Fleetwood Mac-Part III of Fritz Series

This Complicates Things

"Stevie honey you look perfect we just need one more shot, Lindsey-erm-just let Stevie lead okay?" the video for Gypsy is coming along much more smoothly than Hold Me, at least we have air conditioning. Stevie straightens my suit jacket pecking my lips quickly "You look so cute" I think I look stupid. I always hated acting and dressing up, I'm dramatic enough without having to perform "Why do we have to dance? I hate how I dance" Stevie kisses me again "It's just one scene baby, pretend we're alone" stuffing my hands in my pockets I look down at my shoes.

"Mommy can I have another soda?" hyper and loaded with sugar Nova tugs at Stevie's arm, with Jeff and Robin no longer an item and with Jeff's less than diplomatic declaration about "His" family Robin's only providing care on weekend, subsisting her income by working in a record shop. Jeff, on the other hand, is as jobless and lazy as always he spends most of his time high off his ass lifting weights in the garage. In her very polite Stevie-like manner my wife exiled my older brother to the guest house to preserve the peace, and my sanity. He's messy and loud, and Robin is a hundred percent right he's like another fucking kid, only not cute or redeemably innocent in any fashion.

"Nova, you've already had two. You'll get a cavity if you don't slow down" speaking of dramatic my son's shoulders slump and he sticks his lip out "No pouting, go find your sister and AJ" Sara seems to be our youngest son's second favorite person "They're playing with stuffed animals, that's for babies" kneeling I fix Nova's t-shirt collar "Well AJ is a baby, and Sara's being a good big sister by playing what he wants for a while. You guys need to take turns you can't always get your way" sighing Nova nods "Okay" another dramatic full body turn and he runs toward our dressing room where Sara and AJ are.

"There you are Stevie, this is Ricardo he's Lindsey's stand in for the long shots of the dance sequence" Stand in? No one "Stands in" my place "Is that necessary? I'm not that bad at dancing..." my comment is met by a solid round of silence and a squeeze of my hand from Stevie "No one said that Lindsey, but-for the fluidity of the scene we'd rather there be less-erm hesitation on your part" coded speech for missteps "Well for continuity sake wouldn't it be worse to have a stand in who's two inches taller than me, and buffer, and an obvious better dancer"

"Look, Lindsey's complaining about something. It must be a day that ends with a Y" finished with their scenes Mick, Chris and John walk up. Mick gives me a weak smile, excusing himself to the beverage cart for another beer "No one asked you Chris" in her very British way she looks me up and down chortling before she and John follow Mick. "Just trust me on this okay? No one will know the difference" Ricardo takes Stevie's hand kissing the back of it. She blushes pulling her hand away, talk about a punchable face, he's practically drooling over Stevie.

"Shall we practice" he asks in a thick, but obscure, accent. As she walks away toward the middle of the room Stevie grips my fingers "I'll be right back" scowling after Ricardo I decide to check on the kids rather than stew with jealousy. It's an unconstructive emotion according to an article in men's weekly I read.

On my way backstage, I bump into a familiar and annoying form, Scarlet Mitchell. Stuffed yet again into a dress two sizes too small and much more revealing than it aught to be "Lindsey! I love your costume, it's so dapper on you" I look like a waiter, "How'd you get in here?" grinning she loops her arm in mine like we're good pals dragging me off to a dark corner of the soundstage. Something about her is different today, I can't put my finger on it "Mick let me in, he and I chat regularly. I heard about your financial troubles...tough break. But on the plus side at least you and Stevie will have two whole years to heal any rifts in your relationship"

"What are talking about?" letting go of my arm she plops on one of the plush couches set up in the break room. As the only two occupants in this tiny space I start to feel claustrophobic, and annoyed. Did I mention I'm annoyed? "I just heard a curious...shall we say rumor" I swear Mick hits a symbol at the conclusion of that pun "And what would that be?" it's not as if she really knows more than other gossip columnists. I suspect she's given Mick the grand tour of her boudoir and makes herself available to him in...interesting ways "A little bird told me that you and Stevie were on bad terms for a while, something about a certain blonde-haired California Heartbreaker"