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LJ Idol Season 11: Open Topic
Jan. 5th, 2020 06:51 pm"If anybody - like the police - asks, please tell them I was with you last Thursday night." With that, Molly kissed his cheek and ran out the door on her way to her bakery, not waiting for an answer. She didn't have to - for months, Joe had been lying to the police praying no one would catch him in the lie.
When Joe met Molly, he finally understood the phrase "sparks flying." He had struggled to meet someone he could connect with ever since he got a starring role on the soap opera, Desires. As Skyler Decker, the handsome, romantic lead, he was known for being smooth with always a quick word and comeback. Nothing fazed his character who had affairs with multiple women, married or not... the total opposite of Joe, an introvert who fought hard to hide his awkwardness on a daily basis. With his nerdy glasses and button down shirts in real life, almost no one ever recognized him off the set which is how he preferred it.
Molly seemed to look past everything to see him with her bright blue eyes, beautiful smile, and gentle touch. The first time they met, he had walked into her bakery at the recommendation of his co-star who swore by her cupcakes and macarons. He knew it had to be amazing if Vivienne Todd broke her strict no carb diet for these cookies. Joe hated to admit that he was a sucker for macarons (the price he knew was quite ridiculous for such tiny sweets) but he loved the delicate, colorful cookie sandwiches. He had walked in and found himself so enthralled with the elaborate macarons in the display case, he managed to trip over his own feet and land face first onto the display case glass. Shaken and embarrassed, he was about to stand up and walk right back out of the store, when Molly knelt down next to him with an ice pack for his eye that was swelling, a smile on her face, and commented," You give the word, “edible”, a whole new meaning!" He was a goner after that.
They spent as much time as they could together enjoying each other when he wasn't on set and she wasn't running her bakery. She brought him out of his shell, dancing at various nightclubs, going to concerts, wine tastings, Sunday brunches, and late night dinners. He added some calmness to her life, hiking, long talks into the night, gazing at the stars, watching movies and cuddling. It's why, he reflected, that it took him so long to catch on that her bakery wasn't just a bakery and he wasn't even sure if he would have caught on, if the police hadn't shown up at his door one night while she was working late. He had opened his door to find two burly policemen standing at his door searching for Molly. Joe used every ounce of his acting ability that night to convince the officers that whatever crime they were thinking she might of committed wasn't possible because she was working late and then going to visit her family. They had walked away leaving their number with him to call him if he had any information.
He learned that night that her bakery was actually a front for drug trafficking. She swore up and down that she only provided the location for the trafficking and wasn't actually involved in anything "really illegal" (her words, not his) and swore she was not a junkie - that she never touched the stuff but only ran the front. In hindsight, he should have realized that everytime Vivienne came back to the set from the bakery, she was high as a kite - that should have been a clue to him but he was in love. Molly swore up and down that she loved him and while she could quit, she needed the money and they needed the money for their future so if he could please if the next time the police show up, just keep lying. In love, he promised her "whatever you need."
Joe kept his word. For months, when the police showed up from time to time, he wove stories of her visiting her sick grandmother in Bakersfield to joint weekend yoga retreats to late night parties with actor friends. Each time, the police would walk away and Joe would almost collapse from the guilty conscience that would eat at him. Intrinsically, while he was an actor, he was also an honest man. After each of those moments when Molly got home, she would praise him and make love to him until he forgot about that feeling.
Until that night, when the police showed up to ask him where she was last Thursday night. He created yet another lie - it wasn't fair not give her a heads up, he rationalized to himself. Molly's smile when she walked in quickly fell as she saw his suitcases packed. "I love you," she cried as she threw herself at him.
He gently kissed her forehead as he unwound himself from her. "I love you too," he replied softly as he grabbed his suitcases. "But I realized I love myself more and I can't keep doing this for you. I can't keep lying for you. Figure your shit out. If you love me, you'll walk away with me tonight - I have a suitcase ready for you too," he pointed to the pink Louis Vuitton suitcase. "Quit, and run away with me. We can start over somewhere as long as we're together."
With tears running down her face, she cried,"I can't! You know I can't! I love you but I can't leave! I need the money! The business needs me!"
"I need you too," he murmured. "But I guess I have my answer," he picked up his suitcase and with one last beeseeching glance at her, he walked out the door. As much as he loved her, he needed to figure out how to love and respect himself again and figure out who he was under all of the lies.
Note: This came to me while my husband and I played Fog of Love which is a romantic comedy board game where you make up characters and lead them through different scenarios. He named his character Joe and I named mine Molly. Based on our cards we drew, Joe was an actor and Molly was a criminal and one of the scenarios is "If anybody asks" so I made this story up based on that card.
When Joe met Molly, he finally understood the phrase "sparks flying." He had struggled to meet someone he could connect with ever since he got a starring role on the soap opera, Desires. As Skyler Decker, the handsome, romantic lead, he was known for being smooth with always a quick word and comeback. Nothing fazed his character who had affairs with multiple women, married or not... the total opposite of Joe, an introvert who fought hard to hide his awkwardness on a daily basis. With his nerdy glasses and button down shirts in real life, almost no one ever recognized him off the set which is how he preferred it.
Molly seemed to look past everything to see him with her bright blue eyes, beautiful smile, and gentle touch. The first time they met, he had walked into her bakery at the recommendation of his co-star who swore by her cupcakes and macarons. He knew it had to be amazing if Vivienne Todd broke her strict no carb diet for these cookies. Joe hated to admit that he was a sucker for macarons (the price he knew was quite ridiculous for such tiny sweets) but he loved the delicate, colorful cookie sandwiches. He had walked in and found himself so enthralled with the elaborate macarons in the display case, he managed to trip over his own feet and land face first onto the display case glass. Shaken and embarrassed, he was about to stand up and walk right back out of the store, when Molly knelt down next to him with an ice pack for his eye that was swelling, a smile on her face, and commented," You give the word, “edible”, a whole new meaning!" He was a goner after that.
They spent as much time as they could together enjoying each other when he wasn't on set and she wasn't running her bakery. She brought him out of his shell, dancing at various nightclubs, going to concerts, wine tastings, Sunday brunches, and late night dinners. He added some calmness to her life, hiking, long talks into the night, gazing at the stars, watching movies and cuddling. It's why, he reflected, that it took him so long to catch on that her bakery wasn't just a bakery and he wasn't even sure if he would have caught on, if the police hadn't shown up at his door one night while she was working late. He had opened his door to find two burly policemen standing at his door searching for Molly. Joe used every ounce of his acting ability that night to convince the officers that whatever crime they were thinking she might of committed wasn't possible because she was working late and then going to visit her family. They had walked away leaving their number with him to call him if he had any information.
He learned that night that her bakery was actually a front for drug trafficking. She swore up and down that she only provided the location for the trafficking and wasn't actually involved in anything "really illegal" (her words, not his) and swore she was not a junkie - that she never touched the stuff but only ran the front. In hindsight, he should have realized that everytime Vivienne came back to the set from the bakery, she was high as a kite - that should have been a clue to him but he was in love. Molly swore up and down that she loved him and while she could quit, she needed the money and they needed the money for their future so if he could please if the next time the police show up, just keep lying. In love, he promised her "whatever you need."
Joe kept his word. For months, when the police showed up from time to time, he wove stories of her visiting her sick grandmother in Bakersfield to joint weekend yoga retreats to late night parties with actor friends. Each time, the police would walk away and Joe would almost collapse from the guilty conscience that would eat at him. Intrinsically, while he was an actor, he was also an honest man. After each of those moments when Molly got home, she would praise him and make love to him until he forgot about that feeling.
Until that night, when the police showed up to ask him where she was last Thursday night. He created yet another lie - it wasn't fair not give her a heads up, he rationalized to himself. Molly's smile when she walked in quickly fell as she saw his suitcases packed. "I love you," she cried as she threw herself at him.
He gently kissed her forehead as he unwound himself from her. "I love you too," he replied softly as he grabbed his suitcases. "But I realized I love myself more and I can't keep doing this for you. I can't keep lying for you. Figure your shit out. If you love me, you'll walk away with me tonight - I have a suitcase ready for you too," he pointed to the pink Louis Vuitton suitcase. "Quit, and run away with me. We can start over somewhere as long as we're together."
With tears running down her face, she cried,"I can't! You know I can't! I love you but I can't leave! I need the money! The business needs me!"
"I need you too," he murmured. "But I guess I have my answer," he picked up his suitcase and with one last beeseeching glance at her, he walked out the door. As much as he loved her, he needed to figure out how to love and respect himself again and figure out who he was under all of the lies.
Note: This came to me while my husband and I played Fog of Love which is a romantic comedy board game where you make up characters and lead them through different scenarios. He named his character Joe and I named mine Molly. Based on our cards we drew, Joe was an actor and Molly was a criminal and one of the scenarios is "If anybody asks" so I made this story up based on that card.
