The Sirens of Calypso- Chapter 24- Rumors, Confirmed

            “Here’s your order, Vanessa. Everything’s piping hot. I also threw in a few extra spice packets for ya.”
            Vanessa accepted two large white plastic bags from the mustachioed man that ran her favorite food truck. “Thanks, Sergio. Your services are always greatly appreciated.”
            As she turned around to leave, a voice dripping with sarcasm impeded her progress, “So the rumors are true. Talia finally gave in, huh?” Vanessa nearly tripped over her own feet in her surprise. She adjusted her grip on her purchases before turning to face Amber who was relaxing at one of the nearby cafe tables. The only thing in front of her was a pile of used napkins stacked several inches high. Wearing a triumphant smirk, she stretched one of her feet underneath to push out the chair directly across from her.
            Vanessa took the hint immediately. “I don’t know all of the details myself but… yeah, Talia blew us off last night to hook up with JP. And apparently one of her regular clients didn’t get the memo either. He was waiting for her outside our place when I came home and he wasn’t happy.”
            “Hmm...” Amber self-consciously rubbed the scars on her wrists under the table, deciding not to press further on the matter. “So I have an idea for what songs would work for which people, but then I thought... it might be better if everyone had a say in what songs they want. And I’d be open for going beyond that album. Like if something else worked better for that particular character, we could explore other options.”
            “Oh,” astonishment colored Vanessa’s tone, “what brought you to that conclusion? I mean, it’s not like you to allow input on your ideas.”
            “Yeah well,” she shrugged and leaned back in her chair, “I figured if I was getting sick of only being allowed a handful of routines, some of the others might be too. You know how Talia is about only allowing female artists on our playlists and how they need to be strong and vastly successful. I can keep the first part because that’s one of the themes of this whole thing: the bonds of female friendship. But it’d be cool to bring in music from independent artists. I used to do that in the early days, but not anymore.” She sighed, staring into the distance, “Talia just wants us to stay in the same old roles forever like we’re actors in her own little play.”
            “Yeah, but I think it’s more along the lines of ‘this is what the audience comes to expect so we give them what they want.’ The same way musicians play the hits at their concerts because that’s what sells tickets.”
            “Call it any name you want, that needs to change. I thought that would finally happen when we brought another girl in, but Talia decided to hold onto Emilia because she doesn’t trust me. I can’t exactly blame her but, come on, it’s been over a year. I’m tired of being patient.”
            Vanessa bit her lip, trying to figure the best way to put the question she wanted to ask. She didn’t have the heart to pass on Talia’s message, but she wanted to find some sort of compromise. “It’s highly unlikely Talia would agree to these terms, but if working with Ruby was her stipulation for letting Emilia work with you, would you?”
            “Work on a routine with Ruby?” Amber scoffed, “I’d rather...” Her eyes softened as she thought through what she was about to say. The scars on her wrists started stinging from the reminder and she rubbed them until the images fell out of her head.
            Over the years, Amber had gotten more comfortable with the bizarre positions her clients put her in. It was the only way she could achieve climax and get any enjoyment out of the experience. But in between those moments of ecstasy were horrors she’d worked for years to block out. The one-night stand with Talia’s client had brought a lot of that back to the surface. Her biggest regret was initiating the exchange and ending up with more than she bargained for. She knew it was rape, but most of the indecent men she’d come across would argue just as avidly that it was consensual. If the wounds weren’t still fresh in her mind, it would have been much easier to say, ‘I’d rather be screwed a million times over.’
            When she finally did resume the conversation, Amber redirected her disdain elsewhere. “Is that what everyone talks about when I’m not invited to rehearsal? All the hoops I need to jump through to be considered ‘safe’ to work with? Maybe I should cast myself as the villain in this play trying to steal everyone’s virtue. That seems to be the only thing anyone expects of me.”
            “Wow... I get why you’d think that, but you’re wrong. I can only speak for myself here, but even when you left as Carmen all those years ago, I never thought of you like that.”
            After her pulse calmed down and she took a few deep breaths, Amber replied, “I know. That’s why I picked you to do a routine with. You’re a good listener. And I can’t begin to say how much I appreciate it.” She raised an eyebrow at the bags. “All that food is probably cold by now.”
            “Yeah, I should go. Good thing Alejandro installed that microwave.”
            Amber smiled at the mention of his name and quickly added, “By the way, if Talia was interested in any sort of update from me, you just got it. But I’m not doing it without Emilia.”
            The blood rushed back to Vanessa’s face. “How did you...”
            “Your face is too easy to read. You jumped out of your skin when you saw me. You clearly had something to tell me and you were afraid of what I’d have to say.”
            “Ok, I’ll tell her, but I don’t think she’s going to budge. I thought she’d be more agreeable once she got together with Juan Paulo, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.”
            “Come on, this is Talia we’re talking about. Did you expect anything less?”
            Vanessa could only answer with a sigh and a halfhearted shrug before beginning the trip back.