Tell Me Again by Deanna DiLorenzo

Author:Deanna DiLorenzo [DiLorenzo, Deanna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780988975057
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Published: 2014-02-20T03:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

The story broke in the university gazette the following week. "Lecture Poet Weds Publisher in Bizarre Two Minute Ceremony." Byline: Vicki Clump. It was tabloid journalism at its worst. Two thousand copies printed and circulated among staff and students alike. A scandal, my mother thought. Her reputation destroyed. How would she ever face her colleagues again? The biggest problem was that the story was true. Her daughter had actually gotten up in front of a coffeehouse full of people and symbolically married another woman.

I didn’t see the problem. While I wasn’t pleased with the article, symbolic was the key word. I wasn’t actually married, only by love--which was more important anyway, but less conflicting for society in general.

Amber was nervous. For the first time since her brother’s death she was concerned about the consequences of her sexuality. My mother was going insane. Amber thought I would go insane too, perhaps even break up with her to spare everyone the added embarrassment that was sure to come. I didn't do either of those things. I told Amber to relax, told my mother to be quiet and accept what had been done, and did the only other thing I could do. I called Vicki Clump in for a meeting.

She arrived promptly at eleven am the next day. Cynthia showed her into my office with a sideways glare, and she sat in the chair in front of my desk nervously fiddling with the strap on her purse. I leaned across the desktop and peered at her.

"I'm glad you could come, Miss Clump," I said. "I honestly didn't think you would."

Her eyes darted around the room like a timid animal sensing a trap, paused briefly on my face, then looked away.

"I'll just get on with this," I said. "I’ve read your article and I can't say I'm pleased. You wanted your interview and Amber put you off so like the true rat that you are, you found another way to get your story." She flinched. "You're an ambitious little thing, aren't you? So ambitious that you followed us from the school and tailed us all night.” I’d had plenty of time to figure it out. “Probably sat outside the restaurant for an hour waiting. Then you followed us to the coffeehouse where your efforts paid off and you got an even bigger story than you could have dreamed. You taped every last word of what went on in there. Then you ran home, played the tape, and got down to business on your computer. I'm guessing you used one of those little micro-cassette recorders and there's a tape spinning in your pocket right now. Hand it over."

I'd startled her, proving my hunch was right, and she was as devious as I suspected. She stared at me, deliberated for a moment, then pulled a tape recorder from her pocket and slid it across the desk. I took it, ejected the tape, placed it on the desk in front of me, and gave her a hard look.

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