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Chris
After walking around the park with Mary, I took her back to her apartment and headed to the office where a million emails were waiting for me and more texts from my mother wanting to know about my ‘date’.
“So, how was brunch, hot shot?” Danny asked, a mouthful of ramen noodles as he peered over his cubicle.
“I took her to meet Willy,” I mumbled, wondering why in the hell I actually did that.
Willy was the first person who was ever nice to me when I moved to the city.
I remember leaving my first modeling audition, after being told I wasn’t ‘ethnic enough’ and sitting on a bench in Central Park. I was wondering what the hell I was going to do with my life.
That was when Willy sat down next to me and said, “When Willy sad. Willy feed ducks.”
He handed me the one piece of bread he had, and we sat there, watching the ducks in silence. It was the first time anyone, but my family had been kind to me in the city, and it gave me a new boost of confidence. From then on, I made sure to visit the park a few times a week and bring the old man food.
What drew me to take Mary there, to show her that vulnerable and personal side of me, I couldn’t pinpoint. If this girl was more than just a client to me, she sure as hell wasn’t acting like I meant any more to her.
Yeah, there was the flirting, the kiss, and of course talking to my mom, but she was an actress. It was what she did. I had to keep my head in the game.
“Willy? Your creepy old man friend? Did she run for the hills?” Danny asked, holding onto our cubicle wall.
I shrugged. “She was cool with it. Maybe some guy with a camera took a picture, and they’ll think she’s a good Samaritan. Then maybe somebody will recognize Willy or get him into a home or something. It’s a win-win situation.”
That explanation at least sounded good in my head, and if this was all a PR game in the end, then that would be a good result.
“So what’s the plan with Ms. James? Another sex tape? Maybe get her into porn? Because if she’s getting into that, I volunteer to be director. My phone has a good camera,” Danny said, waving his device.
I shook my head. “Naw, man. It’s up to her agent to find her, her next role. I’m just here to help her image. But we have a strategy meeting tonight at her place.”
“Spending the night with a client?” Danny wiggled his eyebrows.
“Don’t get any ideas, man. It’s business. Strictly business.”