Five Minutes

Under the Bridge

Her phone was being called nonstop. She hadn't even touched her food, because she was immensely anxious about the aftermath. Every few seconds her screen lit up; she didn't give her phone her direct attention, too afraid to see who was calling.

"Don't worry," Ralston said, clearly able to read her agitation. "You're the one who said it's not worth mulling over, remember. Don't let what people might think upset you."

"I need to read what they said." She'd years Ralston's comment, but was too fretful. "What if I made a mistake?"

"You didn't," he assured her. His food was almost done. He scraped the last few morsels of the pasta Veronica had cooked, stabbing them with a fork and sticking the pieces into his mouth.

She couldn't stop herself this time. She looked. Colleen was the one who was now calling. Vacillating, she reached out to grab her phone and answered. "Hello?"

"Hi Ronnie," Colleen said. She sounded angry.

"Hi."

"Why did you accuse Daniel Sanders of lying on your Facebook page?" Colleen asked.

"Because he is lying. He made all that stuff up."

"This piece you posted doesn't even make any sense. If Daniel was approaching you about another role, why would you turn it down? Why wouldn't you mention this to me? Daniel would have consulted me first and I can assure you, I didn't hear anything from him."

"Because he contacted me directly. He texted me. I mentioned all of this," she argued. "Why would I make this up?"

"This isn't just about the post, Ronnie," Colleen said.

It frustrated Veronica that Colleen hadn't even addressed her question. Still, she was silent, and kept obediently listening. She didn't want to cry, but she was getting close. The lump was in her throat. Her eyes were watering.

"You've only gone to one audition in the last several months, which you blew. The amount of roles being offered to you have died down. I can't work with this. It's done, Ronnie. It's time we part ways."

"But-" Veronica started, but it didn't matter. The line was already disconnected.

Ralston, who had been quiet throughout the exchange, finally asked, "What happened?"

She didn't answer immediately. Instead, she burst into tears, the phone still in her grip.

"Who was that?"

"It was Colleen," she replied, struggling to get the words out. "She dropped me." She had been disappointed by those she know a lot lately, yet they somehow found new ways to let her down.

"It's gonna be okay. You'll find a new agent," Ralston said.

He sounded so calm but when Veronica stared up at him she noticed his face had paled. He was keeping a composed resolve for her sake.

"You don't know that," she said.

"Yeah, you're right," he agreed, getting up from his seat at the dining table to walk over to one of the chairs beside Veronica. He sat down and leaned forward, taking told of her free hand. "But I know you'll get though this. You're a strong person, Nicky. Stop trying to beat yourself up."

"How are you not tired of saying that kind of crap to me all the time?" she asked.

"Because I have faith in you," he replied. "And you're a good person. You deserve to be happy."

She sniffed a few times, feeling reassured. A little.

"You know I've respected your decision to reveal things or talk when you're ready, but I think you should call your parents," he said. "They've asked me why you haven't returned their calls. I know they're not on social media. I don't think they know about the stuff online, but they're worried about you."

"They are?" She wasn't angry with him for not telling her sooner. She wouldn't have reacted well and would have been adamant about not contacting them. Telling her would have been pointless.

She shouldn't have avoided them for this long. The longest she'd gone without speaking to them before the assault was two weeks. They had a right to be worried about her. She'd seen their missed calls and disregarded them all.

"Yeah," he replied. "You don't have to tell them what happened if you're not ready yet, but at least talk to them. You know they care about you."

He wasn't wrong. They loved her and supported her, even though they didn't agree with her choice of career.

Her phone was still in her grip. She lowered it to see the screen and speed dialled her mother's number, then pressed it to her ear once again.

Her mother answered on the second ring.

"Hi mom," Veronica said. "I'm sorry I haven't been returning your calls."

It was only a few words, but it reduced her sadness. She turned to Ralston when she said those words, smiling at him.

And he smiled back.