Trust A Stranger

by Baxter, Cole

  This is a big city, she reminded herself. Not all plumbers or lawyers know one another either.

  However, the thing she found most intriguing was the fact that all of their conversations were beyond shallow and acting-centered.

  So she stuck with Shannon and actually had a good time.

  "Did you have a good time?" Ruby inquired as she walked her to the door.

  When Shannon excused herself and left since she had an early shift at the bakery, Mary decided it was time for her to go home as well, although she didn't have an early start.

  I can if I want to.

  Only then did she remember that Ruby actually asked her a question. "Yes. Everything was great," she replied, hoping she sounded convincing since she’d decided to keep her true feeling to herself. Apart from Shannon, and maybe Carla, there was not a single person at that party whom Mary wished to see again.

  Ruby's smile was radiant, clearly satisfied, and that was precisely why Mary lied.

  Chapter Twelve

  In the next few weeks or so, Ruby threw two more of those gatherings and forced Mary to come as well. Forced was perhaps too strong of a word. Mary simply knew how much it would mean to Ruby if she was there, so she was. Her own feelings or thoughts about it didn't matter. Mary wanted her friend to be happy, feeling like she deserved it since she had so little pleasures in life because she constantly had to struggle with her disease, which was making her life difficult every single day.

  During all that time, Mary came to a certain realization. Ruby appeared quite desperate to impress her with all the connections she had in showbusiness, and Mary just couldn't fathom why she bothered. It wasn't like Mary cared about such things.

  Perhaps she sensed Mary's reservation toward her friends and was trying to help her overcome it. Or maybe these were Ruby's own insecurities, needing to prove to herself that she was still important, that she mattered, so Mary simply played along and tried to fake having a good time.

  Luckily, the situation wasn't that dire. Both Shannon and Carla were there on both of those occasions, so Mary was in such good company that she did enjoy herself.

  However, any time Mary broke away from Ruby to go and have a proper conversation with Shannon for a change, her hostess would track her down and drag her away, offering some kind of excuse.

  Mary would believe all was just a figment of her imagination if Shannon didn't say something similar. "She really loves being the center of attention, doesn't she?" Shannon asked at some point.

  "I think that's a personality requirement in her former profession," Mary joked, and they both laughed.

  "Here you are." Ruby appeared seemingly out of nowhere. "It's really good to hear you laugh," she said.

  "I think so too," Mary replied in high spirits.

  "Come, I want you to meet a dear friend of mine. He's a show-runner," she explained in a serious voice like that was the most impressive thing in the world.

  Mary smiled at Shannon as she allowed Ruby to pry her away.

  Shannon smiled back. "Talk to you later."

  "Later."

  They were both quite amused by Ruby's behavior since it fit perfectly with what they’d observed earlier. Ruby needed to be in charge, and if someone was having a good time, she wanted it to be because of her. Mary couldn't judge her for that. She was clearly lonely and needed any kind of accomplishments in her life, no matter how small or trivial they appeared to be to other people.

  The show-runner was a complete bore, just like Mary knew he would be, so she excused herself as soon as was humanly possible without appearing rude. He was Ruby's friend, after all, and Mary didn't want to cause her any kind of distress by being uncivilized. She was strung out as it was by organizing these gatherings.

  The parties are only important to her and to no one else, apparently. Mary immediately felt ashamed for having such thoughts.

  "You looked miserable," Shannon commented good-naturally when Mary returned to her company.

  "I was," she replied honestly. "I must have said 'I see' at least a dozen times."

  Shannon laughed at that. "I know the feeling. Ruby introduced me to a promising new director. With the special accent on single."

  Mary felt slightly better that she wasn't the only one Ruby was trying to fix up with someone.

  Ruby came and interrupted them two more times.

  "She's really tied to you," Shannon observed.

  "She's a dear friend." If not a little clingy.

  "If not a little clingy," Shannon said, and for the briefest of moments, Mary wondered, panicked, if she’d said that aloud.

  She hadn't. It was just that they were of the same mind.

  "I don't mind," she added. "That much." She winked.

  "Me either," Mary replied with a shrug. They all had issues, one way or the other. It would be hypocritical of her to not accept Ruby's when the other woman wholeheartedly accepted Mary with all her craziness.

  "I think it's understandable, considering what happened to her," Shannon said, snapping her from her reverie.

  Mary frowned at that. Did she mean how Ruby was left out of work? Something in Shannon's eyes suggested it was an entirely different matter, more tragic.

  Mary asked for clarification.

  "Well, you know she's a widow, right?"

  "Yes, and her husband died shortly after the wedding."

  "Did you know they had a daughter too?"

  "No. Really?"

  That was news to Mary. She instantly wondered why Ruby had never mentioned her or invited her to these gatherings.

  Maybe they are estranged. "Wait a minute, had?" Mary asked, realizing what Shannon actually said.

  "Yes, she died recently."

  "That is awful." Mary's heart went to Ruby. She was holding up remarkably after such a tragedy.

  "I know it is. And I think that’s why she likes spending time with us so much, because we remind her of her daughter."

  Oh, Ruby . . .

  "She is one brave woman, " Mary commented, mostly to herself, yet Shannon heard her and nodded.

  She took out her business card and offered it to Mary. "Give me a call if you want to go have a coffee or something." Her meaning was clear—to hang out without Ruby.

  "Sure," she replied, accepting it. Mary was glad she'd made another friend.

  As Ruby joined them, retelling some funny story about her doing some kind of mischief to her fellow cast members, Mary had to try really hard not to show how saddened she was by what she’d just learned.

  Shannon appeared to be understanding what was going on, so she engaged Ruby in conversation as much as possible while Mary composed herself.

  Why didn't she tell me anything? she had to wonder. Perhaps it was too hard, too painful to talk about such things, she rationalized.

  Mary was a bit relieved when it was time to go home so she could, in peace, process everything and grieve with her friend, although Ruby wouldn’t be aware of that.

  At the third party, once again, Mary hung out with Carla and Shannon, and right from the start, not bothering to put in an effort to speak with anybody else.

  Shannon noticed the general unfriendliness as well. "How's your Stevenson/Razenski course going? Did you manage to get in touch with your inner butterfly?" She mimicked one of the guests, making Mary laugh so hard her stomach started to hurt.

  "I don't know why I even bother to come to these things," she said sometime later.

  "Um, thanks a lot," Mary joked in return.

  "Of course I didn’t mean you," Shannon said, rolling her eyes. "But apart from the two of you, everybody else acts as though they just woke up from a coma, remembering only one thing about themselves."

  "Or like a parasite ate their brains, leaving only the interest in acting intact," Mary provided in return.

  "So true." Shannon laughed. "Why do they keep coming if they act like this?" she commented with a small frown.

  "Probably because of Ruby, like the rest of us," Mary replied
in return. If they were all very fond of Ruby just like Mary and Shannon were, then it was understandable that they came here even though they would much rather be someplace else.

  Before she could respond, Shannon's phone started ringing and she excused herself. "I have to take this."

  Mary nodded.

  "That is so true." Carla snorted, clearly catching what Mary just said. Once again, she was beyond drunk. "We're all here because of dear old Ruby." And yet her tone was completely off saying that.

  "What do you mean by that?" Mary asked in return because it sounded as though they weren't here by choice, which was ridiculous.

  Carla took her sweet time responding, as though having some inner debate with herself, and when she did, she took a deep breath before starting. "Look, I have to tell you something because this whole shit" —she gestured with her half-empty glass around them— "doesn't sit well with me." She slurred her words.

  "Tell me," Mary prompted, getting more confused by the second.

  "I don't know what the old weirdo is planning, what kind of a prank she's pulling, but it's getting out of control."

  "What do you mean? What prank?"

  "Isn't it obvious?"

  Not to Mary, so she said as much.

  "You and Shannon are being lied to," Carla shared, getting agitated in the process.

  "Lied to? In what way?" Mary forced herself to ask, starting to feel really anxious, her mind already coming up with all kinds of different and horrible scenarios.

  "We're all paid to be here." She gestured toward the other guests. "You and Shannon are the only ones who aren't. This whole charade is for you," she concluded.

  What? Her mind refused to process Carla's words.

  Carla started to waver on her feet, clearly having one too many, or ten, and Ruby caught her before the girl slumped to the ground. Carla's eyes widened when she saw who caught her, clearly fearing what she might have been overheard.

  "You silly girl," Ruby snapped, clearly annoyed, using that whisper-shout manner of speaking to convey her message without alarming the other guests.

  Should I call them guests anymore? According to Carla, they were all employees.

  "I called you a cab, so it's better for you to leave now and sleep this off."

  "I'm sorry, Ruby," Carla replied meekly.

  "Don't you know how unladylike, not to mention unprofessional, it is for you to go around this drunk, tripping over your feet and saying nonsense to other guests?" she snapped.

  "I know, I know. I'm sorry," she babbled.

  "You're an actress, for crying out loud. You have an image to uphold."

  "You're absolutely right, Ruby. I'm sorry." At least that is what Mary thought Carla was trying to say as she stumbled toward the front door with Ruby's help.

  Mary was deeply rattled by everything that happened in the last five minutes.

  "These new generations," Ruby tsked, returning to Mary's company. "They have no true appreciation for this vocation. It's all money and fame for them."

  Mary was only half listening to Ruby's explanations since her mind was in shambles, spiraling without of control. She had so many conflicting thoughts and feelings she was just blocked, paralyzed, in shock, not knowing what to say or how to react.

  Mary couldn't help wondering how much of what the drunk girl told her was the truth and not just a product of her alcohol intake.

  Besides, why would she make something like that up? On the other hand, Mary didn't know Carla that well, had only met her a couple of times and had spoken with her even less. Should she take her words as gospel? What if she was a compulsive liar? What if everything she said was the truth?

  Sadly, she never had a chance to find that out.

  Ruby stayed by her side for the rest of the night, chatting away, being her usual self like nothing was amiss, so Mary never got a chance to speak with anyone else about Carla's revelation.

  How would she do that, anyway?

  Excuse me, are you paid to be here and pretend to be Ruby's friend? You are? Thank you for your honesty.

  No, Mary needed a much better plan.

  And then another person came to mind whom she could confide to.

  Shannon.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Can I call you in about an hour or so? I'm in the middle of something and I really need to finish."

  "Certainly, honey. Don't let me keep you from your work. Talk to you later."

  Hanging up, Mary took a deep breath and entered Dr. Carson's office. As of late, she’d started avoiding telling Ruby she was still going to therapy, not wanting to cause an unnecessary argument. Ruby clearly had a strong opinion about that. However, this was Mary's life, and only she could determine if something were necessary or not.

  "I'm sorry for canceling our last session," she told him, feeling slightly guilty. She was with Ruby that whole day since she wasn't feeling that well and got scared to be alone. Despite that, she refused to visit her doctor.

  Stubborn woman.

  "I've been busy."

  "You don't have to apologize to me, Mary," he told her in his usual calm manner. "Busy is good. It means you are living your life."

  I am? "I guess."

  "Is there something specific you wished to speak with me about today?"

  Mary shrugged. "There's no news about Nick. The uncertainty is driving me insane."

  "What does Lara say?"

  "He's constantly moving and always pays his rooms with cash, so he's hard to track down."

  "I'm sure she'll manage."

  Actually, Lara did call her once again, yet Mary didn't pick up. Her phone was on silent while she was working. A measure she took because of Ruby, who had a knack of interrupting her when she needed concentration the most.

  Mary tried calling the PI back and got her voicemail.

  She talked about Nick with Dr. Carson a little bit longer, and then they moved on to her greatest hits.

  "How's work?" Dr. Carson inquired.

  "Busy," she replied with a smile.

  "How's your anxiety?"

  "Manageable." Lately, she stressed less about Alisa firing her, especially after she had that emergency with the lost data.

  Alisa praised her back then about how she’d really stepped up, and Mary really appreciated her saying that. It felt good as well. She shared as much, and the therapist gave her a thumbs up, metaphorically speaking.

  "Do you still have nightmares?"

  "Yes, but not every night."

  "Are they the same?"

  "Sometimes they are about Nick, sometimes about Ruby," she reluctantly explained.

  "I'm troubled that you're dreaming about your friend in such a manner."

  You and me both. "I forgot to tell you that thanks to the additional work I've had in the last couple of weeks, I've managed to pay a third of my debts."

  "That is great news."

  The last ten minutes Dr. Carson dedicated to teaching her some new stress relief techniques that he believed would help her when confronting Nick.

  Mary hoped so.

  "How do you feel now?"

  "A little less stressed out," she only half-joked.

  "That's the idea."

  Afterward, Mary felt slightly guilty for not being completely honest with him about Ruby. She couldn't explain why she hid the fact that her friend's behavior had intensified a bit. Everything had just escalated.

  Maybe Mary kept quiet because her feelings were completely mixed regarding Ruby and needed to be sorted out first. Isn't that the point of having a therapist, to help sort through the mess? A part of her questioned.

  Despite knowing that to be true, Mary believed this was something she needed to do alone. After all, wasn't the true purpose of therapy to equip a person to deal with life on their own?

  Mary was sure Dr. Carson would be proud she’d decided to deal with her feelings regarding Ruby on her own.

  The trouble was, since that last party when Mary had learned certain things
that may or may not be true, Ruby had started acting really clingy. More than before.

  She called Mary multiple times a day, even though they didn't have anything to talk about. Ruby also showed up a couple of times on her doorstep, unannounced, claiming that she was surprising her when Mary declined an outing or if she said she couldn't visit her.

  The first time she came, Mary was completely shocked to see her. "How do you know where I live?"

  "You told me, of course," Ruby replied, wearing her trademark smile, dismissively waving with her hand.

  I did? Mary couldn't remember when she did that, but Ruby certainly did.

  "Look, I brought you chicken soup from Alfonso's since you said you feel a bit under the weather."

  "Thank you, Ruby. That was very kind of you."

  "What are friends for?"

  And that was another thing. Ruby kept sending her all kinds of gifts and it was making her uncomfortable. When she tried to bring it up, Ruby simply said that it was making her happy to treat her friends every once in a while. What could Mary possibly say to that?

  Thank you, but no thank you? Mary couldn't do that, although some of the gifts were quite bizarre. Like she would ever need a marble ashtray. Neither of them smoked. All of that was making Mary confused. Her feelings were all over the place, and she had all these doubts she needed to shake off.

  Taking Dr. Carson's advice and listening to her inner self, she was certain that something was wrong, a bit off, with Ruby. She just couldn't put her finger on precisely what. She needed to find a way to learn what that might be, and she wasn't quite certain if there was anything to worry about.

  Mary needed someone to talk with and confide her inner doubts and speculations. She knew how ironic that sounded after refusing to do the very same thing with Dr. Carson.

  Still, there was a method to her madness. As far as she was concerned, there was only one person she could speak with about these things. That was Shannon since she was equally involved and this concerned her as well.

  Clara had said that both of them were being pranked by Ruby.

  Putting aside the issue about the credibility of the drunken girl's words, Shannon had the right to know what was going on. After all, she was also Ruby's friend and was involved in her life. Perhaps in a smaller measure, but that didn't matter at the moment.