Unfinished Symphony (Logan 3)

"You'd like that?"

"I'd do anything, anything but what Richard was trying to get me to do," I replied.

"Okay, I'll see about it. I'd take you somewhere for something to eat, but I have to get to work. I have the afternoon shift today."

"That's all right. You've done a lot for me already." "How about paying me back by going to dinner with me later?"

"How's that paying you back?" I asked, laughing.

"I like your company," he said and smiled. "Well? I'll be out at six-thirty. We can go around seven. You like Italian? I know a great little place only two blocks south of us."

"Okay," I said. "But I should be taking you out. I wish I could afford to."

"Don't worry about. It's my treat."

I thanked him again when we arrived at The Egyptian Gardens. After he dropped me off I hurried up to the apartment and quickly changed out of Mommy's miniskirt and blouse, putting my own clothes back on. I was calm enough to make myself some lunch and settle down. I did some more cleaning to keep my mind off what had happened and spent the remainder of the afternoon reading Mommy's movie magazines on the patio. A little after five I heard her and Richard come in. I got off the lounge and entered the apartment to meet them in the living room.

Richard stood there with his hands on his hips, glaring at me furiously. Mommy looked almost as angry, her hands clenched in fists at her side.

"What did you do, Melody?" Mommy asked softly. "What did you do to Richard?"

"What did she do to me? I'll tell you what she did," Richard said, stepping toward me before I could offer any response. "She put a nail in my coffin here. She hurt my reputation and completely destroyed a lucrative market for me. I had three other girls set to get jobs with Live Wire Studios and they canceled all of them. You lost those girls a lot of money and they needed it badly," he said. "I'm not even counting my lost commissions."

"Melody, how could you do this?"

"Mommy, you don't understand," I cried.

"There," he screamed, his forefinger jabbed at me. "She keeps forgetting. She'll call you Mommy in front of these people here and you might as well kiss your career good-bye."

"Melody, I've pleaded with you not to call me Mommy."

"I know. I'm sorry," I said. "I'm just upset. I won't forget anymore." I took a deep breath. "I did what he told me to do. I went into the studio and there was a half-naked woman sitting on a bed and they wanted me to . . . to be in this movie."

"So?" Mommy said. "Richard told you how much money you were going to make. I bet it was twice if not three times what Kenneth paid you to model naked for him," she added.

I felt my heart stop and then start racing. The blood seemed to drain from my face. I tried, but I couldn't speak for a moment. The lump in my throat was as hard as a rock, unmovable.

"What? You get undressed only for certain men when you feel like it?" Richard quipped. "When I get you a job where you can help us, you decide to be Miss Prim and Proper? You run out of the studio, make me look like the fool of the year?"

"Sis, that was different. What Kenneth was doing was art. You know that," I finally said, unable to believe she didn't see the difference.

"A lot of people think of this as art too, Melody. You have to be understanding and you can't be a snob," she said.

"A snob? But Sis, they wanted me to get undressed and be in bed with this other woman and-- "

"What of it? I've done it," she said.

"You have?" I asked, not wanting to believe her.

"Of course. How do you think we got the security and first and last month's rent for this place? You know how much money that is? And I got it with just two days' work," she said proudly.

I just shook my head in disbelief.

"You can't stay here without earning your keep," Richard insisted. "We're not running a shelter for the homeless."

"I'll earn something. Mel Jensen thinks I can get a job at the supermarket," I spat back at him.

"The supermarket? That's what you want to do?"