157
Monday, November 3rd, 1986, 11:16 A.M.
“So, what would you like to do today?” asked Charlotte with a smile. “Just name it.”
Charlotte had invited Kathy over to her house in Malibu for the day, hoping to have a productive conversation regarding business and also to enjoy some much needed relaxation for the both of them. “Would you like to take a walk along the beach to get started? You know, get you blood pumping? Maybe take a dip in the ocean?”
“I don’t swim in the ocean,” explained Kathy. “I’m afraid of sharks, you know that.”
“Do I?” wondered Charlotte. She couldn’t recall whether or not Kathy had ever revealed such a crazy notion.
“I’m sure I must have mentioned it at some point,” said Kathy. Either way, Charlotte was readily prepared to shoot down Kathy’s preposterous paranoia.
“Kathy, there are no sharks in the Pacific Ocean,” she said with an instructive tone.
“Yes, there are. Big ones. Like the kind that were in “Jaws,” rebutted Kathy.
As someone who considered herself more important than the average person, Charlotte had already had enough of this game of conversational Ping-Pong.
“Well, fine. We don’t have to go swimming in the ocean with all the big, bad sharks.. We can go swimming in my pool if you’d like,” she offered.
“That’s better,” said Kathy.
As the two of them sat across from each other at the kitchen table, each with wry smiles on their faces in light of Kathy being devoured by a creature from the sea, a natural suspicion began to arise in Kathy’s mind about why she was summoned over to the boss-man’s house in the first place. Unlike in the early days, when Charlotte was a wild, free-spirited rock and roller, Kathy had become accustomed to the changing times and Charlotte’s adjusted personality. Rarely did she ever talk about having fun anymore in a childlike fashion, something that, unfortunately, did not go unnoticed by the other three girls as well. Kathy decided to push the agenda just a tad bit further.
“You wanna go shopping?” she asked.
“Sure! That sounds like fun,” answered Charlotte. “I’m sure I could use some new outfits.”
Uh-oh. Something was amiss, thought Kathy. She’s never this jovial.
All of a sudden, the teapot started whistling. Charlotte jumped up from her seat and walked over to the stove. She reached over and turned off the burner as the steam was clearly coming out of the spout.
“You want the tangerine orange, right?” she asked as she began pouring water into the selected cup.
“Yeah, that sounds good,” answered Kathy.
As Charlotte steadied the water into the awaiting mug, she turned her attention to the business side of things.
“So.. how are the interviews going with some of the songwriters?” she asked.
“Uh, okay, I guess,” Kathy answered back. “I suppose there’s some talent out there.”
Charlotte concluded her preparation of the two teacups, walked back over to the table and sat down. She handed Kathy her flavor of choice.
“I gotta’ tell ya, Char.. I’m not so sure about this whole thing,” lamented Kathy, as she began bobbing her teabag up and down.
“Not so sure about what?” Charlotte inquired. She wasn’t sure if Kathy was talking about the songwriting project or the whole enchilada.
“I just.. don’t think we should start our own label,” continued Kathy. ” I mean.. the process is not all that expensive. But the legal costs are gonna eat our lunch… All that stuff is money up front… If we go under, we don’t get any of that money back.. and we might end up owing people long after it’s done.”
Charlotte was not sure how to take all of this rejection and uncertainty. She pursed her lips and looked about the room.
“What about the product itself?” she asked.
“I like the product.. How can I not?” said Kathy. “It’s all about us.. It’s all about The Go-Go’s. Well.. chick bands anyway.”
“Exactly,” Charlotte agreed. “You’re gonna start seeing more chick bands in the future. It’s inevitable… And I want us to be there.. from the beginning.. to sign them.. You and me.. I don’t want anyone else to beat us to the punch.”
“I know, I know.. We shouldn’t waver on this,” said Kathy with a slight, conciliatory tone. “It’s just that…”
“Will you stop worrying about the legal costs,” demanded Charlotte. “If the product sells, everything else will just fall into place.”
Kathy sat there and pondered Charlotte’s proclamation for a moment. The truth being, she just simply was not as bold at decision making in the business world as Charlotte was. Some of it was inexperience in comparison to Charlotte’s, but some of it was something else. You see, Kathy had grown up in various times of money insecurity, and the ability to readily dismiss this memory was something that was not easy for her to do. It prompted her to be cautious.
“I don’t like this hesitation, Kathy… If you’re hesitant in the business world, the sharks are gonna gobble you up… You might as well go swimming in the ocean,” explained Charlotte with an ironic, retaliatory chuckle.
Kathy looked up from staring down at the table and gave Charlotte a jeering smirk as she understood the satirical reference.
“Hey, you put me in charge of this project,” said Kathy. “You said it was all my decision whether I liked it or not… Now it sounds like you’re trying to sway my decision.”
“No, no, you’re right.. I gave this project all to you,” said Charlotte. “I just want you to be aware of the repercussions of every, tiny, little move that you make, that’s all.”
Kathy got up from her chair and wandered over to the window. She leaned up against the wall and looked out at the shark-infested waters of the Pacific Ocean.
Charlotte sat and stared at Kathy’s backside as she pinched her bottom lip with her thumb and forefinger. An insidious thought suddenly crossed her mind.
“Kathy?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you like the song Purple Haze?” she asked.
‘Purple’ was the trigger word that the hypnotist installed to put Kathy immediately under Charlotte’s spell.
Kathy turned around and came right back to the table.
“Of course, I like that song,” she answered. “Who doesn’t?”
Kathy sat down and instantly seemed to be in a much better mood. She took a sip of her tea and smiled directly into Charlotte’s face.
“Why would you ask such a question?” wondered Kathy.
“Oh, I don’t know,” Charlotte muttered. “I just heard it on the radio this morning and wondered if you liked it, that’s all.”
“Oh, yeah, I love it,” said Kathy. “Jimi Hendrix.. he’s the best.”
“Good, I’m glad,” remarked Charlotte with a sneering, derisive tone.
The two of them were now looking at each other with big smiles on their faces, as if they had just discovered the secret to happiness.
“So…” Charlotte began as she swallowed her sip of tea. “How do you feel about us starting a brand new record label?”
“I think it’s the greatest idea I’ve ever heard in my life,” said Kathy, gleefully. “I love every idea that ever comes out of your head, Char.”
Charlotte was a blonde ball of giddiness.
“Oh, goody,” she squirmed. “I was hoping you might think that way.”
Copyright 2024
by Clark Wright