Reece
“I’m going to call that immigration lawyer tomorrow. See if I can get an appointment,” Lucía says as we lay in bed, she’s drifting off and I was too, but at her words, I’m suddenly wide awake.
“Okay . . .” I respond not sure what else to say.
“I just need advice, Reece. I need to know what my options are.”
“Options?” I repeat, dumbly.
“Yes, my options for trying to change my status. I can’t live like this anymore.”
“I understand; do you want me to help you find someone?” I ask calmly, even though my mind is screaming “no.” I know she needs to do this. I’m just afraid of what happens when we open this door.
“I’ll let you know. I’ll see what the lawyer I spoke to before says,” she responds, through a yawn.
“If you could write the answer to your problem, what would it be. If you could have anything you wanted?” I ask after a few minutes.
“I’d be an American citizen.”
I’m at my parents’ for breakfast, replaying the conversation I had with Lucía last night. My mother’s voice interrupts my thoughts.
“Reece, you haven’t graced our breakfast table on a weekday in over a year. To what do we owe the pleasure?” She asks as she and my father come into their dining room.
I feel a twinge of guilt. I stand up to kiss her and to give my father a hug. “I know, guys. I’m sorry. You know how life gets.” They sit down on either end of the table and it feels like I’m back in high school. I look at both of them before my eyes settle on my father. “I need your help.”
I drove back to LA after Lucía fell asleep. I left her a note telling her I’d call her later. On the drive here, I’d replayed the entire evening. Her aunt and uncle’s fuckery. Her mother’s hard truths. Me fucking her against the car yesterday. Trying to fuck away our fear, trying to say with my body what I couldn’t with my words. I need her. And she needs me. I’ve let her down so far. I’ve buried my head in the sand about this issue, thinking that this love would insulate us. Or that my money and influence might be enough to protect her.
Yesterday, I watched real life puncture holes in the little bubble of avoidance I’d been living in. I’m glad my illusions have been destroyed, because they’ve rendered me useless when she really needed me. I wasn’t prepared for any of what happened yesterday. Lucía took hits on all sides yesterday, and all I’d done was watch.
“Not every day that you ask me for that, son. Tell me what you need.” My dad puts his coffee cup down and folds his hands on top of the table. He doesn’t smile at me, because he knows that whatever this is, it’s not something to smile at.
“It’s Lucía,” I say and his brow furrows.
“Things not working out?” my mother asks from her end of the table.
I glance at her, not hiding my irritation. “Sorry to disappoint you, Mom, but we’re fine.”
She actually looks affronted. “Reece! Is that what you think? That I’d take delight in you being unhappy? Never. Yes, I don’t believe you’re well-suited. I would have liked to see you with someone who understands our world. But I know you love her—”
“She’s the love of my life,” I interrupt her, not wanting the conversation to go off the rails.
“Then what’s wrong?”
“Her uncle tried to blackmail us yesterday. He wants money or he’ll reveal her status,” I say quickly.
I look at my father and he and my mother are looking at each other. They’re having a silent conversation. Clearly this has been something they’ve thought about.
“Yes, we figured things like that would start happening. This is an easy one to dismiss, but…” My father sighs. “I warned you. And it’s only going to get worse.”
“I know you warned me. You were right. You can say I told you so. But I need to figure out to how to make this right.”
They exchange another glance.
“She needs to see a lawyer,” my mother says. “But, Reece, honey, you have to be very sure that this woman is what you want. Things could get ugly before they get better.”
“What could get ugly?” Coco says as he saunters into the living room.
“Nothing.” I’d forgotten he was living here again. He’d been driving some of our other talent since he’d been re-assigned from Lucía, and I hadn’t seen him in months.
The conversation is over. I look at my parents and say, “Thanks for the chat, guys, I have to get going.”
“Oh, don’t leave on my account. How’s Lucía? I hear you’re tapping that these days,” Coco says with a shit eating grin on his face.
“Coco, don’t be so crass,” my mother admonishes. My father though doesn’t say anything, but I can see him looking at Coco with disappointment in his eyes. He loves Coco like a son. He’s his brother’s only surviving child. But I can see that Coco’s general state of being a fuck up is starting to weigh on him.
“You’re lucky that I’m tired and that I don’t really give a shit about what you think,” I say as I stand up.
“Yeah, Reece, I’m really lucky,” he scoffs and rolls his eyes.
My dad stands up, too. “I’ll walk you out, son.” And we leave the room together.
“I’m sorry about Coco interrupting us. I’ve been working on something, Reece, and I need you to fly to New York this afternoon to get the ball rolling. Clarissa’s looking for flights as we speak.”
I stop and look at him. “Today? Now? The screenplay is being handed over officially on Wednesday. I have things to deal with here.”
“Reece. You are the president of the film studio, not Lucía’s social worker. She doesn’t need you here to help her hand over her work and she doesn’t need you to take her to see a lawyer. You need to remember your priorities and your obligations. Think about your family and the legacy we’ve built. This thing you’re doing with her could bring a very uncomfortable spotlight on Artemis. We’ve tolerated your activism, hell, I even support it. But not at the expense of things that are really important.” I’m too shocked to respond and he puts a hand on my shoulder.
“Son, I know you’re feeling things now. But you need more than love to build a successful marriage. You’ll find that with someone who’s better suited. Trust me. I had a beautiful, sexy girl who let me walk on the wild side for a while before I met your mother. But I did my duty to my family. I married well and your mother and I have had a very good marriage. She’s been a real partner. She hasn’t held me back in any way. This woman’s going to hold you back. I know why you want her, but you have to decide if it’s worth it.”
If he’d punched me in the face, I don’t think I could have been more surprised. I didn’t know that he only “tolerated” my activism. I’ll clearly need to work this out on my own. I can see now that neither one of them really want Lucía to be a permanent part of my life. And that is not an option for me. I don’t just want her, I need her. I love her. She’s changed my life.
I give him a curt nod.
I look at him, as if seeing him for the first time. The disappointment I feel, is crushing. But all I say is, “I understand. I’ll go to New York.” I then turn and leave to head to the office. I’ve got a lot to do.