Hey sis,
Yes, it was me in the tape. I don’t know who shot it, but I bet the gossips are having a field day over it. Lola and I are just friends, that’s all.
When I was coming out of the theater after my cameo in “Sims and Monsters” I ran into Stanley, who was practicing a few bars of piano. “I didn’t know you played,” I told him, with Terry Luna and Barry Tenderlove beside me.
“Emmy hates music,” he said, “so I’m resigned to play when and where I can.”
Say what?
Anyway, Lola came by the house the other night. I let her in thru the security gate.
“Sebastian?” she called from the other side of the kitchen.
“Whatcha cookin?”
“A very special feast just for you.”
“Really? You’d really cook a meal just for me?”
I shrugged. Kai doesn’t cook?
Finally our meal was done. “What is this, Sebastian?”
“Stuffed flounder with crab meat.”
“Sounds delish. I’m starved!”
“Where’d you learn to cook?”
“I took it up as a teenager.”
Lola laughed. “You know, most teenage boys aren’t learning to cook. They’re learning, well, other things.”
“I picked up a cookbook while my parents were in Egypt with my sister.”
“Your sister? You have a sister?”
“Yeah.”
“Does she live here?”
“No, Sunset Valley.”
“What does she do?”
“She’s an archaeologist.”
“An archy- what?” Then Lola smiled. But it wasn’t one of those big wide grins. It was one of those knowing secretive smiles. She’s one of those folks with whom you have to do an examination to figure out what they’re thinking. “What?”
“I was just thinking – Sunset Valley – that – that explains you.”
“Huh? What do you mean? What’s wrong with Sunset Valley?”
“I performed at the stadium there, beginning of my career. It’s very … how can I explain it … surreal, almost. Almost too perfect.”
Lola changed the subject. “Your father, Nathan Plumb, he was a composer, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Studied his stuff in school. The advanced guitar textbooks here had at least twenty of his songs in it.”
“Really?” I asked, a little dumbfounded, especially considering they weren’t in our books. “Which ones?”
“The ones I remember were ‘I Would if I Did’ and ‘Sunset Moon.’
“Sunset Moon’s in there?”
“Yeah.”
What’s funny is I actually remember when he composed that one. And I’m sure you do, too, Vanna.
I listened to her talk for about three hours. It was kind of like being at home with dad. Music runs through her veins.
“For my senior recital, I did a medley of three of his songs. I was scared as heck, standing in front of the whole school for fifteen minutes. It was just me and my guitar. And then – in an instant – it was like there was no one else there.”
I don’t even remember my senior recital. And it wasn’t that long ago.
I’m stuffed and sleepy. Gonna have to work off all this food somehow.
Love, Bassy
