Kept Man: Firsts and Forever Stories

“Will you? Visit me on campus, I mean?”

“Sure. There will probably be student art exhibits and things like that, and I want to cheer you on.”

I wanted to remind him he was planning to leave San Francisco, so that seemed unlikely. But I wasn’t ready for that discussion, so I climbed out of bed and reached for my clothes as I said, “First I need to get in, so I’m going to go and work on my portfolio.”

Later that morning, Boseman arrived right on time. When they came into the office, I was sitting at the desk, dressed in a button-down shirt, jeans, and loafers. The PO seemed to have his suspicions about whether I was really Micah’s assistant, so I was trying to sell it. Not that he would kick me out if he discovered the truth, but catching Micah in a lie would only reinforce Boseman’s negative opinion of him, and that was the last thing I wanted.

The land line on the desk rang just as they came in, startling me. I’d never heard it ring before. I glanced at Micah, who gave a half-shrug that seemed to say he didn’t know what to make of it either. I answered the phone with, “You’ve reached Micah Mazari’s assistant. How may I help you?”

While Micah’s publicist introduced herself as Willa Kushner, Boseman said, “Let’s move this to the living room, so your assistant can work.” Then he left the office with Micah trailing behind him. I didn’t like the way he emphasized the word “assistant.” I could practically hear the air quotes around it.

I turned my attention back to the call as Willa said, “I’m absolutely thrilled Micah finally hired another assistant! What’s your name?”

“Jasper Gordon.”

“How does Micah feel about granting interviews these days, Jasper? Virtually, of course. I’ve had a request from Rolling Stone, they’re doing a 2000s retrospective.”

I pulled a pen and a pad of paper from the desk and made a note, then said, “I can’t speak for Micah, but I’ll mention it to him.”

“Just between you and me, he should really say yes to this one, so please see if you can get him to agree. He’s had nothing but bad press recently, and this would be a good opportunity to turn that around to some extent.”

“Please forgive my ignorance,” I said. “I’m new to this job and confused about why Micah still needs a publicist, or why he’d bother doing any interviews at all, since he’s been retired for close to two decades.”

I was glad she didn’t take offense at me basically calling her obsolete. “Micah will always be a public figure,” she explained. “Nothing will ever change that. And even if he’s removed himself from the public eye, his music is still out there, and it’s still relevant. Four of his songs in particular are timeless classics that’ll live on long after he’s gone. Plus, they still make him money. Right before his current legal troubles, I’d been fielding calls from a woman scoring a big-budget action film who wanted to use Evermore in the movie’s soundtrack. Needless to say, that fell through when he was arrested.”

“Okay, I get it now.”

“In a way, I guess it’s similar to being a parent,” she said. “His songs are like his kids. They’re still out in the world, even if he’s not, and once in a while they need something from him.”

“That actually makes a lot of sense. I’ll be sure to mention the Rolling Stone thing to him. Anything else he should know about?”

“Not really. I get a few random requests every month for quotes or BS interviews. I’ve been with Micah almost four years now and know he’ll reject those, so I don’t even bother him with them.”

“Okay.”

She asked, “Can I have your number, Jasper? I had to dig out this number because his cell was going straight to voice mail.”

“I’ll have to find his cellphone and plug it in, he forgets to charge it,” I said. “As far as my number, I think Micah wants to deal with you directly, so it’s best if you keep calling him.”

“Figures. He’s a bit of a control freak, which I’m sure isn’t news to you. How long have you been working for him?”

“Since early July.”

“Oh hey, you’re on a pretty good run,” she said. “Most of his assistants only last a few weeks.”

“Why is that?”

“Between you and me, he pushes people away. He’ll do that to you too, if you let him. The only reason I’ve lasted this long is because I keep my distance and only bother him with the important stuff.”

I thought about that as I fidgeted with the pen, and then I murmured, “I guess you’re right.” Actually, Micah himself had said as much.

“Of course I am. Just look at him and his brother. There’s no reason for those two to be apart, other than sheer stubbornness. Micah acts like he wants to be alone and does everything he can to push everyone away, but then he ends up lonely and miserable. What the hell is that about?”