Eleven-fifteen had her changing her mind once more. That’s when a fresh batch of social media popped onto the web. Viv started getting texts from friends, old clients, and acquaintances alike. Even her seventy-year-old neighbor called up and asked if there was anything she could do to help.
All of it made her miss Duke even more. Which only made her feel more weak and selfish and…miserable.
“Rise and shine, Vivia,” Mom said as she stepped into the room. The distinct clatter of blinds moving from bottom to top sounded.
The room got miserably brighter.
“Why is this happening?” Viv grumbled beneath the sheet. She grabbed a nearby pillow and shoved it over her face.
“Oh,mia cara, because a sad, jealous woman drank too much and made of mess of things by trying to slander your good name.”
“No,” Viv said, “why isthis—as in you showing up way too early and opening my blinds—happening?”
On came her TV. “Because.” A commercial for organic dog food blared throughout her room.
“You’re going to wake the boys up,” Viv warned. School was out for summer, after all.
“That’s okay,” her mom said. “They have baseball practice soon. Remember?”
The channels were changing now. Music. News. And the sounds of an audience cheering.
“I got a text this morning,” she said.
Viv’s eyes popped open. She pulled the pillow from her face. “From who?”
“Actually, it came in last night, but I didn’t see it until this morning.”
“Welcome toMornings In Mind,” came the TV. “I’m Samantha Pingley, and we’re here to brighten your day, broaden your horizons, and help you see the world in a brand new light.”
Vivia had heard the introduction to the woman’s popular TV show hundreds of times before.
“You came here to watch the morning show?” she asked. “Is your electricity out?”
“Today we’ll be talking about redemption,” the woman continued. “It’s something most of us crave at one point or another, but rarely attain. There is, however, a woman who’s become known for her unique ability to helprightwrong perspectives. A woman who—by a recent unfortunate event—became the subject of slander herself. And might I say, wrongfully so.”
Viv yanked the blanket off her face now, propped herself onto her elbows, and blinked.
“Today we welcome a star cast of people, including myself, who have one very specific thing in common. Our reputations, and even our careers, were restored, in part, by an upright, intelligent, and—at all-costs—honest young woman. A tribute, if you will, to the lovely Veritå.
“It’s my great honor to lead this tribute with a few words of my own. I’ve done approximately two hundred and fifty TV interviews each year for a combined total of eight years, which equals to approximately two thousand interviews in the last decade alone. My stint was briefly interrupted when my character was brought into question after I was accused of embezzlement. I fought back, in an often-unsavory manner, as you might imagine, and it only got worse.
“While I was soon legally cleared of those allegations, I spent the better part of two years trying to regain my place in the workforce and the public eye alike.”
Mom climbed onto the bed, scooted until she was sitting beside Viv, and shot her a teary-eyed grin before setting her eyes back on the screen.
Viv was starting to feel the emotion of it herself. A warm knot of it turning in her heart.
“Of the two-thousand plus interviews I was part of, there are few that stand out to me more than the time I spent with Vivia Tripoli, who is the famous Veritå. I could tell by the look in her eye, by the careful pose of her questions, that she was inwardly rooting for me. Giving me the benefit of the doubt, even.
“But I was equally aware that she sought the truth, and that she’d share that truth no matter which way it went. She has integrity, a rare virtue these days.”
A rush of emotion swept through Viv as she let the woman’s words sink in. “Wow,” she breathed.
“Indeed.” Her mom reached out and took her hand. “Mia cara,” she said, kissing the back of her hand.
It reminded her of the way Duke often pressed kisses to her palms. She wondered if he’d caught sight of the morning show amidst his morning routine.
“We’re going to take a quick break,” Samantha said, “but when we return, get ready to hear more stories like the one I shared. It’s all coming up next. Stay tuned.”
