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“I don’t want to hear it. You're damn lucky I wasn’t here last night because you can bet your ass I would have let you have it. I’ve had time to calm down since your dad filled me in on everything, but I gotta tell you, Mari, I was mad. Really mad. If someone doesn’t fulfill their end of the contract at Siren, they can basically become indentured servants. Some girls even volunteer to do certain… well,thingsto pay the money back more quickly. But I know you would never do these things. So if it doesn’t work out, you could end up doing a hell of lot of dishes, before getting a reprieve, not to mention another shot at singing,” he explains.
I cast my eyes back downward. I can’t help but feel ashamed.
“But I’m not mad anymore. Just please promise me something? Promise me that you will come to me if anything happens.” I scrunch up my face in confusion.
“What do you mean ‘if anything happens’?” I ask.
“ I just mean, if anything happens that makes you feel scared or uncomfortable, or if anyone messes with you in any way, promise that you’ll tell me right away, ok? Please?” he pleads.
“Of course, I will. I mean, right after I kick this metaphorical person’s ass six ways from Sunday. Then after that, yes, I promise I’ll tell you right away,” I say. He cracks a smile.
“Ok, fair enough. Hey, how’d you like to do your favorite uncle a favor? Your sister’s car is in the shop, so she borrowed mine to go to swimming practice. I need a ride into the city. I left my credit card at the club I was at last night, and they were closed when I was meeting with the new girl this morning.”
“You’re my only uncle. But yeah, I guess so. I’m not driving you back here anytime soon, though. I still have to unpack all my stuff, and that’s after the fifty or so trips up and down the elevator that it’s going to take for me to get everything up there,” I say
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll help you carry your stuff up to your new apartment. I wanna check the place out, anyway,” Uncle says. I roll my eyes again, but I know it’s no use arguing with him. Besides, I’m hoping that seeing how secure everything is will help to allay his worry.
“Okay, I just need another hour or so to finish packing,” I say.
“That’s all you, kiddo. Why don’t you toss me your keys and I’ll start loading up your car,” he says.
“Well, that’s nice of you. Thanks, Uncle,” I say, digging my keys out from my purse and handing them over.
“Oh, I’m driving, by the way,” he says.Sigh.I should know better by now.
***
I rest my head against the passenger side window and watch the rowhouses pass by. We’re almost to the nightclub where Uncle left his credit card the night before.
“Does the nameBlondiemean anything to you?” I ask him. Maybe he can shed some light on why this guy wants to meet with me so badly.
“Why? Where did you hear that name?” the urgency in his voice catches me off guard.
“So, you know him?” I ask.
“Yes, I know him. Well, I know of him. Now tell me where you heard that name,” he demands. I hesitate before answering. I’m not sure yet if I should tell him about Blondie wanting to meet with me.
“When I was in Sonomi’s office yesterday, two men barged in right after I signed the contract. One of them kept calling the other guy Blondie. They were only in there for a minute, but Sonomi told this Blondie guy that my contract forbids me from speaking with him, and he didn’t seem too happy about that. Who is he? And why is it so important that I don’t ever talk to him?”
“The only thing you need to know about that guy is to stay the hell away from him. He’s bad news,” my uncle says.
“Bad News Blondie. Yeah, he sounds very tough and scary,” I say sarcastically.
“I’m serious. He’s dangerous. He’ll probably stay away from you, but if he ever hassles you, you let me know right away. Understand?” My uncle’s intensity towards this guy is causing me some concern. I stare at him for a second or two and decide it may be best not to tell him about Blondie wanting to meet with me.
“Understand?” He says again.
“I understand,” I answer. I couldn’t really be in danger, could I? It doesn’t make any sense. What would this Blondie guy even have to gain from messing with me? I wonder exactly what my uncle means by dangerous. Maybe Blondie has a reputation as a heartbreaker or a player or something, and that’s why Uncle wants to keep me away from him. After what happened to Honey and me with our swim coach, Uncle and Dad have been extra watchful over us when it comes to guys and dating. I’ll bet he’s just trying to scare me so I’ll stay away from Blondie. And judging from his rude lady friend at the lake, he obviously enjoys keeping attractive company. She may be a lady in the loosest of terms, but I’ll admit I was a bit taken aback by how good-looking she was.
Besides, I can’t imagine Blondie actually being a threat to me. Something about the way he looked at me in Sonomi’s office yesterday and the way he said my name almost felt protective. As if he were trying to warn me about something. But why would a guy like him care about protecting some random nobody like me? With a body like his, I’ll bet he’s with a different woman every night. And if he’s mixed up in the music business, he must have all kinds of crazy-hot girls throwing themselves at him all the time. I wonder if they all look like the rude lady or if any of them are maybe a bit shorter with a smaller frame.
“I wonder if he has a type,” I say my thoughts out loud before I’m able to stop myself.
“What?” Uncle Suki asks with a look of utter confusion as he slows down the car. Luckily, he’s only half paying attention to me as he tries to concentrate on parallel parking. I really do need to stop thinking out loud so much.
“Never mind. Don’t hit that motorcycle,” I say, referring to the first in a row of four pristine and expensive-looking Harley-Davidsons parked directly in front of us. It has a chrome frame and royal blue fenders shining brilliantly in the afternoon sun.
“Yeah, thanks. That’s very helpful,” Uncle says sarcastically.
