“What on earth made you think of that, Tina?” I ask, shocked at her statement.
“I forget how many years it’s been now,” she mumbles to herself. “I tell you what brought it about, you’d mentioned that there were quite a few stunt scenes in this new part of yours. Then, behold, that very next day after you told me, I spotted your father in an old movie. He’d have been perfect for your stunts because you’re his spitting image.”
“Other than he being much older than me, Tina, I doubt I’d want to use my own father for my stunts,” I respond.
I’m somewhat puzzled by my mother bringing up this topic at all. She never talks about him, well, not with me anyway.
“Yes, but he was very handsome in his heyday. Otherwise, I’d never have chosen him to be your father, would I?”
“You make him sound like a commodity, Tina. He was a person, not a baby producing machine,” I add.
“Oh, don’t be so crude, dear,” she says, squinting back at me. “ I was very fond of him.”
“Tina, everyone knows that you only wanted to have a baby by him,” I say, watching her scowl at me. “Don’t look at me like that, it’s common knowledge. How do you think it makes me feel whenever I hear his name pop up?”
“Who’s going to talk about him these days?” she asks. “His time of fame was years ago.”
“He was only the greatest stunt man ever,” I remark. “Of course people still talk about him. He was an adrenaline junkie and he’d perform any stunt on earth, no matter how dangerous it was.”
“Well, I always thought him brave,” she mutters.
“Yeah, and that so-called bravery got him killed,” I retort.
“You shouldn’t talk about your father like that,” she chides. “Show some respect for the dead.”
“Tina, I only met the man a dozen times! If that. It’s hard to respect someone you hardly know.”
“He was a nice enough man,” she says. “I thought about marrying him but then he was such a womanizer too, so I thought better of it.”
“I’ll say he was,” I nod. “Whenever I saw him he had a different woman on his arm. Chances are I most likely have hundreds of siblings out there, if only we knew the truth of it.”
“You’re so crude when you talk about your father. You should try to find some fond memory of him. I have a few if you want to borrow one.”
“How can I envisage your memories, Tina? You’re going a little nuts in your aging years. Anyway, I don’t have any bad memories of him, so that must be a good thing.”
“I suppose,” she tuts at me. “You say we’re dining with Brett and Sarah tonight?” She changes the topic of discussion, thank goodness.
“Yes, and don’t bring up that topic, will you. It’s kind of accepted that I’m fatherless, let’s keep it that way.”
“At least you turned out well, dear,” she says, giving me one of her famous motherly smiles.
“I did at that, Tina, thanks to you,” I tell her. “I wouldn’t change you for all the gold in the world.”
“It’s good that you don’t blame me, Adam. You could, you know, but you never do.”
“Why should I? I had a very happy childhood and I’m thankful for that. Now, drink up so you can get some rest before dinner.”
Tessa
I received a strange call from Adam’s mother, last night. She informed me that she’d arrived in New York to be with her son. There was no need to let me know that but it looks like she’s trying to get us talking again. Tina likes to play the grande dame, both in the movies and in real life, but she isn’t actually that old.
Sometimes, she seems to be going a little nuts as she ages. And then, out of the blue, she starts to talk about Adam’s father.
Those who knew them understood that Tina had no intention of ever marrying Ricky Robinson. She had a short amorous liaison with him but it became well-known that all she wanted was his child. He was famous in his own rights, as one of the world’s greatest and most daring stuntmen. He tragically lost his life when a stunt went wrong, which many believe is how he would have wanted to go.
Adam never talks about him as he never knew him that well, having only met him a few times when he was young. Even then it was only if they bumped into each other. Tina never allowed Ricky to publicly acknowledge that Adam was his son. Of course, if he’d wanted to, he could have taken it to court and demanded rights to see his child. He never did though, as he enjoyed a single life living his dream.
For Adam, it didn’t matter, his mother gave him everything he needed. She was a good mother, I’ll give her that. She’s a very likable woman and her son means everything to her. Tina will stop at nothing to ensure his happiness. In a way, it’s spoiled Adam, making him believe in his own self-importance. He does like to be the center of attention but not in the public eye, but if anything he’s a little shy in public. He’s the sort of person who expects family and friends to acknowledge his fame. It works out fine because his family loves him. They’re happy to allow his outgoing personality to shine through.
Anyway, I digress, back to my phone conversation. Tina started talking to me about Ricky Robinson as if he were some kind of long lost lover of hers, which he wasn’t. She started going on about the importance of marriage, even though she’s remained single all her life. It was an awkward conversation, so I listened more than I participated. Goodness knows why Tina would want to talk to me about Adam’s father. Though I have to say, she sounded quite regretful for not letting him into her life.
That led to a conversation about Peter, who was one of Ricky’s entourage at the time. He now works for Adam. In a way, Adam sees him as a bit of a father figure. He’s a great guy but always keeps himself in the background, so it’s easy to forget he’s there. Adam took him on as his PA and personal bodyguard. I guess he does everything for Adam, from driving him around to protecting his life. Not that Adam has ever been in any dangerous situation. If he were, you can guarantee Peter would be there to save his ass.
I managed to move the conversation on a bit. We started to discuss Brett and Jason’s impending double wedding. That should have cheered her a little, but instead had the opposite effect. Bringing that up was my doing. Because then she started going on about how Adam should be settling down to marriage too. If he knew his mother was thinking like that, he’d hit the roof. Adam believes that marriage is an outdated social construct. He would tell you that it’s not necessary for any modern relationship. His career always comes first, and personal relationships only exist to help relieve tensions in his life. The ironic thing is that it was Tina who taught him that philosophy. Now, she seems to have changed her tune, and to that end, she’s pressing me to contact him. I won’t be doing that anytime soon, but she seems to have a deaf ear on my side of the story.
“Darling, a famous actor needs a strong partner by their side,” she tells me. “Adam needs you, Tessa, to be his strong partner.”
After a few attempts to try and make her see that I have my own career goals, I gave up the ghost. It seems that she doesn’t acknowledge my fame. I’m sort of getting the impression that she’d love me to give up my own goals, for the sake of her son’s. Hmmm...my own belief is that we should meet each other halfway, but that’s not going to happen. I am somewhat confused as I do want to be with him but I won’t be an empty shell with no goals in life.