Machine by Normandie Alleman
24
Dynassy
“I forbidyou from seeing him.” Lucinda had flown to Milan after the story broke in the states about Bridger’s business. And now she was spewing her thoughts and opinions at me, regardless of my lack of interest in hearing them.
“That’s ridiculous, Mother. You can’t forbid me from doing anything. I’m twenty-four years old.”
“I’m warning you, this man is not a good idea,” Lucinda spouted, carrying her gin and tonic to a couch in her suite and plopping down on it. It wasn’t lost on me that she didn’t offer me a drink.
“I’m an adult. I can make my own decisions.” I straightened my spine. Tim Gunn had taught me at a young age to pretend as though you were a puppet with a string that runs from the top of your head all the way down through your body. Right now, I pretended that a puppeteer in the sky was tugging on my string, pulling my head as high and proud as possible to the heavens.
My mother would not make me ashamed for dating Bridger. The man was a hero, for goodness sakes.
“Dynassy, the audience is not going to warm to a guy who makes porn.”
“I don’t really care what the audience thinks.” I wasn’t sure if that was true, or if I was just being rebellious, but I said it with conviction.
“They are just starting to forgive you for that nonsense where you stepped on the homeless man.”
“I didn’t step on the homeless man!” I repeated for what felt like the millionth time.
Lucinda shook her head. “After all we’ve done this summer to try to make them forget that, it’s as though you don’t even care.”
It was like I’d never said anything.
“Mom, these are your concerns. You’re worried about your career, your show. I’m essentially a model. No one cares what models do as long as they look good in the clothes and they sell things.”
“That is the most asinine thing I’ve ever heard. Of course your employers care. When you are wearing someone’s clothes, you are representing their brand, and no one wants to be associated with pornography. It’s sleazy and trashy. Completely inconsistent with our brand, my dear. I’m sorry, but it’s true.”
“That is so old fashioned mother.” I knew she had a point, but I really didn’t want to hear what she had to say. I was falling in love with Bridger, and his career choice didn’t necessarily have to be the end of our relationship.
“Of course you have to ditch him. ‘The Barnes Bunch’ is losing sponsorships, do you realize this?”
Oh crap. “What sponsors?”
“Um, both of the feminine hygiene sponsors have bowed out, and one of the cereal companies is threatening to.”
That was bad news. Those were some of the main sponsors for our show. “Who knew cereal companies were anti-porn?” I laughed, but it came out hollow.
“Everyone hates porn,” Lucinda snapped. “Except when they are home alone on the computer.”
“Isn’t that the truth?”
“But publicly you have to hate it. It’s the world we live in, sweetie.”
“But Mom, Bridger is a good guy. He’s not a bad person like the media are making him out to be.”
“Dynassy, I don’t have a problem with him personally. He seemed perfectly nice when I was around him, but darling, this is a business we are running here, and while I do like a little attention from the media now and then, this is not the kind we want.”
“But don’t they say that no press is bad press?” I cringed as I awaited her response.
“Ha. Ha,” she said sarcastically, rather than actually laughing. “You can make jokes all you want, but I’m thinking not only about my show, but also your siblings. This family. We do not need to be associated with something as low-class as pornography. Your brother and sister sell records to young people. Your other brother may be an athlete, but he’s also in the entertainment business, and no one wants their children to be associated with porn. And Nick sells a lot of products to kids. Honey, this is not just about you. This is about your brothers and sister too.”
“Okay, I get it, but what do you want me to do?”
“I want you to put your family first. I want you to think about what can happen to your brothers’ and your sister’s careers, not to mention this family, if you do not denounce him and what he does.”
“I don’t know if I can do that.”
“Well, you’d better think about what will happen to us all if you don’t.”
