Chapter 11: Jeanne

By January 3, David, Melanie and Josh were back in L.A. They had all gone to the New Year's Eve gig of the Clearwater Posse and had great fun. Of course, with David in his wheelchair, there had been no dancing. Melanie spent most of the night with her small tushy parked in David's lap. A few snide remarks and veiled accusations were made, but there was also a great number of people who were genuinely happy when David did a brief demo of his improving leg control. That night, Melanie also slept in David's bed, but there was no hanky-panky.

Judy and Dani stayed back in Clearwater. Judy was back on duty and Dani back in school. David and Melanie resumed their life in the garden house, actually enjoying the intimacy it provided for them. They snuggled and kissed, and once, David was allowed to show his oral skills on Melanie. She had a huge climax, but somehow this scared her a bit, and she kept a little distance over the next days.

Christina, the nurse, reported back for duty, but there was much less for her to do with David becoming increasingly self-sufficient. Meanwhile, Arturo took over David's exercises again and he was stunned at the progress made over the holidays. By mid-January, a shiny new Concept II indoor rower was delivered to complement the exercises Arturo devised for David. David spent an extra twenty minutes every morning and evening, building up strength, stamina and control on the device.

Going back to the USC campus was a hassle in the first days. Brentano's death was still fresh in their fellow-students' memories and some people could not contain their curiosity. This ebbed down after a week, allowing David and Melanie to attend their courses and seminars in relative peace.

January 20 was a Thursday. Melanie had a full course load into the late afternoon and David spent the time at the library catching up on a few issues. It was after 6 when they were dropped off at Josh's villa. As usual, the two left their laptops in the garden house before they crossed the garden to have dinner in the main house.

To their surprise, Josh met them at the door.

"You have a visitor, Mel," he advised her with a wry smile.

Melanie was slow on the uptake. "Huh?"

"Your grandmother Jeanne. She arrived around three, demanded entrance and brooked no resistance from poor Mrs. Ling. She wants to talk to you."

Melanie's eyes became hard. "A little late, don't you think? After Papa's death, she just cut me off and now she wants to talk?"

"Speak to her, Mel. Things may have been different."

"Different? She called M ... Lana and had her tell me that I couldn't visit her anymore. She..." Melanie looked into Josh's sad face. "Lana? She lied about that too?"

Josh nodded. "It seems that way. To both of you."

"But why? Why?"

"Lana was always uneasy around Jeanne, and Jeanne never tried to hide her dislike for Lana."

"Mel, maybe there was another reason," David said softly. "That must've been after Brentano raped you. Maybe your ... Lana was afraid you'd tell your grandmother."

Melanie looked at David. "Oh my God! You're right! How could I believe her? I'm such an idiot."

"She was a rather good actress. Even I believed her lies," a strong, cultivated voice with only a trace of French accent sounded.

David turned to see Jeanne Renault in the door to the dining room. He'd seen a few of her movies from the 1960s when she had been involved in the Nouvelle Vague cinema. She'd been the muse of critically acclaimed directors and she'd even had a very public affair with a famous philosopher. Her once black hair was now grey but she was still trim and energetic. Her dark eyes were focused on her granddaughter.

"I should have come much earlier, but I still believed that you did not want to see me anymore. I read about the evil man who hurt you so much and how he came back to hurt you again. I said to myself, 'Jeanne, the girl needs help.' So I came."

"Lana said you didn't want to see me anymore, back then after Papa died. Was she lying?"

"Sacre dieu! Of course she was lying. She told me that you did not want to visit because the house reminded you too much of your father. She said I should give you a year to get over his death. Why did I ever believe her?"

Melanie shrugged. "She told us what we expected. You were never that fond of me, were you?"

David blinked. Melanie was not pulling her punches. The old woman blushed under the carefully applied make-up.

"Your father was making so much fuss around you, treated you like a princess. I had loved your half-brother. His death was such a blow. Your father just seemed to forget him once you were born."

David understood. Melanie had told him that her father's son from his first marriage had been killed in a traffic accident. Now she nodded sadly.

"What changed?" she asked her grandmother.

"You're all that's left of the Renaults once I'm dead. Also reading about what happened to you, I thought – hoped that I could help you."

Melanie smiled a little. "That's nice, but I'm really doing great now. Uncle Josh has been great, I'm enjoying college, I'm getting over my fears, and I even have a boyfriend."

Jeanne Renault looked at David in his wheelchair. "I heard from Josh that you are recovering?"

David nodded. "I'm getting better. I'll walk again."

"Be that as it may, you have not done any work in over a year."

Melanie laughed a nasty laugh. "I'm not that popular anymore. First my DUI, then I ratted out Brentano. My agent let me know that the only job he'd be willing to get me would be on my back in a Nevada cathouse, quote-unquote. He didn't say 'cathouse' either."

"What nonsense! Heart of Glass was a worldwide success. In Europe you could pick whatever role you want to play. Roman would cast you in a second and so would Luc. You're just not trying."

"That's true," Melanie admitted with a small smile. "I'm happy being a student. I'm happy being me. I was always miserable when I was on a shoot. I was nervous and scared. Demmick was close to replacing me."

"Margaret told me about your antics. It is good to immerse yourself in a role, but it need not be physical."

"Bottom line, grandmere, I'm not eager to return to movie making. Lana coerced me into acting and now that she's dead, I find that I have no urge of my own to do it."

The old woman looked perplexed. "You don't like acting?"

"No. Yes, sometimes I did. I needed to do Heart of Glass, but how often do these roles come along? I couldn't stand doing another horror movie or be the arm candy in one of the big productions. Plus, I really want to finish college and go to medical school. I know that everybody expects me to be that great actress, but let's be honest – can you see me as a leading lady, as a box office magnet?"

Understanding showed on Jeanne Renault's face and a little sadness. "No, I can't. You are not projecting dominance; you're too timid, too solemn. That played out well for you in that last film, but it will not help in the longer run."

"I'm too fucking small, but that's okay. I don't have to be six feet tall to be a doctor. I won't have to have old assholes pat my behind to get roles. Really, I accept that Heart of Glass was a fluke, a once-in-a-lifetime chance for me to vent my anxieties."

Jeanne nodded. "I can understand you. Would you still at least consider an offer from me?"

"It depends on the offer," Melanie answered warily.

"I have a small role for a French-speaking girl with an American accent. The film will be about two basketball players from America who find employment with a third-league French club during an NBA lock-out. The girl is the American-born granddaughter of the club sponsor who has the idea to hire unemployed American players to boost the club's chances. We'll start shooting in June. Yours would be a small part, fifteen scenes at the most. It could be done in two weeks. The location will be a small town in the Midi. You could do it and have some vacation too. You should really visit your father's maison and look after things. Think about it. I'm the producer, Jaques Alcor will direct, and we'll make it stress-free for you. Bring your boyfriend David, bring Josh. Have a good time and try acting the way it should be."

Melanie smiled wryly. "This is why you came?"

"No! I came to offer help. I thought you needed help to get roles again. Now you say you don't care, but I would like for you to experience film making as something exciting and pleasant, even if it is your last film ever. It is a romantic comedy, something light and exhilarating. You should not end your career with something as depressing as your last film. Plus, you should end it out of your free will, not because somebody put you on a black list."

Melanie looked questioningly at David who shrugged.

"Mel, you should do what you want to do. Don't think of me, think of yourself."

"Would you come along? I don't want to be without you, especially if I go and look after my properties."

David grinned. "A trip to France? Hell, yes!"