Mama Dearest (22 page)

“Are you trying to bribe me?”

“Not really, but just let me know what you decide,” Madison said and grabbed her keys off the counter.

“Oh, Madison, I forgot to tell you the real estate agent did find an old brownstone in Harlem that she thinks will be great for Jenny’s Place.”

“Cool beans. When can we see it?”

“I’ll find out.”

“I was thinking about asking Ms. Nicole to help out with the voice lessons.”

“Let’s do it!”

“Okay, Daddy. See you later.”

“Where are you going, young lady?”

“I’m going to the studio to redo some of the tracks for my CD. I’ll be back.”

“Make sure you’re back in time for dinner.”

“Daddy, you know I would never miss a chance to spend time with the best daddy in the world,” Madison laughed.

“You think you’re slick, don’t you, little girl?”

“Not slick, just smart, Daddy.”

I only have ten minutes, Ms. Middlebrooks.” TV director Cole Cantwell was a no-nonsense type, and Ava for once had something besides pure nonsense to feed him. Cutting to the chase, he asked, “Can you tell me why it was so important that you meet with me?”

Ava took a seat in his midtown office. She adjusted her jacket and turned her knees toward the desk as if presenting an invitation.

“Thanks for seeing me. That little assistant of yours told me eleven o’clock sharp and then had me waiting for almost an hour.” Cantrell shifted in his chair. As the director of Yancey’s reality show, he had more to concern himself with. Seeing his impatience, Ava rushed ahead. “Now, I realize you’re a busy man being a director and all, but I’m a busy woman and my time is important too. If you need to get a new assistant, just let me know because maybe I can help you with that.”

He gave her a cold look. “I’m sorry, but I had a conference call that went a little over and thanks, but I’m perfectly happy with Liz. Now, how can I help you?” he asked, taking a swig of his Gatorade.

Ava returned his look with an even cooler smile. “It’s more how I can help you. You’re a director and one of the producers on my daughter’s reality show, right?”

“Who is your daughter?”

“Yancey Harrington Braxton, of course. I know we look more like sisters, but I had her really young.” Now it was Ava’s turn to cut to the chase. “I understand you did the Salt-N-Pepa reality show, which I really like, but I don’t think you’re going to have as much to work with when it comes to my daughter. I don’t know if it’s my place to tell you this, but she can be so secretive and fake. I mean, it is called a reality show, right? So she should be real. Don’t you think?”

“I’ve met Yancey, and she’s really beautiful and charming. We will be just fine. I’m really looking forward to shooting the show,” Cale said, as if that were the end of the discussion.

“Well, she is a fairly decent actress, but I have some information that I think might make the show more interesting for the audience.”

Cale frowned, as much out of annoyance for being forced to defend his star as over the time Ava was wasting. “What are you talking about?”

“Did Yancey tell you she has a teenage daughter who she gave up at birth?”

“No,” he said, stiffening.

“So I guess you didn’t know that her daughter is now a big star.”

“What are you talking about?” Cale asked with a puzzled look on his face. “Is this for real?”

Ava leaned in closer. “Does the name Madison B. ring any bells?” He looked both dumbfounded and overjoyed at this news. “Oh, I could tell you all sorts of interesting things about my daughter. Did she tell you that she once almost married a pro football player who was really gay and wrote a song about him, then took money from him so she wouldn’t tell his secret to the press?”

“Mrs. Middlebrooks, what are you talking about?”

“Then surely she didn’t tell you that she once put a laxative in the coffee of a young lady she was understudying in
Dreamgirls
and then went on to steal the part from her?” She had his complete attention now. “Cale love, you got yourself a sick, confused diva on your hands, and I think the public should know.”

He paused for a moment, overcome by these revelations. Finally Cole asked, “How do I know you’re really Yancey’s mother? Anyone can walk in off the street and pass themselves off as someone else.”

“Of course I am. I just want the show to be a success, and I think if you revisit some of Yancey’s past, people might understand her better.”

“And what role would you play in this? I understand from one of the producers that she was firm about you not being a part of the series. Is this a little case of payback? Are you jealous of your daughter?”

Ava let out a scream of laughter and slapped the desk. “Me, jealous of Yancey? Cale, tell me that you’re joking. Yancey has nothing that I want. I have tried all my life to get my daughter to tell the truth, and she just doesn’t understand the concept. But think about it. How great it would be if you reunited her with her daughter, ex fiancé and some of her ex castmates. What great television that would be. Your ratings would go through the roof.”

He shook his head. “That’s not the direction we’re taking. We’re concentrating on Yancey’s comeback in regards to her acting and recording career. I don’t think she wants to revisit her past. Now if you don’t have anything else I have another conference call in ten minutes,” Cale said as he stood up and extended his hand toward Ava. “It’s been nice talking with you.”

Ava remained seated, her mouth open in disbelief. “Is that it? Are you dismissing me, Cale?”

“Don’t look at it that way, Miss Middlebrooks. Let’s just say we have a different direction for the show.” He opened the door, a less than subtle invitation. “Have a nice day.”

“Who’s financing this joint? They might be interested in this information.”

“I’m not at liberty to say.”

She stood and walked toward the door. “I think you’re going to be sorry for not taking my information. But I guess you know best,” she said, ignoring Cale’s extended hand.

Even though I knew my life was about to be turned upside down, I was a little startled on the first day of shooting when I awoke to find three men in my bedroom. Cale and two cameramen were there with a bright light greeting me as I woke up.

I got out of bed in a black-and-burgundy short teddy and my hair all over the place as I went into my bathroom to brush my teeth. I made them leave as I took my shower. As much as I wanted to shock the television audience, I was only going so far.

I put on my pink Juicy Couture warmup suit with a white Gap T-shirt and pulled my hair back in a ponytail. This was going to be a busy day. When I walked into the living room, the first person I saw was Lyrical, who was talking with Cale. When he saw me, he whispered something to her, and in a very loud voice she replied, “You want me to do it now?” Cale nodded his head and Lyrical walked toward me with a paper cup in her hand.

“Here is your coffee, Ms. Yancey,” she said with a smirk. “Do you need anything else?”

“Thank you and no,” I said, looking at Cale and the cameraman out of the corner of my eye. I took a sip of the coffee and almost spit it out because it was cold and tasted horrible.

“Is something wrong?” Lyrical asked, knowing full well the answer.

“This coffee is cold.”

“I’m not surprised,” she said, “I got it about an hour ago, but your ass was still in the bed.”

“I thought we talked about your language,” I scolded her, “and I want hot coffee.”

She waved her hand dismissively. “Then you better get it yourself. I’m out of money, honey.”

I looked at Cale, who had a puzzled look on his face, and then back at Lyrical. I knew with her I was going to have to pick my battles wisely. And I really didn’t need any coffee, I told myself.

Trying to regain lost ground, I asked, “So what’s on my schedule today?”

“You have an audition and a doctor’s appointment at three.”

“A doctor’s appointment?”

“Yes, with a Dr. Kym Z. I guess it’s your annual pussy check.”

“Cale!” I screamed as I closed my eyes so that I couldn’t see this girl.

“Yes, Yancey. What’s the problem?” he asked as if he hadn’t been in the room.

“What’s the problem? Did you hear what she just said?”

He giggled. “I thought it was funny, but we will most likely have to cut it out.”

“Both of us have told her that her language has to be clean, and already she’s said two cuss words.”

“Don’t act like I’m not here,” she called to both of us. “Those words just slipped out. I will get better.”

I looked across the room and saw the camera coming closer to me. I placed my hand over the lens and yelled, “Stop it. I need to pull myself together.”

Cale stepped in and put a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “You look great, Yancey. And this exchange can be edited. But I think one of the big reasons we got Lyrical is so you two can play off each other, to show the difference between you and her. Now, why don’t we go into your office and talk again about your schedule. I will speak with Lyrical and make sure she tones down the language.”

Maybe my nerves were getting the best of me. I took a deep breath. “Okay,” I said, then went into the kitchen. I grabbed a bottle of water and headed to the former den that the producers had turned into an office. There was a glasstop desk with a pink computer for me and several of my headshots on the wall. I took a seat in the black leather chair. When the cameramen came in, I called out for Lyrical to come in.

“Do you need me, Miss Yancey?” she asked sarcastically.

“Yes, I do. What’s on my agenda today?”

“Agenda? What in the hell … I mean, heck, is an agenda?”

I rolled my eyes and took a swig of water. “My appointments. What do I have to do today?”

“Oh, that.” She took a pocket-size notepad from her jeans and opened it. “You have a session with your trainer in thirty minutes. Then you have lunch with some girl named Rochelle. You have an audition at two and then an appointment with Dr. Kym at three. Where would you like to have lunch?”

“I don’t care. Make some suggestions.”

“I know this great place up in Harlem. They make some great fried chicken and rib tips.”

I smiled to show that I knew her game but wasn’t going to let her get to me. “I don’t eat fried foods.”

“You don’t? I think you might be the first black person I ever met who don’t eat fried chicken. What’s up with that?”

I ignored her question and looked over at Cale, who had a hand over his mouth in order to suppress his laughter.

“Forget about the restaurant, I’ll find one. Where is my audition?”

Flipping through the pad quickly, she finally landed on the information. “It’s in midtown, on 46th and Sixth Avenue.”

“What’s it for again?”

“Your agent said it was for some show called
Ugly Betty,
whatever that means. Is that a television show or movie?”

“It’s a television show. Fabulous show. Did they send over a script?”

“Yeah,” Lyrical said, plopping herself in the white leather chair in front of my desk. For a moment I just stared at Lyrical, wondering how big a pea she had for a brain. She simply stared back at me.

“Well, where is it?” I almost shouted.

“Oh shit, it’s over here,” Lyrical said as she jumped up and picked up a manila envelope from the loveseat. I wanted to snatch the package from her hands, but the cameras were rolling. As I pulled the pages out of the envelope, horror filled my face. The character I was auditioning for was to play Vanessa Williams’s mother. Are you kidding me? No way, no how, I thought and knew I had to get another agent. He should have told me this information personally.

“Is everything okay?” Lyrical asked.

“Get my agent on the phone.”

“Who is that?”

“Just push four on my cell phone and give it to me.”

“Where is your cell phone?”

“Lyrical, that’s your job. Find my phone.”

“Okay,” Lyrical said huffily as she left the office. As soon as she left, Cale came closer and said I needed to loosen up and not let everything Lyrical did get to me.

“We’re just starting and it’s going to be a headache for everyone if you don’t chill.”

“But she is so stupid,” I said in almost a whisper.

“You’re playing off each other. It makes great television. Look, she
won’t be in every frame. We will be shooting you without her when you work out and go to the audition.”

“I’m not doing the audition.”

“Why not?” he asked, surprised by the news.

“The freaking script calls for me to play Vanessa Williams’s mother. Can you believe that shit? Do I look old enough to play that role? That’s something my real mother should be doing.”

“Speaking of real mothers, where is Ava?”

For the first time that morning, a true smile lit my face. “I sent her to Naples for a week or two,” I said.

He looked at me skeptically. “And she went without a fight?”

“Of course,” I said. So what if I had to use some of the money S. Marcus had given me to find Ava a five-star hotel and give her some money for new clothes? I was hoping that Ava might get lucky and snag herself another rich old husband. I had my fingers crossed when I didn’t hear from her the first three days. When she did call, it was for more money, naturally, for spa treatments.

“So what are you going to do?” Cale asked.

“About what?”

“The audition?”

“I need a new agent,” I said as much to myself as to him.

“Do you have any prospects?” Cale asked.

“Not really.”

He was quick on his feet, and sure enough, in another moment he suggested, “I think you need to come up with three agents you’d like to represent you, and then we could follow you while you meet with them. I think that would be great.”

“Good idea,” I said. I was thinking that maybe with cameras following me around, maybe some of the top agents might reconsider representing me. This was a great plan.

“Hey, why don’t you give me a list of five, and I will have my assistant contact them and we’ll film three?”