Page 54 of Flawless
I tell him about the phone call, but I don’t get into the details of how I felt about the decisions of my past. I simply leave it at how hard I’ve worked, and all I’d gone through to get there, and now I’m left with nothing.
“Don’t say that, Dani. You’ve got your works, your legacy, and your name. You can do anything that you would like to do now, and it doesn’t have to end here. You can start another show and pitch another creative idea to a different network. If that one turns you down, go to another and another until your dream is bought. You don’t give up when one door closes. Anything worth having is worth working for and sacrificing for. Now is when the true work begins,” he says, staring into my eyes.
Although Zenon doesn’t know that I’ve already made sacrifices, nor does he understand what it would cost me to go to another network, I’m so filled with love for this amazing man and so humbled by his kindness and generosity.
“How do you forgive me the way that you do after how badly I hurt you?”
Clearing his throat, Zenon says, “Listen, none of us are perfect, and we’ve all made mistakes. We all fall short of His glory, but that is why He extends grace to help us through this journey. My battle may not be the same as yours, but it’s no easier. Staying away from alcohol and holding my temper at bay for years was hard. All I knew was hard work, self-discipline, commitment, and passion. Every day, I have to get up and make a decision on how I expect my day to go and how I will live. I’m leaning on His grace and thankful for His mercies. I don’t do this on my own.”
“But you only had what? A couple of months of drinking?”
“Three months and twelve days to be exact. That was the most difficult time of my life. And any time things get too difficult, it would be easy to turn down that road again. But I didn’t like that man. The one who couldn’t recall what day it was, if he’d washed or not, and wallowed in self-pity.”
Zenon shakes his head. “That’s not me. That was an excuse to have self-pity and not to be the best that I could be. I was crushed when my career ended.”
Narrowing my eyes, I say, “Did it end, or did you walk away from it? I thought you walked away from it.”
Laughing humorlessly, he shakes his head, “I guess you could say that I did in a way. I was up for contract renewal when that happened. After that horrible day and several bad choices in the weeks after that, like refusing to show up at meetings with the coaches and the association and refusing to return my agent’s calls, yeah, I guess I did walk away from my career. Because after all that, they decided not to renew my contract again.”
“I’m sorry, Z. I didn’t know.”
Shrugging, he says, “I didn’t let anyone know. Only those closest to me at the time knew what happened, like my friend, Mattia, and my little sister, Uxia.”
I sigh and pull my legs up on the bed beside me.
“Come here,” Zenon says.
I scoot to the other side of the bed, where he rests his back against the headboard and holds me.
“I’m here for you, Dani. No matter what you choose, I’m not going anywhere.”
14 – ZENON
We’re on day four of our cooking lessons when my phone rings.
“You watch the sauce. I need to take this call,” I say, holding my phone up.
“Okay,” Dani says, returning her attention to the white wine mushroom sauce as she resumes humming a tune.
“Hey, Larisa.”
“Zenon, I need you,” she cries into the phone.
“What’s the matter? Is it Zílda?” I ask as panic grips my heart.
“No!” she cries in frustration. “My fiancé broke things off with me, and I need a few days to get myself together. I need you to take Zílda sooner than we agreed upon. I know that you told me you needed a little more time, but I need time now!”
I close my eyes and pinch my brow as I slowly breathe in and out.
This is typical of Larisa. No one can have more drama or problems in their life than she can. If they do, she’s quick to drum up something that trumps their problems.
Not that her fiancé breaking things off with her isn’t traumatic, but knowing Larisa the way that I do, she probably did something deserving of that action.
I had asked her for a little more time because I really wanted to be here for Dani and see her through her rough time. But I will always be there for my little girl when she needs me, and it’s clear that she needs me right now based on her mother’s behavior.
“Fine. I can fly out in a couple of days to get her.”
“No, I need you to fly out in the morning to get her.”