“Do you think someone will take this place off my hands? Why don’t you buy it, Daddy?”
“Not a chance. I told you this was a bad investment when you purchased it. Park Avenue is getting played out. You may end up taking a loss on it. The real estate market has tanked in certain parts of town.”
I shrugged it off and took a sip of my distilled water. I was trying to get the liquor out of my system from the after party of the premiere. I had lost count at five cosmopolitans, and heavy drinking was not my thing in the first place.
“Are you really going to make me ask you again? Don’t insult me!”
“Daddy, I’ve already explained to you that I’m posted up in Atlanta because it was time. It was time for me to stop avoiding my past. I’ll be forty next month, for goodness’ sake. How long am I supposed to let them dictate my moves?”
“It’s not about people dictating your moves. It’s about you keeping your condition under control.”
I glared at him. “I haven’t gone off, or snapped in a long time.”
“Not to an extreme, that I know of, but we both know what you are capable of. Have you been taking your medication?”
“Prozac, Dilantin, Ativan, and Lithobid, the breakfast of champions!”
“I realize you hate taking all that stuff, but it’s better than the alternative.”
“Don’t worry. I have no plans to shoot anyone or run them over in the street.”
“I don’t want you to hurt yourself, either. That’s happened in the past.”
“You say that like I wasn’t there.” I was getting upset about the entire conversation. “Look, Daddy, I’m sure you already knew that I was still on my meds. Even with patient-doctor confidentiality laws, they’re all on your payroll one way or another. They know what side their bread is buttered on.”
Daddy took another sip of whiskey and followed it up with a puff on his cigar.
“I’m not privy to what you’re doing with Dr. Spencer.”
“I’m surprised. Then again, she doesn’t seem like the type that could be bought.”
“You must admire that trait about her. The two of you have that in common.”
Daddy was referring to the fact that some of the richest men in the world had tried to date me. One Arabian prince had even offered me $10 million for one night of sex. Another man offered to sign over the deed to his skyscraper in Milan for an opportunity to date me. Then there was my refusal to perform concerts in countries where women were mistreated and undervalued. That was truly a sensitive issue for me. Women being stoned to death for cheating, even if there was no proof. Women being shot to death on their wedding nights if they weren’t virgins; their own fathers providing their grooms with the guns and bullets. Young girls being forced to marry their rapists so that their families won’t be shamed by their communities. Female circumcisions and mutilations. The Sworn Virgins of Albania who were forced to live as men if they did not engage in arranged marriages. The list went on and on.
“I like Marcella a lot. Something about her makes me feel comfortable.”
“That’s good. You’ve never really connected with your past therapists.”
“I feel like I’m evolving. Unfortunately, I’ve discovered that there are no shortcuts. I wish that I could jump inside a time warp and suddenly become the new me.”
“And who is the new Ladonna?”
“I guess we’ll both find out at the same time.”
I giggled and got up to look outside the window. Park Avenue was nothing like Times Square late at night. The streets were not crammed with people, and it was rather quiet. All the fancy stores were shut down, and even the restaurants closed their kitchens earlier than those a few blocks over.
“I hope that I can finally beat my depression. Have some kind of normal existence.”
“What about a love interest? Met any intriguing men in Atlanta?”
Thoughts of Jonovan immediately popped into my head.
“It’s complicated.” I turned to look at him. “Why are you always pressuring me to get a man?”
“Ladonna, I’m barely in the country, rather less putting pressure on you to get a man. However, I’ll admit that I would love to know that someone will be here to take care of you once I’m gone.”
“Why do you keep talking like you’re dying? Are you sick, Daddy?”
He chuckled. “I’m as strong as an ox, but I’m also a realist. You’re about to turn forty and I’ll be seventy-three the day after tomorrow.”
“And still a player player,” I said jokingly. Daddy had women posted up in several different countries. He never settled down, because he always thought women were all gold diggers. I was the only female he’d ever trusted with his cash, and most likely his heart. “Don’t be fucking around with that Viagra, either. It might mess you up.”