7
And that leaves Carmine. I was part of the walking dead when I finally knew that I could reach Carmine, and when I called her, she had just returned to Rho house, and to be honest, tonight, I miss Rho house.
“Carmine, I love you, and I miss you, and I want the best for you and…”
“Oh Shannon, you are a bit over the top sometimes… but I love you and miss you and wish you were here with me.”
“Carmine, first, how is your mother?”
“Not good, love. Mom is OK, but it looks like the alcohol has caught up with her. Her main issue is alcohol, but the doctors say that could also be the drugs she used over the years. Too many years of hard living have caught up to her.”
“Is she in the home?”
“Shannon, she will never leave the home. We put her house on the market, not that it will bring in that much, and the gang at the bar she worked at is doing some fundraising to help pay for her care. But Shannon, I am terrified that I will have to drop out of school to get a job.
I wonder if I were not in school, if Ellen could find me more modeling.”
“Carmine, you are not leaving school, not if you want to continue.”
“Money, Shannon, it is about money now.”
“How much is the home?”
“Above what the government, like Medicare and Medicaid, and the state will pay? About $60K a year. And that will wipe out what Ellen was talking about.”
“OK, I will pay it.”
“No, you will not pay for my mother; this is my problem, and what you earn. You have expenses also, Shannon.”
Now, I want to add something here. I have been a bit… well, a bit not totally forthcoming on what I am making in Europe. I allowed Carmine to think what she wanted to keep from adding pressure to our relationship.
“Carmine, I can handle it, OK? Carmine, what you do not know is that I signed a contract last night for a week's shoot over and above what you know about.”
“What are you talking about? Is this more with Byron?”
“No, Carmine, it is not with Byron. Byron found me the work, so it is direct to the agency that will use me, and that means that Ellen gets her cut. But Carmine, I can afford your mom’s care.”
“How?”
“Carmine, I signed for $2 million for ten days of shooting in late February somewhere in the UAE at some private resort. I will be shooting for Prestige Brands, which is a UAE luxury brand that Byron designs and manufactures casual clothing for. But this is not for Byron,
but directly for Prestige Brands.”
“How much did you say?”
“Carmine, the contract for the shoot, and there are residuals, but for a small luxury brand, they are very thin, so the upfront is a lot higher. Ten days in front of the cameras, two million US, and a signing bonus.”
“So, Carmine, this is not theoretical. Mom and Dad are going to fly over tonight and meet with Byron in the morning, and then with the firm I signed with to deal with all of the business end of things.”
“And you said a signing bonus?”
“OK, you are going to love this part. Carmine, I negotiated the signing bonus and asked for two new cars. One for me and one for you. Yours will be in your name, but under my insurance. And as such, you will no longer have to worry about finding a way to visit your mother.
Or to go to some model search at some random mall.”
“Shannon, you are kidding me, right? You really signed, and as a bonus, they are giving you two cars?”
“Yes, I did.”
“And are they new cars?”
“Absolutely.”
“And are they nice cars? I mean, like a Volkswagen or something like that? I assume that they are European since this happened in England…”
“Well, German actually, and technically I think made by Volkswagen, but that is not the branded label on them.”
“Shannon, what color?”
“Yours is gold-toned. I have not actually seen the car, but I have seen a photo of it. And mine is silver-toned.”
“Are they the same?”
“Well, kind of, the same design and chassis, but different engines, interiors; however, they pretty much look the same from the outside.”
“What is the difference, love?”
“Mine is a performance version, a lot more horsepower, tighter handling, you know, a bit more of a toy, and yours is more luxury, better interior, quieter, still performance, but not rally car level.”
“Cool, and when are they coming? Soon?”
“Carmine, they are in New York, and are being prepped with a few changes made that the buyer requested. Remember, these are both, in essence, gifts to me for signing the contract.”
“What are they, Shannon? Have I ever heard of them, or are they some odd European thing?”
“Carmine, sitting down?”
“Yes, why do I need to?”
“Anyone with you?”
“Yes, a few of the girls. I am in our room with the door open, and they know I am talking to you.”
“Are you on some speakerphone?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Carmine, you are getting a brand-new Porsche 911 sports car in a luxury package. It is a gold-toned exterior and black leather interior, and beyond that? Well, congratulations, you have what is known as a supercar.”
“Shannon, you are kidding, right? Tell me this is a joke?”
“Carmine, this is not a joke; the entire signing bonus is worth more than the contract. It was or is done this way, as Ellen does not get part of the signing bonus, only the modeling fees. And I negotiated for both the fees and parts of the bonus.”
Maria was there, and in the background, I heard, “What else did you get? Anything I would want to borrow?”
So, I had to… well, OK, I can be a bit cruel at times.
“OK, I got a gown, silver thread or wire lame, and it retails for about $200K in Dubai, where it is exclusive to a few shops, Prestige Brand. Of course, I will be photographed in that one, part of the contract. But the gown was fitted to me when it was presented to me,
and I had to wear it for the meeting with the men who hired me. And it also came with a full-length arctic fox coat. Remember, this is a gift in essence, and I had no choice, so don’t jump me on this one. And let’s see, there was the jewelry thing.”
I could hear in the background from someone, “What is a jewelry thing?”
“Well, it is in a flat box, satin-lined in royal blue. The box contains a ring with a solitaire, a bracelet about three-quarter inches wide, a pair of earrings with a large center stone, which are long drops, and a choker or necklace type of thing; you have to see it to understand it.
I don’t have the right words.”
“What’s the metal? Gold, I hope?”
That too came from the background.
“I think it is called platinum or something…”
I was being coy at this point, and yes, damn right I was enjoying myself.
“And the stones?”
“Well, Mom and Dad are going to take it with some of Byron's staff tomorrow and have it appraised and insured, but we think some thirty to forty carats of diamonds, all high-grade white.”
There was a dead silence.
“Shannon, do you have a photo of this set?”
“No, whoever asked, but let me take one and text it to Carmine.”
Which I did, then I photographed the dress and the coat and sent them also.
You just have to love cell phones.
“OMG, OH MY FUCKING GOD!!!!!”
“Shannon, what is that jewelry worth?”
“Well, Byron knows stuff, and he estimates that at the resort in Dubai, one of their jewelry stores, a similar set, and they stock these seriously, a similar set should be somewhere over 2 million for the jewelry, and as much as 3.5 million. The cars and the dress and the coat,
and there is a bag that is covered in gemstones that I do not know what it is, but the rest of the bonus is about a million total. Now, in New York or London, it would be less, a lot less, but since this is from Dubai, the evaluations are the purchase price at the vendor,
not what it is worth in New York. For tax purposes, it will be evaluated in London as I took possession of the dress, bag, coat, and jewelry last night.”
“You have all of this?”
“I have all of this, and that is why my parents are flying over, because I have all of this and it is in my apartment, as they say here, in my flat. And it needs to be taken care of, and I have to be in the studio at 7, and it is almost 11 here now.”