“To be honest, my son got sick and died, so I stopped writing.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, sounding sympathetic for a brief instant. “My husband died, and I was on set the day after the funeral to start a movie. You can’t afford to let your guard down for a minute. None of us can. There’s always someone waiting to take our place.” It was how she lived, going at full speed in a highly competitive field. She was a force to be reckoned with, and Melissa could see what Michaela meant now. Marla Moore was not a warm, fuzzy person, she was a human cyclone and a strong woman, and she expected those around her to be strong too.
“You’re probably right. I’ve been working on my home in the Berkshires for the last four years. I’ve done most of the work myself.” She sounded proud as she said it.
“That’s wonderful and it must be beautiful. But you can do that when you’re eighty. The world needs more of your books.” She was emphatic about it, and Melissa smiled as their daughter walked into the room, and smiled at both of them.
“Hi, Marla. So have you told Melissa how to run her life yet?” Michaela teased her. She knew her adoptive mother well, and obviously loved her, from the warm look they exchanged.
“Of course. That’s what I was doing when you walked in. She needs to write more books.”
“Maybe she doesn’t want to,” Michaela suggested gently.
“She doesn’t have a choice. She has a talent, she has to use it. That’s the obligation that comes with talent. You can’t put it in a drawer and forget about it.” Which Melissa had for the last seven years, since Robbie got sick.
“Not everyone wants to work as hard as you do,” Michaela reminded her.
“That’s for sure. Well, how does it feel to live in Gomorrah?” she asked her daughter. “Most of my friends are on those lists. The women accusing them are right, of course, and some of them should have been caught and punished years ago. But they got away with it, and now all hell is breaking loose, and they’re getting fired left and right. We haven’t seen the end of it yet.” She turned to Melissa then. “I’m sure you came across it in publishing too. We all do. A lot of women have been badly used. In many cases in Hollywood, if they wanted the good parts, they gave in. It’s a rotten business. Always has been. I came across it a few times, but I’ve been lucky. Most of the producers I worked with are decent men. But many are as rotten as they say. I’m very glad Michaela never went into the business. There’s no question, some of those men ruined a lot of lives, and we all knew about them. Now their victims are coming back with a vengeance to ruin theirs. I have no sympathy for them.” She was strong and sure and clear. Melissa realized that she liked her. Marla was still a little bit scary, she was forceful and opinionated, but Melissa had a feeling that she was a good person. She was very much the way her adopted daughter had described her. She looked at Melissa then. “I wasn’t around as much as I should have been, but I want you to know that I love her very much, and I would have laid down my life for her. If I had to do it again, I would have done a few less movies and been home with her more. I missed some important moments, but I’m here for her, and I love her. And I think she knows that too.”
“Yes, she does,” Melissa said quietly, “and she loves you very much too. I couldn’t have done as good a job as you did, at the age I was, or maybe even later. You had so much to offer her, your life experience and your husband’s, and I had so much to learn.”
“We all do,” she said generously. “I was worried about meeting you. Michaela has been so excited about finding you, or your sister finding her. And you’re so much younger than I am, and probably a lot more fun. I’m old enough to be your mother. But maybe together, we can be there for her now. We complement each other, so she has two mothers now.” It was the most generous thing she could have said and Melissa was grateful to her and relaxed as soon as she said it. They all did. Marla turned to Michaela then.
“What’s your husband doing with that damn turkey? Chasing it around the backyard? We’re all starving.” Andrew walked into the room then and she looked with dismay at his feet. “Andrew, sneakers are for tennis or the beach. Please put proper shoes on. Superman can wait.” He scampered out of the room without arguing to get his loafers, and Michaela thanked her, and then Marla turned to Melissa. “He can wear those when he’s with you. I’m old-fashioned, I like boys in proper shoes.” Her son-in-law walked in then, wearing Nikes with his suit, and she pretended to swoon. “What is wrong with you people? An entire generation who don’t own shoes.” They all laughed then, and David announced that the turkey was ready, and they followed him to the dining room, where the turkey was sitting on a platter on the table and looked splendid. He had already carved it, which was the reason for the delay.
It was a lively meal with Marla in their midst. She kept everyone in order, complimented both chefs on the delicious food, and told them countless funny stories about the antics on the set of the movie she was working on.
“If they’re not all in jail for sexual assault by then, we should wrap in two or three weeks,” she said, “and then we go into post-production. I’m starting a new picture in January. We’ll be shooting here and in England and Scotland, so I’ll be out of your hair for a month or two at the beginning of the year.” She had more energy than anyone Melissa had ever met.
Marla left shortly after dessert and said she had script changes and new lines to study. Before she left, she stopped and looked at Melissa. “I was worried about it, but I’m not anymore now that I’ve met you. You’re a good woman, and I’m happy to share her with you. But get back to work on those books. No excuses. It won’t bring your son back if you stop writing. The world needs what you have to say.”
“Thank you,” Melissa said, feeling awkward, they hugged each other, and a few minutes later, Marla left.
“Wow, she’s amazing,” Melissa said, after the door closed behind her. “She has so much energy.”
David and Michaela burst out laughing. “She certainly does. She never stops. She works like a Trojan, and she probably always will. She still gets a lot of work. A lot of actresses don’t at her age. But she always finds a part she loves, and she’s not afraid of the hard ones.”
“It must have been interesting growing up with her,” Melissa said.
“It was,” Michaela confirmed. “She was always fair, but she expected a lot. Good grades, good behavior, good shoes. She can’t stand laziness in any form. She sets the bar high, for herself and everyone else. And she has a good heart too. I’m glad you like her. I would have been sad if you two didn’t get along.” She was a force to be reckoned with, but Melissa had great respect for her.