CHAPTER THREE
Ice Breaker
'You're The One That I Want' roared through the miniature apartment at full volume as three ladies bustled around busily. Singing along, Gloria whipped up rounds of perfect pancakes as Mary got a very fiddly Venus dressed and ready for the day.
"I got chills, they're multiplying," Mary sang under her breath as she finished plaiting Venus' beach blonde hair. "Happy with it, baby?"
"Yeah!" Venus gleamed, hopping down from the stool and running into the pancake smelling kitchen. "Don't run, Vee, you might crash."
Venus rolled her eyes and mumbled a quick 'whatever'. Gloria laughed and put all her strength setting the five year old down calmly on the counter top to finish the batch. Mary flicked through the rest of the CDs and picked 'Songs From The Big Chair'. Sliding the disk into the machine, 'Head Over Heels / Broken' began to play. It was one of Mary's favourite songs ever and it held many memories, some of which troubled her to some that comforted her.
Mary was busy in her bedroom, well, Venus' and hers bedroom. The mother and daughter shared one big bed for two reasons: beds were fucking expensive and there was no space in the compacted room to fit another person, let alone a bed. Her mind was racing the endless thoughts of the sudden change of her future plans, too worried and preoccupied with her makeup and hair to hear Gloria's calls coming from the kitchen.
Gloria nudged the door open with a inquisitive Venus sitting on her hip. Gloria noticed Mary was once again trapped in her own treacherous mind to even notice the other two at the door. "Mama!" Suddenly Venus snapped, awakening Mary from her daydream.
Setting Venus down on the floor, Gloria ushered her to the kitchen to leave the two older women alone. "Don't be scared, Mary dear. This man saw talent in you, true potential and he wouldn't fly over to Brooklyn just to pull a silly little joke. Whatever happens, you mustn't fear. Remember when you told me you were blindly following the path that God carved out for you," Mary nodded, "well why back track now? Life's just getting sweet for you, baby."
Gloria didn't believe in God or any other religious figure, though she was always fascinated with Mary's perspective of Christianity. Mary told her own night when the two were sat out on the small balcony, a cigarette shared between the two, that every perspective of God she had were based on her own personal experiences. "It's nice to have a little faith in someone nowadays," Mary had whispered, "It seems like every person other than my baby and God up above has left me to rot in the wind to be whisked away."
Her kind words were no help to Mary's nerves, and she noticed. "Alright Mary," Gloria's voice was firmer this time round, "Now you're being silly. This Baz man flew all the way from Australia to speak to you, darlin' that's the type of stuff that happens in movies! You've got a gift and from the minute I met you I let you know that - I told you that I saw something in you and I thank this man for not being as blind as everyone else and giving you this opportunity! Now get in the kitchen and eat the goddamn pancakes I made before Venus scoffs them all."
Finally Mary smiled and nodded. The makeshift family of three ate with subtle small-talk of things that needed to fill the fridge, what movie they'd be watching on Mary' night off and other little things. Just as Mary finished helping Venus and Gloria clean and stack dishes, she grabbed her purse and headed to the door to meet Baz in the coffee shop.
"Should I bring Venus?" she asked hesitantly, looking her daughters doe eyes. Gloria smiled and nodded solemnly, "I think that would be a great idea."
Ten minutes later the mother-daughter duo were cruising the streets of busy Brooklyn hand in hand. Venus held onto her mothers hand tightly, surely leaving a red-purple mark around her knuckles. "Who're you meeting, mama?"
"A man named Baz who wants me to sing in his movie, isn't that fun, baby?" Venus nodded excitedly at the news. "But you can't go telling this to all you're friends at school, mkay baby? It's top secret. Our little secret, yeah pretty?"
Venus giggled and looked up at her beloved mother, nothing but love and adoration in her big eyes as she nodded and shook her blonde hair around.
Just as they reached the coffee shop, Mary crouched to her daughters height and moved a few stray hairs that covered her freckled forehead. "Now baby, when we meet and greet new people or anyone at all, what do we do?"
Venus recited the rules her mother had taught her since birth with easy, "We say hello, how are you, we say our please and thank yous and we smile."
"Perfect, perfect girl." Mary covered Venus' face in sweet kisses, which electrified a thousand giggles from the girl. "You ready, mama?"
Mary laughed at her daughter, "Of course I am."
They entered the coffee shop and Mary detected Baz the second she entered. Baz instantly went to greet Mary immediately, shaking her hand warmly. He then noticed the confident young girl who stood proudly beside Mary. A sister, maybe? Baz thought.
Crouching down just as Mary did minutes prior to entering, Baz smiled at the young girl, who smiled in return and spoke before he could, "Hello sir, I'm Venus, how are you?"
A small giggle was heard coming from Mary's lips, but Baz payed no attention and shook her little hand. "Hello Venus, I'm Baz. I'm very good, thank you."
"You're welcome." Venus stated proudly. "You're sister?" Baz asked, his eyes flickered between the two. Mary and Venus shared the same prominent nose and full lips, though their eyes and hair were different.
"My daughter," Mary took a deep breathe, would this change everything? "She turned five in May, didn't you baby?" Venus nodded quietly.
Mary thought everything would be different now, which it obviously would, but not to the degree she thought. She expected Baz to pack his things and fly out the minute he heard the word "daughter" leave her lips. However, Baz smiled and lead them two the table he was originally sitting at. Mary ordered herself a black coffee and Venus an apple juice, and then the conversation began.
"So," Baz cleared his throat and settled down in his chair, "We actually finished writing the screenplay for this Elvis movie not long ago and we're just touching it up, at the moment it's all over the place and we haven't even got casting down yet. We've got hundreds of auditions sent in and haven't gone through half of them," Baz rubbed his forehead. "The only thing I'm certain on is that I need you in my movie. You may ask yourself, yknow, why me and blah blah blah but trust me dear, you're gonna be a star. Have you ever had a Hollywood dream?"
Venus had settled in Mary's lap and sat quietly, trying to process the complicated words being said as she sipped on her juice. "Always." Mary answered.
"I could take you there, Mary, I could take you to the top of the Hollywood hills and millions of miles away everybody would know it was you. I know it's sudden, I know it's difficult, but you've just gotta trust me. We're gonna be filming in Queensland all the way over in Australia, and I can take you there. Heavens, this minute I can get you signed with a record label and tomorrow morning when the sun rises you're name will be everywhere." There was a moment of silence, this was a lot for Mary. She'd always lived a simple life, simple not easy.
There was always change, from being kicked out, fired, living in Motels and the only trust is being within strangers, home being where she laid her hair. She would be lying if she said she didn't plan for her life to turn out this way, since birth she'd been deemed the wild child of the West. Her plans for the future were messy and unpredictable, she was forever living in Summer, so careless and free no matter the time she'd have to wake up the next day. In the West she was a singer, so small they didn't even know her name but just her voice. She had little hope and small spirit for her desired reality of living for the fame, for soon came her full bell full of life and that's where she found her dream. Change was unusual and never unexpected for Mary, she wouldn't hold back and would simply let God channel the waves to take her back shore.
So now, as she was stuck in the North Atlantic Sea, she'd trust in Baz Luhrmann to take her home, wherever that may be.
"Make me the biggest star the world has ever known."