Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Farewell to the past
In that rough and dark bedroom, Kelly and Vi embraced each other tightly, shouting and making noise.Meanwhile, Beau sat dejectedly in the only decent chair in the room, drinking a bottle of brandy he remembered to buy on the way back, and sipping it to himself.
Kelly's behavior at this time is simply like a crazy little girl.She took the old clothes out of the closet one by one and threw them all over the room like confetti at a wedding.
A few times she came over to kiss Bo, and Bo smiled back and asked her to have a drink too.
She still didn't drink, and said, "I'm drunk with such good luck. Vi, I'm rich!"
The landlady came upstairs to find out what the fuss was all about, and Kelly announced the good news in a burst of machine-gun fire, the landlady's cloudy eyes There was at once a certain air of sophistication and deceit.
"Imagine it!" she said, twitting her tongue. "Imagine—an heiress! My God!"
Beau sent her away.
"She's going to get all the reporters in town here tomorrow morning," he said. "Kelly, be quiet. Those people are going to tear you apart."
"Let them do what they want. I love them all! I love the whole world!"
"Pooper!" Vie screamed. "Kelly, he's jealous!"
"Ellery, you won't!"
"I guess I am," Beau said. "Yeah, jealousy. Jealousy of one-half of that fifteen million dollars."
"Oh, honey, come on! You'll always be my Santa—he's a pretty Santa, isn't he, V? Honey, I won't forget you ever—"
"That's enough," Beau yelled angrily, "don't think you can do me any favors!"
"But I don't. I just want everyone to share my good luck!"
This made Violet wake up: "Kelly, you are not trying to do something stupid, are you? Quinn, she will give away all the money, I know she will. She is the most gullible person in the world." ..all the bad guys in Hollywood are going to—”
"I had to help her get through the initial pain and adjust to the new situation," Beau said briefly. "My mission was to get her back to New York safely."
"You're my darling, aren't you?" Kelly said exaggeratedly. "Oh, I'm so excited! And you, V, the first thing we'll do is get you off the Casting Center list." No more extras! You're going East with me to be my—be my companion, and that's what you'll—"
"Kelly! No!"
"Okay. You're being paid—yes—no salary at all! You share everything with me!"
"Oh, Kelly." The blond girl rested her head on Kelly's chest, and tears welled up in her eyes, causing Kelly to cry too.Bo impatiently drank the remaining wine in the bottle.
Crazy night.In a strange madness, Kelly was drunk.When the night passed and the morning came, Bo looked around the messy room and saw the sun shining on the faces of the exhausted girls who were embracing each other to sleep. He couldn't help thinking curiously: Miss Kelly Shawn How would the heir to the Cole estate, the recipient of $2,500 a week on the condition that he remain unmarried, behave in the inevitable overnight hangover?However, it is still doomed to have a long sex and indulgence.
As Beau had predicted, the landlady went about her business happily.So, at dawn, a large group of reporters and photographers swarmed in, like a tsunami in the Pacific Ocean, completely surrounding this simple apartment with rough concrete walls.They yanked the newsman out of Violet Day's arms, and before she could even wipe away the sleepiness that still remained in her eyes, they drowned her in bouts of noise up.In less than five minutes, this group of idiots had already filled the whole room, and even the floor creaked as if it was about to collapse.Awakened by the noise, Beau had to push his way through the crowd of excited people that filled the room.He was busy for half an hour, trying to get the reporters out one by one while not allowing them to take pictures of him.
The room was finally quiet, and he said, "Okay, Cinderella, are you satisfied?"
"I'm . . . a little scared," Kelly said, "but I think—I like it!"
"Well, it looks like I'll have to take you away by force. You get some sleep, and then we can talk about going to New York."
"Are you in such a hurry to go?" Kelly pleaded. "I've got so much to do. Clothes, hair, grooming—"
Vi winked at him, and he turned to leave.He went to sleep for another hour, then got up, showered, shaved, changed, and sat outside Kelly's locked door to wait.
Vivian woke up.He talked to her for a long time in a low voice.He still has a few things to do.Arrange credit expenses with New York, get her ID, and so on.He said he would go and get back as fast as he could; meanwhile, Vi had to do everything he could to protect Kelly.
Wei said enthusiastically: "Thank God there is a man like you! Quinn, I have doubts about you, but you are a good person. Come back soon, okay?"
He came out of the house with the brim of his hat pulled down over his eyes.
He had a long conversation with Lloyd Goossens on the phone.Then, a call was made to Ellery in the Adirondacks.
"I'm glad you've got it all figured out," said Ellery. "Bring that girl back East, Beau, and you'll go find Margot Cole."
"You can do me a favor," Beau yelled, "this kid is too excited to calm down. Give her time. I'll get her back as soon as possible."
"Well, there's no need to be so angry," Ellery said. "Is something wrong, Beau? You don't sound quite right."
"Who, me?" At this point, Bo put down the phone.By the time he got to the bank, Goossens had set up an account for Kelly Sean in Ellery Quinn's name.
When he returned to Argyll Avenue, he saw the narrow street darkly crowded with people, and with a sinking heart he knew exactly what awaited them.
Then, he had the most difficult week of his life.He is a bodyguard, lawyer, big brother and troublesome mediator in multiple roles.All of Hollywood is excited.An unknown extra, a raggedy Cinderella, becomes a wealthy heiress overnight!All the studios are asking her out--to sing, to dance, to act in epics, newsreels, and all kinds of films...Just sign here, Miss Sean!
Newspaper syndicates paid outrageous sums to write about her origins and life story.Wherever she went, a large group of photographers followed her.The merchants sent their representatives there, and with great respect and courteousness offered to give away their best wares for free--would Miss Sean be honored to go to one of their shops and choose?Anything is fine, as long as it is what she wants, it will be a gift from the store, as long as Miss Xiao En is willing... So she got all kinds of gifts, silver fox fur clothes, imported cars; All kinds of invitations also came like a snowflake, inviting her to all kinds of premieres, premieres, inviting her to all kinds of flashy parties, and inviting her to the houses of Hollywood dignitaries.
During the whole noisy and crazy process, Bo and Wei silently surrounded her and protected her.Vee was experienced and composed; Beau was tight-lipped, with the brim of his hat so low that half his face was hidden.
When Kelly participated in various activities, there was always a vague smile on her face, as if she was wandering in a dream.And at a party she insisted on throwing, among her friends, she acted like a timid, happy kid.This time, all her friends in Hollywood came.Also, they were the poor, the struggling, the fringe; they were the ones in ragged or stiff clothes, with sallow faces and stiff, unnatural smiles.However, that night, many of them were wearing new clothes, and they all looked full of wine and food, smiling happily and sincerely.
"She's so generous, isn't she?" Violet Day sighed to Beau, "like the 'Giving Mrs.'. She told me today that she thought she should help Inez. Inez Sick, and Kelly wants to send her to Arizona for treatment. She's also funding Lou Malone's ulcer surgery. God knows what else she has in mind."
"She's drunk," Beau said with a smile.
"What? Hey Quinn, I don't think you like Kelly that much!"
"Who, me?" Beau said.
Kelly refused to leave on Argyll Avenue.
"I'm going to stay in Hollywood for a few more days," she insisted. "I can't let my friends tell me I'm putting on airs. No, V, we're not leaving."
But they had to rent two more rooms to store things like clothes and suitcases she had just bought.The landlady was really smiling.She offered to raise the rent from six dollars to eight dollars a week, and Kelly threatened her with moving elsewhere, so the rent dropped back to six dollars.
It is unbelievable that for a whole week they kept going like this: going from store to store in that rented Esota; Hours and hours of exhilaration were spent by customers, in the beautiful emporium reserved for the biggest of stars; furs, evening dresses, tracksuits, shawls, jewellery; "The Clover Club," "The Beverly-Wilshire Carriage Club"; various premieres or premieres... Finally, Kelly finally felt a little bit of a conscience.
"Are we spending too much money?" she asked Beau.
"There's more, little one."
"What a wonderful dream! It's like a fairy tale. Magic money. The more you spend, the more you have. Oh, maybe not...Ellery, did I tell you, I Any news of Walter Rule? He's back home in Ohio, and he's overjoyed. The poor boy—"
"Kelly, I've had three telegrams from Goossens," Beau said, without mentioning the fourth telegram from Ellery. "He doesn't understand why we're still here. I'm trying to explain it to him." -"
"Oh, dear, why are you in such a hurry!"
"Hey, don't call me honey!"
"What's wrong?" Kelly was surprised.
"For a girl like you," Beau muttered in a low voice, "you've promised not to have anything to do with men. It's not good to get used to it."
"Oh, but, Ellery, I never called 'honey' to any man except you! You wouldn't sue me for breach of contract, would you?" Kelly said, laughing.
"Why are you making fun of me?" Beau said, his face hardened.
"Because you're my special darling, my—" Kelly paused, only for a brief moment.Then, in a tame, low voice, looking away, she said, "All right, Ellery. Let's go when you say so."
Since then, Kelly has been uncharacteristically quiet.Her smile has lost the ambiguous and ambiguous meaning it used to; all the contours and lines of her face have become clear and definite; most of the time she has a serious expression.
Beau was equally silent.He bought the train ticket, arranged for the luggage to be checked in, took out Kelly's identity card from the bank's underground vault, went to see the bank manager, and sent a telegram to Goosens.
Otherwise, there is nothing to do, just wait for Kelly's farewell to Hollywood the next day.
However, just as Bo was busy preparing to leave, Kaili shut herself in the room suddenly, and refused to come out, even Wei couldn't help her.
It's my last night in Hollywood.Vi anxiously said to Bo, "I don't know what's wrong with her. She said she's fine, but..."
"Perhaps he drank too much."
"I figured maybe it was because she was leaving. After all, her mother is buried here, and this is pretty much her only home, and she's about to face a new world... I guess that's what it is."
"Probably so."
"Why don't you take her for a walk or something? She's been lapping all day."
"I don't think—" Bo was about to speak, but his face suddenly turned red.
Vi went inside immediately, and stayed with Kelly for a while while Beau waited distractedly outside.Finally, Kelly came out, wearing a pair of black slacks, a long coat, and no hat, in typical Hollywood fashion.With a rather pale smile, she said, "Would you like to take me for a walk, sir?"
"Okay," Beau replied.
They strolled away in silence, rounded the corner, and turned onto Hollywood Boulevard.At the corner of Grape Street, they stopped and looked at the bustling and weaving flow of people and cars.
"What a crowd, that's great," Kelly said, "really—hard to leave."
"Yeah," Beau said, "for sure."
They moved on, into a jungle of neon lights.
After a while, Beau said, "What a beautiful night."
Kelly said, "Who said it wasn't."
Then they fell silent again.They passed the Grauman's Chinese Theater, and after a while, they walked into the dimly lit residential area ahead.
Kelly finally stopped and said, "My feet hurt from walking. A pair of shoes cost 2,250 yuan. They should fit well, don't you think so?"
"That's the bad thing about money," Beau said, "but it's also good."
"Let's sit down for a while."
"Sit on the curb?"
"Why not?"
They sat down next to each other.Occasionally a car would drive by them, and a guy in one would yell obscenities at them.
"You've been so kind to me this week," Kelly said, her voice muffled. "I haven't really thanked you. You're like—like a brother."
"Brother Rat," said Beau, "that's what people call me."
"Listen, Ellery. I—"
"I'll get paid for it," said Bo smugly. "You're actually paying. So don't thank me."
"Oh, money!" Kelly said. "Money isn't everything—" She stopped suddenly, as if frightened by what she had said.
"Isn't it?" Bo Yuhan said mockingly, "At this moment, there are countless young women who are willing to pay a huge price. In order to wear your shoes, even if they hurt their feet, it's nothing."
"I know, but... well, to be able to do something for others, to be able to stop looking forward to clearance sales and refurbish old clothes and keep wearing them, instead of caring about the price , you can buy whatever you want, which is great, but..."
"No buts. That's fine, you're a lucky girl who's made it big. Don't let those -- restless feelings get in the way of your life."
"No!" Kelly said quickly, "that's how I feel..." She didn't go on.
Bo laughed: "Don't tell me you've regretted the condition that you can't get married!"
"Yeah. . . it might be too inhumane for a girl—in certain circumstances—like when she . . . is in love."
At that moment, she let out a scream and grabbed him tightly.Because something wet and cool touched the back of her neck.It turned out that it was just a friendly German wire-haired dog wandering the night sniffing her.
Beau stretched out his arms and hugged her tightly.She hugged him too, and, throwing back her head, parted her lips.
"Kelly," said Beau, who could barely hear his own voice, "don't leave Hollywood. Just live here. Don't want the money."
The two pairs of eyes stared at each other, and their lips were about to meet.
He will propose to her.he will!He didn't want her to go East!It might just be because the money would separate him and her from each other.Hey, she doesn't care about the money!She doesn't care.She just wants him.don't give up.If this is love, she is in love.He will propose... oh, ask me, ask me!
He let go of her and stood up abruptly, and she yelped again, and the dog, startled, howled and ran away.
"Can you give up that twenty-five hundred dollars a week?"
"Maybe," Kelly whispered, "I can."
"Then you are a fool!"
She closed her eyes, feeling terrified and disappointed.
"If something like this ever happened to me," he said aloud, "do you think I'd give up? The devils believe I'd give up! You should get Freud to check you out!"
"But—you asked me—tell me—"
Beau looked down at her, and she was sitting there with her knees curled up, staring up at him.He hated himself and at the same time was angry with her for driving him out of his wits.
Her tightly curled body, her warm breath, the look of joyful hope and longing in her eyes, all revealed some kind of pleading.He seemed to see her: hungry, feeble, from one film studio to another, thousands of Hollywood job seekers in torn, starched clothes, with dull, pale smiles one of those...
Thinking of this, he sneered and said: "You women are all the same. I think you may be a little different. But you can be manipulated just like them."
She jumped up and ran away.
The next day, as they were leaving the flat for the train station, Beau received two telegrams.
One was from Lloyd Goossens:
The other was from Mr. Ellery Queen, and it read:
Bo glanced at Kelly Sean, her eyes were a little red, and there were two clear creases from the nose to the corner of the mouth.
Kelly walked gracefully past him with Wei, as if he didn't exist at all.
He smiled wryly.
Notes:
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