The Bad Twin (5 page)

Cindy knocked on the door before walking in with Rose’s ice cream. Rose ate a spoonful. “Now this was well worth the wait. You sure you don’t want any.”

“No and I’m really surprised you do. It looks like you’ve picked up a couple of extra pounds.”

Rose stood up and pressed her hand against her belly and butt at the same time. “You think so. I knew this skirt fit a little tight. I thought it was the dry cleaners messing up my clothes again.”

“Yes, but it looks becoming on you. You still look good.”

 “I guess I need to spend more time on the treadmill,” Rose said as she sat back down and ate the rest of her ice cream.

VIOLET

Violet was ecstatic when she received some good news from Deputy Mayor Burnham. Although, he did let her go through an entire hour’s presentation, she was still thrilled when she learned the community center would get the money needed to build a new recreational center.  When she got home, she felt a bout of loneliness and decided to tend to her garden of flowers. She inherited the love of flowers from her parents. She had one of the prettiest gardens in her neighborhood. People assumed Violet had it professionally taken care of, and was surprised when she mentioned she did most of the landscaping herself.

She spent the last few day light hours in her garden. She got up and wiped the sweat from her brow with her right arm. She looked around and admired her work. It brought a smile to her face and a sense of comfort to her, a comfort she had not been able to find anywhere else, a comfort she longed for.

Instead of treading the dirt throughout the house, she decided to take a long hot shower in her downstairs bathroom.   While she was showering, her mind wondered over the events of the past few months.  Although a part of her regretted giving the interview, because of the backlash she got from Pearle, another part of her felt rejuvenated. It felt like a load had been lifted off of her shoulders and she no longer had to play the role of the dutiful sister.

When she got out of the shower, a wave of nausea swept over her. She had not eaten anything since the salad she’d eaten earlier.

***

I wonder what’s going on with my body. I’ve been feeling funny all week long, it must be my nerves.  I have to get ready for this charity ball and I need all of my energy. I’m so thankful Janice is handling the entertainment part. At least I don’t have to worry about that. I just have to make sure the invitations go out to the right people. So many things to do and so little time to do it in.  Those kids better be glad I love them so much.

***

A smile came across her face as she thought about some of the kids she’d mentored over the past few years. She noticed positive changes in the majority of the young men and women she’d come in contact with. Every now and then, she would run into one where it was far too late to reach, but it didn’t stop her from trying. She felt like kids only needed to have hope and with hope, everything else was possible.

She wasn’t in a sorority, but she worked closely with all of the fraternity and sorority chapters in the area. They were always looking to contribute time or money to some worthy cause. She made sure they were kept informed of all of the center’s activities. One of the biggest fundraisers in the area was the Sickle Cell Anemia Drive.  She hoped the celebrity charity ball would also raise needed funds.

After she ate dinner and relaxed on the sofa, she decided to go through her mail.  Most were bills, but she came across an envelope with a card. It didn’t have a return address and it wasn’t her birthday, so she wondered who sent it and for what purpose.

She took her letter opener and carefully broke the seal.  The card was beautiful. The outside of it was covered in purple violets.  Whoever sent it, must have known those were her favorite flowers. It was simply signed, Your Forever Love.  After reading the card, she felt as if she knew who the sender was.  She closed it and gathered the other mail and placed them in her desk drawer reserved for bills.

She got in bed and as she leaned over to turn off the lamp, her phone rang. She saw a cellular number on the caller ID, but didn’t recognize it.  She decided to answer. “Hello.”

“Hi.”

Violet’s heart skipped a beat, because this time there was no mistaken on who was on the other end. She was trying to decide if she should cuss him out, hang up on him, or find out why he sent the card and was now calling. “Yes.”

“I was calling to see how you were doing.”

“David. I told you before. My well-being is no longer your concern. You have a wife. Worry about her.”

“Sweetness, I know you’re still upset and I know I have no right to call; but there is not a day that goes by that I don’t think about you.”

Violet grunted. “David, if you’re calling me to see if I got your card, yes I did; but please stop contacting me.  What is the purpose? We are over.  Do we have an understanding?”

David sighed. “Violet, just meet me once. I need to talk to you and apologize to you in person. You never gave me the opportunity.”

Violet tried to control her temper, because she was determined not to let him know he still got under her skin. “David. The last time I saw you, it wasn’t a pleasant experience, so I do not feel like reliving it.”

David sounded reluctant to end the conversation. “Sweetness, I will let you go for now, but I will be contacting you.”

“Please stop calling me sweetness. Do us both a favor and please stop calling me period!” With her last statement, she heard him hang up the phone. She placed the phone back on the charger and laid down for another restless night.

Rose

Rose pulled up at Channel magazine’s headquarters located on Centura Boulevard.  She was not in the mood for her convertible candy apple red Porsche today, so she opted for the emerald green Cadillac Escalade.  The valet gave her a green stub and she waltzed into the lobby. Carmen had impressed on her the importance of being on time rather than showing up fashionably late so Rose made it a point to get there on time. She glanced down at her watch and saw she had fifteen minutes to spare.  She checked out her surroundings before heading to the fifth floor.

She was greeted by a friendly receptionist, who walked with her to an office located at the end of
a long hallway. 
The woman behind the desk got up and walked around to greet Rose.  She reached out to shake her hand. “Hi, I’m Lisa and thank you for coming. We really do appreciate you
taking the time to interview with us.”
 
Rose tried to size up Lisa. She returned her handshake. “I am happy to oblige.”

Lisa led Rose toward an area in the office with a couch and ottoman chair and a glass coffee table in the center. “Would you like something to drink or snack on before we get started?”

“A cola would be nice.”

Lisa got a cup of ice, a cola off the bar, and a straw. “Here you go. You sure we can’t get you anything else? We have wine and champagne.”

Rose took the items and poured the cola in her cup. “Thank you. This will suffice.”

Lisa took a seat across from Rose and gathered her notepad and a tape recorder. “I usually record my interviews, but if you’re uncomfortable, I don’t have to.”

Rose tried not to show her nervousness. “Oh no, I’m comfortable. I have no problem with you taping.”

Lisa looked at her watch before clearing her throat. “Okay. Let’s get started.  The article in Noir Magazine showed us a different side to the Rose we normally see. Our magazine wanted to give you an opportunity to respond to what your twin sister shared with the world.  Is it true you and your twin do not get along?”

Rose put the drink down and faced Lisa. “Violet and I have a special type of relationship.”

“Special? Define special.”

“We talk. I guess we’re not as close as two sisters could be.”

Lisa wrote something on a pad and said, “Most twins are closer to one another than regular siblings.”

“Maybe. Like I said we have a special relationship.”

Lisa put her pen down and looked Rose straight in the eyes. “According to her, you guys don’t have a relationship at all. In your past interviews, you came across as if family was very important to you. You would mention the closeness between you and your sister and how much you love your husband.  Why put up the front?”

Rose stared directly back at her and exclaimed, “Excuse me, if this entire interview is going to be about my sister, we can end it now.”

Lisa attempted to sound apologetic. “I’m sorry, but your agent knew this would be a very personal interview. I’m not being judgmental. I’m just trying to get your side of the story.”

Rose exhaled. “Yes, my sister and I are going through something right now. Tell me what family doesn’t. We will make up and be back to our normal selves.”

“What about your marriage? Is it true David was your sister’s husband first?”

“I should have known you were going to bring that up.”

Lisa not one to be easily intimidated by Hollywood’s elite responded, “Rose, no need to get an attitude. I’m asking you what the readers all want to know.”

Rose decided to approach the interview differently. “My marriage is perfect. David and I are very happy. We are even planning on expanding our family. As far as the way we met, it was unfortunate that my sister got caught up in a love game that David and I had been playing, long before he met my sister.”

“Are you saying David married your sister to get to you?”

Rose attempted to act like she was bothered by her question. “Yes, because he knew I would be jealous.”

By now Lisa had put her pen and pad down. She made sure the tape recorder was still recording and leaned closer; as if the closer she leaned in, the more she’d understand what Rose was trying to tell her. “Did you ever mention this to your sister?”

“No, because I didn’t want to hurt Violet. She seemed to be so in love with him.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong.  You let your twin sister marry a man you were in love with and whom you say was in love with you.  Where was the sisterly love?”

Rose got upset and started to cry. In between tears, she said, “Sisterly love.  I love my sister. This had nothing to do with Violet. She just got caught in the middle. I tried to explain it to her after she found out, but she didn’t want to hear what I had to say.”

Lisa got up and found a box of tissue and handed the box to Rose. “I didn’t mean to upset you. Maybe we should continue this interview another time.”

Rose wiped her face and began to sniffle. “No. I’ll be okay.”

“Are you sure? We can put the interview off to another time; when you’re not so emotional.”

Rose took another tissue and blew her nose. “I’m okay. It’s just that I love my sister and I didn’t mean to hurt her. It’s like the love for this man has torn my sister and me apart. I cry myself to sleep every night, because she and I are no longer close. I blame myself, but I can’t leave my husband, because I love him so much.”

Lisa tried to sound sympathetic. “That’s some dilemma. Why don’t we take a five minute break?”

Rose handed Lisa the box of tissue before taking a sip of her drink. “Only if you feel like one is needed.”

Lisa looked down at her watch. “Let’s continue.  Do you think you and your sister will ever be close again?”

Rose did not look up at Lisa this time, but held her head down as if masking tears and replied, “It’s really up to her. I have apologized for my mistake. I even admitted to her, I was a little jealous, because she has always been so much smarter.  I’ll go on record saying that whenever she wants to talk, I’m here. I want her to know I love her and she means more to me than she’ll ever know.”

“How touching. I’m sure our readers hope she finds it in her heart to forgive you. Keep us posted.”

Rose looked up with watery eyes. “I hope she can too, because I can’t see going through life without her.”

Lisa sat in silence for a moment, to give Rose time to gather her composure. “It has been rumored that the scandal with your sister, caused the director to recast the role of Mrs. Wallingford in the movie
The Future Mrs. Wallingford
.”

“We were only in negotiations and they never could meet my asking price.”

“So if they would have met your asking price, you would be playing Mrs. Wallingford instead of Holly?”

Rose tried to sound convincing. “Yes.”

“What about the role in King’s new movie?”

“We’re still in negotiations, so I would rather not discuss it right now.”

“So any other projects on your plate?”

Rose remembered one of her conversations with her agent and Lance. “Yes. I’ll be going into the studio to record my first CD. I have some of the hottest producers lined up.”

Lisa took the tape out of the recorder and flipped it over. “Why are you venturing off into music, when you have a very solid movie career?”