“I can. I will. I did.”
“What do you mean,
you did
?”
“I met with the record company lawyers today and canceled my
contract. They said they’re going to sue, but I don’t think it’s gonna
be a problem. There’s not much precedent for a case against a deaf
musician.”
Now it was Melinda’s turn to be silent.
“Now listen, babe. Everything’s gonna be fine. We got enough
dough to last us ‘till the end of the world. Maybe it’s time we changed
our tune, you know? Change it from ‘Ball and Chain’ to ‘Freedom.’ I
could sing to you every tropical evening at sunset while you dip your
feet in a swimming pool filled with Strawberry Daiquiri. How’s that
sound?”
Melinda’s hands now made such tight little fists that her
prosthetic fingernails threatened to sever the arteries in her palms.
“I got a better idea,” she growled, “How about we change the tune
from ‘You’re a Clueless Fool’ to ‘I’m Gonna Take You For Everything
You’re Worth And Then Some.’”
“I never heard those. They new?”
“Brand fucking spanking new, Lemon. You better get a good
lawyer, cause I’m gonna clean you out, you untalented, no-good,
dumb-ass bastard. You don’t think I’ve been preparing for this?
Remember those papers I had you sign a while back? Those weren’t
letters to your fans. Those were legal documents that agreed to give
me ninety-five percent of your accrued earnings should our
partnership ever dissolve. And it looks like Alka Seltzer time to me.”
Alka Seltzer
, thought Hopkins. That would hit the spot right
now. He stood up shakily and walked over to the window. Earlier that
day he figured that at least he was lucky enough to have a great
woman to comfort him in this, the time of his greatest need. He was
lucky all right. Lucky like a horseshoe—stomped on and standing in
shit.
“So all this lovey-dovey stuff’s just been leftovers from your failed
acting career. Is that it?”
“Yeah. Hardest role I ever had,” she laughed wickedly, carefully
lighting up a cigarette, so as not to accidentally set her shellacked coif
on fire. “I should get a fucking Oscar.”
“I always thought you were good at screwing me. I sure was right
about that,” lamented Hopkins. “Well, if that’s all you got to say, I
think you better leave now.”
H O L Y S H I T !
100
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