“How can you turn your back on your own daughter?” Christy asked, aghast.
“You’ve obviously never raised a teenage girl or you’d understand,” she said.
“No, I’ll never understand abandoning your own child.”
“Look, Christy, I’m a newlywed, okay? My husband has no interest in being Ali’s stepfather. I’m not going to risk my new marriage over a daughter who doesn’t appreciate anything I do for her.”
Suzanna turned and stepped into the elevator. Christy started to follow. “Don’t!” Suzanna commanded. “I’ll send her things tomorrow.” The door shut in Christy’s face.
Christy stood in front of the elevator, in shock that a mother could so cavalierly dispose of her child. She had to admit that there had been a few dark days when she secretly wished Renata had never come into her life. That she and Michael could have their old carefree lives back. But she’d never abandon Renata. Never.
Christy left Suzanna’s building and started to run across Central Park. “Shit,” she said, stopping short when she realized she was still carrying Suzanna’s shopping bags. She walked over to a bench and set them down. What is all this, she wondered, digging through the tissue paper. A cashmere sweater. Luscious Tasmanian woolen pants. A black fur jacket. She’d spent a fortune on herself, and on Ali’s birthday no less. Christy shook her head.
A thin homeless woman approached her. “Excuse me, ma’am, spare some change? A quarter, a nickel, even a penny?”
Christy looked at the small weather-beaten woman. Her hard life had given her naturally what Suzanna probably paid trainers and surgeons thousands of dollars a year to achieve—a slender body and strong muscles. How ironic, Christy thought. “Here,” she said, handing her the bags. “Wear it in good health.”
DEAR DIARY,
LOTS OF NEWS!!! MICHAEL’S DAUGHTER ALI IS LIVING WITH US NOW. HER STEPFATHER DOESN’T LOVE HER SO SHE MOVED IN WITH US. THAT IS SO SAD. MICHAEL HAS BEEN DOING LOTS OF STUFF WITH HER SINCE SHE CAME. I’M THINKING MAYBE HE’LL START SPENDING TIME WITH ME TOO. ALI IS RECOVERING FROM PLASTIC SURGERY AND SAYS SHES GOING TO LOOK JUST LIKE CHRISTINA AGULARI WHEN THEY TAKE HER BANDAGES OFF. THAT IS SO COOL. I’M GETTING PLASTIC SURGERY WHEN I’M 16 TOO.
CHRISTY WAS ON THE ROBERT BECK SHOW THE OTHER NIGHT. WHEN I TOLD HER HOW GOOD SHE DID, SHE CRIED. SHE’S BEEN REAL UPSET SINCE SHE DID THAT SHOW. I’M NOT SURE IF ITS BECAUSE ALI SHOWED UP OR BECAUSE OF THAT STUPID TALK SHOW. THE TRUTH IS, THE TV CALLERS WERE MEAN TO HER. NECTAR SAYS IF YOU CAN’T SAY ANYTHING NICE YOU SHOULD KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT AND I AGREE.
AND THERE’S MORE!!! SCOTTIE CHILDS AND HER HUSBAND ARE COMING TO DINNER TOMMORROW. STEPHANIE’S PARENTS ARE COMING TOO. HER MOTHER IS SUCH A BICH (PARDON MY FRENCH).
SINCERELY,
RENATA
Ouch, She Did It Again
There was a sharp knock on the bedroom door Friday morning. Christy dragged herself out of bed to open it. Eve stood outside, looking nervous.
“What is it?” Christy asked.
“Here,” she said, shoving the Financial Journal into her hand. “There’s an article about Katherine and Baby G that you might want to see.”
“Thanks.” Christy walked over to her stuffed chair and sat down to read.
BABY G SOARS UNDER NEW LEADERSHIP
by Dan Edwards
Christy Hayes may have founded Baby G, but the company is doing very well without her, thank you very much. In the short time since she left, the stock price is up 25 percent.
Since the day she took over, Katherine Kilborn, the new CEO, has shaken things up. The company has moved all its manufacturing to India. In announcing the relocation, Ms. Kilborn said that the move will allow the company to lower their cost for goods by 15 percent. “It should have happened years ago,” says Jeremy Moran, a Goldman Sachs retail analyst. A smashing new advertising campaign was initiated, using fresh Olympic hopefuls instead of their former in-house Olympian, Hayes. Yesterday, the company announced that it was purchasing Rocky Mountain Wellness, a $60 million chain of health clubs located throughout the western United States.
Rumors abound that Baby G is ripe for a takeover. Should that happen, Ms. Kilborn stands to make a fortune given the options she has accumulated since the company went public and the large stock position she has taken in the weeks since she was named CEO. While Christy Hayes Drummond can be seen on every talk show evangelizing about her resurrection as a born-again housewife, Katherine Kilborn has focused her Harvard-trained, razor-sharp mind on turning around the company that some doubt her predecessor was ever qualified to lead. Katherine Kilborn is one CEO who is going places.
Christy threw the newspaper across the room. She looked at her husband, who was still asleep. “Damn,” she said, pounding the arm of the chair over and over. “Damn, damn, damn.” Instantly, Michael was up and by her side.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
Christy looked at him and started to speak, but words wouldn’t come. She wanted to trash her bedroom like an out-of-control rock star. To break the Tiffany lamps, smash the Venetian mirrors, throw the vase of roses against the wall.
“Did someone die?” he asked.
Christy shook her head. “No, no!” She retrieved the newspaper that she’d just thrown on the floor and brought it to Michael, poking angrily at the offensive story. He read the piece.
Closing the paper, he reached for his wife and held her. “I’m sorry,” he said. “You know Katherine is behind this.”
Christy nodded but did not speak. She was so furious, she couldn’t.
“Should I have her killed for you?” Michael said.
Christy nodded. Michael continued to hold her, comforting his wife as if she were a child. “Come on now,” he said. “Cheer up. Scottie’s coming for dinner tonight, remember?”
This got Christy’s attention. She pulled away from Michael. “Nooooo! I can’t face Scottie after this.”
“Of course you can,” he said. “Scottie knows
