The Concrete Wild

"The bad girls' charity event is almost here Barbara," said Sidewalk Stars' anchorman

Ken. "What's the gossip on the big event?"

"After a long delay to fit in with Connie Leighton's existing touring dates," said Barbara

sitting in front of a picture of a busy night club to show that she knew about the club scene, "the

event is on for this Saturday. The long standing feud between Leighton and Hollywood hottie

Clarise Chalmers is now coming down to be a stand-off over club dresses. Dress makers are

working overtime for both camps, Ken."

Another question even more important than what to wear to the event was weighing on

Meghan's mind.

"I don't really want to go alone to this event," she told Mia, as they scanned through dresses

on Mia's laptop. "It's depressing sitting alone in a stretch limousine, and you'll be there already,

handling lists."

"The obvious thing is to ask Will to ride with you," said Mia. "The event organisers and

security are handling all the details he was telling me. He doesn't need to get in early."

"Okaaaay, but what about this junior cougar of his?"

"He's just keeping you company – it's not an actual date. There shouldn't be a problem. Just

ask him."

"I have to ask him?" said Meghan, as if this was some exotic practice of tribes in distant

countries.

"Sure," said Mia. "You haven't asked a guy out before?"

"I haven't had to."

"Well, it's time for Clarise Chalmers to try something new."

Later in the day, Meghan called Will into her study and asked if he could ride with her in the

limousine and be on her table at the dance.

"I'm going anyway, so it's no problem," said Will. Mia had already mentioned that he

would be asked. "This is all about me making up the numbers because Robin is now a non-person

as far as you're concerned."

"That's right," conceded Meghan. "But I hope you don't think it's a chore to ride in with me

Will?"

"No guy would think that," said Will.

"Ha! Finally, a complement," said Meghan. "What about this junior cougar of yours; is she

going to cause problems over this?"

"No longer relevant," said Will. "I found out about the other man in her life."

"Who was the other man?"

"Her husband."

Meghan gasped. "Let's hear it, then. I want the story."

Will told her most of what happened.

"She never wore her ring around you?" asked Meghan, at the end of the story.

"Nope. Now that I think of it, she probably took the ring off just before she spoke to me that

first time outside the supermarket."

"Like I said at the time, opportunistic of her."

"Maybe she speaks to a few guys before she gets a hit," said Will. "Like some guys ask a lot

of girls hoping to get the occasional yes. But girls wouldn't have to ask many guys to get lucky, I

guess."

"Humph! Did the marriage thing bother you?" said Meghan.

"If she'd been wearing her ring that first time I would have taken evasive action. You never

know who the husband might be."

"This is true," said Meghan.

"But when I found out I was wondering what to do. The choice had been hers all along, as a

response to her husband stepping out on her and not wanting to break up the family, or so she said.

But when private detectives start taking pictures it's all getting way too serious. I wasn't really

invested in the relationship, nor was she and we both knew it."

"At least your romantic affairs generate gossip for the rest of us, Will," said Meghan,

amused.

"Tell me about it," said Will. "Speaking of tangled affairs do you mind if Henry, your ex's

former bodyguard, is the security man for you on the night?"

"Guess not. Henry was always nice to me. Why him?"

"He got left high and dry financially with unpaid fees thanks to his boss's bankruptcy. He

rang me looking for work. If he was working for Robin he would be top of the line, and you need

more security."

"Okay, sure."

"Say, if I'm going with you even if it's not a date, I'll have a chance to tell you about my

theories on Darth Vader."

"Mention Darth Vader and I'll have Henry put you out of the limo."

"I could tell you that the Jedis were a power bloc that had to be eliminated."

"I'll have him throw you out on the freeway," said Meghan.

"Vader was justified in wiping them out."

"And then have him run you over."

Meghan giggled. Will sighed.

"No theories then?" the writer said.

"About Star Wars, nope," said Meghan firmly. "You can always talk about other theories,

depending on the subject. What we will talk about now is just how you will dress for the night."

On the day, Will attended casa-Meghan dressed in a tuxedo, with a red bow tie and a red

pocket square, as instructed, to find Madison and another, older lady, in the kitchen. The lady was

muttering to herself while inspecting the coffee machine.

"Mum, this is Will," said Madison.

Mrs Kowalski was an attractive woman with a figure kept trim by golf and hair kept dark by

careful dying.

"Oh hello, Will," she said. "You caught me talking to myself."

"I understand, Mrs Kowalski, you need people of sense and intelligence to speak to from

time to time. The real question is, and I have to ask, do you listen to yourself?"

"I answer myself back sometimes," she said, smiling.

"The issues have to be argued out," said Will. "You need someone to argue with."

"You're taking my Meghan to this thing tonight?"

"Just making up the numbers, Mrs Kowalski. Your daughter wants someone to push around

in lieu of an actual date and I'm told I make a decent verbal punching bag."

"You should be complimented," said Mrs Kowalski, laughing. "Meg only beats up people

she likes."

"That still means I get beat up – pardon me, Mrs Kowalski, but what are you doing to my

coffee machine?"

"Trying to get a cappuccino out of it, Will, and it's Claire, please."

"Of course, Claire, just let me around the other side and I'll get it going. You also want a

cap, Maddie?"

"Yes, please, Will," said Madison. "But I want that nutmeg flavour you were talking about

when I was here last time."

"Oh right, well, okay, that takes some effort. You ladies are staying over, I'm told."

"I live over my store and it's being fumigated, as a precaution against nasty bugs in the

wood," said Mrs Kowalski

"Antiques can be difficult to store, as I understand it," said Will as he messed with the

machine.

They talked for a time about types of antiques with Will expressing a preference for

Chinese, although he could never afford anything more than reproductions, and Mrs Kowalski

saying that there was more money in reproductions than in genuine pieces. Then she asked about

Will's family back East.

"I come from a family of lawyers," said Will. "Mum has a family law practice in Albany,

the New York state capital. Dad specialises in State constitutional law and city charters and the like.

My older sister, Lilith, got into Yale and now she's an associate in one of the big New York law

firms, aiming for a partnership."

"Oh my, she sounds quite the go getter," said Mrs Kowalski.

"Those guys earn millions. Here we go Maddie, can I have a taste of this to make sure I've

got it right?"

"Sure," said Madison.

That meant Will was drinking nutmeg-flavoured coffee just as Meghan floated past dressed

in a backless, halter-neck, very short dress of sparkly-red material with a scalloped front, and shoes

to match. He choked. This time Mrs Kowalski patted him on the back as he struggled to recover.

"Nice dress," Will managed to gasp at last. Madison giggled, wishing she could make men

choke like that. Meghan rolled her eyes, although she was by no means displeased, then lent across

the counter, put one hand under Will's jaw and pushed his mouth shut.

"Come along Will," she said. "The limo is waiting. Chop, chop!"

She floated away and Mrs Kowalski gave Will a paper towel to clean his mouth.

"Who says chop, chop these days?" asked Will of no one in particular.

"Meghan it seems," said Mrs Kowalski, "you'd better go."

"Nice to meet you, Claire," said Will, "later Maddie."

"And lovely to meet you, Will," said Mrs Kowalski.

The Kowalskis waited for Will to leave and then laughed.

In the limousine, the first time Will had been in such a vehicle, the writer said 'hey' to

George, riding shotgun, and to the driver a smaller, whippet-like man called Noah who came highly

recommended by George.

"Not all that far, folks, for LA," said George as they drove off.

"We may have to make a stop on the way," said Will, "as Ms Chalmers wants to run me

over if I mention Star Wars."

"She doesn't want to hear your Star Wars theories?" said George. "We can find somewhere

to run Will over quietly, can't we?" he said to Noah.

"No problem," said Noah.

"Come to think of it," said Meghan, "you might damage to limousine. Maybe you could just

push him out into traffic?"

"Even easier," said George grinning.

"You really don't want to hear about Star Wars, do you?" said Will.

"Nope! But I do want to hear about this sister of yours Lilith." The star had heard some of

Will's conversation with her mother. "She sounds competitive enough for the two of you."

Will was trying not to leer at Meghan's legs on full display in the back of the limousine.

Meghan for her part, noticed Will's struggle and was amused. Will could look discretely if he

wanted, especially if he was entertaining her with conversation.

"You think you're being determined and tough threatening to have me pushed out into

traffic?" said Will. "Compared to my sister Lilith, you're just a lamb."

"A lamb!" exclaimed Meghan.

"A fluffy, woolly bah-lamb."

"I see," said Meghan, amused.

"She's still an associate at her firm, but Mum says she's heard that senior partners are

terrified of her."

"Sounds formidable."

"Tell me about it. She's been trying to manage my career since junior high. I had lunch with

her when we went to New York."

"I remember you saying."

"As far as she's concerned I'm wasting my time with low-paying, trivial jobs in LA. I

should get a proper job in a law firm, give up on actresses and start dating some nice associate at

her law firm. And that was before I was allowed to order. The menu looked good and I was

hungry."

"Poor Will," said Meghan amused. "Your life is hard."

"I'm a victim – that's me."

"A victim of your sister?"

"And in other ways."

"What other ways?"

"I'm a fashion victim."

"I knew that," said Meghan laughing. "You say Lilith got into Yale. Did you also get into

there?"

"Me? No, I was University of Chicago."

"What's the law school like at the University of Chicago?"

"I wouldn't know. I'm the black sheep of my family. I did physics and maths, not law. My

parents weren't too worried, but the fight I had with my sister was epic."

"I thought you must be law or a business major," said Meghan. "How did you get into

reporting from science?"

"I'd done honours focusing on the properties of semiconductors – used in transistors and

printed circuits. I was thinking about doing a doctorate in computer modelling of solid state

materials but was wondering whether I really had what it took. The likely doctoral supervisors

didn't seem to take me seriously. Too much of a jock for them, or something."

"Huh!"

"And then I met an editor who was looking for someone to write science and he liked me, so

I thought well I'll do that. I didn't realise until I was in it that I was really lucky to get a place in

newspapers, let alone just walk into it the way I did. The work also seemed to suit me and it was

good fun for a while. Then I got cancelled."

"What? How did you get cancelled?"

"Over not much as it turned out - a story on a place that would compost bodies using solar

energy."

"Compost bodies?"

"Yep. If your mother passes away and you're really keen on recycling, you can get her

composted. Takes some time and energy which this company sourced from wind generators, solar

panels and the like. At the end of it, you get a chunk of nutrient-rich soil which you can use to plant

a tree or something."

"I don't want to have my mother composted," said Meghan.

"She seems in pretty good shape so the issue may not arise for a long while. When it does

just tell her that it's for the good of the planet."

"Don't think I'll go there, but how did you get cancelled over that?"

"I didn't take the story sufficiently seriously," said Will. "I didn't mock them but I had a

lighter touch on the story. A bit of humour. The editor thought it was fun; the copy desk didn't say

anything when it went through, but the company complained. The journalists had a meeting and

cancelled me – wouldn't handle my copy."

"Over that!"

"Yep, over that," said Will. "I got on well with those guys – mainly women – up to that

point, but they turned on me in a split second just to maintain their green street cred. I was

shocked."