III. Back At London
7.
Rachel was in London for less than a month but she already wished she could go back to Portugal. It had been one of those life changing experiences, she never thought she would get so easily attached to that place and those people.
She had got used to the fame. Even though she wasn’t exactly a big spender or someone that demanded luxury she was realizing now how much she had grown accustomed to that lifestyle. She had forgotten how good it felt to walk around in the streets without being haunted by paparazzi or always having to worry about what the media was going to say about her and what she was doing. People would still recognize her there, they would come to her, sing her songs and even ask for autographs, but it wasn’t frenzy like in the UK.
The volunteer work, being with those kids and their families was so rewarding. She still loved what she was doing. Music had been her passion since she was a little child. She loved not only singing, but writing and performing. She wouldn’t trade it for the world. She enjoyed the TV job as well. She had the opportunity to help young talents to achieve their dreams, but it didn’t seem enough anymore.
She was distracted by these thoughts when the phone rang. It was Dee.
“Hi, honey, how are you?” – Rachel asked, glad she had called.
“Good” – she heard from the other side of the line – “So what have you been up to?”
Rachel told her the latest gossip from the studio set and the latest stories the tabloids were printing about her. When Rachel first started in the business she strived to read everything the media would write about her, but soon she realized that it would drive her insane. Nowadays, Rachel usually tried to be oblivious to all of that, but every once in a while she would hear crazy stories about herself. Some were very disturbing but others were so silly they were actually quite amusing.
Then she told Dee how she was planning to get some work done on her house – “I got inspired by the spirit of ValSocial I guess, however I can’t do it on my own. I thought about it, but the filming schedule is ridiculous. Plus it’s not just painting, some stuff really needs to be fixed. I just have to find someone trust worthy” – she sighed. She had bad experience with previous workers she had hired.
“You know who could help you?” – Dee asked – “David.”
“David?” – after that day at the hospital Rachel had never seen nor talked about David again. She had asked Dee about Lea’s health a few times and knew she was recovering, but that was it.
“Yeah. Didn’t I tell you he is in London? I must have forgotten” – she said replying to her own question – “he nailed an internship at a Haven pond School, and he’ll be finishing his degree there.”
Rachel didn’t even know he was studying – “That’s cool. How long has he been here?”
“Two or three days” – she said – “not much. He’s still getting settled.”
“Nice. Well, let me know if he needs some help around here.
Is Lea coming too?”
“I definitely will. No, she’s still doing her treatments and getting used to us and she’s just now starting to feel at home. Make her move again would be brutal” – Dee explained.
“That has to be hard for David” – Rachel claimed. She remembered how bad he seemed to want to take care of Lea.
“It’s going to be tough” – Dee agreed – “To be honest, he didn’t even want to go. He applied to it way before he knew anything about Lea. When he had nothing to keep him here.”
“It’s a good opportunity though” – Rachel stated.
“I know. That’s what I told him. Plus, London is not that far” – Dee continued – “anyway, they provide him food and accommodation, but I know he intends to find some extra job to save some money for Lea and since you need help…”
“Really, do you think he would do it?” – Rachel asked interested. She wasn’t home most of the time, and it was always hard to find someone she could trust, plus she had to admit she kind of liked David.
“I don’t see why not, but let me talk to him first and I’ll let you know, okay?”