The scene was disgustingly cliché.
A drawing room. The ceiling was high, a Greek carving decorating it and the rest of the walls that were also lined with portraits of pale women barely clothed but their hands placed in a perfect position so it wasn’t scandalous, just typical. Gold overpowered most of the room, with the stems of the lamps and the framing of the portraits, along with the tray that carried a porcelain tea set, which was picked for the sole reason that it looked expensive. It was a classic, unoriginal room that had an object that stuck out like a sore thumb. A stereo system, which tried to make up for its presence by playing classical music, but only made its appearance all the more depressing. No one mentioned it though.
The rest of the house was exactly like that room, the majority classic Greek but with an injection of modern technology that clashed with the marble pillars, statues, and fountains. The entire atmosphere was so uncomfortable that it was hard to believe people actually lived there, but they must have. It was the Cooper Villa, although the house was a huge, two story estate that should have been called anything but. No one minded, however, since they were rich. It was a very nice excuse to have.
The Greek ceiling of the drawing room housed a generation of history and wealth. There were seven women present, although only five participated in the discussion taking place. It was a social gathering that took place often. Although everyone in the room pretended otherwise, gossip was the main intention of the conversation, and any outsider name that passed on the lips of these women was used in a harmful manner.
“Did you hear about Deborah Honeychruch?” a wrinkled woman of the old wealth by the name of Mrs. Bartlett said, holding the tiny teacup by the tips of her fingers and its matching plate in the palm of her other hand. “Or should I say the catastrophe which is her son.”
“What a shame,” another ancient lady called Mrs. Lavish replied. “Running off with the hired help, a maid no less! Such a distasteful event to have attached to ones name.”
“I always thought Deborah to be a horrid mother anyway.” The crisp voice came from a woman younger than the other two. She had a stern face that was not attractive but not ugly, just there.
The other women in the room agreed immediately, but then a soft voice that sounded as if the sound itself was smiling, interrupted. “Why, Mrs. Richards, that’s a terrible thing to say.” All eyes turned to the woman who had said it. She was the exotic figure amidst the vocal group. Her large brown eyes were like a refreshing touch of summer air and her brown skin was untouched by age. She was a beautiful figure with a wise persona, resembling that of her eldest daughter. Radha Perne smiled graciously. “Who are we to judge what kind of mother Mrs. Honeychruch was? Each of us raises our children the best we can, equipping them with as much knowledge of the world that is possible. But there is only such much a mother can do. The child makes its own choices in the long run.”
The women were shocked at first, but then automatically favored Mrs. Perne, too afraid to argue.
Mrs. Richards forced a pleasant face. “Mrs. Perne, of course, you are absolutely correct. I’m just glad that my J.J. has enough sense to make the right choices and I take pride in hoping that my husband and I might have something to do with his sensible head.”
“J.J. is a good boy,” Radha said, sipping her tea.
“He seems to be very fond of your Sita,” the hostess, Diana Cooper said. She was a woman incapable of aging and many thought her to be a sister instead of the mother of her daughter, Karen. “I’ve seen him seek her out on various occasions.”
The eyes in the room shifted towards the two girls who stood near a wall, close to the exit of the room. They whispered something between them, a smile on both of the beautiful faces, and the two mothers exchanged smiling glances.
“Sita,” Mrs. Richards said, “Has grown up quite lovely and my son has good taste. How wonderful a couple they would make! Don’t you agree Mrs. Perne?”
“As I said earlier, children make their own choices, my daughter no exception.”
“I’ve heard,” Mrs. Bartlett chimed in, “That Neal Klein has shown interest in Karen, Mrs. Cooper. That seems like a prosperous union. He’s very handsome.”
“He is,” Diana agreed, “But physical appearance has never interested my daughter, although I’m sure if there was any boy who would have captured her attention, it would be Neal.”
“Justin looked so hot!” Karen kissed.
Sita and Karen had stopped paying attention to the older woman long ago.
“Appropriate choice of words,” Sita said, grinning. “You two put on quite a display the other night. Have you ever considered a career in pornography?”
Karen covered her hand to hide her laugh. “What about you and Joey?”
“What about us?”
“He was utterly oblivious to anything in that club except you Sita. You must admit, you were having a great time with him too.”
Sita shrugged. “I suppose so. I was rather displeased with him, however. Four days ago I asked him to badger his friend into seeing my sister, but so far he has not fulfilled his task.”
“What friend?”
“Oh, I don’t remember his name. But my sister is coming back tomorrow and I wanted to surprise her. She says otherwise, but I know she’s lonely and she’s never been very good with men, so this is my way of helping her.”
“Kal would never go on a blind date.”
A sly grin formed on her face. “She will if I ask her to.”
~~
Joey had no reason to be afraid. He had known him for over 5 years, they had spent the majority of those 5 years together, in cramped spaces, on the road. They were best friends. He should have been able to approach the apartment with total ease, not such an uncomfortable tension knotting his stomach.
He knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
He entered, seeing JC sitting on the floor. Joey had the impression that his friend was incredibly stiff and possibly just as uneasy as he was, although he didn’t know why. JC leaned against the bare white wall leisurely, one leg spread on the floor while the other was curved, a knee sticking up and his back slouched. He wore a simple white shirt and faded jeans, no socks or shoes. A notebook rested on his lap. When he looked up he smiled.
Joey forced himself to smile in return. “Hello JC.”
“Hi.”
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
“You aren’t.”
He removed his jacket in an attempt to make himself for comfortable. It didn’t work. “You’re probably wondering why I’m here, again.”
“No. I wasn’t wondering that.”
“Right.” Joey clapped his hands together. “So, what are you working on?”
“A song for the new album.”
“How did that meeting with the producers go?”
“Not so good. I’m meeting with Mr. Anderson on Tuesday.”
“Wait, you’re meeting with the owner of RCA?”
“Yes. Why are you so surprised?”
“JC, do you really think he’s going to listen to you? I mean, this is serious.”
“You thought I was joking before?”
Joey took a couple of steps closer. “Aren’t you afraid? We’re just starting out and our sophomore album is our most important, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Every album we make is important. Joey, you don’t have a problem with me meeting with Mr. Anderson, do you? You don’t mind that I want to produce, do you?”
“Of course not,” he replied honestly. “I want you to, we all support you entirely. Actually, I think you’d do a better job than most of those idiots in this business. It’s just, we have to take it slowly and work our way to that position when we can take more control of our careers. You can’t just go to Mr. Anderson, the owner of the label, and demand to produce. It doesn’t work that way.”
JC stared at him and then grinned. “Isn’t there something you came here to talk to me about?”
He blinked and realized he had forgotten his purpose in being there. A relief passed over him that the subject had been changed, that the seriousness in the moment was gone. He remembered Sita and felt instantly better. “Yes, there was actually something I wanted to ask you. What are you doing tomorrow night?”
“Are you asking me out?”
Joey laughed, nervously. “Very funny. No, seriously, what are you doing?”
“Going to the studio.”
“I knew it. Now JC, don’t argue with me right away, just hear me out. I have a proposition for you. Remember that girl I had talked with you about. Her name was Sita.”
“Vaguely.”
“Yes, well we were talking about you a couple of days ago and she suggested that you ought to meet her sister.” He waited for JC to protest, but when he said nothing and remained placidly looking at him, Joey continued. “See, she’s visiting from college and she wants to be a producer, like you. We, Sita and I, think that you guys would really hit it off since you have so much in common. It would be a chance for you to get out and have a relaxing evening for once, to get away from the work and have fun. What do you say?”
“No thanks.”
“But, why not?”
“I told you. I’m going to the studio.”
“JC, can’t you spend one night out of the studio for once? Would that be so terrible?”
“Yes.”
Joey was getting frustrated. “I don’t understand you. It’s like you’re trying to avoid people, like you want to be alone for the rest of your life. You’re going to regret it, you know, when you’re old and still sitting alone in some apartment or mansion, you’re going to wish you had made those friendships and had relationships with other people. You’re going to be sorry that you wasted yourself away in some studio.”
It would have made it easier for him if JC’s face had changed at all, had shown some anger or some kind of emotion. JC still looked calmly up, a hint of a smile on his mouth.
Joey sighed. “I don’t mean to get angry with you.”
“You aren’t angry at me. You’re angry at yourself because I’m not like you and you don’t understand that.” In a single motion he stood up, leaving the notebook on the ground. “I’ll meet this girl tomorrow night Joey.”
His head shot up, astonished. “You will? Really?”
“Yes.”
“It…it isn’t because of what I said, is it?”
“No. But since it’ll make you feel better to believe that, then go ahead.”
He didn’t know what to make of that, didn’t know whether to feel angry that he accepted or thank him, even though it was he who was doing him a favor. “Ok. I’ll tell Sita and call you later to tell you what’s up. I better get going then.”
“Good-bye Joey.”
He left the apartment feeling better. Sita would be pleased and that thought in itself made him happy. There was no limitation to what he would do just to see her smile, which was so different than anything he had ever felt before that he treated it like a gift wrapped in the most gorgeous paper. He had always assumed that he would resist the temptation to commit. Now, he welcomed it. He wanted Sita, to be with her and only her. He didn’t think anything would ever come between them that would have the power to make him feel differently.
~~
Sita had not been to her father’s office in four days.
When questioned, she had told her father she had not been feeling well or that she had made appointments with Karen. She would go out with Karen or Joey, she would accompany her mother to tedious gatherings that did not request her company, she had occupied herself with the flute or riding her horses. In a moment of desperation she had called J.J. and asked him to join her for lunch, which he happily agreed to. Anything she could do to keep herself from going to the office or even thinking about the bus stop, she would do.
Even when she was busy it would happen to her. She would be right in the middle of saying something and he would come to mind. It was impossible for her to go through an entire day without the memory of him flashing before her. He was inescapable. She could feel him at all times, the knowledge that he was out there, maybe hours away, maybe just down the street.
A part of her laughed and called her foolish for postponing the inevitable. She would have to see him again. Pretending otherwise was childish. There was no returning back to the world she had once thought she knew so well. He had altered everything. When she witnessed the women she had been destined to turn into, the wealthy elders that had done nothing except marry into money and raise a family, she did not respect them like she used to. She saw women who had a disillusioned idea of what the world was, she saw a sheltered mind that had not even seen the true meaning of beauty, a woman who thought the world ended with her bank account. She could not be that woman.
Sita Perne was coming to life.
The docile shell that had covered her was being broken and she was beginning to clearly discern her emotions. She still smiled when it was expected of her to, but in her mind she would question why she was smiling in the first place. During her lunch with J.J. her normally attentive eyes would constantly drift elsewhere. J.J. had expressed his annoyance with her to which she replied, “Well, if you’d like to keep my attention, then I suggest you stop talking about such boring matters such as your new haircut.”
These changes did not bother her so much, but there was another difference in her way of thinking that frightened her. Her once satisfactory life was crumbling because now she wanted. She wanted to see him again, she wanted to feel him, to see his eyes, to hear one of his songs. There were times when she wanted these things so badly that she felt she would lose her mind and was halfway out the door, heading towards her father’s office, when she stopped herself.
She had to stay away. She had to let her life return to normal and forget that he ever existed. She had to keep herself busy and wait for these strange changes and feelings to lesson and eventually fade away.
She tried not to think about what she would do if they didn’t.
~~
Kalika was in her room, unpacking her limited luggage, when her sister entered.
“Kal!” Sita exclaimed, hugging her sister.
“How are you?”
“Great. I have something to tell you.”
“Oh? What is it?” she asked, looking back to her things to search for the gift she had brought her sister.
“You’re going out tonight.”
“I am?”
“Yes.” Sita hesitated. “I’ve arranged a date for you.”
Kalika looked up with surprised eyes. “Excuse me?”
“Before you say anything, you have to know that he’s perfect for you Kal. Remember how you were telling me that you wanted to find someone with your love for producing? Well, I’ve found him for you,” she finished with a smile. “Oh, I know how you hate blind dates but when this boy I’m seeing, his name is Joey, described his friend to me I know I couldn’t pass it up. You came to mind instantly.”
“Have you met this boy?”
Sita’s face cringed slightly. “Does that matter?”
Kalika crossed her arms over her chest. “Please don’t tell me you’ve set me up with a boy you’ve never met.”
“All right, I won’t. How about I tell you to pick something up for me and you act surprised to find a boy there instead?”
“Sita!”
“Kal, you must go.”
Kalika forgot about the item she was searching for and, with a sigh, took a seat on her bed. When she looked up she saw her sister watching her with hopeful, wide green eyes. “I can’t believe you sometimes. You must always have something to surprise me, don’t you?”
She heard the resignation in the other girl’s voice and Sita grinned, sitting next to her. “I’m sure he’ll be everything you’ve ever wanted Kal. You won’t be disappointed.”
“How can you be so sure?”
A look of puzzlement flashed on her face. “I don’t know. It’s a feeling I have, I suppose.” She stared at the wall in front of her, wondering why she had said that, and then felt her sister eyeing her carefully. “What is it?”
“There’s something different about you Sita,” her sister said quietly, almost suspiciously. “You look changed.”
“How ridiculous,” she laughed, “You just saw me no less than a week ago.”
Kalika kept watching her but then shook her head and returned the smile. “Yes, you’re right. So, what do you suggest I wear tonight?”
“I knew you’d agree!” Sita squealed, throwing her arms around the older girl, causing them both to fall back and burst into a series of laughs.
~~
Kalika Perne sat at her desk, huddled over the schoolwork she had brought home to do over her vacation. She was not nervous nor even conscience of the impending date that was due to arrive at any minute. She had, for the moment, forgotten about her sister’s mischievous actions and was fully concentrated on her work. It wasn’t like she was entirely dedicated to constant work. She had a task in front of her and she was going to complete it. It was a simple philosophy that had been with her since she was a child.
It wasn’t until a butler knocked on her room door to announce his entrance that she even lifted her head.
“Miss Kalika,” the old man said with a bow, “Your guest has arrived.”
“Thank you.” She returned back to the desk to finish her thought before putting the pen down and heading downstairs. Her track record with men was sparse. She simply wasn’t interested in companionship at that period in her life, her mind occupied with far to many greater details to even look around and see the very many options she had for a relationship. She was always quiet when it came to boys who asked her out. None thus far had sparked her interest enough to get her talking.
Her attire was simple. A gray, business type skirt and a formal white shirt, her typical choice in wardrobe. She wore no make-up or jewelry and her straight, black hair fell ordinarily down her back. Sita had given her a brief explanation of the type of man she was meeting, although his name her sister couldn’t remember. It didn’t matter anyway. Kalika had met her share of mundane celebrities.
Already she was running through excuses to end the evening early as she walked down the grand staircase towards the marble entrance of the mansion. As she descended lower and lower her date began coming into view. He was tall, on the lean side, his clothes as uninteresting as her own, his head full of brown hair. Unnoticed to her, her feet had slowed down and her eyes were waiting patiently for him to look up so she could see his face.
Then he did.
It wasn’t the fact that he was handsome that threw her off, it was the way his face was presented. This was a man, she knew, that was not controlled or owned by anything. He did not question himself, he knew something greater than anyone else around him, he was sure of himself. In his eyes the blue was an ocean of a passion for something that Kalika thought she alone had, and that ocean was rough and uncharted. Unlike most people who felt instantly uncomfortable in his presence, she sighed in relief with the knowledge that someone like him walked the earth.
When her foot touched the landing he smiled politely and shook her hand. “Hi. I’m JC.”
“Kalika,” she said. “I’m very glad to meet you.”
“Me too. Should we go?”
She nodded and took his offered arm so he could lead the way out of the house.
~~
“This is going to end up being a complete disaster.”
Four people were lounged around the huge game room. On one end was a giant tv where Justin sat, far to close, watching an action movie. Karen sat directly in the center of the room, running her fingers through the soft white carpet underneath her, facing Sita who sat on the far end of a brown leather couch, Joey’s head resting in her lap.
“What are you talking about Karen?” Sita asked.
“This date you’ve orchestrated. It’s a huge mistake. You know how picky Kal is, how could you set her up with a complete stranger? You make far to rash decisions, you know?”
“I do not,” she argued. “She hasn’t even left yet. Besides, how do you know that she and…and…oh, Joey, what is your friend’s name again?”
“JC.”
“Yes, JC. How can you be so sure that they won’t hit it off right away?”
“You know how awkward that’s going to be if they do?” Justin commented. “I mean, think about it. I’m stuck with the bimbo over there, you and Joey are an item, and then JC and your sister. This is getting kinda incestuous.”
“This should all be natural to you sweetie,” Karen said. “You are from Tennessee after all.”
Justin looked back with an evil gleam in his eye and his usual sly smile on his face. He crawled slowly, like a panther, towards an unsuspecting Karen and then pounced.
“Get off!”
He pinned her down on her back, holding her wrists on both sides of her head harshly and then leaned down to roughly cement his lips onto hers.
Sita rolled her eyes and looked down at Joey, whose eyes were peacefully closed. She ran a hand gently through his hair. “Joey, do you think my sister will like JC?”
“It’s hard to tell,” he replied. “I don’t know many people who can tolerate him. It takes a special kind of person to understand him.”
“Why do you guys get along so well?”
He thought for a second. “It’s strange. It’s like, we don’t have a choice in whether we get along with him. He’s the one who chose us to get along with. To this day I’m not sure why. I think it’s because we all love music.”
“He sounds awful.”
“You would definitely not get along with him.”
The door to the den opened, although Karen and Justin barely noticed, and a butler brought in a tray of soda and potato chips. “Your mother suggested I bring these in, Miss Sita,” he said formally, bowing.
“Thanks. Do you know if my sister has left yet?”
“I was just in her room to inform her that her guest is waiting downstairs.”
“Really? Joey get up.”
He lifted his head quizzically. “What for?”
“I want to see him,” she said, heading towards the door. “I’ll be right back.”
She hurried down the stairs to the second floor and then jogged towards the grand staircase, which would lead her to the entrance. She had to get at least one glimpse of this mystery man, to put a face with the stories she had heard about him. Would he look as horribly as he sounded? Did she make a terrible mistake in allowing him to see her sister? These questions raced through her mind as she slowed down once the first step of the staircase was in view.
Carefully she walked down and, when she had assumed to had gone far enough, leaned over the banister. She was just in time to see the front door close, the entryway now empty.