Embedded Files
It was the summer of 1991 and life had changed considerably for author Elizabeth Sherwood. Her novel “A Murder in the Family”, based on her experience with David Reardon’s family, had been a number one best seller. The rights to the novel had now been secured for a TV film deal and for the first time Elizabeth was enjoying real success and even earning a little money from her writing.
Much to her surprise and often amusement she had become what she could only describe as a minor celebrity. Despite teaching at the School of the Arts for a number of years and watching all the teenagers grow and work hard to try and achieve Fame, Elizabeth still didn’t really understand the concept and why it was so important to people. Yes it had been exciting to be interviewed by the press and see her name in magazines and newspapers. It had even been wonderful if not a little daunting finding herself on TV and strangely surreal to have people stop her in the street to ask for her autograph. Still, she didn’t really understand why on earth other people would be interested in her, in her personal life and what she might be doing next.
For the last couple of months she’d been on a book tour taking her around the United States of America meeting what could only be described as her fans. People would come to meet her, have their pictures taken, get their books signed and talk to her like she was their best friend, often telling her strange and intimate secrets about their lives. It all felt so alien to Elizabeth. She was a writer and the very nature of writing is that you sit alone at the typewriter, bringing your own thoughts and ideas to life. It had nothing to do with travelling around the county, meeting people, shaking hands and signing autographs but her publishers had thought it was a good idea and so she had gone along with it.
Even though it had been tiring, for the most part the tour had been very enjoyable. Although at times Elizabeth had felt frustrated that it was taking so much time away from her actually writing anything else. People had constantly asked her when her next book would be out and what it would be about but spending months promoting her current book had meant she hadn’t written anything new and to be honest she hadn’t really got any idea as to what her next book would even be about.
After months away, Elizabeth was finally back home in New York. With the book tour coming to an end, with just a couple appearances left in the Big Apple, she will once again have time to focus her attentions on her writing.
A queue of people waited patiently in line at a small old fashioned bookshop in Greenwich Village. Elizabeth handed a book she had just signed to an excited woman, who appeared to be in her 30.
Woman: “Oh thank you, thank you so much, it’s such an honour meeting you!”
Elizabeth smiles graciously: “Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed reading my book.”
As the woman leaves Elizabeth turns to look at the next person in line. He is a scruffy looking teenager, who looks very ill at ease. Elizabeth can’t help think that he wasn’t her normal demographic. It had mainly been people aged 30 plus that had come to see her and the majority had been women. Looking at this young boy he didn’t look as though he even knew how to read, let alone buy a book and be so interested that he wanted to meet the author. Still Elizabeth shrugs off those thoughts, “You can’t judge a book by its cover”, she thinks to herself and then feels like laughing at her little joke.
Instead she asks: “Did you enjoy the book?”
The boy looks startled by the question: “Uh, what?”
Elizabeth politely repeats her question: “My book, did you enjoy reading it?”
The boy looks down at the book cover and shrugs: “Yeah, I guess it was okay!”
Elizabeth is puzzled by the boy; it’s obvious that he hasn’t read the book. Still she smiles at him again and asks: “How would you like it dedicated?”
Nervously the boy looks around the shop and at the people waiting behind him in the queue not sure how to respond. Eventually he mutters: “What?”
Elizabeth feeling even more puzzled, takes a deep breath and asks: “The book, to whom would you like me to sign the dedication?”
The boy looks directly at her, eyes wide and confusion written all over his face. Not knowing what to say, he grabs the book and runs out of the shop.
Elizabeth calls after him: “Wait I haven’t signed it for you yet!”
Still watching the door of the shop, which has now closed by the fleeing teenager, Elizabeth doesn’t notice the next two people waiting in the queue, a blond man wearing a tuxedo and a black woman in a strapless sequinned silver gown, with a pearl necklace and a white fur stole. They are both wearing dark sunglasses and looked like they have stepped off the set of a glitzy night time soap opera.
The black woman speaks first in a loud over the top tone: “David darling, look who we have here, a literary star is in our midst. We are so lucky to meet her!”
Elizabeth instantly recognises the voice and looks to see her friends Lydia Grant and David Reardon standing before her and exclaims: “Lydia, David what are you doing here?”
Lydia continues in the over top voice: “Why darling I’m your biggest fan!”
Elizabeth rolls her eyes and says her friends name in a sharp almost warning like tone: “L-y-d-i-a!”
Ignoring the warning tone Lydia continues: “I didn’t want to miss out on meeting a real superstar!”
Sherwood repeats her friends name in an even sharper tone: “L-Y-D-I-A!”
Lydia continues to ignore the warning: “Oh Please will you sign my book, I’ve been waiting so long to meet you?”
She opens the book and places it on the table in front of Elizabeth, who glares back at her friend and reluctantly signs the book: “There, now will you move a side and stop making such a scene? What on earth are you doing here anyway?"
David is the first to reply: “Well time is getting on so we thought we’d meet you here ready for the party tonight and all go together.”
Elizabeth asks: “What time is it?”
David pulls back the cuffs of his tuxedo jacket but his arm is bare: “Where’s my watch? Damn I must have lost it somewhere. You know the one Elizabeth, the gold one my father bought me after we worked out what had happened to my grandfather. He had it engraved with my initials and everything!”
Lydia interrupts: “Calm down honey you probably just forgot to put it on is all and it’s sat on your dresser at home. Elizabeth dear it’s 5.40pm."
Elizabeth looks at the line of people: “Well I guess I’m going to be here for a little while yet.”
Their conversation is interrupted by a man quietly clearing his throat.
Elizabeth turns and recognises a slightly balding middle aged man. She smiles warmly to greet him: “Hello Jeffrey, how are you today?”
Jeffrey returns the smiles: “I’m very well today, how about you?”
Elizabeth nods: “Yes I’m fine thank you.”
She then turns to Lydia and David and introduces the man: “This is Jeffrey he’s my biggest fan!”
Instantly Lydia snaps indignantly: “But Darling he can’t be your biggest fan, I am!”
Jeffrey looks Lydia up and down and remarks: “You really think you’re Elizabeth’s biggest fan?”
Lydia raises an eyebrow and quips: “Yes I REALLY think I’m her biggest fan! I was her biggest fan before anyone else had even heard of her, before she’d even written a book!”
Jeffrey is unfazed by Lydia and simple asks: “How many of these signing events have you been to?”
Lydia is a little taken aback by the question: “Well, ..... erm, just this one, why would I want to have more than one book signed?”
Jeffrey laughs: “Well I dear lady, have been to them all. I’ve never missed one, have I Elizabeth?”
Elizabeth shakes her head: “No you’ve never missed one!”
Jeffrey continues: “I’ve also read her book one hundred times and at every signing I present her with a single red rose.”
As he mentions the flower he quickly hands a red rose to Elizabeth.
Elizabeth smiles: “Thank you Jeffrey you really shouldn’t.”
Jeffrey interrupts “But I want to Elizabeth, I want to give back just some of the pleasure your book and your writing has given to me.”
With that Jeffrey hands David a camera and asks him to take a picture of him standing with Elizabeth
David takes the pictures and hands back the camera: “Hey are you sure you don’t want my autograph. I’m in the book you know? I’m the leading man and with any luck I’ll get to play myself in the TV movie.”
Jeffrey thanks David for taking the picture but remains unimpressed by the rest of his statement: “Thank you but no thank you, I just needed to have a picture for my collection to document all our meetings to show I’m Elizabeth’s biggest fan”.
Lydia gives Jeffrey a dirty look: “Okay, okay, you are her biggest fan, but you see I’m her best friend and friend beats fan every time! So you see I win after all!”
Lydia gives a knowing smile to Jeffrey, who knows when he’s beaten: “I’ll see you tomorrow Elizabeth. I bid you good day.”
As Jeffrey leaves Lydia shakes her head: “He really comes to everyone of your book signings and gives you a rose?”
Elizabeth nods: “Yes he does!”
Lydia remarks: “Oh my, some people haven’t got very much going on in their lives, have they?”
Elizabeth frowns: “Lydia stop being nasty, he’s really sweet and is probably just lonely. Besides he’s harmless.”
Lydia pulls a face: “I wouldn’t be so sure, it’s creepy if you ask me. It’s always the quiet ones that you have to look out for.”
Sherwood shakes her head in despair.
Later that evening David, Elizabeth and Lydia arrive at a top New York restaurant.
Lydia remarks: “Oh very fancy.”
Reardon comments: “Oh this where her publishing company have their meetings. I was here last night to discuss my role in the TV movie.”
Lydia asks: “Oh Elizabeth who are they looking to get to play you in the movie?”
Elizabeth shrugs: “I don’t think they’ve cast anyone yet but they are talking about Donna Mills, who used to be in “Knots Landing.”
Lydia becomes excited: “Oh I love her; she would be so great as you. She was so good in “Knots Landing”. Oh I love that show but it’s not the same since she left! Did you know they film it at the MGM studios in Culver City where they made all those great Musicals? Oh I’d love to visit those studios one day!”
They are greeted by the Maître D who speaks with a French accent: “Bonjour Madam Sherwood, Bonjour Monsieur Reardon”.
In unison they greet the waiter: “Bonjour Pierre.”
He then turns to Lydia who smiles: “I’m Mademoiselle Grant.”
The others all turn to look at her in surprise and Pierre raises an eyebrow.
Lydia pulls a face: “Okay, okay I’m Madam Grant!”
Pierre smiles and shows them to their table: “Bonjour Madam Grant.”
After the waiter has left Lydia asks: “Does he look familiar to you?”
Elizabeth asks: “Who?”
Lydia nods in the waiter’s direction: “Pierre the waiter?”
Elizabeth shrugs: “Well apart from seeing him here at the restaurant a few times I can’t say he does.”
Lydia is puzzled: “I’m sure I know that face. Maybe if his hair was longer.”
Elizabeth sighs: “Wait don’t tell me you think he’s really a struggling actor and was a student at our school? Lydia you think every waiter in New York is really an actor and had been a student at the school!”
Lydia smirks and replies indignantly: “And most of the time I’m right aren’t I?”
Elizabeth reluctantly agrees: “You are but I don’t remember ever teaching anyone named Pierre, do you?”
Lydia shakes her head: “No, I guess not!”
Elizabeth continues: “Besides if he’d been at the school don’t you think he would have mentioned it?”
Lydia shrugs.
A few moments later Pierre returns: “Madam Sherwood there is a telephone call for you.”
Elizabeth is surprised and quickly follows the waiter to take the call: “Hello!”
There is no reply from the other end of the line and Elizabeth says “Hello” again.
As she can hear background noise on the other end of the line Elizabeth tries again: “Hello, is there anybody there?”
As there is still no answer Elizabeth shrugs, hangs up the receiver and returns to her seat.
Outside the restaurant a middle aged man stands in a pay phone booth. The scruffy teenager from the book signing stands with him and shakes his head: “Man did anyone ever tell you, you’re weird?”
The older man replaces the receiver and turns round and glares menacingly at the teenager.
The following day Elizabeth arrives at another book store for her final book signing. She is feeling a little dishevelled. Having left the restaurant late the night before, she’d had the unnerving experience of thinking she was being followed. Then when she’d arrived home, she was unable to get in as her keys were in her handbag, which she realised she’d left at the restaurant. Being too late to go to collect her bag she’d spent the night at Lydia’s and was wearing the same clothes she’d worn for yesterday’s signing. She also had a little bit of a headache after drinking a little too much wine the night before.
As she arrives at the store she asks the owner if he has any coffee. When the owner informs her that his machine is broken Elizabeth sighs: “Can this day get any worse?” she mutters to herself.
After about half an hour Elizabeth looks up to see the scruffy teenager from the previous day standing in front of her waiting for his book to be signed. She is surprised to see him but thinking he’s really nervous doesn’t want to scare him away again.
She smiles and gently asks: “What’s your name?”
The boy looks alarmed by the question and snaps: “What’s it to you?”
Elizabeth is surprised by the reaction but doesn’t want the teenager running off again so continues smiling sweetly: “It’s just so I know who to sign the book for. I can just sign my name if you prefer?”
The boy shakes his head: “No I want it signed properly to me.”
Elizabeth waits patiently for a moment expecting the boy to tell her his name but when he doesn’t she calmly asks again: “Well if you tell me your name, I can sign and you can be on your way”
The boy nods: “It’s Ro.... He quickly stops and then corrects himself, it Quentin.”
Elizabeth raises an eyebrow it’s obvious the boy has given a false name and he was just about to say his real name, when he corrected himself. Still she tries to ignore the boy’s behaviour, signs the book and hands it back: “There you go Quentin, I once knew someone named Quentin. He was my boss actually. Nobody really liked him but I guess I felt sorry for him.”
The boy has a confused look on his face: “So what lady, who cares?”
He grabs the book and runs out of the shop.
Elizabeth is surprised and feels a little confused about how strange the boy acted.
Outside the shop the older man who had had tried making the phone call the previous night waits for the teenager. When he sees him coming he snaps: “Did you get it this time?”
The boy hands over the book and snaps: “Can I have my money now I’ve got the stupid book signed for you?”
The older man pulls out his wallet and hands over $20 to the boy.
The teenager snatches it away and starts to run away. Looking back over his shoulder he calls out: “You stupid weirdo creep!”
The man glares at the boy but soon turns his attention to the book. He opens it, sees the dedication and smiles to himself as he gently touches Elizabeth’s writing on the page. He mutters to himself: “Soon Elizabeth, very soon!”
To be continued......
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