Chapter Fifty – The Work We Do in the Dark
The sound of an incoming message on his phone jolted him awake. Careful not to wake Wen, Hearst slid out of bed and tiptoed to his phone. A smirk crept over his lips as he read the message. Today, he'd meet his future lawyer, which meant that the timing couldn't have been more auspicious. Jamie's reunion with mom and dad would be aired today, which would make his plea more convincing. Given how shady the people at LiveFeed were, Hearst wouldn't be surprised to discover that they had kept even more skeletons hidden in the closet, ready to have them jump out like cheap thrills in a funhouse at a carnival at just at the right moment.
So far, they had proven efficient at fooling a bunch of young people into exposing their weaknesses on social media for the sake of entertainment. Their string of good luck wouldn't continue if challenged, Hearst believed, but for that to happen, someone with a lot more life experience was needed as a divine intervention. Wen thought he wouldn't be able to afford a lawyer, and also that he wouldn't find a professional willing to work pro bono.
Hearst was betting everything on this thread he'd found. If it didn't work, he'd have to consider an alternative… and he knew that he wasn't much of a master of disguise even if he had managed to keep a bunny mask on while getting to know Jamie all these months.
He snuck out of the motel room after grooming and dressing, while making as little noise as possible. If Wen asked, he'd say he went for a walk to clear his head. A long and hopefully fruitful walk.
***
The office Hearst was looking for was tucked away on the second floor of a building that had seen better days, right above a nail salon with a brand new sign. The area wasn't exactly chic, but it didn't look dilapidated either which was good enough in Hearst's book. It had been quite a lucky find to discover that a lawyer who would help him with Jamie's case had his practice in a town not too far from where the LiveFeed tour was currently making a stop.
Although he hadn't been too lucky in his life so far, Hearst continued to believe in it. Some people had it and enjoyed it, so it had to be real, even if he wasn't among the lucky guys. He climbed the stairs quickly and paused in front of the door to catch his breath. If he managed to pull this off, he'd give himself a nice pat on the back.
"Come in," a cocksure voice invited him once he gathered the courage needed to knock.
Hearst entered quickly and shut the door behind him as if someone might see him committing this imaginary sin. A pair of keen eyes greeted him with a questioning look.
"I got your message," Hearst said and brushed his upper lip. He hadn't expected to be this nervous.
The room was airy and scantily appointed. There was a single chair intended for visitors, while the lord of the domain sat behind a desk loaded with law books and what looked like case files. The man himself appeared a tad eccentric for his profession, as his Hawaiian shirt and flip-flops – which Hearst could see peeking out from under the desk – would readily testify that he would fit in better at a flea market than a lawyer's office.
Even so, this man was Hearst's best bet. Without hesitation, he began babbling away.
"Okay, color me interested. Take a breather, talk slowly, and make sure to convince me." The lawyer pushed his dark curls away from his forehead and grabbed a pen. He spun it around on his fingers, showing off his dexterity.
"It could be big," Hearst said after inhaling once. "And these guys are loaded. So, if you don't charge me now, you can make bank later. I'll be your whistleblower."
"But you're not on the show." The man continued to examine him, unblinking. It felt like being caught in the steady gaze of a deadly lizard waiting for its prey to make the slightest mistake.
Hearst nodded. At the lawyer's invitation, he sat on the single visitor chair. "No."
The lawyer sighed. "You want me to represent you pro bono. Do me a favor and look behind you." Hearst turned slowly. The man gestured with the pen. "What does it say there? No charity. So, sorry--"
"I'm not on the show, but he is." Hearst took out his phone. He stretched his arm over the towers of books and documents to show its screen to the other.
A frown formed on the lawyer's forehead. "Hmm." It was a non-committal sound. Hearst would bet that he knew what the man was thinking right now. "How many contestants are we talking about? And what percentage of them do you assume are getting screwed over? I need numbers, kid, and I need you to do your homework."
Hearst smiled. Wen thought he was an airhead, but he hadn't learn to sneak around only to come up short now. He closed the LiveFeed app and searched for the document he wanted to show the lawyer. "What do you think of this?"
The man took the phone from Hearst and scrolled through. His frown only deepened. "I think that's damn overreaching on their part."
"There must be at least twenty such contracts. Some contestants signed a different version."
"I see." The lawyer grinned, showing rows of perfect teeth that were most likely whitened professionally. "Okay, kid, you got yourself a lawyer. Shake on it." His eyes still on the screen, the lawyer stretched out his hand.
Hearst was more than happy to shake. "Thank you, sir. You won't regret it. But may I offer you one tiny suggestion?"
"Shoot." The man handed him back the phone.
"I mean, about the flip-flops… You do wear shoes, right?"
The lawyer smirked and Hearst watched as he stretched his toes and then curled them with satisfaction. "Leave the cloak and dagger to me, kid. These guys won't know what hit them."
***
"We need to make it look like a freaking movie," Angus bellowed like he was some prize-winning director on the set of the next Oscar-worthy production. "Jamie must enter through there, and we have mom and dad here—mom and dad, just stay still!"
The asshole even had a bullhorn and was yelling his orders at the passive-looking crew to the point that he appeared ready to be fitted for a straitjacket. Jamie watched his parents through the big window of the fast-food place where the dramatic reunion was supposed to take place. He could only see the backs of their heads. His dad's hair had thinned considerably. His mom still rocked a huge tower of hair so red that it could only come from a bottle. They were sitting side by side, but they didn't look like they were talking to each other. Their family hadn't exactly been a happy one; fights about money had been the norm back then. And now, after being estranged for so long, it seemed like his parents had nothing to say to one another.
And Angus thought he – the boy who had been left behind to survive by himself – would have something meaningful to say to them? What a sham. Jamie tasted bitter bile on his tongue just thinking about it. LiveFeed wouldn't get their stupid reunion, not the way they wanted it. When this was done and over, Jamie had a mind to swear off fame for the rest of his life.
"Quick, Jamie, move, move now!" Angus shouted into his bullhorn.
He moved slowly on purpose. The guys with the cameras were following him, too many pairs of eyes gathered to witness a moment that was supposed to be intimate. It was funny how perception changed once you changed sides. For people looking in, the situation wouldn't scream fake. They would be made part of something, but they remained aware that the people inside the scene didn't see them and didn't think of them as intruders. When, in reality, anyone on this side of the camera lens knew painfully well that everyone else was an intruder.
With a sigh, he pushed open the glass door and walked in. Everyone fell silent, Angus finally finished spouting his stupid cues, as well.
His mom was the first to turn her head. She had aged so much Jamie wasn't able to move another step for a second. It was as if someone else had taken his mom's hair, made it into a wig and was now cosplaying as her in this sham of a show. Her face was thin, angular now, and she had deep wrinkles at the corners of her eyes.
Her makeup was too thick, yet somehow managed not to crack as she smiled.
"Jamie!" she shouted.
His dad turned, as well. He was less changed, but that was only because he was one of those people who had managed to look aged even in their twenties. He stood up out of his seat and walked over to Jamie with his arms open wide, followed closely by his wife.
For as long as Jamie had known them, they had always known how to put on a good show. No wonder LiveFeed thought they had hit the jackpot by staging this reunion. They had stumbled upon a pair of very good actors.
His left knee made a short jerking movement. What the hell? Was he really nervous now? His mom hurried up to him, making her high heels click on the tiled floor in a staccato rhythm. She took his face in her palms.
"Let me look at you, baby," she said.
He had to hand it to her. She was too good an actress to be a good mom. He would swear she was genuinely that happy to see him if he didn't know her better than that.
"Oh, Jamie," she said softly, blinking a few times.
She wouldn't risk crying. Not with all that makeup on. Jamie wished he was that good an actor, because the annoying trembling rippling through him now was no joke. He clenched his fists to avoid letting it overwhelm him.
His mom pulled him into a hug and he didn't protest. He let her hug him for as long as she wanted. His dad was next to him, too, grabbing his shoulder and squeezing it.
"And cut!" Angus yelled. "Jamie, Jamie, Jamie, what's with the frozen fish act?"
"I had no idea we were shooting a movie," Jamie said, a chill coursing down his spine at the interruption. He extracted himself from his mom's embrace, without looking at her. "You wanted my genuine reaction. This was my genuine reaction. I really hope you don't want us to do a repeat 'cause that's not going to happen."
He was talking quickly to take advantage of the seconds of air he still had. He needed to get out of there, away from his parents, because he didn't know if he could truly control himself.
He didn't wait for Angus's reply. As fast as his feet could take him, he stormed out of the fast-food place rented for the occasion.
"Jamie," he heard his mom pleading. "Where are you going?"
Didn't she understand that the cameras had stopped rolling? There was no need to continue the act.
"Honey, let the boy be for now," his dad said. "He'll be fine."
What did they know? How did his dad know that he'd be fine? Was this the same lie they'd told themselves when they had been arrested, leaving their kids alone to deal with life however they could manage it?
***
"Jamie, are you okay?" Anna waited for a reply from him. "Can I sit with you?" she insisted.
He was back at the bus, even if they were supposed to spend a few more days here, and his motel room might have been a better choice for licking his wounds. His choice was logical, though; he had thought no one would find him here.
Apparently, that wasn't true. Anna must have seen him climbing into the bus.
"Yeah, you can sit," he said and pressed his head against the glass. Why the hell was he such a wuss? He hadn't missed them. So why now…? Why… was he swamped by this emotion that messed up his stomach to the point of making him want to throw up?
"How was it?" Anna asked.
Jamie looked at her open palm offered as comfort. He shook his head and took her hand. "Weird as hell. Don't tell anyone, but I want to break something. Or cry. Either way, I don't think it's going to make me feel any better."
"Actually, you might be wrong about that. Either could help you."
"Hmm, and do you think they'll be able to replace the glass in time for the next leg of our journey?" he asked while observing the bus window by his side with critical eyes.
"Ah, I see. Our resident macho man can't see himself crying."
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that," he said, forcing a smile. "Ah, fuck, what the hell? Confession time. Are you okay with this? Since you decided to follow me into my den when I was getting ready to lick my wounds."
"I am more than okay with it." Anna lost her comforting smile for a moment. "And I swear I'm not one of those people who like two-timing everyone. I've heard stories. There are contestants who pretend to be friends only to stab each other in the back."
"I can't say I'm surprised." He drew one deep breath and closed his eyes.
"I'm listening," Anna said when his long hesitation made it seem like he had changed his mind.
"I… ah, fuck, why is this so hard?"
"Because it's supposed to be. You wouldn't be human if you thought that meeting your parents after a gazillion years for the first time would be easy."
"Yeah," he admitted and opened his eyes only to stare blankly ahead. "Yeah, that makes sense. I just thought that I no longer cared about them. You know, at first I had these dreams that they'd come back and take me home. Not only me, but my brother and sister, too. But I grew up and realized there was no coming back from what they had done."
"If it's any consolation, Jamie, they didn't leave you because they wanted to abandon you and your siblings," Anna said after a short moment of deliberation. "I'm guessing they didn't want to get arrested."
"Yeah, you're right about that. But I was so angry. They could've done something else to earn a living, not that. I am still angry. I am so angry at them I want to punch a hole through a wall."
"Wow, did you just upgrade your ambition from breaking a window to a wall?"
Anna's playful tone made him smile, easing some of the tension in his muscles. "I guess so. Still, despite it all, I think I--" Could he really bring himself to say it? He rubbed his mouth with one hand and bit his bottom lip. He could confess that tidbit to Anna, because she was so nice. A weird thought crossed his mind. How would Hearst react if Jamie confessed all these weak spots of his to him?
Anna encouraged him to continue by squeezing his hand.
"Yeah," he said, chasing that stupid thought away, "I guess I missed them, after all." The last words were barely audible, but he knew Anna had heard him loud and clear, because she pulled him close into a tight hug.
"They must have missed you, too," Anna offered.
"Ah, I wouldn't bet on that. After all, they've been silent for the last fifteen years. Since I was passed from one relative to another, they could've called once or twice. Or written. Or, I don't know, sent a pigeon."
Anna giggled. "I'd love to see that once in my lifetime. Do you think that maybe they had other reasons not to contact you at all? Like being ashamed of what they did?"
Jamie snorted. "Somehow, I cannot picture them feeling shame of any sort. I won't make excuses for them. I might have missed them, but I'm not stupid. I'm not seeing them in rosy colors only because we haven't seen each other in a gazillion years, as you said." With another sigh, he pulled out his phone. "I gave that Angus fuck almost close to zero content, so I dread the thought that he might want to drag me back for another genuine reaction. If they posted anything, I'll know."
Anna rested her head against his shoulder, as he opened the LiveFeed app. His eyes began dancing across the screen, unable to focus.
"What the hell are they thinking now?" Anna asked the first question that came to his mind, too.
The editing was the patchwork of an insane tailor.
Jamie Vayne, you are cold as ice! … Mom in tears over… Even as a child, he showed no empathy…
He didn't realize he was heaving, anger closing like a noose around his neck, until Anna grabbed the phone out of his hand and darkened the screen.
What sort of a stupid joke was this? Jamie jumped to his feet, a curtain of dark red falling over his eyes, fury blinding him.
"Jamie," Anna called after him, "don't go there!"
He could hear her following right behind, but this time he didn't need comfort. He needed to punch something, and it wasn't a window or a wall. It was someone's face, and that face belonged to a guy named Angus.
TBC