The Desired Effect

Accepting The Unacceptable

Thursday 30th November - Manhattan, New York

The following morning Poppy awoke unusually feeling fresh and productive. Last night's alcohol only leaving a slight tinge of discomfort across her forehead. She rolled over in her sheets and sat up, preparing herself for a potentially busy morning. With a sigh and yawn, she slipped from the warmth of her bed and padded the two steps to her desktop. Bleary eyed, she opened up her emails and set about replying to that very important job offer. A quick check over the job details, a deep breath in and a mental nod of approval to herself, Poppy sent off her acceptance of the job offer. Now, with a sigh of relief, she relaxed into her seat, a sense of satisfaction washing over her. It was time to wait for the response.

To occupy her mind, she fixed herself a hearty breakfast of toast and coffee. The kitchen surfaces littered with empty lager cans and glasses after last nights do. She cracked the window open to let a slight breeze freshen up the stale air of the flat. The murmur of traffic and crowds broke the silence. Poppy sipped her steaming brew as she surveyed the city streets, watching the busy people get on with their lives like little, stressed ants. Her mind wandered as she ate her toast, imagining herself a week from now, a month from now, a year from now, what would she be doing? Would this record be any good? Would this guys material be worth mixing? Instead of feeling anxious about the unknown, she took a moment to turn it in her mind, flipping it to be a positive, a tool to empower her through her next few steps.

Just as she finished sipping her coffee, her phone began to vibrate and then ring from within her pocket. Immediately, she fished it from her pocket and held it against her ear.
"Hello?" She answered timidly, turning to place her feet on the laminate.
"Hi, is this Miss Stewart? It's Lydia from Headline entertainment again," the slightly familiar female voice replied politely.
"Oh hi," Poppy responded, her stomach now doing somersaults.
"Hi, so we have received your email of acceptance I just want to run through what's going to happen next, is that ok?" Lydia explained, at which Poppy was far too excited to listen to every word. Instead she listened to the key information and hummed along as Lydia spewed out everything she needed to know. "So, your flight is this Saturday the 2nd of December at 10:50am, your manager for this assignment will meet you at the airport in Las Vegas" Lydia began to finalize the conversation just as a dazed Jaz entered the kitchen.
"Brilliant!" Poppy beamed, cringing at her Britishness. Jaz slipped over excitedly.
"If you have any questions just give us a call, good luck Miss Stewart, goodbye!" She sung before hanging up, leaving Poppy to deal with an overexcited Jaz and her anxious mind.
"Who was that? Was that?" Jaz spluttered beside Poppy.
"Yeah it was the admin people" poppy nodded, chuckling lightly. Jaz nodded for her to proceed. "I fly out Saturday morning," she swallowed, it sounding real now she had said it out loud.
"So soon!" Jaz declared, deflating slightly. The both of them nodded solemnly. "You need to get packed!" Jaz then blurted, doing her best to stay away from the negativity. "Get everything packed up and ready then we can spend some quality time together before you go!" She added, standing up excitedly.
"Yeah" Poppy was a little less enthusiastic.
"Come on you, this will be the making of you, I know it!" Jaz pulled a reluctant Poppy into her arms for a hug.
"I'm going to miss you" Poppy sighed, relenting to the embrace.
"I'm going to miss you too but I'm definitely going to come visit ok, you're my lil sister!" She kissed Poppy's forehead before releasing her. Then the pair of them set about packing Poppy's things up. It didn't take long. Between them, they had basically everything packed and ready to go by midday. "Now, don't kill me" Jaz announces, holding her hands up in defense already, "but are you going to call your parents?" She quizzed. Poppy paused for a moment, the moral conflict catching her off guard. "You don't have to, it's up to you but you should perhaps consider it?" Jaz offered before wheeling a heavy suitcase to one side of Poppy's room.
"Yeah" Poppy sighed, "I guess I will, but only to be polite, not because I care" she admitted, flopping onto her bed. Jaz smiled fondly at her before leaving her in peace. Poppy felt a pang across her chest. She hadn't spoken to either of her parents since she left the UK. With a deep breath she bit the bullet.
"Hello?" Her mother answered. She sounded so familiar to Poppy yet so different at the same time.
"Hi it's me, it's Poppy" she answered, swallowing her nerves.
"Oh hi Poppy" her mother's tone was unchanged, Poppy didn't expect her to be excited but some sort of change of mood would've been nice.
"How are you?" Poppy asked, tucking her legs beneath her on the bed.
"Yes good thank you. What are you up to?" She responded.
"Well, I've um, I've got a new job!" She replied, excitement lacing her voice.
"Oh that's good" her mother answered, sounding bored.
"It's in Las Vegas so I'm moving over there for it" Poppy explained, deep down willing for her mother to show some emotion.
"Oh right?" That was it for Poppy. She didn't have time for this. Fury boiled on her veins.
"So yeah, just thought I'd let you know!" She snapped, despite doing her best to stay calm, "I hope dads doing well. Take care will you!" She snarled before hanging up. Still after all these years her mother was still the same bitch she always was and her dad, basically nonexistent. Poppy stormed out of her room to find Jaz. She was going to spoil herself for the rest of the time she had in New York and she knew she could rely on Jaz to join her. The pair spent the rest of the day eating spaghetti at their favorite local Italian downstairs then fooled around their neighborhood before heading home to watch chick flicks and drink white wine.

Las Vegas, Nevada
Brandon awoke to his phone ringing. Having not returned home til late due to his spontaneous but well-needed run, he hadn't got into bed until gone 1am. Even then he couldn't sleep. He couldn't tell you what he was thinking about but his brain just wouldn't stop drifting, memories of his childhood replaying over and over, flashbacks of him and his mother, it broke his heart all over again.

Haphazardly, he answered the phone and sat bolt upright in his bed.
"Hi Brandon," he heard the familiar voice that belonged to his manager, Jake, "You alright? We've got news on your new producer man!" He added, keen to impress his client. Brandon rubbed his weary eyes.
"Oh yeah?" Brandon groggily responded but welcomed the good news nonetheless .
"Yeah, she sounds good. The ladies at the label say she's a bit of a protege" he explained. Brandon felt a little pressure lift.
"Oh well then, must be good" he chuckled lightly.
"Yeah man, she flies out on Saturday, she's down to start officially on Monday so yeah" he continued. Brandon now stretched up, the news having woken him up properly now.
"Right, book us into that nice Chinese place, we'll do the meeting there" Brandon declared, knowing the routine like the back of his hand by now.
"Ok mate, see you Saturday" he finished up before hanging up. Brandon dropped his phone, letting it thump down on the bed. Catching up with himself, he leant back into the bed and sighed. For a moment, he pretended to be floating on a cloud, no worries, no commitments. Then, his brain flicked into gear and he acknowledged his worries and his commitments and he was not laying on a cloud at all. Begrudgingly, he pulled himself from his bed and prepared to make himself look presentable for the day.