A Scandal in Hollywood

Whoever said ‘time heals all wounds’ is dead wrong. It’s been two weeks and I felt even worse than I did the day of the funeral. I knew I would never forget Aimee, or anything even close to that, but I thought that maybe I’d feel a tiny bit better, but I was wrong.

Everything I did, or even looked at around the house reminded me of Aimee, which made it feel like she was a ghost lingering in the house. It only made me miss her even more; her laughter, her playfulness, her innocence, her soft hair, her eyes…I could remember it all. When I saw something that reminded me of her it felt like she was here, only I couldn’t see, feel or talk to her and it felt like I was walking through a pitch-black room, not knowing where to go or even what to do without her here with me. I dropped my bowl of cereal in the trash can before walking into the living room and turning on the TV.



“Yeah, Tammy, that’s Big Bird,” I said as she clapped happily when Big Bird came on the TV. Suddenly my cell phone rang from the small table next to the couch and I reached over to pick it up. ‘Brett’ flashed across the screen and I smiled to myself before turning the TV down a little bit.

“Hey, Brett,” I said as I watched Tammy from the corner of my eyes.

“Hey, Laura. How are you doing?”

“Pretty good. How are you doing?”

“The same, but I already miss you.”

“Brett, it’s only been a week.”

“Yeah, but I really like you. When will you be coming back?”

“I don’t know, maybe next summer? I’m sure I could talk my parents into it,” I explained as I watched Tammy climb down from the couch andcrawl over to her chest of toys next to the TV.

Beep! Beep!

“Hey, Brett, could you hold on for a moment? I’m getting another call,” I explained.

“Yeah, sure.”

I clicked the accept button. “Hello?”

“Hey, girl!” my best friend, Erika answered. I laughed.

“Hey, Erika! Oh my gosh, it’s been so long since I’ve talked to you.”

“Yeah, too long! Like, what, a whole summer? You gotta catch me up on what’s been going on with you!” she exclaimed.

“Not much. I’m still staying home to take care of Tammy, but while we were on vacation in Cali, I met this boy-”

“You met a boy! What’s he look like? Are you two dating yet?” she interrupted.

“Well, actually he’s on hold right now. I was talking to him when you called-”

“Say no more, I’ll go. Just call me back when you two are done talking, ok? And I wanna hear everything that happened!” she said before hanging up. I let out a laugh at her enthusiasm. She was always a big ball of energy and a bit of a drama queen sometimes. I went back to my call with Brett.

“Hey, I’m back. It was my best friend Erika calling, but I told her I’d call her back,” I explained. “Now, what were you going to say?”

“I was just going to say, why don’t you apply for a college in California? That way you could be getting the education you wanted and we could be together.”

“Brett, you know I can’t leave Tammy until she starts school,” I said with a sigh.

“Laura, she’s not your child. As much as you love her, and should always be there for her, it’s your parents duty to raise their child, not yours.”

“Brett, she’s my baby sister and I can’t just up and leave her. What do you think would happen if I left and nobody was there to take care of her? Besides, I can’t pay for my college tuition, and my parents wouldn’t pay for it either. So, either way, it’s not even possible,” I explained, getting irritated.

“Laura, you could get a scholarship and a job while you’re there. You’re basically Tammy’s mom, and that shouldn’t be your responsibility.”

“Brett, I…I’m not having this conversation with you,” I stammered.

“Alright, fine. Give me a call when you decide to do what you want for a change,” he snapped before hanging up. I closed my phone and gently set it down with a sigh. Why couldn’t he understand that I had duties at home? As much as I wanted too, I couldn’t just go and do what I wanted, when I wanted. It just wasn’t possible.



My phone rang from it’s place in the kitchen and I slowly got up and made my way to it. As soon as I read the caller ID, I picked it up.

“Hey, Dave,” I greeted him. I realized with a cringe that my voice sounded so lifeless.

“Hey, Neil. I just got back from vacation and heard the news about your wife. I’m so sorry, man,” he said, the sympathy evident in his voice. He’d lost his first wife to cancer; if anyone would know how it feels to lose a wife who was so young and vibrant, it would be him.

“Yeah, thanks man. It’s good to know someone out there knows how I feel.”

“Yeah. Anyway, I wanted to let you know that if you need anything-anything at all-just give me a call.” Suddenly an idea hit me. It wasn’t doing me any good just sitting around this old house, torturing myself. Maybe a change of scenery for a while would help a little; help me adjust to life without Aimee.

“Well, there is one thing I would like, if it’s not too much to ask…”



I stood at the kitchen stove, mixing up a pot of macaroni and cheese while Tammy played close by so I could keep an eye on her. As soon as I was done I set Tammy up in her highchair and fed her the bowl of mac and cheese. When she was done I checked her diaper before putting her down for her two-hour nap at noon. With a sigh I walked over to the now cold macaroni and scooped some on a plate and put the rest in the fridge. I heated up the food and brought it back to the couch before turning on my laptop on and signing on to AIM. As the page loaded a headline from the Huffington Post caught my eye.

‘After Mourning Wife’s Death For Two Weeks Neil McKelvey Signs On To Do New Movie.’ My curiosity got the best of me and I clicked on the link as I put a forkful of mac and cheese in my mouth.

‘Just a mere two weeks ago McKelvey’s second wife of ten years died when she fell overboard on McKelvey‘s private yacht, although we are unsure of whether it was an accident or if she was pushed, and all we do know for right now is that she had a wound on her head when the emergency helicopter arrived. The public is still awaiting an autopsy report, but what’s more startling is that we just received word that McKelvey has signed on to do a new movie that his friend Dave Norman is producing, titled Clearing The Stars. Sources tell us McKelvey specifically asked for the role, despite his wife’s recent death. This seemingly hasty decision, especially with the result of his wife’s death unknown, leads many to ask the question: was McKelvey involved with his wife’s death?'

I rolled my eyes and clicked the backspace button. Reporters were always trying to bend the truth, especially when they knew it was about something that would grab people’s attention. The page from before reloaded and the title appeared again. I was about to click on the twenty-seven e-mails I had, when something about the headline caught my attention. More specifically, the name: Neil McKelvey. I’d heard the name often enough. He starred in a good number of Blockbuster hits, and more recently, a modern adaptation of the book, Treasure Island. I’d seen his movies, so why hadn’t his name rang a bell before. Neil McKelvey; Brett McKelvey.

I quickly typed in Wikipedia and searched Neil McKelvey. As I scanned the page to where it listed his children I saw Brett’s name as the only child of Neil. I leaned back in the couch, shocked. Why hadn’t I noticed it before? Brett lived in Cali, where Neil lived; Brett had the same last name, and let’s face it, it’s not that common of a name. That’s why Brett’s name struck me as familiar when he told me in the Wal-Mart parking lot, even though I hadn’t realized it at the time. Wow, and to think I knew the son of a movie star!



I turned on the TV and let it all soak in. I’d just signed on to my buddy Dave’s new movie, Clearing the Stars, which would be filming in a little under over month. I needed something to distract me; something where I would be moving around a lot from location to location. I knew that if I stayed in this house for too long it’d drive me mad. E!News popped up on the screen and I reached for the button to change it when my name popped up in the screen, followed by a recent photo of me at Aimee’s funeral.

“The mega movie star, Neil McKelvey was spotted at his wife’s funeral, which was held not more than two weeks ago, and now sources say that he just signed on to do a movie. Neil is rumored to have just gotten the lead role in filmmaker Dave Norman’s upcoming movie, Clearing the Stars. But some people are questioning why Neil chose to take in this movie so soon after his wife’s death. While we’re still awaiting autopsy reports on what caused his wife’s death, and if there are signs of a struggle, we’re left to ask the question: did McKelvey play a part in his wife’s death?”

I turned the TV off, even though they were probably done talking about me. I felt my stomach clench at those words. I felt sick to my stomach and I felt emotions rushing around inside of me as my heart started to race. I jumped up from the couch and ran to the bathroom before bending over the toilet and losing my lunch.

I leaned against the toilet seat and ran a hand through my hair as my stomach churned from all these overwhelming emotions. I should have told Dave to hold off on telling the media about how I just accepted the lead role.



My phone ringing startled me before I grabbed it up from the couch and read Erika’s number on the ID.

“Hey, Erika,” I answered.

“So, spill the beans. Tell me about your new guy!”

“Well, I met him at Wal-Mart and we started chatting and I ended up giving him my number. He texted me the next day, asking me out and I said yes. The next night, because I had to watch Tammy during the day, we went out to Friday’s and had a late dinner and we talked. So, I guess we’re dating, but it’s not official or anything. Oh, and I just found out, he’s the son of a movie star,” I added casually, knowing Erika would flip out over it.

“The son of a movie star?! No way! Which one? Robert Downey Jr., Johnny Depp-”

“Neil McKelvey.”

“OMG! No way! I loved Treasure Island! You have to get me his signature!” she gushed.

“I can’t promise you that. Brett and I just had a fight.”

“About what?”

“He wants me to move to California so I can go to college and so we can be together.”

“So…”

“I can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

“Tammy!”

“Oh, right…” she replied, trialing off. “Well, can’t your parents just hire a sitter or something?”

“Yeah, but they want someone they know and trust to take care of her. But Brett got mad and said that I shouldn’t have to take care of her and be like a mother to her.”

“Well, he’s right, you know. You’re not her mother, and you shouldn’t be expected to be. Your parents shouldn’t have had a baby if they can’t take care of her.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“But you used to baby-sit your baby brother all the time when we were in High School!” I countered.

“Yeah, but I was never asked to play mommy and take care of him full-time. Besides, you should be going to college. They should hire a sitter to take care of Tammy when you’re not there, and then you could take care of her when you are home.”

“Look, even if I wanted to do that, I don’t have the money to go to college. Besides, Brett wanted me to go to California with him. I barely know him; what if I actually moved there and found out it was the biggest mistake of my life?”

“Life’s full of tough choices, but you have to do what you want to do, not what everyone else is telling you to do. This is your life, what do you want to do with it?”