Let's try this again.
Dec. 18th, 2003 09:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pukkuSo, I have finally managed to get draft 2 of what is tentatively titled "Business Acquaintances and Serfs" done. Still a WIP. But let's see if it's any better.
Business Acquaintances and Serfs
"Stars have no friends. They have business acquaintances and serfs. But they get the good table at Spago."*
Justin doesn't remember where he first heard the quote -- it was probably in some book of pithy sayings Chris had been using to distract him during one of the interminable bus rides from nowhere to nowhere -- they had probably laughed about it, pledging their eternal friendship, knowing that they would never be stars.
For a moment Justin allowed himself to be lost in the half-remembered moment, before someone coughed politely at his elbow, jolting him out of his reverie.
Times had changed -- he was a star now, and here he was, sitting at the "good table" at Spago. He earnestly hoped that the quote didn't apply -- but he was all too afraid it did. JC wasn't talking to him, which wasn't entirely unprecedented, but still... Joey, of course, was always busy. Chris' last words had been "When you're a human again, give me a call", and then he had set off without a cell phone, pager, forwarding address, or phone number. Lance would answer his calls, but only spoke about business, never about anything personal, and frankly, Justin was getting lonely.
His current company wasn't doing much to help his mood either. There was Jacob, who was absolute magic on a mixing board, and could make Justin sound like pure gold, but if it weren't for his skill with the board, Justin wouldn't have been caught dead it his company -- the first time they had met, Jacob had launched into a half-hour monologue comparing Star Wars and Star Trek -- something about robots -- and frankly, Justin knew nothing about them, and wasn't interested in knowing any more. Not to mention his laugh, which was grating, obnoxious, and sounded like a hyena. So, Jacob was really in the "business associate" category. Then there was Jenny, his "handler" -- ie, the PR person responsible for making sure he didn't stand up and insult the whole restaurant. Probably "business associate". And, of course, Derek, the bodyguard, who never said anything, so far as Justin knew. Maybe "serf", although Justin would never say as much to his face.
The cough at his elbow repeated itself.
Looking up, Justin realized that their waitress was standing there, waiting for him to order.
"Ummm....."
God, he was being really spacey today. He hadn't even managed to look at the menu. Jenny was looking at him pointedly, probably worried that he was going to try and order a steak, forcing her to intervene. She needn't have worried -- he knew the rules.
"I'll have a salad, please. No dressing."
"Chef salad or green salad?"
"Chef, please."
She nodded, made a notation on her pad, and then turned to Jacob.
"I'll have the, uh, the 'Grilled Coat dee Buf with Pomms Aligot'," Jacob said, attempting to pronounce the French name, and failing miserably.
"Ma'am", the server asked Jenny.
"The seared rare tuna please."
As she turned to Derek, he grunted, and she nodded, made a quick jot on her pad, said "Thanks!", and walked away.
Justin started to drift back to his memories of life on the road. He was just remembering a time that he and Chris had managed to sneak of their hotel one time in Germany, when he heard a polite cough. Looking up -- was there something wrong with his order? -- he noticed Jenny looking pointedly at him again. Once she caught his eyes, she glanced over at Jacob, who was starting to look uncomfortably out of place. Right. He had to keep him entertained -- he really needed Jacob to like him, and not make him sound bad. Justin cleared his throat.
"Sorry -- I must be tireder than I thought. So, do you think we did well today?", he asked Jacob, slipping back into his public persona.
Soon, their entrees arrived. Justin looked enviously at the others' meals -- especially Derek, who somehow, without ordering that Justin had noticed, had wound up with a hamburger. Justin hadn't had a real, honest-to-goodness hamburger in ages.
The rest of dinner was, as was becoming more and more usual, boring, stressful, and bland. Boring, in that he didn't really want to be with these people. Stressful, because he had to maintain a cheerful, out-going, and likable appearance, when all he wanted to do was go play basketball where nobody knew who he was, or better yet, be with Chris on his bumming around. And bland because, really, there's only so much that can be done to a chef salad without dressing. With dressing, for that matter.
They had just finished up the main course, and were about to pay the bill and leave (finally -- maybe he could go home and forget about the world), when he noticed Jenny stiffen in her seat. At about the same time, he felt a clap on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw a very familiar face.
"J-man! Whazzup dawg! Long time no see!"
"Nick. Ummm... not much. How's it with you?"
"Cool. I was just, well, somewhat belatedly, taking Alicia and Duane out for a congratulations party -- wasn't time on the tour, but I figured they should have a nice dinner. Hey -- good work on the album -- I'd say it rocks, but that wouldn't be quite appropriate, would it?" Nick chuckled briefly at his joke, giving Justin time to catch his thoughts. Although on TV Nick had always seemed encouraging, Justin had assumed it was all scripted PR stuff.
"Uh... Thanks..." It didn't seem quite enough, but apparently Nick thought it was, and started to turn back to the doorway, where a couple were standing, apparently waiting for him. As he turned, he noticed Jenny and Jacob, and gave them a tight smile, very different from the grin that Justin had just received. Then he saw Derek, and a real smile crossed his face.
"Deke! I don't know how you do it man -- you just disappear when you want to. How's things with you?"
Derek smiled, something that Justin had never seen before, and replied, "Not bad, not bad."
"Cool", replied Nick. "Hey -- give my love to Carla, 'k? If they ever let you out of the harness, call me, we'll hang."
"Sure thing", Derek agreed.
Nick waved at them all, gave a thumbs up to Justin, and then headed back to the door. As Nick reached the couple, they smiled warmly at him -- a real smile, the kind that Justin hadn't seen for a long time.
Once Nick was out of earshot, Jenny snorted and said, "Huh. Has-been. Don't worry Justin -- you're far better than him."
Jacob nodded, agreeing.
Usually, Justin would have agreed. But the smile on that couple's faces, looking at Nick, welcoming him. And he was so lonely. And right now, it just didn't seem worth it.
*quote from William Goldman, on "The Princess Bride" audio commentary.
Business Acquaintances and Serfs
"Stars have no friends. They have business acquaintances and serfs. But they get the good table at Spago."*
Justin doesn't remember where he first heard the quote -- it was probably in some book of pithy sayings Chris had been using to distract him during one of the interminable bus rides from nowhere to nowhere -- they had probably laughed about it, pledging their eternal friendship, knowing that they would never be stars.
For a moment Justin allowed himself to be lost in the half-remembered moment, before someone coughed politely at his elbow, jolting him out of his reverie.
Times had changed -- he was a star now, and here he was, sitting at the "good table" at Spago. He earnestly hoped that the quote didn't apply -- but he was all too afraid it did. JC wasn't talking to him, which wasn't entirely unprecedented, but still... Joey, of course, was always busy. Chris' last words had been "When you're a human again, give me a call", and then he had set off without a cell phone, pager, forwarding address, or phone number. Lance would answer his calls, but only spoke about business, never about anything personal, and frankly, Justin was getting lonely.
His current company wasn't doing much to help his mood either. There was Jacob, who was absolute magic on a mixing board, and could make Justin sound like pure gold, but if it weren't for his skill with the board, Justin wouldn't have been caught dead it his company -- the first time they had met, Jacob had launched into a half-hour monologue comparing Star Wars and Star Trek -- something about robots -- and frankly, Justin knew nothing about them, and wasn't interested in knowing any more. Not to mention his laugh, which was grating, obnoxious, and sounded like a hyena. So, Jacob was really in the "business associate" category. Then there was Jenny, his "handler" -- ie, the PR person responsible for making sure he didn't stand up and insult the whole restaurant. Probably "business associate". And, of course, Derek, the bodyguard, who never said anything, so far as Justin knew. Maybe "serf", although Justin would never say as much to his face.
The cough at his elbow repeated itself.
Looking up, Justin realized that their waitress was standing there, waiting for him to order.
"Ummm....."
God, he was being really spacey today. He hadn't even managed to look at the menu. Jenny was looking at him pointedly, probably worried that he was going to try and order a steak, forcing her to intervene. She needn't have worried -- he knew the rules.
"I'll have a salad, please. No dressing."
"Chef salad or green salad?"
"Chef, please."
She nodded, made a notation on her pad, and then turned to Jacob.
"I'll have the, uh, the 'Grilled Coat dee Buf with Pomms Aligot'," Jacob said, attempting to pronounce the French name, and failing miserably.
"Ma'am", the server asked Jenny.
"The seared rare tuna please."
As she turned to Derek, he grunted, and she nodded, made a quick jot on her pad, said "Thanks!", and walked away.
Justin started to drift back to his memories of life on the road. He was just remembering a time that he and Chris had managed to sneak of their hotel one time in Germany, when he heard a polite cough. Looking up -- was there something wrong with his order? -- he noticed Jenny looking pointedly at him again. Once she caught his eyes, she glanced over at Jacob, who was starting to look uncomfortably out of place. Right. He had to keep him entertained -- he really needed Jacob to like him, and not make him sound bad. Justin cleared his throat.
"Sorry -- I must be tireder than I thought. So, do you think we did well today?", he asked Jacob, slipping back into his public persona.
Soon, their entrees arrived. Justin looked enviously at the others' meals -- especially Derek, who somehow, without ordering that Justin had noticed, had wound up with a hamburger. Justin hadn't had a real, honest-to-goodness hamburger in ages.
The rest of dinner was, as was becoming more and more usual, boring, stressful, and bland. Boring, in that he didn't really want to be with these people. Stressful, because he had to maintain a cheerful, out-going, and likable appearance, when all he wanted to do was go play basketball where nobody knew who he was, or better yet, be with Chris on his bumming around. And bland because, really, there's only so much that can be done to a chef salad without dressing. With dressing, for that matter.
They had just finished up the main course, and were about to pay the bill and leave (finally -- maybe he could go home and forget about the world), when he noticed Jenny stiffen in her seat. At about the same time, he felt a clap on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw a very familiar face.
"J-man! Whazzup dawg! Long time no see!"
"Nick. Ummm... not much. How's it with you?"
"Cool. I was just, well, somewhat belatedly, taking Alicia and Duane out for a congratulations party -- wasn't time on the tour, but I figured they should have a nice dinner. Hey -- good work on the album -- I'd say it rocks, but that wouldn't be quite appropriate, would it?" Nick chuckled briefly at his joke, giving Justin time to catch his thoughts. Although on TV Nick had always seemed encouraging, Justin had assumed it was all scripted PR stuff.
"Uh... Thanks..." It didn't seem quite enough, but apparently Nick thought it was, and started to turn back to the doorway, where a couple were standing, apparently waiting for him. As he turned, he noticed Jenny and Jacob, and gave them a tight smile, very different from the grin that Justin had just received. Then he saw Derek, and a real smile crossed his face.
"Deke! I don't know how you do it man -- you just disappear when you want to. How's things with you?"
Derek smiled, something that Justin had never seen before, and replied, "Not bad, not bad."
"Cool", replied Nick. "Hey -- give my love to Carla, 'k? If they ever let you out of the harness, call me, we'll hang."
"Sure thing", Derek agreed.
Nick waved at them all, gave a thumbs up to Justin, and then headed back to the door. As Nick reached the couple, they smiled warmly at him -- a real smile, the kind that Justin hadn't seen for a long time.
Once Nick was out of earshot, Jenny snorted and said, "Huh. Has-been. Don't worry Justin -- you're far better than him."
Jacob nodded, agreeing.
Usually, Justin would have agreed. But the smile on that couple's faces, looking at Nick, welcoming him. And he was so lonely. And right now, it just didn't seem worth it.
*quote from William Goldman, on "The Princess Bride" audio commentary.
