When Can I See You Again? Ch3

Chapter Three – Phone Call from Home

Rapunzel never stopped sewing, even when she was at home.  Holed up in her room in the three bedroom apartment she shared with Esmeralda and Cinderella, Rapunzel was running a skirt for herself in the machine.  She liked her old Singer.  It was black and cast iron, with intricate gold swirls floating all along the shapely metal.  It was a late 1940’s model, a hand-me-down from her mother, who got it from her mother.  Rapunzel’s mother had never used it, except as a table to put plants on in the family room when it was time to bring the pots in during the winter.  Being used in such a manner had left the top lid of the case damaged.  The varnish had peeled from over exposure to water.  When it became Rapunzel’s in high school, her step-father had shown her how to refinish wood.  It was her pride and joy.
There was a knock on her door.
“Are you coming out for cake?”  It was Esmeralda.  “I drove halfway across L.A. for it. The least you could do is try it.”  
Rapunzel sighed and set her project aside.  She opened the door.  Esmeralda was still standing there.
“It is your birthday after all.”  Rapunzel walked past her roommate.  “What were you doing in there?”  Esmeralda looked in.  She saw that her sewing machine was out.  “You sewed all day at work and then you come home and sew?”
“I’ve got to do something when I get home.”
“Read a book, or watch a movie.  Catch up on How I Met Your Mother.  Do you realize how many episodes you’re DVRed?  There’s no room for my Mythbusters.”
“Just delete seasons one through six.  I have those all on DVD,” Rapunzel shrugged.
“Can you two please not squabble,” called Cinderella from the table where a cake was sitting with three plates.  “We’re supposed to be celebrating.”
“I don’t know why you two wanted to go through all this trouble for my birthday,” said Rapunzel as she sat down.
“Because we’re your friends,” Esmeralda said, wrapping an arm around her.  “And somebody’s got to be thinking about you, Miss Single.”  Rapunzel rolled her eyes.
“Maybe I like being single.”
Cinderella lit the one candle that was in the center of the red velvet cake.
“Happy birthday Rapunzel!” sang Cinderella and Esmeralda.  Rapunzel blew the candle out.
“Did you make a wish,” asked Cinderella.
“Of course.”
Rapunzel wished that she could have some excitement in her life; she was in desperate need of it.
“Now that all the formalities are taken care of, let’s eat some cake!”  Esmeralda took up the knife and cut out a thick slice for herself from the round cake.
“Esmeralda!” shouted Cinderella.  “This is Rapunzel’s cake!”
“But who paid for it!”
“It’s okay, Ella.  She can have as much as she wants.”
“That’s right, listen to the birthday girl.”  
Cinderella shook her head at the other two.  Rapunzel cut a slice for her and then herself.  The other two sat down and enjoyed the cake, talking when their mouths weren’t full.
“Man, I can’t believe how late we have to work tomorrow.”
“Filming starts next week and we’re way behind,” Rapunzel said.
“Yeah, but you’d think Mr. Whitmore would hire more help.  I mean, does he seriously think three girls can make a whole ensemble?”
“Don’t complain, Esmeralda,” chastised Cinderella.  “Keeping busy can be a good thing sometimes.  Besides, it’s not even really that much we’re having to make new.  Hollywood has so many buildings just full of costumes we can pull from; we’re really not having to make that much.  And all the modern scenes, we’ve just gone to all the local clothing stores.  We’re pretty much set.”
“She is right, Esmeralda.  It’s just the funky fantasy costumes and repairs we’ve got worry about now.”
“Yeah, but it’s a Friday night tomorrow, and I wanted to party,” Esmeralda whined.
“Well, then here’s a proposition for you; which would you rather have?  Time to party or money to spend?”
“Both.”
“You can’t have everything.”
“I can damn well try.”
Rapunzel chuckled and shook her head at the other two.  She poked at her cake with her fork.  It was good, her favorite kind from her favorite bakery, but she wasn’t hungry.  She knew any minute, the phone was going to ring and it would be for her.  And she didn’t want to answer.
“You know, I’ve been thinking,” said Esmeralda.  “I think I’ve seen Eugene someplace before.”
“You know, I thought the same thing,” Cinderella agreed.  “It is very possible.  He said he’s been on a lot of sets and so have we.  It is possible to have met him before.”
“No, I would have remembered meeting a face like that.  But I’m sure I’ve seen him somewhere before.”
“It is Hollywood.  Cinderella is right, it is very possible,” Rapunzel put in.
“No, I’ve seen him in something.  A movie, a TV show.”
“He could have been one of the many people who got blown up in Pirates of the Caribbean,” joked Cinderella.
“Nah, he was in something where I saw his face.  He did actual acting, I think.”  Esmeralda tapped her fingertips over her mouth as she thought.  “I want to say it was a time period movie, because he looked like the kind of man who would look good in anything.”
“That has nothing to do with a time period movie,” Rapunzel told Esmeralda.
“Wait, I know!”  Esmeralda snapped her fingers.  “He was in The Apple Dream.  You know that movie, it was a few years ago, took place in the twenties.  It was about some family losing their apple orchard.  I think he played opposite, uh, what’s her face?”
“Uh…Snow White?” suggested Cinderella.
“Yes!  Yes!  That’s where I know him from.”  Esmeralda was quite satisfied with herself that she had recognized Eugene.  Rapunzel recalled the movie too.
“He dies at the end, you know,” she said.
“But it was a pretty good movie,” voiced Cinderella.  “A tear jerker.  I love that line he said.”  Cinderella put her hands together and took on a dreamy, far-off expression. “‘You were my new dream.’”
“Yes!  He said it as he died in her arms.  Oh, my God, I cried so hard at the end.  I ran out of tissues.”
“Oh, please,” said Rapunzel.  “That was probably the corniest line to ever be said in a movie.  I know that I would be embarrassed if someone told me that.”
“Oh, come on, Rapunzel.” complained Esmeralda.  “Where’s your sense of romanticism?  Haven’t you ever wanted to be whisked off your feet by a dashing man?”
“I don’t like being picked up, and whisking is essentially the same thing.”
“You are such a wet towel.”
“Come on, girls,” said Cinderella as she got in between the two of them again.  “Let’s not fight.  We have work together in the morning and it is Rapunzel’s birthday.  Let’s just enjoy the cake.”
Rapunzel and Esmeralda settled down again.
“But seriously, Rapunzel, you need to be a little bit more romantic minded.  I mean, a completely gorgeous guy walks into your costume shop and you don’t even flirt with him.”
“Esmeralda,” warned Cinderella.  “I said drop it.”
Rapunzel turned to Esmeralda.
“Esmeralda, I learned a long time ago to never flirt with an actor.  You either get your heart broken or you get something you didn’t want at all.  I’m going to put the cake away.”  Rapunzel stood and took her half eaten cake.  She came back for the rest of the cake and went into the kitchen.  
Cinderella glared across the table at Esmeralda, who put her arms up, confused.
“What?” she whispered through her teeth.
“You know Rapunzel had a bad experience with ‘flirting with an actor’,” hissed Cinderella.
“Oh, that was back in college.  She’s got to be over it by now.”
“Well, obviously not!”
Rapunzel came back out of the kitchen.  
“You know, I can hear you.”  The two friends grinned sheepishly at her.  “And you’re right, I should be over it.  I am over it.  I just keep the lesson I learned in mind.  And trust me; I do not want to date an actor.  Or stuntman.”  Rapunzel took Esmeralda’s words right out of her mouth.  She crossed the living room to go back to her bedroom when the phone rang.  She stared at the receiver like it was a venomous rattle snake.
“Rapunzel, you don’t have to answer that,” Cinderella told her.  Rapunzel sighed.
“She’ll keep calling if I don’t.”  Rapunzel took the phone and sat down on the couch.
“Hello?”
“Happy birthday, Rapunzel!”
“Thanks, Mom.”  She said it as genuinely as she could.
“Oh, Flower, it’s so good to hear your voice.”
“You too, Mom.”
“How are you?  Charlie wants to know.”
“Mom, I’m doing fine and you don’t have to use your husband as an excuse to ask me that question.”
“But I do want to know.”  The voice on the other line changed to a man’s.  It was Rapunzel’s step-father.  “Happy birthday, kiddo.”
“Thanks, Charlie.”
“We sent the usual check in the mail.”
“You guys don’t have to keep doing that every year.  I make plenty of money.”
“Oh, we know that, Miss Rising Star.  Your mother was disappointed when you lost that Oscar to Anna Karenina.  She wanted to tell everyone in town what her little girl did.
“I know, but she still probably told everyone I was up for the award.”
“That she did.  Talked everybody’s ear off.”
Rapunzel heard a crackle on the line as her mother took the phone back.
“How is Los Angeles, Flower?”
“Shaky and smoggy, but what else is new?”
“Are you getting plenty of fresh air?  What about your vegetables?  Are you eating those?  I gave you the recipe for hazel nut soup.  That’s healthy; are you eating it?”
“Mom, I’ve been living on my own for the last four years.  I’m doing fine.”
“Oh, I know, you’re such a clever little grown up miss, but can you blame a mother for worrying?”
“No, Mom, I can’t.”
“Good.”  Neither mother nor daughter said anything, then, “So, Rapunzel, when are you coming home?”
“Oh, Mom, you know I’m on big project now.  It’s a small independent film and I’m pulling double duty on it.”
“Well, surely they’ll give you time off.  They can’t keep you working without a break.”
“I don’t know; this director is a little eccentric.”
“Do I need to come kidnap you from your job?”
“I like my job, Mom.”
“I know.  My little girl has touched the stars.  Literally, you have.”  On the other end, Rapunzel heard Charlie’s muted voice.
“Gothel, honey, you’re late night show’s about to come on.”
“Okay, well, Rapunzel, I’ve got to go.  I love you.”
“I love you more, Mom.”  
“I love you most.  Bye-bye.”
“Bye.”  There was another crackle as the phone got handed back to Charlie.
“You’re welcome.”
“Thanks,” Rapunzel breathed out to him.  “I wish she wouldn’t try and interrogate me like that every time she calls.”
“She worries about you.”
“I know, I know, and she doesn’t need to.”
“I know, but your mom watches a lot of Dragnet.”
“Don’t forget Adam-12 and Emergency.  But those shows were filmed in the 60’s and 70’s.  Los Angeles is very different now.”
“Try telling her that.”  
Rapunzel chuckled.
“Tell me straight, Charlie; how is she?”  
“Oh, fine, fine.  She’s taking her medicine and hasn’t had an episode in three months.”
“That’s good.”
“She just wants you to come home.”
“I know,” Rapunzel sighed.  “As soon as this movie is done and set, I’ll come home for an extended visit.  Promise.  And when I promise something-“
“You never break that promise.  I know, sweetie.  Take care of yourself out there.”
“I will.  Bye.”
“Talk to you soon, Rapunzel.”  Charlie hung up and so did Rapunzel.  She flopped down on the couch face first, letting out an exasperated sigh.  Talking to her mother, even for a short amount of time, usually left her drained.  Esmeralda and Cinderella walked over to her.  Esmeralda picked her feet up and sat down, putting Rapunzel’s feet down in her lap.
“Did she ask you when you’re moving back home?” asked Cinderella.
“Yes.”  Rapunzel’s voice was muffled through a pillow.
“Will you really go home once this movie is done?”
Rapunzel sat up, pulling her feet to her from Esmeralda’s lap.
“I promised.  I have to.”
“Is your mom still doing alright?”
“I guess,” Rapunzel told Esmeralda, running her fingers through her hair.  “Charlie said she’s been taking her meds and hasn’t had an episode in awhile.  I mean, she’s usually fine if she takes her medicine.  And Charlie is good about making sure she does.”
“At least your mom has someone who’s willing to deal with her.”
“Willing to love her in sickness,” Cinderella corrected Esmeralda.
“Yeah, I’m thankful for that.  Mom needs someone by her side.”  Rapunzel just felt guilty it wasn’t her.
“Well, I think this has been a pretty good birthday for you, Rapunzel,” said Esmeralda, slinging an arm over her.  “You got your favorite cake, a pretty painless phone call from home, and you became acquainted with a hot stunt man.”
“Oh, Esmeralda, will you just drop Eugene?  If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were thinking about making a play for him,” Cinderella scolded.
“Why would I?  I already have a gorgeous man.  I just wish he would come home from France every now and then,” Esmeralda said bitterly.  “Why does he has to be in the military?” she whined to the other two.
“But that’s what you like about him.”
“That is true.  I do love a man in uniform,” Esmeralda said, biting her lip and cocking an eyebrow.  “So, Rapunzel, Eugene is up for grabs.”
“I’m not interested.”
“But he’s interested in you.”
“He flirted.  That’s it.  And I don’t let flirts get very far.”
“Maybe you should,” said Cinderella, thinking about the idea.
“Cinderella, I thought you were on my side!”
“I am!  But, he is really good looking.”
Rapunzel stood.
“I cannot believe this, two taken women, one engaged,” Rapunzel gestured to Cinderella, “are telling me to get involved with a man I have no interest in.  Wait, I know what this is.”  She held her hands up in epiphany.  “You two are trying to live your fantasies with Eugene Fitzherbert through me.”
“No!”
“Yes.”
Cinderella glared at Esmeralda.  
Rapunzel crossed her arms.
“Well, that won’t work, ladies.  It’s strictly business between Eugene and me.”
“Watch what you say.  Love has a bad habit of creeping up on the unsuspecting.  Keep on your toes.”
“Yeah, I’ll keep my eye out for Cupid.”  Rapunzel left the living room and went to her bedroom, shaking her head.  A relationship with Eugene was ridiculous, not matter how good looking her was.  Besides, looking the way he did, she couldn’t possibly be his type.  Not someone as mousy and work orientated as Rapunzel Moore.