Melinda’s Journal

Wednesday, March 7

I’m not exactly sure what I expected when I learned I was going to spend my vacation in Los Angeles. I knew I would get to go to the premiere, and that was amazing. I knew Walter and his mom would be working. But I thought I’d get to spend time with Pat.

I envisioned us driving around, maybe going to the beach. We could go sightseeing and maybe I could see a movie studio.

I didn’t expect Pat to be working. I mean, I’m glad he’s got this audition, but it means less time for the two of us to spend together.

I love Pat and his family. But, if everyone is going to be working, it doesn’t feel like much of a vacation. I don’t know if I want to spend another week here.

Melinda’s Story

After Pat bought the first outfit he had tried on, as well as the too-short running shorts, we went next door for frozen yogurts. As we ate, Pat searched his phone to compare his clothes to any images he could find of Patrick Barrett. But a person just outside the window was distracting me.

“Hey, Pat? There’s a guy outside, and I think he’s staring at you.”

Pat made the mistake of looking up. He swore and quickly turned his back to the window. I did the same.

“Yeah, it’s one of those people with the cameras that you were trying to avoid.”

“Is he gone?”

Pat shook his head. “I doubt it. He probably won’t leave until we do. Enjoy your ice cream. He can’t come in here. We’ll worry about him when we leave.”

I tried to do as Pat said, but I had lost my appetite. I only ate about half my sundae. While Pat finished it, I held up my phone as if I were trying to take a selfie. Instead, I was angling it over my shoulder to see if the cameraman was still in the window. I let out a sigh of relief when I didn’t see him.

As soon as we left the restaurant, however, he found us. He was standing near the car. Pat kept his voice low.

“Just ignore him and get in the car. He can’t touch you or the car. He knows that.”

I nodded as I heard Pat unlock the convertible. Following his directions, I ignored the man with the camera. He was shouting questions at us, and I knew he was taking pictures. But I just went straight to the car and climbed in, not even checking if he was out of the way before closing the door. Pat joined me and started the engine. I wasn’t sure he even checked for cars before pulling into traffic.

He waited a couple of blocks before turning to me. “You okay?”

I nodded. “Yeah. Is it always like that?”

Pat shook his head. “Nah. It depends on where you go. Shopping areas like this, and restaurants. Those are the craziest places. Well, I hear the airport is, but I rarely fly commercial, so I wouldn’t really know. Anyway, I need to go to Rex’s and there’s never any paparazzi there. Do you mind?”

I shook my head. “Nah. I needed to grab a few things, too.”

When we reached the discount department store, Pat and I went our separate ways. I had no idea what he needed, but I wanted to take some time picking out cosmetics. Although I had been to Rex’s many times, this store was much larger than the ones near home. It took me a while to find my way around.

First, I went to the hair care aisle. I found the pink foam with ease and was thrilled to see it came in various colors. As much as I loved pink, purple was my favorite color, so I grabbed some of those sprays as well. I bought a can for each day of my vacation, as well as several extras, before heading over two aisles.

I had been dancing for so long, none of the makeup was unfamiliar to me. Over the past ten years, I had worn it for every recital over the past ten years and learned which brands I preferred. Scanning the shelves, I tried to remember what the stylists had used when doing my face last night. I used the samples to play with various shades of eye colors, blushes, and foundations until I found colors that were a perfect match for me.

When I finished, I pulled out my phone to text Pat. I was surprised how much time had passed. I had spent over an hour in that one aisle. And yet, Pat wasn’t looking for me. What had distracted him for so long? When he didn’t answer my texts, I tried calling him. It took him a minute to answer.

“Hey.”

“Hey. This place is, like, twice the size of the Rex’s back home. Where are you?”

A voice I couldn’t see answered for him. “Thank you for shopping at Trucco. Have a beautiful day.”

I had many questions about why Pat was at a beauty supply store, but I figured they could wait until we were together in person again. “Trucco’s? Is that next door?”

“Not exactly.”

The look on Pat’s face suggested he was, in fact, pretty far away. Suspecting that he had forgotten about me, I glared at him. “I’m checking out. Can you pick me up, or should I call someone else?”

“I’ll come get you. I promise. But I need to pick up Walter, so give me like half an hour.”

I ended the call without responding. Pulling up a map of LA, I searched for Walter’s studio. It was a good half an hour away. Longer, thanks to traffic. Pat must have been practically there already.

I wouldn’t have minded if he had told me he was going there and would be back later. In fact, I probably would have thought it an excellent idea. It was the fact that he just abandoned me that was aggravating.

Since I had some time, I picked up a few more items before paying for everything. Realizing I would spend a lot of time alone while everyone around me was working, I picked up some jigsaw puzzles to help me pass the time. It was one of my favorite hobbies and I didn’t get to do them at school. Plus, I had an idea of how I could use them to thank Miss Kara for inviting me for the week.

On my way out of the store, I stopped in the ladies’ room. Standing at the counter, I removed each cosmetic from its packaging, expertly applied a small amount to my face, and placed it in the new bag I had purchased. When I was done, I stowed the bag in my purse and went outside.

---

After a quick shower to wash away all traces of Mae, I went to the library to start one of my puzzles. I had just opened the package when Walter found me.

“Shelia’s gone, but she left some stew in the kitchen if you want some.”

I didn’t look up. “I’m not that hungry.”

“Pat said you won’t let him apologize.”

“Not true.” I placed a piece and picked up another handful.

“Wanna talk about it?”

“Nothing to talk about.”

I kept working, but I watched Walter out of the corner of my eye. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he swallowed whatever it was. I continued sorting my pieces, placing some on the poster board and the rest in the box top.

After a moment, he left without another word. I continued working. Eventually, I saw Pat standing silently in the doorway. I completed sorting one more handful of pieces before folding my hands in front of me and sending him a pointed look.

He sat in the chair opposite me. “I’m sorry.”

He tried to take my hands, but I brought them closer to me. I wasn’t quite ready to forgive him. “Do you know why I’m upset?”

“Because I left you at Rex’s and went to Trucco?”

I shook my head. “That’s not why I’m mad.”

“Then I really have no idea.”

I had a feeling that was true. While I wasn’t about to spell it out for him, I could at least help him get there.

“If I didn’t call you, when would you have realized you had forgotten me?”

“You think I forgot about you?”

“Didn’t you?”

I had him. I could see the struggle in his face. Sighing, I tried not to roll my eyes. “Pat, it’s not a hard question. Did you or didn’t you forget that I was in the store?”

“Yeah. I forgot you were there.”

“And that’s why I’m upset. If you had just told me you were going to Trucco’s, I would have said I needed more time and why don’t you come back for me. But you completely forgot I was there.”

“I know. And I really don’t have an excuse.”

“I’m not looking for an excuse.”

“I promise it won’t happen again?”

Something about the way he said it made me question his sincerity. “That doesn’t sound very convincing.”

I thought about what I had written in my journal earlier. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt him, but I saw little point in staying if I was just going to be in everyone’s way. I took a deep breath, unable to look him in the eye.

“Maybe I should just go home. You’re not Pat here. You’re Patrick and I don’t really think I like Patrick.”

I could no longer be in the same room with him. I tried to leave, but Pat blocked my way. He pulled me close, and I didn’t fight back. I wanted to be in his arms. He rested his head on mine, speaking into my hair.

“If you want to go, I won’t stop you. But I really want you to stay. I love having you here. And, after my audition, I promise I won’t have any other Patrick commitments and it will just be you and me. And I won’t forget you. I promise.”

I looked into his eyes. He meant what he said.

He smiled at me. “Forgive me?”

I decided to give him one more chance. When I nodded, he pulled me even closer.

“Does that mean you’ll stay?”

I did my best to respond with my face pressed against Pat’s chest. “Yes, but I can’t breathe.”

He immediately released me. “Sorry.”

I smiled at him. “It’s okay.” I gave him a quick kiss before heading toward the door. “So, I heard rumors about some stew.”

Pat’s Story

I had never worn tighty-whities in my life. Even when I was potty training, I refused to wear them. Eventually, one of my aunts suggested Mom just get me boxers and I potty trained in less than a week. However, if I was going to wear these old running shorts, I was going to need to buy a pair.

I stood in the aisle of the discount department store for a quite a while, examining my options. They only came in packages of six, but if I landed this role, I would probably need more than one pair anyway. I guessed my size and headed to the hair care aisle.

I knew what I wanted, but I didn’t expect to find it at Rex’s. A few years ago, our hair stylist introduced us to colored hair mousse. It was amazing. All I had to do was just throw it in my hair and boom, I would no longer be a carrot top. It only lasted a shampoo or two, making it ideal for auditions when I didn’t want to commit to a color change unless I got the role. Although I had never used it, Mom and Meghan had, so I knew which brand would work best for my hair.

As I predicted, however, Rex’s didn’t carry what I was looking for, but I knew I would find it at Trucco. The discount beauty supply store was one on the way to Walter’s studio.

I paid for my purchases and headed across town. I had no problem finding the hairspray at Trucco and was checking out in less than ten minutes. As I was paying, my phone played Tchaikovsky. I winced as I answered the call.

“Hey.”

Melinda smiled at me. “Hey. This place is like twice the size of the Rex’s back home. Where are you?”

The cashier handed me my bag. “Thank you for shopping at Trucco. Have a beautiful day.”

Melinda narrowed her eyes. “Trucco’s? Is that next door?”

I winced. “Not exactly.”

Melinda’s tone turned to ice. “I’m checking out. Can you pick me up, or should I call someone else?”

“I’ll come get you. I promise. But I need to pick up Walter, so give me like half an hour.”

I texted Walter to meet me outside the gate and headed to his studio. I pulled up to the curb and threw on the hazard lights. Walter sauntered out a minute later, hopping into the car without opening the door. I hurried back into traffic before he could even fasten his seat belt.

“Whoa. Where’s the fire?”

“At Rex’s.” I didn’t even spare him a glance as I cut across two lanes of traffic to turn left at the next light.

“Huh?”

I sighed. “Melinda and I went shopping. I left her there.”

He shrugged. “How was your audition?”

“Callback Friday.”

“Sick.” Walter spent the rest of the time telling me about his day. He had recorded all his parts for two episodes. Although I wasn’t a voice actor, it sounded productive to me.

When I pulled up to Rex’s, Melinda was sitting on a bench near the entrance. She had a couple of bags in one hand and, for reasons I couldn’t imagine, some poster board. Something was different about her, but I couldn’t figure it out. Maybe it was the angry looks she was sending me.

Walter opened the door and started to move to the backseat, but Melinda beat him there. He raised his eyebrows but said nothing as he sat back down. Melinda scooted behind me, probably to avoid looking at me. As I pulled onto the main road, Walter turned to face her.

“What happened to you?”

“Someone forgot about me.”

I didn’t even bother trying to defend myself. She was right. I had forgotten about her. Walter glanced at me a moment before turning back to Melinda.

“I meant the new look.”

I glanced in the rearview mirror in time to see Melinda shrug.

“I figured if I was going to be hanging out with Pat in public, I should be Mae, not Melinda. And, I’m glad because there was that horrible person with a camera when we got froyo.”

I frowned. “He wasn’t that horrible.”

Melinda didn’t answer me, but I could feel her glare on the back of my head. I could also see it in the mirror. Walter just shook his head.

“Did he get a picture of you eating?”

Melinda shook her head. “I don’t think so. I saw him look through the window, but I didn’t see him take pictures until we were trying to get in the car. Then he was yelling to me and Pat and just kind of in my way. I was really glad I had the pink hair.”

“Well, I like it.” He nodded toward her. “You do something to your face, too?”

“Just a hint of makeup. Is it too much?”

Walter shook his head. “No. You look amazing. I love it.”

“Well, it’s only while we’re here. Once we get back home, Mae goes bye-bye.”

When we got home, Melinda disappeared to her room and shut the door. I tried knocking, but she wouldn’t answer. I found Walter in the kitchen. He held up a bowl.

“Shelia left us some stew in the slow cooker.”

I shrugged. “Not hungry. Thanks.”

“Just tell her you’re sorry.”

“She won’t let me.”

Walter sighed and put down his bowl. “I’ll go talk to her.”

He disappeared upstairs, and I figured a small bowl of stew couldn’t hurt. I had only taken a few bites before he returned. He nodded at the bowl.

“I thought you weren’t hungry.”

“What’d Melinda say?”

“She didn’t want to talk to me. But she implied she would listen if you apologize.”

“I did! I said I was sorry, but she wouldn’t open the door.”

Walter shoveled stew into his mouth. “Well, maybe you were at the wrong door.”

While I finished my bowl, I tried to understand what he meant. It hit me as my spoon scraped the bottom. I left my bowl on the counter and headed upstairs.

I found Melinda in the library. Her hair was damp and had returned to its natural color, although a hint of pink remained. She had washed off her makeup as well. She looked much better.

She was sitting at the table with a sheet of poster board in front of her. On her left was the bottom half of a box, full of jigsaw puzzle pieces. On the right was the other half of the box. I watched her take a handful of pieces from her left and sort them at a lightning speed. She deposited most into the other box, but every so often she would place one onto her board, sometimes in a specific spot, other times in a pile.

She went through the entire handful in a few seconds. Then she folded her hands in front of her and looked up. Her expression was a mixture of anger and hurt. I sat across from her.

“I’m sorry.” I tried to reach for her hands, but she pulled them back.

“Do you know why I’m upset?”

“Because I left you at Rex’s and went to Trucco?”

Melinda shook her head. “That’s not why I’m mad.”

“Then I really have no idea.”

“If I didn’t call you, when would you have realized you had forgotten me?”

“You think I forgot about you?”

“Didn’t you?”

I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to say. I had forgotten about her. But admitting that seemed like a bad idea. Then again, denying it didn’t sound like a fantastic option either. I tried to figure out which would make Melinda less mad. She must have been reading my mind, because she let out a frustrated sigh.

“Pat, it’s not a hard question. Did you or didn’t you forget that I was in the store?”

“Yeah. I forgot you were there.”

“And that’s why I’m upset. If you had just told me you were going to Trucco’s, I would have said I needed more time and why don’t you come back for me. But you completely forgot I was there.”

“I know. And I really don’t have an excuse.”

“I’m not looking for an excuse.”

“I promise it won’t happen again?”

Melinda frowned at me. “That doesn’t sound very convincing.” She sighed. “Maybe I should just go home. You’re not Pat here. You’re Patrick and I don’t really think I like Patrick.”

She stood, but I beat her to the door. I pulled her close and was glad to see she didn’t run away. I buried my head in her hair.

“If you want to go, I won’t stop you. But, I really want you to stay. I love having you here. And after my audition, I promise I won’t have any other Patrick commitments and it will just be you and me. And I won’t forget you. I promise.”

Melinda sighed and looked up at me. I tucked a damp lock of hair behind her ear.

“Forgive me?” When she nodded, I pulled her close again. “Does that mean you’ll stay?”

Her response was muffled. “Yes, but I can’t breathe.”

I released my grip, happy to see her smiling back at me. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” She gave me a light kiss. “So, I heard rumors about some stew.”

Attention Hammerheads

Melinda is always trying to build her vocabulary. What were some words in this episode that were new to you? She will add them to her vocabulary journal.