Changes (40 page)

“It'll be nice working with you, Paul.”

“Wish I could say the same.” He shook her hand and walked away, as the producer attempted to fill the awkward gap and Mel raised an eyebrow and turned away.

“Well, at least I know where I stand.” She grinned ruefully. But it wasn't going to be easy working with him. He was furious to have a female anchor share his spot, and he was going to make Mel pay for it in every way he could. She discovered that instantly when they went on the air that night. He was saccharine sweet whenever he spoke to her, but he undercut her and upstaged her in every way he could, trying to make her nervous, throw her off, and generally drive her insane. And it was so obvious to her that his outrage was acute that when they went off the air, she stood in front of Paul's desk and looked down at him. “Is there anything we ought to talk about right now, before this thing gets out of hand?”

“Sure. How would you like to split your paycheck with me? I'm splitting my spot with you, that seems only fair.” His eyes glittered evilly, and Mel understood what the problem was. The papers had long since leaked what her contract was, and it was probably three times what they paid him, but that wasn't her fault.

“I can't help the arrangements the network made with me, Paul. It was a price war with New York. You know what that's like.”

“No, but I'd like to try.” He had been trying to get to New York for years, and she had just thrown it away, and come to breathe down his neck. He hated the bitch, no matter how good they said she was. He didn't need her coanchoring with him. He stood up now and almost snarled at her. “Just stay out of my face, and we'll do okay. Got that?”

She looked at him sadly and turned and walked away. It wasn't going to be easy working with him, and she thought about it all the way home. She only had to do the six o'clock here, for the same money she'd been offered to do the six and eleven in New York. L.A. had really done well by her. And Paul Stevens hated her for it.

“How'd it go? You looked great.” Peter looked proud of her when she came home, and everyone was still gathered around the set, but Mel didn't looked pleased.

“I've got a coanchor who hates my guts. That ought to make work fun.” That, and Pam reminding her that she lived in Peter and Anne's home, she thought, as she hung up her coat.

“He'll mellow out.”

She didn't look as sure. “I wouldn't bet on that. I think he's hoping I drop dead or go back to New York.” Mel's eyes drifted to Pam, wondering what she'd see there, but the girl's eyes were blank. And when Mel glanced at the living room wall, she saw that the portrait was gone, and she was thrilled. She threw her arms around Peter's neck, feeling better after all, and whispered in his ear. “Thank you, my love.” Pam knew what they were talking about. She got up and left the room as the others watched, and Peter spoke in a normal voice.

“I hung Anne's portrait in the hall.”

Mel froze. “You did? I thought you said you'd put it away.”

“It won't bother anybody there.” Oh, no? Their eyes met and held. “You don't mind, do you?”

She spoke in a very quiet voice. “As a matter of fact, I do. That wasn't what we agreed.”

“I know …” And then he turned to her, “It's a little rough on the kids to do everything at once. All the photographs are gone.” Mel nodded and didn't say a word, she went upstairs to her room to wash her face and hands, and then joined them at dinner, and afterward she knocked on Pam's door.

“Who is it?”

“Your wicked stepmother.” She smiled at the door.

“Who?”

“Mel.”

“What do you want?”

“I've got something to give you.” And when Pam cautiously opened the door to her room, Mel handed her a dozen photographs of Anne in silver frames. “I thought you'd like these for your room.”

Pam glanced at them and then took them from her. “Thanks.” But she said nothing more. She simply turned and closed the door in Mel's face and Mel went back downstairs.

“Were you upstairs with Pam?” Peter was pleased as she walked into their room. He was reading his medical journals again. He had to keep abreast of what was new.

“Yes. I took her some of the photographs of Anne.”

“You know, that really shouldn't be such an issue with you, Mel.”

“Oh, no?” He really didn't understand and she was too tired to argue about it with him. “Why not?”

“Because she's gone.” He said it so quietly, Mel had to strain to hear.

“I know. But it's difficult living here with her photographs staring at me all the time.”

“You're exaggerating. There weren't that many around.”

“I put twenty-three of them in your study last night. That's not bad. I just gave a dozen of them to Pam. And I thought I'd put some in Matt's and Mark's rooms. That's where they belong.” Peter didn't answer and went back to the journals on his lap, as Mel stretched out on the bed. The producer had suggested she do as many special features as she could in the next month. They were desperate to pull their ratings up, and historically her interviews had worked miracles for the news show in New York. She had promised to do her best, and had already made notes about half a dozen subjects that interested her. But she could just imagine what Paul Stevens was going to say when he got wind of that. Maybe all she could do was ignore the man, but the following night, he was rude to her as she came on the set, and despite his charm while they were on the air, she had the feeling that he would have liked to punch her out when they went off. It was really an untenable way to work, and not what she was used to at all. But she submitted her list of possible interviews to the producer that night, and he loved almost all of them, which was both good news and bad. It meant that she would be working overtime for the next month or two, but maybe that was one way to settle in. It was always strange working for a network at first. It was just a little stranger for her this time because she was feeling her way around at home as well.

“Busy day today?” Peter looked at her distractedly as he came in and she smiled. She had gotten home at seven fifteen, and he was even later than that. It was almost eight o'clock.

“Pretty much.” She was in a quiet mood. The hassles with Paul Stevens wore her out.

“Is that guy behaving any better man before? Paul What's His Name?”

She smiled. Everyone in L.A. knew his name, whether they liked him or not. “No. I think he was a little worse.”

“Sonofabitch.”

“What about you?” The kids had gone back to school, and had eaten dinner at six. Mel and Peter were eating at eight.

“Three bypasses in a row. It wasn't a very exciting day.”

“I'm doing an interview with Louisa Garp.” She was the biggest star in Hollywood.

“You are?”

“I am.”

“When?”

“Next week. She accepted today.” Mel looked pleased and Peter was obviously impressed. “Hell, I even did Dr. Peter Hallam once.” She smiled and he reached out and took her hand. They were both so busy now. They both had such hectic jobs. He hoped it didn't mean they'd never be able to spend time with each other. That wasn't the kind of life he liked. He liked knowing that his wife was there for him. And he wanted to be there for her too.

“I missed you today, Mel.”

“I missed you too.” But she also knew what the next two months would be like. She was going to scarcely see him at all. But maybe after that things would settle down.

They sat in the living room after dinner and talked for a while and Pam came down. Peter stretched an arm out to her. “How's my girl?” She came to him with a smile. “Did you know that Mel is doing an interview with Louisa Garp?”

“So?” She seemed to be bitchy all the time now, as though Mel were a real threat to her, and Peter looked annoyed.

“That's not a very pleasant thing to say.”

“Oh yeah?” She was asking for it, but Mel didn't say a word. “So what? I got an A on my art history paper today.”

“That's great!” Peter let the second comment slide by. Mel was furious and when the girl left Mel told him so. “What
did
you want me to say? Last year the kid was flunking out, now she tells me she got an A.”

“Terrific. But that doesn't cancel out her being rude to me.”

“For chrissake, Mel, give her time to adjust.” He was tired now. He'd had a long day. And he didn't want to come home to argue with Mel. “Let's go upstairs to our room and close the door.” But as soon as they did, Jess came in, and Mel gently asked her to leave.

“Why?” She looked shocked.

“Because I haven't seen Peter all day, and we want to talk.”

“I haven't seen you either.” She was clearly hurt.

“I know. But we can talk in the morning, Jess. Peter will be at the hospital by then.” He left the room to take a shower and Mel kissed her cheek but Jess drew away.

“Never mind.”

“Jess, come on … it's hard cutting myself into pieces for everyone. Give me a chance.”

“Yeah, sure.”

“How's Val?”

“How do I know? Ask her. She doesn't talk to me anymore, and you don't have time to talk to us.”

“That's not fair.”

“Isn't it? It's true though. I take it he comes first.” She nodded toward the bathroom door.

“Jess, I'm married now. If I'd been married all these years, it would have been different than it was.”

“So I gather. Personally, I preferred it before.” “Jessie …” Mel felt agonized as she looked at her oldest child. “What's the matter with you?”

“Nothing.” But tears filled her eyes, and she sat down on her mother's bed, trying not to cry. “It's just … I don't know …” She shook her head in despair and looked up at Mel. “It's everything … a new school, a new room … I'll never see any of my friends again … I have to share a room with Val and she's such a pig. She takes all my stuff and she never gives it back.” They were big problems to her and Mel's heart went out to her. “And she cries all the time.”

“She does?” And just saying it made Mel think. She realized that Val had been crying a lot in the last few weeks. Maybe Peter had been right, and Val was sick. “Is she all right, Jess?”

“I don't know. She acts weird. And she's always with Mark.” Mel made a mental note to say something again about that.

“I'll talk to them again.”

“It won't change anything. She's in his room all the time.”

Mel frowned.” I specifically told her not to do that.” But there were other things that Mel had also specifically told her not to do, and Jess knew perfectly well that she did, but she would never have told her mother that. Mel put her arms around Jessica then and kissed her cheek and Jessie looked at her with a sad smile.

“I'm sorry if I was a bitch.”

“It's hard on all of us at first, but we'll get used to it. I'm sure it's hard on Pam and Mark and Matt to have us in the house too. Let's give everyone a little time to settle down.”

“What's all this?” Peter came out of the shower with a towel wrapped around his waist and smiled at Jess. “Hi, Jess. Everything okay?”

“Sure.” She smiled and stood up. She knew she should leave them alone. She turned to Mel. “Good night, Mom.” And as she left the room, it tore at Mel's heart to see her so sad. She didn't say anything to Peter about their exchange but it was one more burden on her heart as she went back to work the next day, and had to deal with Paul Stevens again, and that night when she came home, Peter called. There was an emergency he had to take care of himself, he'd be home in a “while,” and a while turned out to be eleven o'clock.

They never seemed to get off the merry-go-round anymore, and for the next three weeks she was constantly out doing interviews, fighting with Paul Stevens before or after the show, or listening to Jessie and Val's complaints when she got home. Mrs. Hahn wouldn't let them in the kitchen for a snack. Pam was taking their clothes, Jess said that Val and Mark were locked in his room all the time, and to top it off at the end of January, Mel got a call from Matt's school. He had fallen out of a swing in the playground and broken his arm. Peter met them in the emergency room with an orthopedist friend, and Mel joked tiredly that it was the first time they'd seen each other in weeks. He had had emergencies almost every night, endless bypasses to do, and two potential transplant patients had died for lack of donors' hearts.

“Do you think we'll survive, Mel?”

She collapsed on their bed in exhaustion one night. “Some days I'm not sure. I've never done so many goddamn interviews in my life.” And she still felt as though she were living in someone else's home, which didn't help, but she hadn't had time to do anything about it yet. And she hadn't even had time to tackle the frozen Mrs. Hahn. “I wish you'd get rid of her,” Mel finally admitted to Peter one afternoon.

“Mrs. Hahn?” He looked shocked. “She's been with us for years.”

“Well, she's making life very tough for Val and Jess, and she certainly isn't pleasant to me. This might be a good time for a change.” There were a lot of changes she wanted to make around the house, but she didn't have time.

“That's an insane idea, Mel.” He looked angry at the mere thought. “She's part of this family.”

“So was Raquel part of ours, and I had to leave her in New York.”

“And you resent me for that?” He was wondering if in transplanting Mel, he had asked too much. She was testy with him now all the time, and he knew that she wasn't crazy about her job. The money was fabulous, there was no denying that, but the conditions weren't as good as those she had known before, there was the endless problem with Paul Stevens, she said. “You blame everything on me, don't you?” He was looking for a fight. For no reason he could explain, that morning a perfectly decent bypass patient had died.

“I'm not blaming anything on you.” She looked desperately tired as they talked. “But the fact is that we both have enormous jobs that make tremendous demands on us, five kids, and a very demanding life. I want to make things easier in every possible way. And Mrs. Hahn is complicating things.”

“Maybe for you, but not for the rest of us.” He looked stubbornly at Mel and she wanted to scream.

“And don't I live here too? Christ, between you and Pam …”