The Other Side - Chapter 40

"The Other Side - Chapter 39" 

The pounding on Jim's hotel room door was enough to wake an elephant. Jim groaned as he rolled out of bed. He didn't remember asking for room service to give him breakfast at 7:00 in the morning. Grumbling, he opened the door, prepared to tell off the food-service guy for being so rough with his door. It was delicate, he was sure.

"I need Becky's phone number."

Jim blinked as Jake pushed him aside and stormed into his room. He vaguely watched as the star shifted nervously from one foot to the next, his hands shaking noticeably.

"Jake - what the hell are you doing here? And now? How do you ever know where my hotel is? Wait -" He blinked again. "You want Becky's phone number?"

Jake nodded, throwing himself on the bed. "Man, I've been thinking. I've been thinking a lot. This contract, I can't make a decision without her. I can't imagine being a normal person without her by my side -"

Jim tilted his head. "Uh... I don't think -"

Jake held up his hands. "No, don't worry; I don't plan on trying to convince her to take me back. That's not my point at all. I just need... well I need her advice. I need to know if she thinks I can do it. She's the only one that's ever seen me as my real self. She would know." Jake sighed. "I have to give it a try. I have to take the risk that it might throw her through a loop. It's the last thing that I want to do... but I need it so much Jim. Please, you have to understand."

Jim scratched the back of his head. It was really hard for him to think straight, but it sounded like what Jake was saying made sense. The last thing he wanted to do was give him Becky's number though.

Jake sensed Jim's hesitation. "Please. Just one call. That's all I need. I hope I can get her to talk to me for at least 5 seconds. That's all I need. I won't harass her; I won't speak to her ever again."

Jim sighed. The boy was desperate and Jim knew he could never actually say no to someone whose future was on the line.

"Yeah... ok, here let me dial for you."

Jake's face exploded in happiness. He leapt off the bed and dove at Jim, wrapping him up in an enormous hug. "Thank you! Oh man, thank you! You are the best, I can't even -"

Jim laughed aloud and did his best to release himself from the movie star's grip. "Aw, come on, do you want me to dial it or not?"

Instantly, Jake let go. He swiped his hands through is hair. "Ok... ok, hold on, I need to calm down a little. My god, I don't even know what I'm going to say. That's ok, I can wing it. If she'll just stay on the line for 5 seconds..."

Jim shook his head and went to the phone. He dialed the number on his cell and then held it out. Jake took it with a shaky hand. He was finally going to talk to Becky.

----

Becky shoved her head out of the bathroom as the phone rang.

"Del! Cam oo ge' at?" The toothbrush in her mouth made it impossible to talk. She had just started her morning bathing ritual and if she had to stop and talk to someone she was not going to make her early class.

Becky glared as she noticed that Delany's bedroom door was still closed. She groaned and then ran and grabbed the cordless phone off the charger. She saw Jim's familiar cell number on the ID.

Becky took it into the bathroom with her where she spit out her toothpaste in the sink. Watching herself smile in the mirror, Becky clicked the button to answer. Jim was going to love this.

"Goooood morning! You have reached Becky's Gourmet Bakery! Care for a taste of my sugar buns?"

Becky waited to hear Jim's laughing voice, but instead heard a slightly confused, "Becky?"

"Yeah...?" That was odd. That didn't quite sound like Jim... Becky dry brushed her teeth absentmindedly. She heard some whispers in the background and then Jim's laughter. But it wasn't into the receiver, which meant she wasn't talking to...

"Becky, please don't hang up."

She felt her whole body stiffen. There was only one other person in New York she knew and if there was one voice who that sounded like...

"I, I really need your help. My contract has run out and I have to decide once and for all what I am going to do. But Becky, I can't, not without your advice. I don't know if I can do it alone."

Becky dropped her toothbrush. Her face was no longer smiling in the mirror. In fact she had gone pale and, much to her dismay, her eyes had a sheen of tears.

"Jake?"

She hadn't meant to say that voice so tender.

"Oh, thank God. Please, I don't want anything from you but your thoughts. I can't - will you... will you help me?"

Becky shook her head, unable to come to grips with the fact that Jake had just called her. "I... I can't - what? Help you?"

"Yes! Wow, it's so nice to hear your voice.... but it's my contract, Becky. Today I have to decide what to do but I feel like I can't. You have to tell me if you think I can do it. Am I crazy? Or can I actually leave Hollywood?"

"Jake! I don't know, I - it's your life. How am I supposed to help? Why did you call me?" She felt the tears that were filling her eyes fill her voice.

"Oh Becky, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to bring everything back for you. I just - there's no one else in this world who knows me. I'm a desperate guy at the end of his rope." He stammered into the phone.

"I can't answer your question, Jake."

Jake's voice was soft. "You can. Please Becky, yes or no. Can I really ditch Hollywood and go to school like we talked about?"

Becky hesitated. She wanted to hang up the phone. She wanted to be angry at Jacob forever. But the way he was talking to her. He really did need her help. "Yes."

There was a silence on the other end of the phone. "Yes - you mean it, yes? I could -"

Becky couldn't stop the sobs that were escaping her throat. "Yes, Jake! Of course, of course you can... You knew that long before you met me. You knew that when you threw that stupid bottle in the ocean..."

"Becky that is so amazing, oh... Becky.... please, don't cry, I didn't mean to..." Jake's voice was strained.

"I have to go -"

Jake's voice came through quickly. "I know, but I -" He stopped. "You were the best thing that ever happened to me, you know. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. What I meant is, thank you. For everything."

There was a clatter on the other end of the phone and Becky was about to hang up when a different voice came across. "Becky! Becky are you still there?!"

Becky let her sobs go as she slumped to the bathroom floor. "What the hell was that, Jim?! Why -"

"Becky I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have but, well, please, can you ever forgive me?"

She put a shaky hand to her face. "Of course, Jim! I'm not mad at you... really... at all, I just...did this just happen?"

Suddenly, Delany crashed into the bathroom, her eyes wild with concern as she found her cousin sitting on the floor. "Honey! What in the world...?"

Becky got to her feet and tossed the phone to Delany. Her tears had suddenly dried with her last comment to Jim. She really wasn't mad at Jim or even Jacob. She was confused, sure, but she wasn't mad...

In a haze, Becky went to her bedroom and flopped head first on the rumpled covers. She was not going to make her morning class today.

It was almost as if her brain had turned into oatmeal, the way that her thoughts came to her slowly. She could hear her cousin talking to Jim on the phone, but ignored their conversation thoroughly. She knew they would be worried about what had been discussed, but she pushed it aside. There was one thing for her to think about now, and that was Jacob.

A whole new thought process floated to the top of her mind. Before when she thought about that man she had met in Africa, it had always been with regret, anger, the inability to forgive. But now, it just seemed possible that she could look back on those days with... a slight sadness, a small twinge. She thought about what Delany had said just the day before - she could look at those pictures taken in Africa without bringing back the pain that tore at her heart.

In a flash Becky was on the floor, grasping blindly under her bed. It didn't take her long to find the envelope Delany had given her with the photos. Not bothering to climb back on her comforter, Becky sat on the ground, leaning against her bed frame. She ignored her trembling fingers as she pulled out the thick stack of photos, blinking rapidly as she saw a view of the sunset across the Moa. Flipping through, she saw her memories of Sulima, already blurred by time, come back into striking focus. She saw the market she took Jacob to, and the safari car on which they toured.

"Oh..." Becky took a sharp breath. In her hand was a picture of Becky with a movie star. They had obviously turned the camera on themselves with Becky's arm outstretched and their faces smashed together to make sure their smiles got into the whole shot. Becky studied the photo deeply - then put it away. She hastily pushed all the other photos back together and into the envelope. Later, when she thought of it, she would have to yell at Delany for her deceit. She had promised Becky there were no cute shots of her and Jacob together.

Becky had just climbed onto her bed again and pressed her face into her pillow when she heard Delany put the phone back on the charger and come into her room. She paused for a moment, obviously assessing the damage before she spoke.

"Becky... are you smothering yourself to death in those pillows?"

The girl with the natural, wavy brown hair turned over slowly. "No, Del, not at all."

Delany blinked. "Are you sure? I mean, this can't be hard to take. I expected you to be in hysterics."

Becky nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure." She hesitated for a moment, unable to get the image of the photograph out of her head. "The only thing I'm worried about is... well I'm missing my morning class. Maybe I could still go over and talk to the professor. It's just Finklestein so he should be all right. But Gary is coming over and... well, I don't want to call him because he'll wonder why I missed and... well, I can't tell him about this..."

Delany shook her head in amazement. She obviously decided it would be better not to press Becky about it. "Honey, don't worry about it. My class today isn't until the afternoon. I'll stick around and let Gary know that you'll be a little late getting home, ok?"

Becky bit her lip. "Really, Del? You will?"

Delany smiled. "Of course, honey. What are cousins for?" She then leaned over and gave Becky a hug. "Now, you don't want me to mention any of this? What should I tell him?"

Becky shrugged. "Well, don't lie to him or anything but... you know... keep it simple? I mentioned Jacob to him once - of course, I didn't say which Jacob, but you know..."

Delany nodded. "Oh yes, honey, I know. Now go get in the shower. At least maybe you can catch the end of the lecture. Fink doesn't usually mind if you interrupt."

Becky smiled and rolled out of bed. "Good idea." She then grabbed her towel and locked herself in the bathroom. She slowly took off her pajamas and was about to jump in the shower, when she caught a look of her face in the mirror. She felt a whole new kind of confusion come over her. After that phone call with Jake, she really felt like she could get on the road to letting him go. But, now, after seeing that picture, and the infinite happiness that was in her smile, she wasn't so sure she wanted to.

---

Jake had said thank you to Jim about 17 times before he ran out of the hotel room. Jim shook his head as he watched him go, still trying to explain to Delany all that had happened.

When he got off the phone, Jim had gone into the bathroom to shower up and gotten himself ready for the day. It wasn't long before he was on his way to work. Sitting on the subway he looked out the window to the nothingness flying past.

He wondered what would happen. It really did sound like Becky was going to be all right - but he knew her and he knew she would be thinking about that conversation all day long. In a way, he was glad. Everything was fresh now, out in the open. If Delany was right about Becky moving too fast with Gary, then hopefully she would realize it by hearing Jacob's voice again. Or maybe now she would realize just how over him she was and...

Oh, what do I know? Jim thought as he stepped out of the subway and walked up to the studio, nodding his head at the people giving him awkward looks. Becky and her life are impossible to predict. Jim shook his head and chuckled. This world is one heck of a crazy place, no matter how much I try to protect it.

With that thought, he pulled open the door and held it for a woman who looked and was dressed like Betty Boop. Jim gave her a nod of acknowledgement before following her in, his Superman cape flying dramatically behind him.

----

Jake laughed aloud as he saw Jim approach with his skinny chest puffed out. Jim was a strong man, certainly, but he wasn't exactly built like Superman.

"I can't believe you are actually wearing tights." He said with a laugh. Jim winked.

"It drives the ladies crazy, let me tell you."

Jake shook his head. He had his Phantom of the Opera costume ready but it turned out his Halloween dressing up would be restricted to Carl Breaks attire. They were in the final days of filming and he had thought maybe all of his scenes would be good to go, but apparently the director didn't quite think so.

"So, how are you doing, Jake?" The question was casual enough but Jake knew the implications behind it.

"Really well, actually. I mean... I'm not quite ready to go out and rip up all my contract offers, I still don't know what I am going to do about Lissa... but it helped a lot. I feel like, you know, I actually have a choice now." He paused and looked at Jim for a moment. "How was she?"

"She was fine, Jake, absolutely fine. She's a big girl, you know. If anything... I think you may have helped."

The extras starting moving around the set in a frenzy, signaling that things were about to get started. Jim started to walk away to see what his duties were but before he could, Jake put a hand on his shoulder.

"Thanks again, man."

Jim shrugged. "What can I say?" He struck a pose and gave a mighty laugh. "Just doing my job!"

"The Other Side - Chapter 41"