A Tartosan Wedding - 2 - Bridesmaids

The day of the wedding dawned, bright and clear. The clouds that had gathered in the night, threatening gloom and possibly even rain, had vanished as if by magic. Instead, sunlight danced across the blue waters of the bay and warmed the old villas of Tartosa.

"Oh, I can't believe my little girl is all grown up," Cassie said, pulling Miranda to her.

"Mom, you're gushing," Miranda groaned in her mom-you're-embarrassing-me voice, but she smiled as she said it. 

"You're getting married. I'm allowed to gush," Cassie said.

Standing a little apart, Gwen just quietly beamed, but somehow Miranda could feel her love and approval surrounding her like a hug. One of these days, Miranda thought, I'm going to figure out how she does that. 

"Alright, Gwen and I are going down to the beach to make sure everything is ready," Cassie said with a deep, getting-down-to-business, breath. "Catch up with us. You don't want to be late."

"We'll get her there," Genie Elderberry promised.

"You know, unless we run into some cute Tartosan guys along the way," Jenny Poole teased with a flirty toss of her golden hair.

"We'll get her there," Genie repeated firmly as Cassie and Miranda laughed.

"Hey, I wanted to thank you again for asking me to be a bridesmaid," Jenny said as Cassie and Gwen walked on ahead. "I know I wasn't your first choice."

"Don't be silly," Miranda said. "You're a friend."

"Yeah, I know, but I'm not a friend like Genie here or Beth," Jenny said. "If Beth could have been here, she'd be standing with you instead."

"I'd still want you standing with me, Jenny," Miranda said. "Yeah, it's true Beth and Jake couldn't be here... their duties as the new pack leaders mean they can't leave Moonwood Mill right now... but I can have as many bridesmaids as I want."

"OK, I've got to say it's a little weird that your high school best friend can't be at your wedding because of her werewolf stuff," Genie said. "I mean, werewolf stuff? Really? I will never get used to your life."

"My life's not that weird," Miranda said defensively, tasting the lie even as she said it.

"Oh yes, it is," Jenny laughed. "Magic, werewolves, vampires, gangsters... all part of the Miranda Goth package. Does this Mariah of yours really know what she's signing up for?"

"Oh, she does," Genie said. "Believe me, they're perfect for each other."

"Well, that's... a little scary actually," Jenny said. "Anyway, thank you. I'm honored. Even if it does mean I'm stuck with this dress instead of one that let me show off my assets better."

"Jenny, if you showed off your assets any more, you'd be topless," Miranda laughed.

"I like to play to my strengths," Jenny grinned. "Not that it matters. I mean, I get that it's a lesbian wedding and all, but couldn't you have invited a couple of straight guys? I mean it's traditional... bridesmaids get laid."

"She has a point," Genie giggled.

"You're both horrible," Miranda said.

"Though there is that Lucius guy who was at dinner last night," Jenny mused. "He's straight."

"No," Miranda said, shocked.

"Yes, he is," Jenny insisted. "He was totally checking me out. Flip you for him," she added to Genie.

"No," Miranda repeated firmly. "You may not hook up with Lucius! He's Gwen's father for God's sake."

"I thought Don Lothario was your father," Jenny said.

"He was," Miranda said, "Lucius is Gwen's father... which makes him my grandfather and you may not hook up with my grandfather at my wedding. Or at all!"

"Damn, he's fit for a guy in... what... his sixties," Jenny said.

"A little older than that actually," Miranda sighed. "And I'll say it again for emphasis - you may not hook up with Lucius. Besides, I thought you guys both swore off men after the whole dating gangsters thing... and can I just say that it's weird that you both, separately, did that."

"What can I say, bad boys are really good at doing naughty things," Jenny smirked. "You know."

"No, as it happens, I don't," Miranda said loftily. "I've never been with a bad boy, or any boy."

"I didn't know that," Genie said. "You mean... never? I thought you were attracted to guys too?"

"Well, I am. I mean I kissed boys when I was younger," Miranda said. "I've never... you know... and I've been with Mariah since I... I mean... why am I talking about this?"

"OK, we've got about an hour until the wedding," Jenny said. "I bet we could find you a reasonably cute Tartosan guy..."

"No!" Miranda said, laughing.

"Let's just get her to the wedding," Genie added.

A Tartosan Wedding - 1 - Wedding Jitters

Tartosa, where the golden mountains of Terra Amorosa meet the shining blue waters of Il Mare. Legend says this is where the Goddess of Love, risen from the sea-foam, first set foot on land.

They are bound together, love and the sea - beautiful and tumultuous. 

---------------

"I can do this, right?" Miranda asked.

"Of course you can," Cassie smiled. "You and Mariah love each other very much."

"No... I mean, yes. Yes, we do," Miranda smiled back. "But what I mean is... marrying Mariah isn't going to interfere with the whole Guardians of Glimmerbrook thing... will it?" 

"Now she thinks to ask," Gwen said softly.

"Hush you," Cassie admonished her.

"I mean, you guys are married but you're both Guardians," Miranda continued, largely unaware of the interruption. "Mariah can't be a Guardian, because there are only three. Why are there only three Guardians? But she couldn't be one anyway. She's not even a witch... and she wants to get a job as a psychologist... so we can't even live in Glimmerbrook because they don't really need a psychologist in Glimmerbrook..."

"I'm not so sure about that," Cassie muttered. 

"... so, we have to live somewhere else," Miranda rambled on. "How's that even going to work. I mean, I know I went off to college and that was alright, but I still lived at home, really. Can I do this?" 

"Honey, breathe," Cassie said, "Just breathe. Yes, you can do this. Being married won't interfere with being a Guardian. Gwen, help me here."

"You are our daughter," Gwen said calmly. "You are a Guardian of Glimmerbrook Watch, a bound protector of the Portal between this world of Midgard and the Magic Realm of Tir Na Nog. Getting married and moving away will no more break your bond to the Portal than it will break your bond to us. You will always be our daughter. No matter where you go, or how 'grown up' you become, we will always love you and always be there for you."

Miranda gave a shuddering sigh as the tension flowed out of her. 

"How does she do that?" she asked her mother.

"She's Gwen," Cassie smiled, embracing her daughter.

"I can do this," Miranda said confidently.

----------------------

"I can't do this!" Mariah Huntley cried.

"Hmmm," Danielle replied, distractedly. "I mean, after all, you wore that suit to the gala four years ago, dear. I'm sure we can get you a different one... or maybe even a dress?"

"What? No, I'm not talking about the suit, mama," Mariah blinked at her adopted mother. "Besides, it's... well, kind of a thing we agreed on... because we... Oh it doesn't matter. I can't marry Miranda! What was I thinking?!"

"I believe you were thinking that you loved her, dear," Danielle said patiently.  

"Of course I love her," Mariah sighed.

"And I believe you want to spend your life with her," Danielle continued.

"Well, I did... I... I do," Mariah stammered.

"Well, there you are," Danielle smiled.

"But... but I..." Mariah continued to stammer.

"Oh good," Aadi said brightly as they swept into the room, "I see I haven't missed the Mariah Gets Cold Feet part of the show."

"No," Danielle sighed to Aadi, ignoring Mariah.

"I got this, mama," Aadi grinned.

"Aadi, what am I doing?" Mariah cried.

"Getting married," Aadi replied warmly.

"... and I need to get dressed," Danielle said, glancing at Aadi.

"I got this," Aadi repeated confidently.

"Aadi, I can't marry her. I can't!" Mariah wailed as Danielle slipped out of the room.

"Girlfriend, I am gonna to slap you," Aadi said firmly.

"Try it!" Mariah snarled, her temper flaring.

"There's my bee-yotch!" Aadi grinned.

"Girl, you are a hot mess," Aadi sighed.

"I know, I..." Mariah started.

"Shush, listen to your Aadi now," they interrupted. "You are a hot mess... and why shouldn't you be, bumblebee? You lost your daddy when you were little. The woman that birthed you... and she doesn't deserve to be called a mama... call you a monster because of who you loved. You were wild child and troubled teen. You went looking for your daddy's family and found gangsters instead. You, girlfriend, have Issues."

"You're going somewhere with this, yes?" Mariah sighed.

"Yes, I am," Aadi grinned.

"Because those issues are not all you are," Aadi continued. "Look around you. You got two real mamas now, Danielle and Londyn, who love you and support you. You got friends, like Genie and your very own Aadi, who put up with all your crap and still have your back. You got Miranda, who loves you and who you love. I've watched you two stand together through all manner of crazy. My little M&Ms."

"I should get away from all of you," Mariah cried. "Aadi, I didn't just 'find gangsters.' I became one. I got in deep with the Altos."

"But you got out. Girl, you put ol' Uncle Nick Alto in jail," Aadi said. "We all helped."

"That's my point," Mariah groaned. "I got you involved. I got you all involved... and that puts you all in danger. Sure, the Agency covered it up, but if the Altos ever find out, they'll come after me. If I marry her, I'm just putting her in danger."

"Because danger is a new thing for Miranda?" Aadi laughed. "Honey, I've heard her stories. Your girl was fighting monsters and saving the world when you were just a juvenile delinquent. If anyone can handle your crazy, it's Miranda. If anyone can handle her weird, it's you. My little M&Ms."

"You're saying were perfect for each other," Mariah blinked.

"Girl, I know you did not just figure that out," Aadi grinned. "You love each other. Your crazy fits with her weird... and above all, I have watched you both do the work to make this thing work through the kind of trouble they make movies about.

"Can't do this?" Aadi concluded. "Honey, you can't not do this!"

"What would I do without you, Aadi?" Mariah sighed, embracing her friend.

"Let's never find out," Aadi grinned.

A Tartosan Wedding - Invitation

The next Wyrd Tales story - A Tartosan Wedding is coming soon...

Dear friends

You are cordially invited to the 

Wedding 

of

Miranda Silveroak-Goth

and

Mariah Huntley

in a private ceremony on Baia dell'Amore

Reception to follow

Please join us

(The story begins next Wednesday, 1/22, and will update once a week)

Lobo's Den - Afterword

If you find yourself asking - what was that? - well, that's OK.

Lobo's Den was a bit of fun and a bit of an experiment.

I have, for a while now, wanted to explore Cassie and Don's relationship but struggled with finding the right format. Posting as a regular narrative following the events of that time in Cassie's life would have been, a bit like Cassie's album Haunted, darker and more overtly sexual. I wasn't comfortable going there. At the same time, the story kept nagging at me. 

I seem to recall talking it over with my wife one evening and we stumbled on the talk show idea. The idea of telling Cassie's story, limited to the four short blocks between commercials, struck me as a great writing challenge. Could I fit enough narrative into what someone could logically say in a 10-minute TV segment? I actually Googled "how many words are there in a 10-minute speech" (1500 was the most common average). So, I gave myself that limit. 

In terms of the larger Wyrd Tales narrative, Lobo's Den is actually very ambitious. I wanted to revisit the prologue of Year of the Wolf, exploring Cassie's story between the events of Raven's Apprentice and the start of my main storylines. I wanted to explore, even lightly, Cassie and Don's relationship and maybe redeem Don a little. He wasn't a great guy, but he wasn't a terrible guy either and she loved him. I wanted to recap on some key events from the first three stories. Finally, I wanted to touch on characters and events we haven't seen in a while, do a "where are they now" and hopefully tease some characters we may see again in upcoming stories. A lot to do in five short chapters. 

I'll let you be the judge of how successful I was.

Some of the feedback I got on forums was very positive, with a least one person commenting that they really felt like they were watching the show. So that was nice. 

Also from forum feedback, some folks were confused about the "technical difficulties," either forgetting or missing the relations between them and the fact that Cassie really is a witch, and when her emotional control slipped things went Bang. Hard to showcase that in the narrative quite as clearly as maybe I should have.

Ultimately, Lobo's Den was a lot of fun to write, and I hope you had some reading it. It's a format I may use again.

I'm going to be taking a little time off over the winter holidays. I don't expect to post anything new here during December. So, I'll say Happy Holidays now. 

Wyrd Tales will return.

Lobo's Den - The Circle and the Future

“We’re back, talking with Cassie the Raven Witch about twenty-five years of music,” Diego Lobo said. 

“So, Brookside and Firelight were your comeback, then with Forgotten Dreams and after that The Circle, you were on top. Cassie Goth, a world-famous, award-winning musician.”

“Yes, poor little Cassie Goth,” Cassie laughed. “Let’s not forget, I grew up as the heiress to the Goth family fortune. We weren’t exactly hurting for money or opportunities. I could have sat back and done nothing and still lived a very comfortable life.”

“But you didn’t,” Diego said. “Instead, you became a famous musician and singer.”

“It’s more fun,” Cassie laughed. “It’s just important to remember I had a lot of opportunities that some don’t. My father, the best-selling novelist, said many times that the best writer he ever knew was a schoolteacher in Willow Creek who never got published because he spent all his time helping his students and his friends. That’s why we, who have the means, need to help give others the opportunities we got handed.”

“You recently endowed a scholarship program for aspiring artists and performers,” Diego pointed out, “and you are partnering with Londyn Huntley in Iris Entertainment.”

“That’s right,” Cassie said.

“Speak of Londyn,” Diego said, visibly trying to regain control of the interview. “After The Circle, you decided to take a spin around the stage as an actress. What brought that about?”

“I was on top,” Cassie smiled. “I was looking for a new challenge and someone suggested acting. I just jumped in with both feet and hoped. Talk about privilege giving you opportunities.”

“Oooh, I don’t know,” Diego smiled. “What do you think, folks? Was it just fame or can Cassie really act?”

The audience again erupted in applause.

“See, they love you,” Diego said.

“Well, it helps that for my first acting jobs, I was literally playing myself,” Cassie said, but she smiled. “The Raven Witch, doing a couple of guest spots on popular shows. It wasn’t exactly a stretch… but I got lucky and got some help from some very talented actresses, like Londyn and Vanessa Jeong. With their help, I managed to at least not embarrass myself. Miranda was still pretty embarrassed, but like I said, she keeps me humble.

“So, music, acting… things were shaping up,” Cassie said.

“OK, let’s talk about the Mill Lane Incident,” Diego said.

“I forget that’s what they call it,” Cassie said, a hint of bitterness touching her eyes.

“Five years ago, May 22^nd, 2021, you and your family went missing from your farm on Olde Mill Lane,” Diego said with surprising gentleness. “There was blood on the scene, signs of violence… and no sign of any of you. After several days, everyone assumed you were dead…”

“Not everyone,” Cassie said softly. “Some people looked for us.”

Only those who knew her recognized the anger simmering in her voice. Diego, regrettably, did not.

“It’s been suggested that…” Diego started.

“That my father died because he looked into it,” Cassie snarled.

Somewhere overhead a stage light burst in a startling rain of sparks. Someone in the audience gave a muffled shriek.

“That Don died because he looked into it,” Cassie continued, her black eyes boring into Diego’s suddenly horrified face. “That a reporter, Olivia Kim-Lewis… who was a close friend of my little brother, did you have that bit of gossip, Diego? She died looking into our disappearance.

“We reappeared, more than six months later and after my stepmother, Bella Goth, blew her cover as an Agency Operative to bring down Nancy Landgraab’s criminal syndicate,” Cassie continued coldly. “Are you going to ask me if we were hiding from the Families, Diego? Are you going to ask me if they kidnapped my daughter a year later, because we were involved in taking down the Landgraabs? Is that your question, Diego…”

The image on TV screens around the country flickered and changed angles suddenly, as the studio cameras unexpectedly shorted out.

“No comment,” Cassie’s voice was a whisper, that echoed in the silence as the last camera died, leaving viewers looking at black screens.

------------------

“Sorry folks, we had some technical difficulties here in the studio,” Diego said, all smiles. “We’re still here, talking with Cassie about her music and her film career. You were saying how you didn’t think much of yourself as an actress… but Curse of the Pirate Queen. Big hit.”

“Yeah, I guess it was,” Cassie smiled.

Nothing on either of their faces suggested to the average viewer that anything unpleasant happened moments earlier. There simply weren’t so many people who were close enough to Diego Lobo as to recognize the tightness around his eyes. Those close enough to Cassie to see behind her smile already knew the truth.

“I enjoyed working on Pirate Queen,” Cassie continued.

“So, do we have more movies in our future?” Diego asked cheerfully.

“We’ll just have to see,” Cassie replied. “Right now, I have a wedding to help plan and a production company to get off the ground.”

“Very exciting,” Diego said. “You know, I don’t think I got my invitation to the wedding,” he teased.

“Well, it’s just going to be a small thing,” Cassie said. “Family and a few friends. It’s the reception you want to crash.”

“Be careful, I might just,” Diego smiled. “Cassie, thanks again for being on the show.”

“Glad to be here, Diego,” She smiled back.

“Well folks, that’s all the time we have tonight,” Diego said. “Sorry again about those technical problems. Join us next week when we’ll be talking to Orange Bailey-Moon about his new book - ‘Yes Means Yes, a Dude’s Guide to Consent.’ See you then, in Lobo's Den.”

Lobo's Den - The Comeback

“We’re back,” Diego Lobo said. “Talking with Cassie Goth about twenty-five years of music.”

“So, Cassie,” Diego continued. “After your famous… and heart breaking… break-up with Don Lothario, you dropped out of sight for several years.”

“Yes, I did,” Cassie said. “Ten years, in fact. So, really, it’s more like fifteen years of music and ten years of raising chickens and being a mom… but that’s not as catchy.

“Anyway,” Cassie continued. “After uni, Gwen had inherited a lot of money and a farm in the country. When Don and I split up, she offered me a place to stay ‘while I sorted myself out.’ I didn’t realize at the time that that was her way of saying ‘for the rest of our lives,’ but you know how it goes.

“The first thing that happened was I discovered I was pregnant,” Cassie said. “That was actually a pretty big shock. I knew that it meant I needed to make some big changes in my life. The biggest was that I stopped drinking. Thanks to Don, I’d already started working on that so it wasn’t as hard as it might have been. It was still very, very hard but it was what I needed to do for my daughter. I am now twenty-one years, seven months and… what’s today, Friday? … three days sober.

“So, like I said, I spent the next ten years working on a farm, raising chickens and a beautiful daughter,” Cassie said. “I didn’t do much gardening. Actually, after my first few tries, Gwen rather pointedly asked me to look after the chickens. Gwen and I got married, shortly after they made it legal. The first lesbian couple, and only the second same sex couple, to do so in the town’s old church. I also wrote music. I spent ten years writing music… because that’s how I express myself. Some people keep a diary. I write songs.

“Then, one day, I ran into an old friend,” Cassie smiled. “Octavia Moon was visiting the Finchwich Fair. I forget why… but we started talking.”

“Now, you know me and gossip,” Diego interjected. “There were some rumors about you and Octavia while you were with Don…”

“Let’s just say that Don and I and Octavia and Thorne, back before we three all hit it big, were neighbors, and became very good friends, and leave it at that,” Cassie said with a sly grin.

“So, Octavia and I started talking and kept talking,” Cassie continued. “I’ll admit, that show-biz bug had started nipping at me again and, with Octavia’s, and fairly quickly Thorne’s, support and encouragement, I got in touch with their producer. Which eventually led to Brookside, my comeback album.”

“And what a comeback,” Diego said. “Top of the charts, record-breaking sales…”

“Well, here’s the secret about taking ten years off and spending it writing songs,” Cassie smiled. “When you start deciding what to put in the new album, you get to pick the fifteen or sixteen best out of a couple of hundred.”

“Well, that’s a point,” Diego laughed.

“Honestly though, I was shocked,” Cassie said. “My fans are amazing. I mean, the fact that after ten years I still had fans amazed me. They have been so supportive… through my musical growth, through the ups and downs of my crazy life. They’re fantastic.” Turning to the audience, “You’re fantastic!”

The applause dwarfed the earlier boos directed toward the memory of Don Lothario.

“Alright, alright,” Diego said, calming the audience. “You’re all wonderful… now let the lady talk. So, Cassie… You were back in the spotlight.”

“I’d missed it,” Cassie said with a grin. “I really had. I mean, it’s madness. It’s music tours and hotels and promotions and recording sessions… but there’s that moment, when you’re on stage and the music is playing and the crowd is cheering. That’s magic, Diego. That’s pure magic.

“So, Brookside was a hit,” Diego said. “Not just a hit but a mega-hit… and after Brookside…”

“After Brookside was Firelight,” Cassie said, “which followed the same theme of healing, and growing and self-discovery. And yes, before you ask, because you always do… some of Firelight, but not all, was taken from those ten years of songwriting.”

“Now, you’re right I’ve asked you that before,” Diego conceded, “but let me ask you this - Ten years of songwriting. Are there songs we’ve never heard? What about them?”

“Well, some of them aren’t very good,” Cassie laughed. “But yes, there are songs from that era that never got recorded. Maybe they will someday. Maybe not. I keep saying, my music reflects my life. Those years were important to me… but that’s not where I am today. Not who I am today. I’m about moving forward, not back.”

“Alright, so, moving forward,” Diego said. “Forgotten Dreams, which was again a bit of departure from the two albums before it, though not in the same way as Haunted.”

“Forgotten Dreams,” Cassie said after a moment’s pause. “Forgotten Dreams is about a lot of what I was just talking about… that magic of being back on stage, back on tour, back in the spotlight… the good and the bad and the ugly of it. So, yeah, it’s different… where Brookside and Firelight are quieter, Forgotten Dreams has more energy. It’s Cassie the Raven Witch, instead of Cassie who bakes cookies for her daughter’s school bake sale.”

“You’ve said that your daughter Miranda keeps your grounded,” Diego put in.

“I’ve said Miranda keeps me humble,” Cassie corrected with a smile, “and she does. No matter how many albums I make or awards I win. No matter how loud the fans scream my name, I can always count on Miranda to roll her eyes and tell me how embarrassing I am.”

“That’s a good person to have around,” Diego said sincerely.

“The best,” Cassie smiled.

“Stay with us folks,” Diego said to the audience. “We’ll be back with more Cassie, after this…”

Lobo's Den - Haunted & The Lothario Incident

“We’re back with the Raven Witch herself, Cassie Goth,” Diego Lobo said. “Talking about twenty-five years of music.”

“Though really, we’ve only covered the first three so far,” Cassie put in. “So, we’d better get going.”

“So true, but…” Diego paused seriously. “Can we talk about Haunted?”

“I guess we have to,” Cassie said, a touch ruefully.

“Your third album, and definitely your most controversial,” Diego said. “I know fans are still very divided about Haunted. It was a real departure in tone from your first albums… critics have called it darker, more mature…”

“Let’s call it what it is,” Cassie said seriously. “It was much darker. It was more overtly sexual, and not always in positive ways… and I say that with the benefit of hindsight, and a lot of therapy… but I still think it’s very important.”

“I’ve said my music reflects my life,” Cassie continued. “Haunted reflects a time in my life that started in a very dark place. My last year of uni, I was in a very bad place emotionally. I drank too much. I had a series of flings with frat guys who were more than happy to tell their all buddies they’d ‘done it’ with the Raven Witch. I ended up losing almost all of my friends, except the ones who enabled me… and Gwen, who just would not be pushed out no matter how hard I tried… and I tried.”

“She stuck by you,” Diego said sympathetically.

“She did. She really did, for a long time,” Cassie said, misty eyed. “But she couldn’t save me. She said to me once, years later, that she knew couldn’t save me until I was ready to save myself, but she knew she had to be there for me, no matter how much it hurt her.

“Anyway, I managed to graduate, barely,” Cassie continued. “I moved to San My and worked on my music. When I wasn’t drinking myself half to death, that is. Then, I met a man who would change my life.”

“That would be Don Lothario,” Diego said. 

At the sound of Don Lothario’s name, the audience booed so loudly the host, and his guest, were forced into silence.

“Hey, hey, hey! Quiet down,” Cassie finally shouted, her singer’s voice cutting through the noise of the angry audience. “Don gets a bad rap, OK? He was a good guy.”

“Well, he did famously cheat on you, publicly and repeatedly,” Diego pointed out. “He used your fame to promote himself, and he, in fact, left you at the altar, while you were pregnant with his child.”

“Well, when you say it that way, it sounds bad,” Cassie admitted. “We can’t talk about Haunted, or my later music… my later life... if we don’t talk about Don. 

“I met him at a party, thrown by my producer for some of my more disreputable musical associates,” Cassie continued. “I remember, I was with my friend, Jess, and we were both working on getting drunk enough to go into a back room where these guys said someone had brought some ‘really good stuff’ that they said would ‘blow my mind.’

“So, just before I was about to go try seriously hard drugs for the first time… which probably would have killed me, if not that night, then soon… this guy comes up and steals my drink,” Cassie laughed. “Lifted it right out of my hand and drank it in front of me. Then he thanks me, looks me up and down and asks me if I want to dance.

“So, instead of OD’ing, I spent the night dancing with Don Lothario.” Cassie shook her head. “Of course, I think… what the hell, he looks pretty good. I’ll give him what he wants… what every man wanted. So, I suggest we go upstairs… and he said to me something that, at that time in my life, no man had ever… ever… said to me.”

“Will we have to bleep this out?” Diego laughed.

“He said ‘no,’” Cassie grinned. “He turned me down. Flat. Me! I was shocked. He said I was way too drunk and when… not if, mind you, when… we slept together, he wanted me to remember it. I admit it. That was it. I was hooked… but let me tell you, when we did… well, I remember it.

“So, I ended up with Don,” Cassie continued. “We started going out regularly, and eventually I moved in with him.”

“Ok, I have to ask, because people always ask, where was Gwen during this?” Diego put in.

“We separated,” Cassie said. “Gwen's… Well, when I told her I was moving in with Don, that I was leaving, she wasn’t upset. She didn’t argue. She said that she understood this was what I needed. Looking back, I realize that she knew… absolutely knew… that we would be together in the end. She was willing to wait for me to figure it out.  Anyway, she moved to the country. She still came into the City from time to time, and we’d see each other, but mostly she stepped away. It was as if she knew that Don would be there for me when she wasn’t, and in a way she couldn’t be… and she was right.

“The thing about Don,” Cassie sighed. “Yeah, he was shamelessly self-promoting. Yes, he thought monogamy was when you embroider your initials on your clothes… and, let’s face it, he wasn’t the brightest bulb. But he started me on the road out of that dark place I was in. He got me to drink less. He got me focused on my music and my career again. More importantly, he got me to start seeing myself as worthy again.

“With Don, I redefined my relationships with men, with sex and my own sexuality, and with my music,” Cassie said with sad smile. “I found my self-esteem, again, thanks to him. When he left me at the altar, yes, it broke my heart… but I think it needed to be broken to really heal. That’s what Haunted is really about… being haunted by the pain of the past and laying those ghosts to rest in order to heal.

“Also, let’s not forget, Don gave me the greatest gift of all… our beautiful daughter, Miranda.” Cassie’s smile brightened. “Who is getting married soon, if you can believe that.”

“Oh, don’t remind me of how quickly they grow up,” Diego groaned. “We’ll be right back, folks.”