The Boys' Club (28 page)

Inside the auditorium, Rosie quickly scanned the table settings and
adjusted the seating back to her original arrangement, only this time
she put Jason Jarvis on a table at the far end of the room, right beside
the women's toilets. She double-checked where Simon Nash and
Johnno Johnston were sitting, working out the best entrance to send
their surprises through.

Rosie stopped to consider her plans and felt a twinge of pity for the
unwitting executives, but it was too late to turn things back now.

With everything as orderly as it would ever be, she signalled to the
ushers that it was okay to open the doors and allow the guests entry.
She watched the who's who of Australian television pile into the large
room before she headed backstage to see what dramas were happening
behind the lamé curtains. The first person she saw standing in the
wings was Big Keith's better half, Elaine Norman, looking like a cool
glass of water in a simple white sheath with a Chanel camellia choker
adorning her long balletic neck.

'Rosie,' she cried, 'Keith's been looking for you. He knows
everything and wants to apologise. I mean, Simon Nash of all people
being the one talking to the press. I never liked that man.'

'It's okay, Elaine, honestly it is. So tell me, how is he?'

'He's not great but he's looking forward to receiving his award.
Something tells me he has a hell of a speech planned.'

'I bet he does,' Rosie laughed. 'I can't wait.'

'I know he'd love to see you, Rosie. He's in make-up at the
moment.'

'I'll check in on him, Elaine, and thank you, for everything,' Rosie
replied.

'Oh, Rose, I'm so sorry things worked out the way they did. I
know Keith is too.'

Rosie felt her throat choke with tears as she took a final look at
Elaine, a true lady in every sense. 'I'm not sorry, Elaine. I've learned
a lot about myself in the past two years. And I've certainly loved
getting to know you better. Look after him, will you? I know I don't
have to ask, but I love that old bastard of yours.'

* * *

Rosie heard Keith well before she spotted him pushing away the
make-up artist's blusher brush dismissively. 'Don't put that shit on
me. I look like a fucking drag queen as it is.'

'Please, Keith, just five more minutes – please,' the stylist pleaded.

'Fucking hurry up then, will you,' Keith barked, turning back
to the lightbulb-framed mirror, and suddenly noticed Rosie's
reflection.

'Sweetie,' the Big Man said, smiling brightly and gesturing Rosie
closer. 'I've been trying to get in contact with you.'

'I know, Keith,' Rosie replied, taking a seat in the empty chair
beside him. He was even thinner than the last time she'd seen him.
When she took hold of his outstretched hand, its paper-thin skin
seemed to crackle at her touch.

'I'm sorry, Rosie. I should have trusted you,' Keith continued, his
voice soft and low. The make-up artist, realising this was a private
conversation, moved to the back of the room.

'Hey, it's all fine, Keith, honest. I don't want you to worry any
more. You know I love you like a dad. I wouldn't swap the time I
spent working with you for anything.'

'And me either, sweetie,' Keith said, his pale eyes watering. 'I'm
going to make it up to you. Honest.'

'There's nothing to make up. Just look after yourself and enjoy
your time out there. You deserve this award. You truly are a legend.'

Keith looked uncomfortable at the compliment and turned his
head away to hide his vulnerability.

Rosie kissed his cheek gently and whispered in his ear, 'Love you,
Big Fella,' then left the room.

* * *

Seated at the main Six table, Rosie looked at her program and
double-checked the running sheet, wanting the timing to be perfect.
She would stay for Keith's speech then hot-foot it back to her room
to meet her special guests, returning in time for her grand finale.
Looking over at Nash's table, she saw Nathan gesturing wildly at
the head of light entertainment, who seemed annoyed by all the
drama. Rosie beamed her widest smile in Nash's direction, which he
responded to with an unnerved scowl.

The opening number was as excruciating as ever. A medical-themed
tribute, it featured the stars of the three free-to-air hospital
programs pretending to operate on each other, with dancers dressed
in nurses' uniforms and scrubs performing ballet moves holding IV
drips and scalpels. Although it only went for six minutes, it seemed
like an hour before the room lights came on again, allowing the
seated masses to escape for a cigarette break in the foyer and resume
gossiping and networking.

Rosie stayed in her seat in the auditorium, despite craving a cigarette
herself. She didn't want to miss a second of Keith's tribute, which was
coming up next. As the lights began to dim again, she watched the
stragglers return to the room, talking loudly over the host, who was
attempting to introduce the Lifetime Achievement Award segment.

'If I could have a bit of hush, please,' the exasperated host pleaded,
as the mumblings were replaced by the sound of wine bottles being
upended in ice buckets and glasses refilled.

'Tonight I have the great honour of presenting an award to a
man who has been behind the careers of most of Australia's TV
greats. To say Keith Norman is merely "a legend" would be an
understatement as it implies there may be others out there who
could lay claim to the title. The fact is, Keith Norman is
the
legend
of Australian TV and I defy anyone in this room to say otherwise.
For twenty-four years King Keith has ruled the ratings, and as such
the industry, from his throne at his beloved Network Six.

'To be part of Keith's stable of stars meant you had made it in this
business – there was nowhere else to go, as you were already at the
top. The late, great newsreader Willard Frost said as much when he
received the Lifetime Achievement Award on this very stage some
three years ago. He also said he would never have made it in the
business without the support of his great friend and mentor, Keith
Norman, a man who Willard believed had an uncanny insight into
what people want to watch and when they want to watch it. I, for one,
could not agree more. Ladies and gentleman, I give you this year's
Lifetime Achievement inductee, the one and only Mr Television, Big
Keith Norman.'

Rosie was on her feet clapping wildly, overjoyed to see the entire
room standing upright with her. The thunder of applause, whistles
and the banging of glasses on tabletops was almost deafening as the
curtains parted and Keith stepped out, though there were shocked
exclamations as the audience took in his frail appearance and
understood the extent of his illness; many had no idea the Big Man
had even been gravely ill. Rosie took a moment to pat herself on the
back for protecting Keith's privacy from the press, then wiped the
tears streaming from her eyes with a napkin.

It took several minutes for the applause to cease and even after it had,
everyone remained standing in homage to the TV great. Rosie was so
proud to see him up there, basking in the accolades of his peers, and
realised again just how much she would miss the old bastard. Finally,
when Keith saw that no one was about to sit down, he began.

'I fucking love television,' he opened, causing the crowd to roar
with laughter and clap loudly once more. 'Actually,' he went on, 'I
should say I
loved
television, 'cause what I'm seeing happen in this
business today is not what I have dedicated my life to.'

The room went deathly silent.

'Let me read a memo I received by mistake last week. It was sent
by a man I have regarded as my son for over twenty years. It's headed
"Moving Forward":

As most of you are aware, Network Six has been stuck in a
time warp for several years now as we have laboured under a
leader who no longer understands the requirements of today's
viewing audience. What's more, the image he presents to our
peers is embarrassing at best and destructive at worst. Which
is why I am letting you know that following the Kennedys
telecast, I plan to take this network out of the past and into the
future as the newly appointed CEO of Network Six.

In my new role, I will work closely with Tang.Inc to ensure
this network is cost-efficient and current. It will be out with
the old and in with the new, which means changes at every
level from production to publicity.

As such, I am asking you to ready yourselves for the
impending changes by checking the contracts of all your talent
and staff and, where possible, identifying any loopholes which
may allow us to avoid any expensive and unnecessary payouts
such as long service leave and other entitlements. There will
be a team of Tang.Inc lawyers at your disposal to ensure
redundancies are carried out with a minimum of fuss and
financial liability.

Once this has been done, we can work together to find younger
and less expensive replacements for on-air personalities, as well
as streamlining management processes. I know some of you
will be sad to see Keith go, however, I ask you to look to me as
your new leader and know that I am driven to take Six to new
levels of efficiency and profitability. Not only will I require the
same level of loyalty as you've shown Keith, I will demand it.

Yours truly

Simon Nash

Acting CEO

A low hum of discontent filled the room as scowling faces turned to
Simon Nash. Rosie feared a mob lynching might ensue, and readied
herself to call in the security guards if necessary.

'Now calm down, everyone,' Keith continued from the stage,
seeing the impact of his words. 'Let me fucking finish, will you?'

Once again the Big Man had the room's attention.

'Look, I know times have changed and I'm aware viewers want
different things today, what with the internet and all. But I have
to say to all of you, let's not let mean-spirited bean counters and
overly ambitious head-kickers fuck the incredible institution that
is Australian television. I'm crook and ready to hang up my hat so
I'm leaving it up to you, the industry's future. These are my parting
words to all of you responsible for entertaining hardworking punters
at the end of their day:
love television with all your heart
. 'Cause let
me tell you, these bastards running the networks today only love
money. There, I've said my bit. Thanks for the trophy and thanks for
listening. Goodbye.'

Rosie had never heard noise like it as the entire room full of people
cried, clapped and stamped their feet in unison. She could have stayed
there forever, basking in Keith's final triumph, but there was no time.

She had one more thing to do and then it would be over.

Rosie heard the laughter coming from her hotel room even before
Daniel opened the door.

'You look incredible,' he exclaimed as he took in her gown, hair,
make-up and overall happy demeanour.

'How was the flight?' Rosie asked after kissing him tenderly. 'Has
everyone turned up?'

'They're all here, honey. But before you head in, I have something
for you.'

Rosie looked at Daniel curiously as he closed the hotel door behind
him and pulled her into the hallway. She felt her heart pump in her
chest wildly in anticipation as he pulled a velvet box out of his dinner
suit jacket and placed it gently in her hands.

Whatever it was, she knew at that moment she was so in love with
Daniel there would be no turning back. What she was feeling was
big, the biggest. She was gone. Head over heels. And it terrified her.
I'm not ready for this yet
, she thought in a panic.

'It's not what you might think it is,' Daniel said, looking deeply into
Rosie's concerned eyes before kissing her forehead gently. 'Though,
I can't promise the next box I give you won't have a ring in it. These
are just to say I love you and I am proud of you and I know you are
going to write a bestseller when this is all over.'

Rosie could barely see the exquisite antique earrings Daniel handed
her through her welling tears.

'Come on, honey, these are supposed to make you happy, not sad,'
Daniel laughed as he caught sight of her quivering lip. 'You know
how it kills me when you cry.'

'Daniel,' Rosie said, tears now streaming black mascara down her
face, 'I am so in love with you I feel sick.'

'Thank god it's not just me that feels that way,' he smiled sweetly
in return. 'Let's get tonight over and then we can feel sick for three
whole weeks together in Bali. I checked out the accommodation on
the net and there's a beautiful room overlooking the ocean for you
to write in. Lou, Stephen and I will look after the boys so you can
concentrate. But now we had better go in, everyone's waiting for
you.'

Rosie stepped into her suite and saw the assembled crowd sipping
drinks on her bed, watching the awards telecast on the large plasma
TV screen mounted on the opposite wall. When they saw Rosie,
they all got to their feet and, just like the crowd had done with Keith
downstairs, delivered her a standing ovation.

* * *

When the last ad break of the telecast came on, Rosie clicked off the
TV and turned to the women chatting animatedly beside her.

'Okay, it's time,' she announced, feeling waves of conflicting
emotions churning within her. 'If anyone wants to change their
mind, speak now. Please don't think you're in any way obligated.
Each one of you needs to decide for yourself alone. Would you like
Daniel and me to give you some time to reconsider?'

Bettina Arthur was the first to pipe up: 'I didn't come all the
way from Singapore to turn back now,' the former finance head
exclaimed.

'I'm in all the way,' Karen Day said next.

Lara Green smiled. The former head of PR was already gathering
her bag and shawl ready to make a move. 'I am more than ready,
Rose,' she said firmly. 'I should have done this a long time ago.'

'Me too, darling,' Alicia Charles chortled. 'This has gone on for
too long. The suffragettes must once again rise against the oppressive
patriarchy.'

Rosie grinned. Alicia certainly had a way with words.
Bless
.

Portia Richardson was the last to speak. Patting her pregnant belly,
Rosie's former 2IC nodded to indicate she wouldn't be changing her
mind.

'Well, we had better get down there, ladies,' Daniel said, waving
the affidavits in the air. 'Your writs await delivery.'

The women applauded loudly, then excitedly left the room and
made their way to the ballroom below.

* * *

Rosie was first into the auditorium, just in time to see the final
moments of the closing tribute to celebrities who had passed away
the previous year. As the lights came on and the tables of drunken
revellers jostled to get out to the various after-parties scattered
throughout the hotel, she took a deep breath and valiantly made her
way towards Simon Nash's table.

Any qualms she might have had about her actions quickly dissipated
when the new CEO caught her eye and let go: 'You stupid bitch,' he
yelled drunkenly, oblivious to the other guests at the table. 'How the
fuck did you let that happen?' he went on, clearly referring to Keith's
earlier speech.

'I had no idea he was going to do that, Simon,' Rosie answered,
trying to remain cool despite an overwhelming urge to faint.

'Well, you should get off that lazy arse of yours and turn the press
around or I can tell you, you won't have a job in the morning.'

'Er, actually, Simon, I don't have a job right now.'

Rosie fumbled with the clasp on her handbag and pulled out a
copy of her resignation letter.

'You will see when you read my contract, Simon, that I actually
cease being an employee of Network Six tonight. You'll see the date
beside Keith's signature.'

Nash snatched the document from Rosie's hand and scoured its
contents. Johnno Johnston, realising what was taking place, expertly
removed himself from his chair, hoping to escape any potential fallout.

'Where the fuck do you think you're going, Johnno?' Nash
bellowed, but this time Johnno did not acquiese to his bullying,
slinking off silently without looking back.

'Good riddance to you,' Nash slurred as Johnno scarpered out the
door. 'And good riddance to you too, bitch,' he added, screwing
the document into a tight ball then tossing it straight and hard in
the direction of Rosie's face.

Without even flinching, Rosie delved into her purse and took out
both of her ringing phones. She looked at each screen to delight in
who she was hanging up on, then reached over and dropped one and
then the other into Nash's beer glass with two loud plops. Then she
turned to the auditorium entrance and beckoned the waiting women
to enter. Heads held high, Alicia, Portia, Lara, Karen and Bettina
strode across the room with their arms locked in sisterly solidarity.

'Seems you don't know as much about television as you make out
after all,' Rosie said blankly as she turned to face Nash for the last
time. 'Or women.'

As the united flank approached to deliver the new network CEO
signed statements outlining their impending legal cases against their
former employer, Rosie had one last thing to say. 'Good luck and
good bye.'

With the last tears she would ever shed over Network Six streaming
from her eyes, Rosie turned towards Daniel, leaning against a far
pillar in the room, his tie loose. Both their jobs were done. Now the
real fun could begin.