Mama Dearest (13 page)

“I thought we said after I graduate from high school.”

“Eighteen, Madison.”

“But Daddy, he’s so cute. I want to do a duet with him. Do you think you could talk to the producers of my CD about that?”

“Sure, baby. I’ll check it out as long as it’s strictly business. Now under the covers.”

Madison follows her father’s orders but holds on tightly to the magazine, like it is a prized childhood toy. Her father leans over her and kisses her on the forehead. “Don’t stay up too late reading that magazine; you’ve got a very busy day tomorrow, Miss American Star.”

“Daddy, one more thing I was thinking about. You remember Aunt Jenny’s favorite saying, don’t you?”

“ ‘To whom much is given, much is expected,’” Derrick says.

“I was thinking about what you said about taking some of my earnings and starting a foundation. I know what I want to do now.”

“What, Madison?”

“I want to start an after-school arts program up in Harlem or over in Jersey City and call it Jenny’s Place. We could have people teaching low-income kids dance, acting and singing. Won’t that be cool?”

“Sounds like a great plan, Madison. I’ll have the lawyers look into it.”

Madison can’t help but smile wide, and before her father closes the door, she says, “Thanks, Daddy.”

He pauses. “For what, sweetheart?”

“For everything. Just everything.”

“I didn’t do anything. It was all you, Madison,” her father replies, then closes the door gently.

Madison rolls onto her back and crosses her arms behind her head, knowing if it wasn’t for her father, she wouldn’t be where she is. He was the one who not only paid for but also took her to singing and dancing lessons when she announced at age seven that she wanted a career in show business. She closes her eyes and replays in her head the night that had changed her life.

“America has voted,” the host, a slight-built man with a head full of
hair and a five o’clock shadow, declared. Madison could feel her heart start to race. A cold, clammy hand slipped into hers, and she realized that Cody, the blond, ex–boy band rocker, must’ve been as nervous as she was. He was gripping her for support. Madison squeezed his hand back. Although they’d been competitors the competition had actually brought them closer.

When the host announced that Cody had received more than twenty million votes, Madison felt her heart sink. With his throngs of young teenage girl fans, Cody had been the favorite all season. Madison knew she had some skills, talent, looks and all the ability in the world, but felt she needed an angel if she had any chance of beating the popular Cody.

After all the cheers had died down for Cody, the host looked at her as though he felt sorry about her pending defeat and said, “Madison B., you’re the new American Star.”

Madison gasped, almost choking as Cody’s arms wrapped around her neck, his body pressed into hers, giving her a big hug. The lights seemed to get brighter, the screams and music louder, and Madison felt as though she was floating through the clouds to personally thank her guardian angel.

Instead her eyes met her angel here on earth, her father standing among the thousands of people in the audience, clapping and crying joyously. He was smiling and mouthing the words, “You did it!” and “I love you, baby.” Madison smiled back and her own tears started to roll down her cheeks.

It was an amazing night, one that Madison would never forget. She was overcome with a deep love for her father. He had given up so much for her, foregoing his own love life to make sure that Madison knew how blessed and loved she was.

In Madison’s eyes, he is the greatest man in the world. He helps her with her homework when she needs it, watches her rehearse songs and dance routines and even goes clothes shopping with her
if she asks him to. He would do anything for his daughter. Right after Madison was selected for
American Star
, Derrick broke off with his long-term girlfriend Shanice, who wanted more of his time. He even left his job as a lead engineer to travel the world with his pop star daughter, insisting that he be paid not a penny for his efforts. That is real love, Madison thought. She figured God had given her a special father because she deserved it after being born to a mother who didn’t want her.

Her father never spoke much about Madison’s biological mother, even when Madison asked him about her. He would just shrug and say they were better off alone. But Madison knew that she was out there and often wondered if she ever regretted giving her up. Now that she was becoming rich and famous would this so-called mother suddenly pop up? What would Madison say to her? Would she accept her mother, welcome her back with open arms, or reject her for abandoning her?

Madison reaches over, turns out the light and tells herself not to worry about such a thing, because that day will never come.

Madison stood on the set of
South Beach Dream Teen
, a pilot about a motherless sixteen-year-old teenager, a rich, pretty and popular high school girl living in South Florida. Madison hoped it would become a hit sitcom for the Disney Channel and be even more popular than Raven Simone’s popular series
That’s So Raven
.

After the
American Star
win, doors were opening up everywhere. She was the first to be considered for the lead role of Austen Simmons in the pilot, and after reading the script, Madison told herself she had to have it because it resembled the life she dreamed of. Although Madison at eighteen would be older than the part she played, she was always a popular girl at her private school right outside Los Angeles. Her family wasn’t wealthy, but her dad made sure she didn’t miss anything without totally spoiling her.

Madison was pulled from her afternoon disco nap by her daddy’s
deep baritone voice. “Maddy, wake your behind up.” At first she thought she was dreaming. When she opened her eyes Madison didn’t realize where she was.

“What? Is there something wrong, Dad?” she asked, lifting her head from the pillow.

“Wake up. I need to talk to you.”

Madison rubbed her eyes and looked at her daddy with his arms folded over his chest and a stern look on his face. She had seen that look before and knew this can’t be good.

“Who do you think you are, making Caressa cry and feel worthless,” he demanded.

“What are you talking about, Daddy? Caressa is my girl. I would never do anything to make her cry.”

“Well, you did. She came back to the hotel and asked me to get her a ticket back to Los Angeles. Caressa said you’d changed and weren’t her best friend anymore. Maddy, I told you before we did that
American Star
show, the moment I saw a change in you I was going to stop it. I won’t have you treating friends like servants and you know my sister and I didn’t raise you that way.”

Madison regretted her behavior immediately. “What did she say?”

Before Derrick could answer, his phone rang. He looked at it and then clicked it on and said, “Hello, Shanice.” Madison looked at her dad with concern. She knew Shanice was not going to take the demise of her relationship with her father lightly.

“Now is not a good time.”

Thinking her presence might limit the conversation, Madison started to leave the room. She also hoped to avoid the tongue-lashing she knew she was in for.

“Madison, don’t leave this room. Shanice, I have to go. I will try and call you later,” he said and clicked off his phone.

“We’re not done yet, young lady.”

“Why are you mad at me, Daddy?”

“I’m not mad at you, Madison, but you know what you did. Don’t play dumb with me. You’re acting like a pint-size diva. For all we know the Disney executives could come in here tomorrow and kick our butts out on the street. Remember, what goes around comes around.”

“They’re not going to do that, Daddy,” Madison said as she stood. “Besides, I think it’s Caressa who’s being the drama queen. I just asked her to do what we’re paying her for. What’s wrong with that?”

Derrick takes a seat on the arm of the sofa. “Madison, who do you think you’re talking to? I love you but I know you. Some of those traits you were sadly born with, but I’m not having it. You need to get yourself together and get back to the hotel and apologize to Caressa. I never thought it was a good idea to hire her as your personal assistant. If she is your friend then that’s the way it should remain. If you want her to share in your success, you give it to her without strings. Hire someone you don’t know who’s cut out to be a personal assistant rather than a family member or friend. Why do you think I didn’t want to be your manager or agent? I’m your daddy and that’s all I want to ever be. Do I make myself clear, young lady?”

Madison looks down at the hardwood floor and tries to conjure up her best hurt look, hoping her daddy will feel sorry for her. Sometimes it works and then there are times when it doesn’t. She didn’t mean to hurt Caressa’s feelings but was trying to establish who the boss was.

“I didn’t hear you,” her father said.

“Okay, Daddy, I will go and apologize. But I think you’re right. Maybe I need to get an assistant who’s not so easy to upset. Maybe I do need someone I don’t know.”

“I agree. But you need to let Caressa know why you’re making a change. And if she is your friend, and I do believe she is, then you guys will find a way to keep it that way.”

Madison runs to her daddy and jumps into his arms, hugging his neck and kissing him on his plump cheeks as she says, “I love you, Daddy, and I promise I’ll never be a diva, because I was raised right. I’ll make you proud.”

“I know you will, Maddy. I know you will,” he whispered tenderly.

I tell you it’s not a good idea,” I said firmly.

“I don’t understand why you’re so against this. Your mother sounds perfect to include on the reality show.”

What did Andrew Hart, one of the investors S. Marcus wanted me to meet, know about my mother?

“Trust me, Ava is not worth the trouble. Let’s think of something else,” I said.

“Most successful reality shows have some kind of eccentric characters and sometimes they become even bigger than the stars,” Andrew said.

That’s precisely what I was afraid of. “We can’t let that happen. This is about me and
my
comeback,” I protested. I started to pick my purse up and leave the dimly lit bar a couple of blocks from Times Square, but Marcus had told me Andrew is not only a big money guy but is also one of the major players behind the popular reality series
Run’s House
. If anybody could make the show happen it is Andrew. I pretended to peer inside my purse instead, then snapped it closed.

“Then tell me how you see the show, Yancey.”

“It would just have the cameras following me as I go on auditions, take acting and dance classes.” I could tell from his stony demeanor that he wasn’t thrilled about that idea at all. “Maybe we can get the show to hire me an assistant, and he or she could be a wild and crazy character. Maybe we could get some flamboyant gay guy, maybe a white guy who could do a lot of my errands. Or I could ask my friend Dalton, who’s a fabulous songwriter, to act like he’s my assistant.”

Andrew was unimpressed. “I think that’s already been done. I remember the girl from
I Love New York
having a gay sidekick and it just didn’t work. Now that I think about it, her mother, Sister Patterson, stole the show and was great for the ratings.”

I could only imagine what Ava would do. She’d hang me from a coat rack if that’s what it took to upstage me. “I don’t want that. Why don’t you like the gay assistant idea? Did I mention that Dalton is gay and he has one of those down-low boyfriends?”

“It doesn’t matter, Yancey, it plays into stereotypes.”

“And the problem with that would be?”

“Been done,” he said as if to end the discussion.

“So has the mother thing.”

“Well, we need to come up with something. I got a meeting with MTV, VH-1 and Bravo in the next couple of weeks, and I want to have a solid plan. What about a younger girl to serve as your assistant?”

That could be trouble all on its own. “Would she be in the business?” I asked.

“I hadn’t thought about that. If she was, it could make it interesting.”

“Could she be fat? And dark.”

“Why?”

This was difficult territory for me, and I didn’t know how to talk about it without sounding, well, difficult. “Because it’s about me, and
I can’t run the risk of having some young pretty girl upstaging me. I was once young myself and I know how these so-called actresses will do anything to get a gig.” I took a sip of my cranberry juice with club soda. It is just a little before three and a little too early for a drink. Well, unless you are an alcoholic.

“Do you have any other relatives or old friends besides your mother who you’ve been out of contact with?” Andrew asked. “Reunions are always good for ratings and big hits with sponsors.”

I felt a cold jolt race up my back. “What are you talking about? Have you heard something?” I asked. I know it is impossible for Andrew to know about Madison. Ava is the only one who knows. Still, curiosity got the better of me and I’d gone to visit Madison’s website and even signed up for her fan club. She is a pretty girl, but I’m still not sure how much talent she has.

He was oblivious to the sudden fear gripping my insides. “Have I heard something like what? I was just thinking about Keyshia Cole and how she and her mother reconnected on her reality show. One of the producers from that show is a friend of mine and sent me over several episodes. At first it was like watching a train wreck, but then I really found myself touched by some of the moments between the two of them.”

“I heard about the show but never saw it. I think Keyshia Cole is a great singer but rather low class,” I offered, attempting to make the point that I wanted my show to have class.

Andrew finished the rest of his Coke. “Well, we got a couple of days to think of something. I got a call right before I came over here from Lyfe Jennings, the singer who did some real time in prison. It seems he’s interested in doing a show as well. They want me to be a part of their team.”