Debut, p.26
Debut, page 26
“You should have double-checked. I thought we could head home sooner by getting an early start.”
“What should we do?” asked June.
“We wait,” said Grace. “What else is there?”
Sun-hee, Erin, and Mindy claimed spots on the one bench outside the shop. Without better alternatives, Grace, Heather, and June returned to the Shepard family minivan they had borrowed from Steve’s parents, who had gone to church. The doors and windows were flung open for circulation. It was early, but the Arizona sun shone bright, harkening the searing it would dish out later in the day.
Vanessa paced impatiently. At one point, she simply walked away.
Though Grace was relieved to be free of Ness’ annoying behavior, she didn’t want the group to disperse too far, even for a few minutes. “Where are you going?”
Vanessa turned long enough to shout, “Just looking around.”
“Don’t go far, or we’ll leave you behind.”
Vanessa laughed. “You wouldn’t dare.”
Not five minutes later, she was back. “Guys, guess what I found?”
“A million bucks?” guessed Erin.
“No.”
“A pirate treasure?” suggested Mindy.
“Close. A bike-share station’s ‘round the corner.”
“And?” said Grace.
“Let’s get off our asses and live a little instead of sitting here like a buncha slugs on reds.”
“Vanessa, chill,” said Grace. “We’re recovering from yesterday.”
“Look at the weather. It’s gorgeous. The sun’s shining early. There’s a greenway half a block away. When’ll we ever be back? Come on. It’ll be fun.”
“The shop’s opening in 45 minutes,” countered Heather.
“It’s a dollar for a half hour. I’ll gladly pay a few bucks just to not watch you mope around all morning. Thirty minutes tops, and we’ll be back before it opens.”
“I mean, it is boring just sitting here,” said Erin.
“I want to see too,” said June.
Grace ignored her better instincts but had to admit that Vanessa made a good point. “All right. Who am I to defy the will of the people?”
Without further resistance, Vanessa led the way to the bicycles. Before long, the seven rode along Greenbelt, imitating the “Do-Re-Mi” bicycle scene from The Sound of Music.
“Tea, a drink with jam and bread,” sang Mindy out loud.
“Why do you get to be Liesl?” asked Erin.
“I’m your unnie, that’s why. Besides, you look more like Kurt anyway.” The other girls laughed.
“I do not.”
“Don’t feel bad, Erin,” said Grace. “Liesl’s the one who fell for a Nazi.”
More laughter. This time, Mindy was the one reacting. Gritting her teeth, she kicked the action into high gear, taking off racing to see who would follow. Vanessa was game to give chase, and soon, the others struggled to catch up. It didn’t take long for Vanessa to reach Mindy. As the most athletic member of the group, with years of intense weight training, her leg muscles were developed to the point where it took an insubstantial amount of effort to leave the others in the dust. She’d spur them towards a new destination each time they caught up. “Let’s see if we can reach that red mountain over there,” she said, pointing to one of the iconic peaks encircling Scottsdale.
“That’s too far. It’ll take too long,” said Sun-hee.
“Naw, a few minutes. Besides, Steve said we could come late. Before anyone could offer a reasonable response, she took off again. Heather could be heard shouting from the rear, “We’re supposed to be resting.”
After 20 more minutes of riding, it became apparent that the mountain they saw in the distance was much farther away than it first appeared. Vanessa, at that point, was far up ahead. Only when Grace got the remaining members to shout out her name did the mischievous one abandon her quest and return, though not fully repentant.
“It’s 9:30 already,” Grace noted. “We need to get to the bakery.”
The return trip was far less enjoyable. Now warmer, the girls were also under pressure, unlike before. Heather led the vanguard on the return, but there was far less enthusiasm to charge forward. Vanessa sullenly brought up the rear. At one point, the group stopped to debate options.
“Which way?” asked Heather.
Vanessa considered the fork and selected the rightmost path. “This way.”
“Are you sure?”
She didn’t answer, preferring to let her legs do the talking. The others followed. After another 30 minutes, it was evident she’d chosen incorrectly.
“Dammit, Nessa, you got us lost,” said Grace.
“We’re not lost. Just go back and pick the other side,” said Vanessa.
“It’s too hot. I need to rest,” said Erin.
“I saw a smoothie place nearby. Let’s stop on the way back,” suggested Mindy.
“With what money?” asked Heather.
“Grace has the debit card,” she responded.
“That’s for breakfast.”
Once again, Grace let herself get talked into going with the flow. “We can, I suppose. Just don’t order anything expensive.”
“Kale-infused, artisan kombucha in a mason jar?” observed Grace when Heather joined them with her drink. “There’s one in every group.”
“If no one volunteers to be different, I will,” responded Heather.
“These smoothies are super-duper delish,” stated Mindy.
“I know, right. Exactly what I needed,” agreed Erin.
“I thought I’d melt out there,” said Sun-hee.
“Does the card have any money left?” asked Heather.
Grace’s lips stayed glued to the end of her straw as she sipped hands-free with the cup resting on the table directly before her. Her eyes darted around to assess each member’s appetite for the truth. “Um.”
“Spit it out,” demanded Heather.
Grace made a quick set of calculations. “Well, we’re gonna have to pay extra for the bike rentals because we’re late,” Grace said.
“Yeah, and?”
“And you all ordered expensive drinks even though I told you not to.”
“Grace, get to the point.”
“I need to borrow a phone to check. Mine’s charging at the house.”
Heather turned on her phone. It started bing-binging frantically as a series of texts came through at once.
“We’re dead,” said Heather as she scanned through them. “The boys are not happy.”
“What are they saying?” asked Sun-hee.
Heather read some of the messages aloud. ‘Where are you?’ ‘We’re starving.’ ‘Are you okay?’ ‘We need help.’ ‘You’re still not here!’ ‘What the hell is going on?’ ‘We’d be done by now.’ ‘Thanks a lot.’
“We didn’t trigger the alarm; why should we clean up that mess?” said Erin.
“I mean, I do feel guilty. We’re out having fun while the guys are working,” admitted Sun-hee.
“We’re just blowing off steam after a long shoot,” said Vanessa.
“It’s not like they didn’t work hard, too,” noted Heather.
“We need to make amends somehow,” Mindy said.
Grace grabbed the phone from Heather’s hands and dialed the number on the card to check the balance. “Great,” she said upon dropping the connection. “After we pay off the bikes, there’ll be $5.37 left.”
“We need to bring food. If we arrive empty-handed on top of everything else, the guys will force us to walk back to L.A.,” advised Mindy.
“What can we buy with $5.37?” asked Erin.
“I have an idea,” offered Sun-hee. “We need to find a grocery store, though.”
24
TRICKS ARE FOR KIDS
Steve watched nervously as the minder from the jet hangar company inspected the facility. The film crew had spent all morning cleaning up the mess from the night before. Fortunately, some quick-thinking grips covered the most sensitive film equipment, preventing terrible damage in that department. Things weren’t looking as promising for the facility itself.
The minder continued to tally up numbers on his checklist. “Fortunately, sprinkler activation was contained to the hangar itself,” said the minder. “If the office had gone too, we’d be looking at a whole lot worse.” He photocopied the list and handed it to Steve. The total came to $1,846, which he was now liable for. It was not a cataclysmic amount but another expense that took away from the rapidly depleting budget. That prize money was looking better all the time. Steve complained about their missed breakfast as the minder left to process the payment. “I feel bad I couldn’t get you guys fed. The girls dropped the ball big time.”
“Did you ever get a hold of them?” asked Dalton.
“I’ve been texting all morning. No answer,” said Steve.
“Maybe something happened?” said Toby.
“No idea, but I’m starving,” said Stan.
“Food was supposed to be here hours ago. Sorry guys, I was counting on their help.” Just then, his phone vibrated, indicating an incoming text. “It’s from Heather.” Steve read it, then groaned. “You’re never gonna believe this. They went bike riding.”
“Bike riding? Is this a vacation to them?”
“That really pisses me off,” said Malcolm.
“That’s what the message says,” explained Steve.
“They did it on purpose, I bet,” added Dalton.
“We toil while they go on a joyride,” said Toby. “I’m ballistic.”
Steve shut off his phone. “I say screw it. Once I get my card back, let’s go grab lunch.”
Steve arrived at his parents’ house later that afternoon. The minivan in the driveway signaled the band members had returned from their escapade. His crew had eaten their fill at Miguel’s Taqueria. The meal had put them all in a better mood, but they weren’t ready to forgive the girls for their transgression. “Okay, here’s the deal,” he explained. “We need to present a unified front. Be tough. Don’t let them off easy. They need to know their behavior was unacceptable.”
“You got that right,” said Malcolm.
“They left us in the lurch,” said Dalton.
“They’re not getting away with this,” added Toby.
“Listen up,” Steve said. “We go inside, pack the equipment, and load the vehicles for the trip home. Don’t say a word. Give them the ol’ silent treatment. Make them worry. Force them to respond. Capiche?” The crew nodded enthusiastically. “My parents are out Eastering, so the girls won’t be able to use them as a shield. This is our chance. Let’s roll.”
As they bounded across the driveway and through the front door, initial reconnaissance suggested they were in the clear. The crew set to work on their assigned tasks. Steve knelt on the floor, separating cables according to size and type. Dalton and Toby tended to the camera while Stan and Malcolm packed the grip equipment. Just as Steve was wondering where the girls were, the ambush was sprung.
“You’re here!” said Grace excitedly as she entered the living room, followed soon after that by her groupmates. Steve refused to look up and relied on his peripheral vision to note that they came bearing gifts. He purposefully focused on the task at hand to avoid paying his adversaries any undue attention.
Despite only glimpsing her from the knees down, he recognized Heather as she approached. “Are you mad?” she giggled, though not mockingly.
Steve was determined not to send a message and refused to respond. Unfortunately, his band of merry men proved their pre-encounter bark was worse than their bite. Exposed to the heat of battle, they began withering instantly.
“Where were you?” asked Toby from his position near the living room window. Toby, you idiot. What’s wrong with you? Steve wasn’t sure who Toby was talking to, but gauging from the tone of his voice, it didn’t sound promising. Cracks were already forming in their supposedly ironclad façade.
“We made you treats,” Sun-hee said brightly. Steve couldn’t resist any longer. He snuck a glance out of the corner of his eye and observed Sun-hee presenting two wrapped confections of some sort, one in each hand shown to both Dalton and Toby. Don’t you dare take those, you morons!
When Dalton pointed at him, Steve averted his gaze and narrowly avoided being sucked into the vortex. Heather, meanwhile, was pulling on Steve’s left arm to get him to acknowledge her directly. He continued to ignore her. A terse “What?” is all he could muster in response.
“We want to apologize for our behavior this morning. We made you dalgona. It’s a Korean sweet candy. Taste one.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I’m not hungry. We ate.”
“Take a bite. It’s splendid.”
“I’ll have one later.”
“They’ll be gone later.”
His mates were similarly being worked over by the other girls. Their assault was total and unforgiving. His beleaguered crew was faltering quickly. Sun-hee communicated in Korean to Heather, who released the sweet from its crinkly envelope. She leaned towards Steve and placed it near his mouth. Its baked, sugary scent filled his nostrils. Resist, Steve. If you take their gift, you’re done for. He pushed her arm away. Heather laughed like a mother dealing with a petulant child.
“Well, since you went through the trouble of making them, the least I could do is sample one,” he heard Malcolm say. That damn backstabber.
Stan was now complimenting June. “You must’ve worked hard to make these. They look beautiful!” These guys are hopeless.
“Wow, these are delicious,” said Dalton. Et tu, Brute?
One by one, they bravely fell to the Made in Heaven charm offensive. Soon, an armistice was called. Heather opted to seal a formal peace agreement with another offering of freshly wrapped dalgona. This time, Steve found himself relenting, too. He didn’t want to push Heather to the point of being upset with him. Besides, his entire crew was already enjoying their treats. All talk of silent treatments and unified fronts had been replaced by discussions of key ingredients and preparation techniques.
Heather’s dalgona was wrapped in gold-colored cellophane and tied with a red twist. It resembled a sizeable, thin lollipop the color of a pancake. Into it, a heart-shaped pattern had been carefully pressed.
“If you eat around the heart without breaking it, I’ll give you another.” Heather issued this promise with a flutter of her eyelashes. Further resistance was futile.
The time came to return to L.A. “Thanks, Steve,” said Vanessa, “but Sun-hee and I decided we’d like to live a little longer. We’ll take the van this time.”
“No, I understand. I recognize my car has some serious shortcomings,” he said. “I don’t blame you.”
“Will you go by yourself?” asked Sun-hee.
“I can go with him,” said Heather. “I don’t mind.”
Sun-hee offered a meek “Thanks,” appearing to immediately regret her decision.
When it came time to leave, the seven members gathered around Steve’s parents to thank them for their hospitality. Mr. Shepard received extra special attention.
“We’re glad we finally got to meet Steve’s father,” said Erin.
“Yeah, now we know where he got his handsome looks from,” said Grace.
One by one, they kissed him on the cheek, sometimes two at a time. When June took her turn, Mr. Shepard nearly melted into a puddle on the sidewalk. Heather and Steve walked to his car as the rest of the group climbed into the waiting van.
“What the hell was that all about?” Steve asked.
“Your dad’s been so sweet the whole time,” Heather admitted.
“He’s still shocked that I brought seven girls on this trip. Y’all almost gave him a heart attack.” He shook his head in disbelief.
Together, they climbed into the Torino, which had been sitting in the Phoenix sun for several hours. “This is how Hansel and Gretel must’ve felt,” Heather said.
Rolling down the windows helped a smidge, so long as the car kept moving. “Do you know how Phoenix got its name?” asked Steve as they struggled through the late holiday traffic.
“From the mythological phoenix, I assume.”
“That’s what most people think, but in reality, it’s from all the birds bursting into flame mid-flight due to the relentless summer heat.”
This elicited a laugh from Heather. The exchange helped take her mind off the weather, however briefly. Waiting at traffic signals stung the most. Steve responded by turning the fan on full blast. That merely transposed the inferno from the outside to the inside.
As they were in the process of being broiled alive, Heather asked a sly question. “You guys didn’t think it would be that easy to resist a K-Pop girl group in full charm mode, did you? We’re professionals. We have standards to maintain.”
Steve thought about this for a while. “You know, for a second there, yeah, we kinda did.”
“Silly rabbit.”
Steve looked askance at Heather, who wore an impish grin. He couldn’t believe he had fallen into her trap. And a movie-related one at that. “Oh, no. I’m not taking the bait. There’s no way in hell I’m allowing myself to be out movie-referenced by a K-Pop singer.”
A block before the freeway onramp, Steve pulled into a convenience store to acquire supplies for the road. After they had stocked enough sodas, chips, and candy for the journey, he asked her if she was “Ready to roll?”
“Let’s do this.”
After roaring past downtown Phoenix, the Torino punched its way through the western suburbs. Miles of nondescript mini-malls and cookie-cutter subdivisions pummeled them before they finally reached the untouched desert. “Full tank, cold drinks, open road. Whatta you say we crank some music?”Steve turned on the radio and initially encountered static. The first clear signal he found was a classic rock station emerging from a commercial break. The crunchily distinctive opening guitar chords immediately signaled the song that would start their road trip, AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell.” Steve smirked at the irony.
