Chapter 17
Tim
Second weekend filming, Saturday
“So, Yuxi shamed you into stepping up?” I asked Solomon a week later.
Solomon sluggishly lifted the wheelbarrow I’d piled high with old fixtures that needed to be taken out to the recycling. Yuxi was outside with Tabs, emptying the first load.
My brain and body felt as tired as he looked after a week of working on this house while Tabs was at her newspaper job in London.
Over the last five days, I’d fixed the roof and guttering, finished the bedrooms, and worked on the bathrooms. That was in between running my own business building other homes, rugby practices, and racing home to check on Mum.
I slept fitfully, as she sometimes woke up confused and tripped over furniture.
Solomon grunted at my question about Yuxi. “Yeah, she insisted on signing whatever forms needed to do physical work. So, I had to too.” He didn’t seem terribly happy about it, and his shoulders slumped as he impatiently brushed dust from his knees.
“Well, your jeans are nice. Freshly pressed, I notice.” So fresh they had knife-sharp lines down the front.
“My mother,” he said without a hint of embarrassment.
“Your mother irons your clothes?”
“Well, she pays for a housekeeper. Who also cooks dinner, tidies my room, and washes and irons my clothes. Yeah, why?”
I was just about to give him shit, when I realized I lived at home too, and my mum cleaned the house and did my washing. I was totally turning into a basement dweller.
“I noticed no positive pics or vids of Tabs on the production company’s socials,” I said, a tightness pulling at my chest at more mean comments that had been posted.
“Yeah, I’m sorry. Mum obviously nixed all of them.
I know not to ask or question her, because that could make her suspicious.
I’ll keep trying, but I wouldn’t hold your breath.
My mother will do anything for her talented son, but when it comes to the biz, she’s brutal.
She only cares about ratings and will feed anyone to the wolves. ”
Shit. My head buzzed. That was kind of scary and, at the same time, pissed me off and made me feel powerless and out of control. I fucking hated that feeling. I was used to being in charge and taking action.
But I sensed there was no point haranguing Solomon about it. He was doing what he could. I would start calling and emailing the execs on the show, try to get the comments taken down, and block mean comments going forward.
“So is Yuxi impressed with you hauling stuff?”
“Yeah, she was actually flirting with me just before.” His whole demeanor changed, his face flushed, and he stood taller, obviously fucking delighted with himself.
I gave him a long look. “Told you so.”
He returned my look. “OK boomer.”