You are currently browsing the Bethany Maltby weblog archives for the day Wednesday, December 26th, 2007.
26 December 2007
Thanks to how late we were getting to bed the night before, we didn’t roll out of bed the next day until almost one o’clock. I looked over at the clock and shot up out of bed. Deanna’s flight was in a few hours, and we hadn’t gotten her ready to go yet. I pulled my robe around me and hurried into the living room.
26 December 2007
“Charlie?” I heard a few seconds later. “Are you here, love?”
“Yeah, what’s up?” I said, coming out of the bedroom. Lisa followed me.
Orlando looked like he’d just seen Santa or something, the way his eyes were shining. I couldn’t help but smile as I looked at him. “I need you to come with me.”
26 December 2007
Over the next few days, I tried to get my head around the fact that I’d be moving in with Orlando permanently, and he got ready to leave for his Pirates duties. I didn’t like the idea of him leaving, especially considering we hadn’t really been apart for longer than a day or two in the past few months. I couldn’t help but feel sad that we’d be going back to stolen moments between commitments. I resolved that I wouldn’t cry when he left, but I knew the moment the door closed behind him, I’d be a basket case.
26 December 2007
Orlando’s temporary publicist, Carrie, showed up at the apartment promptly at noon the next day. She’d been hired by his regular publicist, Carrie, to get him on his flight without too much hassle. Robin was already in LA, dealing with Pirates promotions.
“Is he ready to go?” Carrie asked as I opened the door to her. She was a tall woman, very imposing in stature, and clearly already agitated. “We have to get to the airport.” She strode past me, into the living room. Two large men followed her, grabbed Orlando’s luggage from the floor by the sofa, and left again.
26 December 2007
I spent the next few days just trying to get through each performance, and coming home to an empty apartment. Lisa had pretty much moved in with Jeremy, and Orlando was always too busy to talk on the phone, so I began to feel really isolated, especially since I couldn’t even depend on Adam to keep me company. I went to work, I came home, and I slept, and it felt like that’s all my days consisted of.
The night before the Dead Man’s Chest premiere, I found myself alone, as usual, and really missing Orlando. I’d talked to him for less than five minutes the day before, and that was it. I knew I shouldn’t bother him, but I needed to hear his voice. I picked up the phone and dialed his cell phone.
26 December 2007
I spent the better part of the next day beside Dad’s bed, leaving only to get coffee or to make phone calls. Aunt Tess had already notified most of the family, but I still had to deal with Nick and the show, since I obviously wouldn’t be there for the performance that night. I got hold of Nick on his cell phone around noon.
“Nick, it’s me,” I said when he answered.
26 December 2007
Over the next few days, Dad’s house was invaded by relatives of all ages, shapes, and sizes. There were people flowing in and out that I hadn’t seen since I was a little girl, all of whom had to tell me how much they loved Dad, and how sorry they were. By the end of the weekend, I was ready to hang myself if I heard “I’m sorry” one more time.
The good thing, however, was the fact that there was never a lack of hands to help me sort through Dad’s belongings, and as long as I was surrounded by near-strangers, I didn’t feel the need to cry. I methodically spent two days going through each room in the house, boxing everything up, and figuring out where to put it all. Aunt Tess had rented a storage locker that would do until Dad’s will was read on Tuesday and we found out what he wanted done with all of his things.
26 December 2007
I tossed and turned most of the night, much to Lisa’s dismay. I couldn’t get comfortable, and any time I did, my mind wouldn’t shut down long enough for me to sleep. When the first bit of daylight peaked through the bedroom curtains, I thought enough was enough and got up. Lisa stayed snoring in the bed, drooling on her pillow.
Just as I was padding into the kitchen to make some coffee, my cell phone rang. I glanced at the clock on the microwave, and saw that it was barely five o’clock.
26 December 2007
I forced myself to stay calm, to set the phone on my dresser, to go to the closet and get some clothes for the day. His words raced through my head as I pulled on jeans and a t-shirt, and I had to stop myself from dissolving in a fit of tears right there on my bedroom floor.
I was just brushing my hair into a ponytail when Lisa came into the room to get her suitcase. It was almost nine o’clock, and they had to get to the airport.
26 December 2007
“What’s wrong?” I said as soon as I saw his face. His lips were tight and his cheeks were drawn, and his skin was pale. “Adam, what happened?”
He moved away from the door so I could enter the room. Instinctively, I took him in my arms and held him to me.