The Fan Letter by Nancy Temple Rodrigue Page A

scratching the mouthpiece with his fingernail.
    Phillip had to hold the phone away from his ear. He could hear Martin just fine. “Where is she?”
    “In the shower,” came back the clear response.
    “Let me talk to Davey, then,” Phillip requested.
    Martin scratched the phone again. “No can do. He's not here.”
    “What? Where is he? You're supposed to be watching him!”
    Martin smiled to himself. “Don't throw a shoe, old man. He's with a sitter. We're going out tonight.” After a long enough pause, he added, “With her boss. They're throwing a party in her honor at the Fire Dragon.”
    “Will you tell her I called? Again?” The bitterness in his voice was heard through the fake static supplied by Martin. This was the third attempt to talk to his family and he had always gotten Martin.
    “Yeah, sure, old man. I'll go tell her right away. Sayonara,” Marty laughed and hung up.
    Marty was still laughing as he went to answer the knock on the door to the suite. He bowed his greeting to Mr. and Mrs. Matsui as they arrived to escort Sarah and him to their party. A limo would be waiting outside. He excused himself and quickly went to get Sarah.
    She was not in the shower as he had said, but was putting on the finishing touches to her outfit. She was pulling on gold heels to match the golden silk backless dress she was wearing. It was a stunning effect with her blond hair.
    Marty put his hands over his heart. “You take my breath away,” he declared and then told her their hosts had arrived.
    “Did I hear the phone? Where's my wrap, Marty?” she inquired as she hunted for a shimmering stole.
    “Wrong number,” was the smooth reply as the missing garment was located in her monstrous closet and they left for the gala event.
    T he photo sessions and the television commercials were going extremely well. The country loved this lovely lady and her well-behaved, respectful child. The advertisements were released sooner than planned because of the popularity of the sample ads. A car company and a cosmetics firm had put in offers for Sarah's representation. The car company even requested Davey for ads aimed at the family.
    Sarah was recognized as the trio went sightseeing and were stopped many times for autographs by polite, almost apologetic fans. The people were delighted when she would ask questions or compliment the beauty of their country in their own language. Davey had quickly picked up a lot of the dialect as only the absorbing mind of a youth can do.
    Sarah's stay in Japan turned from a one month stay into what now looked like would be two months. Marty arranged a lot of off-time excursions to keep Davey excited and Sarah preoccupied. They cruised the harbor amongst the colorful fishing boats and attended the Kabuki Theater. There were trips to the mountains, the beach, entertainment areas, and beautifully sculpted gardens with intimate tea ceremonies. The shopping was extraordinary. Davey was enthralled by all the new electronic toys that he had never even seen back home. Marty even bought him a small personal computer designed for the young mind.
    By now Davey had quit asking when they were going home. The questions about “Daddy” slowed to a trickle and finally stopped. To him it seemed as if his big, tall, strong daddy just wasn't around any longer and what was once concern had now turned into acceptance.
    But, Marty was there. And Marty took him to exciting places and bought him neat toys. Martin let him stay up too late so Davey could see his mommy's new commercial. Whenever he was scared, Marty's arms were there to shield and protect him. If he awakened in the middle of the night unsure of where he was, Marty came in at his cry even before his mother did.
    The transition was too subtle for a four-year old to grasp. Sarah was happy because Davey accepted Marty better now than at first, and seeing that Marty took such personal interest in her son was very satisfying. The agent, in turn, was satisfied in