Chapter 8
Ali Kat
A small blonde-haired child pokes her head out from Irene’s skirt, blinking her innocent eyes up at me.
“Where did her beautiful blonde hair come from?” I enthuse.
The child disappears again, using her mother as a shield.
“She’s just acting shy. She remembers you from that Easter movie you were in.”
For the first time that I can remember, I’m a little embarrassed about what I do. I’ve always been proud of my career, but being around Irene makes me feel uneasy. Like it’s not something I should be proud of.
“Well, I hope she liked it.”
“Can I get you something to drink?” Irene offers as she pulls her long, black hair up in a sloppy bun.
It’s odd seeing her now as she’s approaching thirty when the last time I saw her, she was still in her teens. She’s grown into a pretty woman, her proportions now more womanly with rounded hips and a softer frame.
“Water is fine.”
Garrett squats down, reaching his arms out to the little girl. “Come on, Lori. Uncle Garrett’s gonna take you out to feed the horses. Then, you’re gonna push me on the swing.”
The shy girl takes a step towards Garrett, then stops, eyeing me critically.
“Oh, she ain’t gonna hurt ya,” Garrett says, scooping Lori up and ushering her out the door.
“She’s gorgeous,” I say.
“Yeah, and to answer your question, she got her hair from four assholes ago. Can’t even bother to pay her a visit.”
“Oh…I’m sorry,” I say, knowing full well I’m walking on eggshells.
“So, what’s going on with you?’
“I’m sure you’ve heard.”
“Yeah, it’s everywhere,” she says. She’s never been afraid to ask the hard questions. “I have to know, were you on a date withtheAlistair Whent?”
“Let’s not go there.”
“That’s fair.”
Irene sets a glass of water on the table, and we both take seats across from each other.
“So, you decided to come here and not to some fancy rehab?” she asks.
“It was a bad night. A really bad night, but not enough to warrant a trip to the Spings or any of those other places.”
“Yeah, it was worse than you after that Saturday Bons.” She starts laughing hysterically. “Remember that night your hair caught fire, but only the one side! You tried to make it into some stylish do, but no one bought it.”
“Oh, GOD—why would you mention that?”
“It’s not like you suffered any real consequences. You still dated the quarterback.”
“Wait, do you mean Brett Mitchel? It was so long ago. I think we dated for all of a week.”
“Don’t be mad at me, but we kind of had a thing at one time.”
