PREVIOUSLY in SONG OF REDEMPTION...
We met Rosa Milano, an opera superstar and proud mother of two beautiful daughters who was kicked out of the New York City luxury apartment she shared with those daughters and her insanely jealous manager-husband and reduced from a media phenom to a common bum. She was caught panhandling outside a restaurant intended as a low-price, quick-service place for people on the go, but reduced to a homeless hotel, and her spotter, music critic Carl Taylor, decided the only way for her was up and dragged her, almost kicking and screaming, to a nice lunch place in Lincoln Center.
AND NOW....
(Actually, I gotta answer a comment about Ye Olde Book Blogge. This is BOTH a showcase for reviews of books by other people AND a launching pad for my new and original books without benefit, if you can call it that, of Amazon.)
AND NOW....
SONG OF REDEMPTION
A Valentine's Day Aria In Five Stanzas
This story may contain inappropriate material for readers under 13. Parental discretion is advised.
This is a work of fiction. Most of the characters and institutions are products of the author's imagination, and the author claims no responsibility for any similarity to any actual person,living or dead,or any actual institution. It is not intended. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners, and there are allusions to copyrighted material. The absence of the symbols (C) (R) and (TM) is not meant to imply any ignorance of legal status.
Stanza The Second
BACK IN A NEW YORK GROOVE
"I GOTTA PEE!"
That's what Rosa announced to the doorman of Carl's building on River Terrace in Battery Park City, the small town within Lower Manhattan that begins at the southernmost tip of the borough and extends up to Chambers Street, where the Borough of Manhattan Community College, Municipal Building, and City Hall are located. The reason for that um, IMPORTANT, bit of information was her chaperone's need to race up to his apartment and change into an outfit more appropriate for the next order of business and the discomfort that arose as a result. The doorman told her to take a deep breath and count to ten. She complied, and by the time she got to eight, there was Carl, wearing a Lacoste golf shirt and a pair of Dockers. He thought it selfie material if they walked to the subway arm in arm like Dorothy and her friends on their way to Oz, but she still didn't entirely trust him, and so, they walked to the 1 train next to each other, not looking at each other.
One long, silent train ride later, they made it to the Lincoln Center station, and Carl quickly pulled her away from the person sitting on the bench who looked like he, too, didn't own a residence. They took the stairway at 65th and Broadway, and they were right outside Alice Tully Hall, a futuristic building that housed the Julliard School, public television station Thirteen WNET, and the American Table Cafe. Ever the gentleman, Carl opened the door for Rosa, who made a beeline for the rest room. (Even though she didn't trust him, she knew her chances of getting her daughters, heck, her LIFE back, would be slim to none with a full moon on her black pants.). Ten minutes and a loud flush later, Rosa emerged from the rest room (leaving both parties VERY relieved!) and they walked to the American Table Cafe, a restaurant dedicated to reflecting the richness of the American cultural and culinary tradition. As they walked in, the color returned to her face and she clapped along with the music and, imitating the sexy voice of a young singer from the Brewster Projects of Detroit born Diane Ross, sang, "Baby,baby,baby,baby, baby don't leave me..." Yes, the words of the Supremes' Motown classic "Where Did Our Love Go?", resonated strongly with her, especially since Nigel. who she once either called Baby or Babe, depending on the mood, was very much out of love with her.Carl said with a laugh, "You must really hate that song." She laughed back, "Yeah, I hate it so much, I want to kill it with this stinky old voice that hasn't been on a stage in, I dunno, four months?"
After Carl ordered two roasted chicken sandwiches, two soups of the day, and two hot chocolates, he explained, "The reason I plucked you off the street like a daisy is I can help you back." She laughed, "On a critic's salary?"
A FEW WEEKS AGO:
Carl may have worked for the New York Times, but his favorite TV news was WABC-TV, ABC 7 Eyewitness News, which some people compared unfavorably to the Post, but there were a lot of things ABC 7 did better than the other locals, one of them live lottery numbers. He kept playing the Powerball until the jackpot hit a billion. With card in trembling hand, he stared transfixed at the screen until Yolanda Vega, the Vanna White of the New York Lottery, read the numbers as the ping pong balls they were on jumped through the tubes. As she read, the more they matched the numbers on Carl's card, until it dawned on him...HE WON A DOLLAR BILL WITH NINE ZEROES! He told family and friends, but he still loved the Times and he wanted to keep his job, so he opted for the monthly payments.
"O-M-Good-G," Rosa exclaimed. "I've been one of your biggest fans for the longest time and I want to get you back to the top of the heap," Carl replied. Their hot chocolates came. Carl raised his mug and proposed a toast "TO THE FUTURE!" After the nice, hot meal, which exceeded Rosa's expectations, he called his friends at the Times, News, Post, Newsday, and broadcast stations and said, "Drop what you're doing, 'cause I have a story for you!"
All those entities replied in almost one voice: "WAIT. WHAT?!?"
"I, Carl Taylor, am now the EXCLUSIVE MANAGER of the legendary Rosa Milano, and we are working on a nightclub act that's gonna knock it out of the park!"
Within hours, ET, Access, TMZ and DISH NATION all pounced on the story like a pride of lions, but the two most important people in Rosa's life had yet to find out. Carl and Rosa were about to head over to The Shops at Columbus Circle to get her a very un-homeless-like wardrobe, but she insisted they make a stop at Professional Children's School. The closing bell rang at 3, and Phoebe, the nanny who stayed with Nigel just because of the girls, walked them out, when, she saw...
"MISS ROSA! What on God's green Earth are you doing here! I thought you died!"
"It sure as heck felt like it. Can I talk to Frasquita and Mercedes?"
Carl recalled, "Carmen was such a favorite character of yours to sing that you named your daughters after her Gypsy friends, am I right?"
She laughed, "You've been doing your homework. Come to Mommy, Keeta and Sadie, and gimme a big hug!"
They were all too happy to oblige.
"How's Daddy treating you? "Keeta replied,"He's been taking us to see the dinosaurs."
"At the Natural History Museum?"
Sadie explained,"No, Silly, at the Rolling Stones concert!"
"Well, that's not the worst thing he's done. Has he done anything REALLY terrible?"
Keeta said,""He has all his old buddies over for grown-up parties and they keep drinking and smoking and shouting and all the smoke keeps waking us up."
"No way!"
Both Keeta and Sadie replied,"Way!"
"Remember when Uncle Carl stopped by for brunch?"
They ran towards him and almost knocked him to the ground. He laughed, "Chill, ladies! I'm about to make your mom a huge star again, but DON'T TELL YOUR OLD MAN! Don't let him NEAR a TV, radio, or even a newspaper, copy?"
They saluted and replied, "YES, SIR!" (They DID let him turn on Nick, Disney, and Sprout.In a kid's world, THAT is must-see TV)
:And don't tell him you saw us, PROMISE?"
"Cross our hearts and hope to die!"
A few hugs later, Keeta, Sadie, and Phoebe headed back to the apartment, and kept the 800-pound gorilla hidden in the room.
Having made contact with old friends, Carl and Rosa took advantage of his Titanium AMEX Card and created a new wardrobe with the help of everybody from Armani Exchange to Wolford. They then repaired to the Empire Hotel, the closest to Lincoln Center. (While Lincoln Center, although driven by John D. Rockefeller III and Robert Moses, clearly owes a debt to Walt Disney's entertainment complex, a section of the area is even named Disney Walk in his honor, they made the unfortunate mistake of not taking a page from his book and authorizing hotel construction on the grounds.) Carl informed the concierge that this was THE Rosa Milano, THE former opera star back on the ascendancy and worthy of their best service, but still, in the eyes of the law, a homeless person,and he wanted (and got) 24-hour protection from the NYPD and a private security guard. Just for good measure, he informed Rosa he had the BRC (a major New York homeless outreach organization) and the FDNY EMT's on speed dial, but she stayed out of trouble, listening to opera on Spotify thanks to the Empire's free Wi-Fi and catching up with her all-time favorites, THE BIG BANG THEORY and DOWNTON ABBEY. As she settled in, Carl returned to his River Terrace home, packed a few things, and moved to his temporary quarters at the West Side Y (He didn't want to blow ALL his winnings!) at 63rd and Central Park West, where he got ready for the exciting few weeks ahead.
NEXT: JUST THREE EPISODES LEFT BEFORE THE EXCITING CONCLUSION! (Can ya believe it?) Rosa's nightclub act! Rosa and Carl meet the ex! (If you have a delicate constitution, I DON'T recommend reading this one!) AND...Is there a new Mrs. Nigel on the horizon? Miss a little, miss a lot!
Steve out!
I admit I was a little shocked at some of the more graphic language, but I am mesmerized by Rosa's story. Can't wait for the next installment, or in-stall-ment (bathroom reference).
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