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Continued from pages 34 and 143…
Saturday, August 15th, 1987, 1:07 P.M.
It was a Saturday afternoon, and Charlotte thought it was time to indulge in one of the great American pastimes for the rich and famous: Shopping on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. Now, anyone can shop on the legendary street in Southern California, we all know that. But, The Char-Dog was a happening celebrity, meaning the golden rays of the sun shined on her just a little bit brighter than everyone else. Besides, she had it planned for quite some time now, and nothing was going to stand in her way from a day of pomposity and pampering.
In order to give herself a launching pad for this delightful day of frivolity, she conveniently ordered a double-buttoned Donna Karan pullover blazer, and had it shipped to Giorgio’s for her to pick up. Her thought process, of course, was to try it on, and have any of the proper altering done at the store. This would give her an excuse to make the appropriate appearance, as if she were receiving an Oscar at The Academy Awards. Arrangements such as this were often done at the famed boutique.
Along with the blazer, and hopefully, some additional garments, Charlotte also had her sights set on a new watch to accessorize her newfound wardrobe. She was hoping to snag a silver, Cartier Tank watch from one of the many jewelers situated along the way. She thought the squared-off look would match the blazer, as well as some of the other business attire that she wore during the week. She was especially curious to try the new Brickell establishment that had just opened up.
Charlotte parked her car on North Beverly Drive and began the walk towards the esteemed street. She decided to call-off any personal bodyguards for the day for two basic reasons: She didn’t want any communication hassles and she simply wanted to give them the weekend off.
Basic enough.
But this is a soap-opera and that was a bad mistake.
As she strolled along without a care in the world, Charlotte began to feel like she was walking into the storybook land that so many women dream about. A world of endless riches and boundless fantasies. Where time seems to stand still and imaginations run wild.
Ahhh, yes.
A day of elitist shopping with a limitless credit card.
Charlotte entered Giorgio’s and looked around. Although she knew that Gale would not be there to greet her on this day, she was told that the current hostess, Monique, would cater to her every need. Sure enough, within seconds, a slinky brunette in a knee-high skirt drove a path directly towards her.
“Charlotte Caffey?”
“Yeah, hi, that’s me.”
“So wonderful to meet you.. My name is Monique.. Gale told me that you would be coming by today… You’re very prompt… I recognized you right away… Can I get you something to drink?”
“Uh, just a Perrier is fine,” answered Charlotte.
After snapping her fingers and telling her assistant to retrieve Charlotte’s water, Monique turned her attention to the subject that was always inevitable. Charlotte ostensibly knew that it was coming.
“So, how’s the world of television?” she asked, right on cue. “I just love that show of yours.. It’s so much fun.”
“Yeah, we just finished taping a few months ago.. A whole new season of new episodes coming up this fall.. Then, that’s it, we’re done for good.”
Monique didn’t seem to understand.
“What do you mean, you’re done for good?” she inquired.
“That’s it… The Go-Go’s is over,” Charlotte explained. “This is our last season.”
The dejection in Monique’s face was obvious and overwhelming.
“Oh, nooo!” she gushed. “That can’t be.. My daughter will be so crushed. She loves that show… You guys are her favorite band in the whole world!”
“Yeah.. it was just time to move on,” lamented Charlotte. “Things change.. The music business changes.”
“Oh, no,” Monique continued. “Well, what happened? Did they run out of money or something?”
Charlotte couldn’t believe what an ignorant thing this was for Monique to say. The network running out of money? That’ll be the day.
“No.. it didn’t have anything to do with money, or anything like that,” said Charlotte. “It wasn’t the ratings necessarily… It was more of a personal thing.”
Again, Monique seemed confused.
“A personal thing? Are you guys fighting? Or, maybe I’m out of line by asking that.”
Charlotte was willing to let her go for asking that. The poor girl seemed so innocent and helpless, Charlotte couldn’t help but feel sorry for her.
“No, no, that’s okay,” smiled Charlotte. “We’re not fighting.”
There’s just dead bodies and hypnotized band members and split personalities and things like that…
“It’s just that.. things have evolved, ya’ know?” Charlotte began. “Some of the songwriters have left the show to pursue their own solo careers and whatnot.. Ya’ know.. why give their songs to us when maybe they could become stars themselves.. You know what I mean? And I’m afraid that.. Jane and myself.. and the other girls.. can’t quite carry the songwriting load all by ourselves… That’s asking way too much of us.”
Monique agreed with this assessment.
“And.. you know.. the music landscape has started to change quite a bit as well,” Charlotte continued. “Rap is really popular now…”
“Yuck,” expressed Monique.
“Yeah, I know,” returned Charlotte with a laugh. “I don’t like it much, either… But, that’s just the way it is… Music and arts and television change all the time… That’s just the way life is.”
Monique leaned in and lowered her voice.
“Well, that just sucks,” she confided.
“I know, dear,” Charlotte agreed. “I hate it too.”