Lit Riffs ~ Nothing to Say

My thanks to Trish/PRDGirls for coming up with this great story idea.

Check out the other two (very good!) Lit Riffs stories currently under way:
Lit Riffs - Twenty-nine Pearls
Lit Riffs - Adia

My story is inspired by the Glass Tiger song, "I'm Still Searching". It only reached #31 in the U.S., but reached #3 in Canada. A look at the linked-to site also shows that Glass Tiger was more popular, and had more hit songs, here in Canada.

Yay Saoz! This is going to be good, I can tell.

By the way, nice Hollywood sign. Where did you get it?

Ford Harris tugged at his suddenly too tight collar. Sweat broke out on his brow and his palms began to itch. (2)

How the hell had he gotten into this mess?

As he stood under the wedding arch, waiting for the costar of his latest movie to start down the aisle, it hit him full force that this was not a movie, that he wasn’t standing on a set waiting to say his lines.

He was on the verge of marrying Brooke Winters.

They’d started seeing each other openly after filming on their movie had ended six months before. The movie studio had been ecstatic, using their off screen relationship to help promote their on screen one.

He knew Jeffrey Maclean, his agent and publicist, had been aiding their efforts, leaking reports to the media of where he and Brooke would be going, making sure their faces were constantly in the media. He hadn’t minded. He was very close to becoming a Leading Man and he knew the media attention was a necessary evil of being famous. When Jeffrey had suggested he marry Brooke, he’d shrugged his shoulders, thinking, Why not? His personal assistant had bought the ring and he’d proposed over caviar and cocktails the following evening.

Timing their wedding to coincide with the release of the movie had been his agent’s idea, as well, and it had worked brilliantly. The movie had opened to mediocre reviews, but it was demolishing previous box office records.

Fame was finally within his grasp.

The wedding march started and Ford’s gaze snapped to the base of the aisle where Brooke stood, poised for the flashes of the select group of photographers who’d been invited to the wedding. (3)

Slowly, tilting her head slightly to one side so the cameras would capture her good side, Brooke made her way up the aisle. As she neared him, Ford felt his collar tighten further, threatening to completely cut off his air supply. He willed himself to keep his arms at this side.

He blinked hard as the scene shifted, and instead of the very blonde, blue-eyed Brooke, (4) he saw another woman. A very different one with black hair. (5)

He closed his eyes briefly and when he opened them again that woman was gone. Brooke smiled coolly and reached out to take his hand.

Ford stumbled backwards. (6)

He could see the confusion and embarrassment that briefly cross Brooke’s face before she masked it again behind the cool exterior for which she was famous. He should want to soothe her, but instead all he felt was panic.

“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice hoarse. “I can’t do this.”

He started to turn, but stopped and faced Brooke again. Her face had gone deadly pale and her full lips were compressed in a tight line.

“I’m sorry.”

He turned and strode down the aisle Brooke had just ascended. After a moment of stunned silence, cameras started to flash all around him and everyone started talking over each other in a cacophony of sound and confusion. Ford ignored them all and headed for his car.

He almost made it before his agent caught up to him. And when he did, Jeffrey Maclean wanted answers.

“What happened back there, Ford?”

He ignored him and kept walking.

“Dammit, Ford,” he said, putting a hand on his arm and turning him around. “You have to go back.”

“I can’t do it, Jeff. I can’t marry her.” (7)

“Well it’s a little late for second thoughts now.”

“What are you talking about? You actually expect me to go through with this, knowing I don’t love her? That I don’t want this?”

“Of course I do. The press is going crazy back there. I don’t even want to imagine the rumors that are being fabricated right now.”

Ford glanced over Jeffrey’s shoulder, at where security was barely keeping the group of reporters in check. He was blinded by the flash of a dozen cameras.

“I’m not going back there.”

“Talk to me, Ford. Tell me what’s going on.”

He climbed into his car and jammed the key into the ignition. (8)

“I have nothing to say.”

He gunned the engine, reversed and sped away from the curb.

Hi, Leah. Thank you.

I got the Hollywood sign from the InSIMenator site. Just do a search for neighborhood/neighbourhood deco there and you should find it. If not, let me know and I'm sure I can track it down for you.

A great and rather unusual start. Looking forward to reading further installments on this one. You have piqued my curiosity!

Sue

I wonder who the dark-haired beauty was? I'm sure we'll find out soon enough, huh? Can't wait!

Saoz, You know I'm glad you started a new story! I love your writing and I am sure this will be brilliant! I also love the little extra details that are always in your pictures!

Great start! Can't wait to read more!!

Hugs
Cindy

That shot of Brooke and the wedding guests was beautiful-- those (I'm assuming) Reflex reflective floors are gorgeous in-game, aren't they? And I see Sandy Bruty amongst the guests! Is she just an arbitrary guest or more?

I'm just a little surprised by Brooke's wedding dress-- it's awfully, um, sheer on top, isn't it? That I'll follow with: where'd you get it?

Can't wait for more!

Great Beginning! the dark haired woman is gorgeous and I love the sets!

Having not been alive in the 80’s, I couldn’t resist having a look at the song to give me a clearer picture of what’s going on. Nice melody... rather unfortunate hair .
Of course I’m hooked on this after your very first post .

tinhen - I sent you a PM. Let me know if you don't get it. Yes, that's Sandy Bruty, but no, she has no importance in the story. I set it in Pleasantview and she's just someone I teleported onto the lot as part of the crowd (I haven't gotten around to attaching a downtown yet.)

And, um, I fixed that other thing.

ETA:
You're killing me, Amy. Not even alive in the '80s? I didn't realize you were such a young whipper snapper.

“What the hell am I doing back here, Phantom? Can you explain that to me, ‘cause I sure can’t.”

He reached down and scratched Phantom absently behind his ears. (9) The dog gave a bark of appreciation and pushed his head further into his master’s hand.

It had been two days since the fiasco of his would-be wedding. Ford winced at the memory. He didn’t regret not going through with it, but he did regret how he’d gone about ending it. He never should have asked Brooke to marry him in the first place. And to call it off right when they were standing under the wedding arch … He could only imagine the damage control she was trying to do on her career. He wasn’t worried about her emotions, he knew those had never really been engaged, but her career was very important to her. He knew she’d only agreed to marry him for the same reason he’d proposed – to further her career.

His cell phone had started ringing immediately after he’d left and hadn’t stopped, so he kept it turned off. Now he was in Pleasantview, his old home town. So far no one had tracked him to the small house he’d rented. Or more accurately, that an old friend had rented for him. He wondered how long the silence would last.

As if on cue, the telephone started to ring. He glared at it suspiciously. He’d told Derrick he wanted some time alone, to think things through, and he knew his friend would respect that wish. That meant …

The answering machine picked up after three rings.

Ford, are you there? It’s Jeff. We need to talk. Pick up the phone. Don’t be stubborn, you know we need to talk.

After a long silence his agent disconnected. Almost immediately the phone started ringing again.

I can tell this isn’t voicemail. If you’re there, I know you can hear me. Pick up the phone, Ford. I’ll just keep calling back.

Making a mental note to see about getting voicemail installed on the house’s line, or better yet, getting voicemail and having the number changed, he picked up the receiver.

“How did you get this number?” (10)

“I’m your agent, Ford. It’s my job to know where you are. To look out for you and your career. You do remember your career, don’t you? Because actors who disappear into thin air soon find themselves without one, and I have no intention of allowing that to happen.”

He sighed. “What do you want, Jeff.”

“I’ve been receiving feelers from various avenues about your disappearance, and I think TV would be the best way to address everyone's questions. Simtertainment Tonight is very interested --”

“No, absolutely not.”

“You can’t hide forever, Ford. For God’s sake, no one, myself included, knows why you’ve disappeared. Maybe if you explained it, threw us all a bone, you could back off a little and take a week to yourself.”

Ford snorted impatiently.

“You’re very stingy with my time.”

“You’re one role away from being a Leading Man, Ford. One. Make your next movie, then take a couple of months off. But not now.”

“Goodbye, Jeffrey.”

“You’ve been gone for two days. You have five more days, then I’m coming down there myself and dragging you home.”

“Goodbye, Jeffrey.”

“Five days, Ford.” And with that he disconnected.

Ford blew out a harsh breath and hung up the phone. He tunneled his fingers through his hair.

“We have five days, Phantom. Then, if I know Jeff, we can expect all hell to break loose around here.”

Phantom barked in reply, then headed for the front door and waited, looking back at his master.

“Yeah, I could use a walk, too. Come on, boy.”

He attached the lead to his dog’s collar. Phantom danced in excitement as Ford opened the door. Used to his master’s routine, he waited for Ford to don his sunglasses and lock the door before dragging him down the walk.

Yep, got the PM. I'm going to reply to it in a sane manner when it isn't 6:30 in the morning-- college=all-nighters, y'now?-- but I did stop in to read. Custom content can make or break a photo, and you make excellent use of it. And Phantom's so pretty!

I just love Sandy. It doesn't make any sense, but she's on my list of favorite PV characters.

I do have to ask about this sudden 'Lit Riffs' trend... I spend a lot of time in literary circles both online and off and I've never heard of the concept. Is it a certain format to be followed or whatnot? (Google and Wikipedia didn't help me much).

tinhen - I'm copying your "Lit Riffs" question over to the Lit Riff's thread, here. Hopefully Trish will see it.

DH used to know a guy with a Weimariner named Phantom. This dog was huge ... and very human-like. (They're the dogs that you see in calendars dressed up in human clothes. They're also in Sesame Street - remember the dogs that would lay down and form letters?)

What a great name for a dog! I love it!

This is a great story, keep it up!

Hugs
Cindy

That's where I've seen those dogs before! I knew it was somewhere. Saoz that line about Simtertainment cracked me up! Wonder what Ford will do when his time is up. As for Brooke I really don't feel sorry for her. She sounds cold hearted anyway and Ford seems like he has one in there somewhere.

Originally Posted by ferretlover7lana

Saoz that line about Simtertainment cracked me up!

I'm glad I'm not the only one who got a laugh out of that!

Aww, I remember those Sesame Street dogs. They were so cute, I always wanted one .

This is such a cool angle you're writing this from, the mega-star just trying to live his life whilst it's being publicized to the world .

I just made a horrendous discovery! I opened up my last story, Worth Beyond Price, because I wanted to write a little blurb about it for my TSR blog (which comes with having a mini-site) and I discovered, to my absolute horror, that Lauren had been a run-away bride! I had completely forgotten that. Oops.

Note to self: No more runaway brides/grooms.

(In case anyone is wondering, I have no latent, repressed urges to run away from my own marriage. )

Just what I needed, another story to read. Great start, I'm anxious to read more!!

yeah! great story, can't wait to here more.

Great Start to your story!

I did not realize it had been more than a week since I posted an update. It's definitely true what they say about time speeding up when you get older. Here's a small update while I work on the next part.

*****

The house was near a public park. Seeing the other owners and dogs, Phantom started in that direction. Fortunately, Ford had taken the time to train him so he was able to bring Phantom to heel. The last thing he needed was to risk being seen and recognized.

“This way,” he said, heading in the opposite direction. Phantom gave a whimper of protest before relenting and following.

They weren’t far from the ravine that bordered the town and he headed in that direction. If his luck held they wouldn’t run into anyone. When they reached the secluded area he let Phantom off the leash and watched him idly. (11) His mind started to wander and he found himself thinking about Sabrina. Phantom bumped his hand and gave a short bark, snapping him out of his reverie. He reattached the lead and started to lead him back the way they’d come, but stopped. He couldn’t hold back his curiosity any longer. He had to see her.

So he kept going, exiting the ravine and making his way through back streets and alleyways. He kept his head down and prayed they wouldn’t run into anyone he used to know.

He was being stupid. He’d heard her parents had recently passed away, but he had no way of knowing if she still lived in the house she used to share with them. When he reached the house, he hesitated. He couldn’t just ring the doorbell. What if someone else lived there now and recognized him? He was about to leave when he spotted movement through the open garage door. Ordering Phantom to stay, he quietly made his way to the garage and stepped inside. (12)

Sabrina Silver stood working at her pottery station, surrounded by vases and painting canvasses. (13) Even with her hair disheveled and her clothes spattered, she was as lovely as ever. How was it possible that five years had passed since he’d last seen her.

He watched her work for a minute and was about to say something when her cell phone rang. She looked at the name on the display and answered with, “Hi, sweetheart.” (14)

Ford turned, collected Phantom and headed home.

Hmm, who's this mysterious person from Ford's past?... .