boards to post their grievances.”

  “Well, that’s the place to do it, if you can’t bridle your anger. But this misbehaving in public shit... Now, that’s totally uncalled for.” Hamilton had cursed out of frustration. He’d not meant to disrespect her in that way but he was beyond himself, and it was taking all of his efforts not to deal with that young woman himself. He said...

  “I don’t mean to sound crass, but it isn’t unusual for people in other cities to be less tolerate when it comes to outsiders. Rochester Hills isn’t Grosse Pointe.”

  “No, it isn’t. But, as you can see... It isn’t your run of the mill city either.”

  Hamilton peered through his side window as the car drove through the city of Rochester Hills. He had to agree with her on that point. The people in this town were educated affluent professionals. Not the sort that go around throwing smoothies for the hell of it. But one college student had reacted inappropriately and her friends had chanted in unison; practically running them out of the restaurant. Hamilton said...

  “Have there been any problems near your home, in Grosse Pointe? I mean to say...have you experienced any negative repercussions that I need to know about?”

  “Well, there have been a few but nothing I can’t handle. You know, whispers...awkward stares...gawking. Stuff like that.”

  Hamilton was furious because this was the first that he’d heard of this.

  “Precious, why didn’t you tell me about this? I would have done something sooner. You should have called me the moment you began experiencing problems.”

  Precious had not expressed her concerns to anyone because talking about her problems made it too real. Stone still had not returned to Fiji and her parents had been actively nagging her about marrying him. She couldn’t deny their reasoning because in truth, she was of the same mind. Stone was a thoughtful and caring person. She’d always enjoyed their long talks and their stirring conversations. Even when they’d dated, she’d cherished his company and she’d wanted their relationship to last a little longer but Stone had tired of dating. He’d wanted to do the mature thing. The next step for him was marriage but that was an enormous leap for Precious and during their time together, even though he’d used the word love, she’d not reached that level of emotion.

  As the limo passed her parked car, she peered through the side window. The sting of tears burned behind her pained eyes. She inhaled when she said...

  “Where are you taking me?”

  “I don’t know. I guess we can go to your house. We still need to talk. I need to know what’s been going on around here for the past few weeks. And we need to discuss your reasons for leaving the show.”

  They rode in the rear of the vehicle in silence. Each positioned on opposite sides of the seat. Precious used her floppy hat to wipe the remains of the smoothie from her face. If this wasn’t reason enough to leave the show, she didn’t know what more would convince him. The sticky goo tasted good but the residue felt awful. Hamilton offered her tissues from a rear compartment but he also noticed her attempts to make light of the situation. She did her best to remain composed, but beneath her stoney exterior, Precious was mortified. She’d never experienced anything more humiliating in her life. She wanted to go home to relax in a steamy hot shower; cleaning the sweet goo off her face. After that, she would crawl beneath her blankets, and remain there until this entire mess blew over. That was her plan and she’d been grateful that the ride took more than an hour to reach her neighborhood. Yet, the shower and rest that she craved, turned into a pipe dream. In her head, the idea had sounded like a good dose of medicine but when the limo pulled onto her street, her eyes went wide, then flat. There was not less than twenty people marching with signs up and down her block. One of the hand made posters read ‘You can do better Stone’ and the writing was all in red. Parked alongside the curb was a television truck with its satellite dish aimed towards the sky. Precious felt her body go limp, sinking back into the warmth of the leather seat. She wanted to faint or blackout but she didn’t even possess the energy to achieve this.

  “Well, I’ll be damed.” was all that Hamilton said. He couldn’t believe how quickly news traveled. The restaurant incident had just happened over an hour ago, yet, there were picketers and a news truck parked in front of her house. Then he considered, that perhaps he had the order of events wrong. Maybe, the news networks had already covered the developing story. If the televised coverage was the first occurrence; then the people in the viewing area had already seen the angry mob in Precious Sinclair’s neighborhood. That would also explain the college students and their odd remarks. The young smoothie throwing brunette had already heard about the picketers and her hostile behavior was her form of protesting. This was bad. Worse then he could have imagined. He reached across the seat, taking her hand into his. It was obvious that she needed calming.

  They’d driven here to talk, but clearly they needed another plan.

  “Precious... I can’t leave you here. It’s just not a good idea.”

  Hamilton read the homemade signs displaying a variety of sentiments. He’d hoped to find at least one, that didn’t besmirch her character; but the colorful words were all of one mind. Precious was being admonished for refusing to marry Stone Norris; the nice guy. The criticisms ran the gamut from anger to pleading appeals. It was clear to him that some of these people still liked her, but he wasn’t willing to test their benevolence. While he’d been weighing their odds, Hamilton noticed that Precious had been eerily quiet. She was in shock or afraid and he didn’t know which emotion held her captive. He peered pass her, grateful that the crowd couldn’t see through the dark tinted windows. Hamilton thought for a few seconds, trying to recalled where her parents lived. They lived in Grosse Pointe, that much he knew with certainty. He remembered that their property was gated, and in that part of the city the police were extremely rigid. Right now, Precious needed a secure place; more than her three bedroom Tudor offered her.

  When he hit on an idea; Hamilton was certain that he was doing the right thing. He told his driver the name of a few streets to plug into the navigation system. He didn’t know the address, but his aim would be good enough to get them in the vicinity. Once they were there, he was hopeful that Precious would regain her voice by then.

  Hamilton lay his hand on hers, rubbing his thumb in a slow calm caress.

  “Not to worry Precious. These things have a way of blowing over. Whatever it takes...I’ll do what I can to make this situation better for you.”

  As the limo drove past the wild scene playing out near her home, he had a moment of reflection. Hamilton’s family had been producing for years. His great, grandfather had started by producing television programming. Then that led to music, after that his grandfather took a risk and dived headlong into the movie in
dustry. When the torch was passed to Hamilton’s father, he’d been tagged the business whiz in the family. After his first year, the company had tripled its worth. By the time Hamilton joined the family firm; its value was well over half a billion dollars with a steady increase in earnings. These days, Hamilton looked for projects that required no baby-sitting on his part. Even though reality shows were cheap to produce, they came with a hefty emotional price tag. Drama and more drama, had been his experience. Backlashes were commonplace, right along with backstabbing. The nastier the cast members were, the more their fans seemed to love them. It was strange, but sometimes the evil cast members were the most beloved. He’d witnessed odd reports at the end of each season, when it came time to decide who stays and who gets cut. This season, that wasn’t going to be a problem for his Grosse Pointe reality show because Hamilton wanted to keep them all. Amazingly this reality program had outgrossed them all. He couldn’t have asked for more but he wasn’t pleased with this latest snag. He accepted, like other snafus; the fans would soon lose interest as the days passed, and the summer months dragged on. Hamilton had seen scandals come and go. Mainly because there would always be another story waiting to trump the last one. But he didn’t like the idea of Precious being dragged into this jumble of confusion.