Lydia's Dream Ch. 11-12

After the executives, the ladies were introduced one at a time to wild applause, a flood of flashes, and catcalls from the less sophisticated in the audience. I was surprised that Niki had appeared in Playboy nine times including five in their famous holiday editions. This lady was a legend but the other six were just as famous.

The whole event lasted maybe 30 minutes including the Q&A period. The ladies were ushered off the stage and we waited for our security guy. He arrived in a couple of minutes with another bodyguard and they asked us to follow them. We went backstage, where the models had gone, but no one was there. They led us down a long hallway and onto an elevator. We were taken to the 41st floor and were met by another security person when the elevator door opened.

"Miss, Ms. Lee has asked for you to come to her suite. Please follow me."

We walked down the long hallway to her room and the security person knocked. A man we had not yet seen opened the door and invited us in.

He grinned and said, "Hi, my name is Robert Adams. I'm Niki's manager. What are your names?" He politely offered his hand to me as I introduced Pam and myself.

"I can see why Niki is anxious to talk to you, Pam. You're an exact copy of her. This is the most amazing resemblance I've ever seen."

As we talked, Niki walked into the room from what appeared to be a bedroom. She had changed into an elegant silk blouse and black pants. I introduced Pam and myself. Niki was all smiles and asked us to be seated on a lovely sofa. She sat in an overstuffed leather chair across from Pam and stared at her for several moments.

"Pam, forgive me for staring. I'm totally shocked, and I mean totally. I've heard we all have look-alikes somewhere in the world but this goes far beyond a resemblance. When I saw you out front, I almost fainted. You look just like me but maybe a few years younger. Do you think there's anyway we could be related?"

"Niki, thank you for inviting us to meet with you. We drove from Chattanooga just on the odd chance we could meet. I think you're my sister."

The smile disappeared. Niki became agitated and said, "That's impossible. My mother told me that my birth mother died giving birth to me and that I was her first baby."

"Where you born in Greenville, South Carolina, on January 18, 1984?"

There was stunned silence.

Niki turned pale white. The blood had drained from her face and her hand quickly moved over her open mouth. Her eyes showed fear as she turned to Robert. He shook his head for some reason.

She replied, "No one knows that, how did you find out?"

"My mother, who's very much alive, told me over Thanksgiving."

Again, there was silence for a moment.

"Are you implying that my mother lied to me?"

"I'm not implying anything. But it wouldn't be unusual for an adoptive mother to try to discourage their child from looking for their birth mother. Is there anyway you can ask your mother about it?"

"I wish that were possible. She and my dad died in a plane crash ten years ago."

"Oh no. I'm so sorry." There was silence for several moments as Niki continued to stare at Pam.

"A few years ago, I received a letter from a fan in South Carolina. He said that he was going to school with a girl who looked exactly like me. I wondered about that since I knew I was born there. He enclosed a picture but it was obviously taken in a rush and was not in sharp focus. Until now, I'd forgotten about that.

"I don't know what to say, Pam. You may be right. But we can't be identical twins. How old are you?"

"Twenty-three."

Niki sat there for a long time thinking through her emotions, it seemed. She then stood and came to Pam and held out her arms. Pam stood and they hugged with all the emotion you would ever see between two sisters. They both cried as they hugged. I glanced over at Robert and saw tears in his eyes. Robert handed tissues to both Niki and Pam.

For the next 30 minutes, they talked about their mothers and how they were raised. Pam told Niki about Jerri and that their father has passed away. She then recounted the terrible decision that Ruth had to make and the reasons Niki had been given up for adoption.

"Pam, my given name is Janie. You two please call me that. Again, only a very few people know my real name. Is your name Pamela?"

"Yes. And Jerri's is Jeraldine. She was named after Dad's mom."

"All of this is going to take a while to sink in, Pam. So I have a family that I never knew about and a mother who loved me so much she put my interest above her own. Do you realize how few mothers these days would even think about carrying an unwanted baby to full term?"

Janie looked down for a moment as she dabbed her eyes. "Do you think she'd be willing to meet me?"

"Tom, why don't you tell Janie about your conversation."

"Ruth told me over Thanksgiving about your birth and all the heart breaking decisions she had to make. Pam and I had known about you and how much the two of you looked alike so we thought there might be a possibility you were Ruth's daughter. I asked her if she'd be interested in meeting her daughter should the opportunity arise. She said that she would love to. I know from talking with her that she has carried the burden of her decision since you were born. I think being able to meet and talk with you would mean the world to her."

Again, there was silence for a few moments. Janie stared at the floor until she reached a decision.

"Robert, cancel all of my commitments for next week. I need to take care of some family business."

"But Niki, we have two personal appearances and two photo shoots scheduled."

"Robert, pretend I'm sick and need some recovery time. Get Karina, Holly or Shae to do the shoots. They've been begging for work anyway. Anybody that looks good and has been in a men's mag can do the personal appearances. Get Madison, she's the hottest new girl out there."

I wondered, was this Madison the one I knew?

He stood there and glared at her.

"Robert, I'm serious."

"Okay, I'll take care of it."

Janie turned to us and asked, "You live in Chattanooga?"

Pam responded, "Yes, but Mom lives near Greenville."

"Can I stay with you until we decide how to approach her? This is going to be a major shock to her."

Pam responded, "We would love to have you."

"Robert, call Jackson and tell him I want to be dropped at the Chattanooga airport on the way back tonight."

"Yes, Niki." He walked into the next room.

Pam whispered to Janie, "Why does he always call you Niki?"

"Because she's the bitch he manages. He doesn't manage Janie."

Pam and I glanced at each other. That was interesting.

Janie explained that they always have to travel by corporate plane and that there was a dinner tonight she had to attend with the other models for one of the major investors.

Robert returned and said, "It's taken care of. He's going to file a revised flight plan and will drop you off at 10:15 assuming we can get out on time."

We stood, as the meeting appeared to be over. Janie and Pam hugged again for a long time and whispered to each other. Both shed tears. I assured Janie we would meet her at 10:15. As the sisters separated, Janie looked at Pam and smiled.

"Baby sister, I need to touch you up. Come with me." They walked into the bedroom and were gone for several minutes while Robert was on the phone and I stood there like a knot on a log.

When Pam and Janie returned, Pam looked as good as new... elegant, in other words.

Robert walked us to the door and we shook hands again. The security men were outside the door and they escorted us down the elevator and to the front entrance of the lobby. Before they led us out into the scrum again, they had Angel brought around. The police and private security guys surrounded Pam and me for the walk out.

We were very relieved when the car doors shut and locked. The police cleared a way for us and we headed back to I-75 and Chattanooga.

As soon as we found the entrance to the interstate, Pam exclaimed, "I never thought she would be so nice. Can you imagine how she must have felt seeing me for the first time? I've had years of looking at her images and seeing myself. She had just a few seconds."

I replied, "I was impressed by how professional and strong she was. I just imagined that adult film models were victims and took whatever came their way because of the money and power behind the money. She was not weak at all and I certainly didn't see a victim."

"We have to figure out how best to break all of this to Mom. I have to work Monday through Wednesday again next week. Maybe on Thursday or Friday we can drive over and see her with Janie."

I asked, "What do we do with Janie until then?"

"Maybe she'd like to just relax at the house and have some downtime. We'll see her every morning and evening."

"Maybe so."

"We exchanged cell phone numbers. She said if they were late tonight, she'd call me. She also told me, when we were alone, that you were very handsome and she liked the way you deferred to me during the discussion. You impressed her, in other words."

"So now all three sisters think I'm special, huh?"

"There's the number three again. We must all think perfectly or completely alike."

****

We arrived at the general aviation terminal at the airport a little after 10:00 pm and saw one plane land a few minutes later. Hopefully, it was carrying her. Pam's cell phone rang about a minute later.

"Hello.

"Oh. Hi Janie.

"Yes.

"No problem.

"Hey, no problem, we understand.

"See you then.

"Bye.

"She said they're about 10 minutes out and apologized for being late. She asked if we were already here. Their dinner ran late."

When her plane landed things happened fast. Janie appeared with two guys carrying her luggage in just a minute. She walked into the terminal and immediately hugged Pam and then me. The guys said "Hi," set the luggage down and were off in a flash.

"I'm sorry for making you wait. I've been running late all day and that's not like me."

Pam replied, "We're just thrilled to have you here, Janie. It's much more than we ever anticipated."

I carried her two suitcases to the car while they chatted about the day. As we drove home, Pam asked about the photographers and whether or not that was normal.

"Unfortunately, it's that way whenever events like today are announced. In LA, we can get around without a lot of attention, as there are just so many other targets for them. In Atlanta, our appearance is a much bigger deal. It just comes with the territory, as they say."

Pam responded, "It scared me."

"It can be rough sometimes but the police and private security did a good job today."

I asked, "Were all the other ladies on the plane?"

"Only Heather, Hanna and Lindsey. The others had commitments in various parts of the country so they took off in different directions. I was supposed to be in New York on Monday but Robert was able to book Madison in my place."

"Where's Madison from?" I asked.

"She lives in Santa Monica now but I think she's from somewhere in Kansas. I haven't met her yet but one of my production companies has her booked for two shoots the end of next week."

I had to probe a bit more. "I know a Madison from Kansas City but I think she'd be too old for this business."

"How old is she?"

"Thirty-one, I think."

"Actually, the times have changed and lots of models that age are still very popular. It used to be that your career would be over around 25 or 26. Only young ones were popular. I guess as our consumers have aged, so have their tastes in women. The youngsters sell, of course, but the older ones also sell. We shoot anyone over 18 who sells."

I asked, "It sounds like you own a production company. Is that right?"

"Actually, I own three. One only works in the Czech Republic and Hungary. The other two are in LA."

Pam asked, "Do all the girls change their names?"

"Oh yes. You would never use your real name in this business. Makes it too easy for some pervert to find you."

"So Madison wouldn't be her real name?" I asked.

"Lordy no! I don't know what it is but it certainly is not Madison." I felt instant relief.

We arrived home and I carried her luggage to a bedroom down the hall from us. Janie walked around the main part of the house and saw the library and kitchen.

"I love this house. Pam, did you do the decorating?"

"No, Tom's wife, who is now deceased, did it."

Janie looked at me and asked, "Accident?"

"Cancer."

"What a shame."

Since it was only 8:30 pm according to her body clock (LA time), Janie asked if she could stay up and read in the library. I asked which authors she liked and we found several by her favorites in just a minute. Pam and I headed to bed after another hug from Janie.

After we closed our bedroom door, Pam said, "Her personality seems so normal. I'm not sure what I expected but it certainly wasn't normal. She's an entrepreneur and owns three companies. That's not normal. She's only 27. But she's also a top model and has shown her assets to the world many times. I guess I never thought a person would be capable of doing both, especially at her age. But she is so well grounded, not the least bit arrogant, at least not with us. That's impressive."

I had to agree. Janie was not what I expected. We showered and crashed. It had been a very long and tiring day.

****

I was the first up Sunday morning. It was cold and looked like it was going to rain most of the day, according to the weather report. After making a cup of coffee, I walked out for the newspapers. I subscribed to both the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

Sitting in the library, I quickly perused the AJC. All the normal stuff like murders, drug arrests, local politics and advertising circulars took up at least 95% of the paper. As soon as I turned the page in the local section, I gasped. Staring at me was a picture of Pam and myself along with Janie. We were standing beside Angel and the two girls were facing each other, obviously talking. The headline read "Famous Playboy Model Niki Lee Confronts Look-Alike."

"Before the Playboy TV-Manwin merger was announced yesterday at the Westin Hotel, an angry confrontation occurred between model Niki Lee and a woman who looked exactly like her. Niki accused her of having reconstructive surgery and told the younger woman that she would deal with her later. The police and hotel security were seen escorting the young look-alike and her male companion, later identified as restaurant owner Thomas Sumter of Chattanooga, into the Westin for their own safety. No additional information is available at this time."

Oh shit! I read it again just to be sure it really said that nonsense.

I reached for the Chattanooga Time Free Press. At the bottom of page 2 was the same Associated Press photo plus a second photo of the police escorting us by the arm into the Westin. The headline read "Local Restaurant Owner Detained for Questioning."

"Local restaurant owner, Tom Sumter, and an unidentified woman were detained for questioning following an angry confrontation outside the Westin Hotel in Atlanta Saturday afternoon. Two models that have appeared numerous times in Playboy Magazine were also involved. Mr. Sumter owns The River Bistro, The Meeting Place and The Rusty Rudder restaurants. He was later released. No additional information is available at this time."

I was stunned. How could they tell such lies?

For the next thirty minutes, I sat and stared at the wall of clouds outside. What was I to do?

Pam came from the bedroom and went to the kitchen for coffee. When she came into the library and saw me, she asked, "Tom, what's wrong?" I showed her the two newspaper articles and she went ballistic.

"HOW COULD THEY?" she screamed. "What a bunch of crap. I've never been in Playboy. The police were escorting us, not detaining us! Niki was not confronting me. How do they come up with this stuff?"

"Pam, the big problem is that I'm now tied to two apparent men's magazine models in an angry confrontation. The people of Chattanooga will not like that at all."

"Tom, I have to go to work tomorrow at the bank. What do you think Jason and my co-workers are going to say?"

"Maybe the biggest problem we have is your mom. She is certain to see this sometime soon. People in Greenville also get the AJC plus that is an AP photo that can show up anywhere. Others will recognize you and me."

(Little did we know at that point, but John Cramer was also reading the story in the Charlotte paper. He had to get that black book and finding Pam was critical. He now knew where to look.)

With tears in her eyes, Pam pleaded, "What are we going to do, Tom?"

We sat and fumed for the next hour but could not come up with a good solution or even a plan to get one. We were devastated.

Janie came for coffee just after 9:00 am. As soon as she saw us, she knew something bad had happened. We showed her the articles.

"This is funny," she said.

Pam exclaimed, "What do you mean funny? This is not funny!"

"Pam, the old saying is that the only bad publicity is no publicity. We can deal with this. You should see some of the bullshit we put up with in LA."

I responded, "Maybe I'm missing something. How do you propose we deal with this?"

"The biggest problem is with Mom. We have to advance my meeting her to today. Can you call her and see if she's home? We can be there in a couple of hours."

I responded, "It's going to take an hour for you two to get ready. We can't drive there in an hour."

"True, but we're going to fly there. What's the phone number for general aviation at the airport?" I turned on the laptop to find it.

Pam immediately called her mom and put her on speaker.

"Hello."

"Hi Mom. This is Pam and I have you on speaker. Are you going to be home today?"

"After church, I'll be. What's wrong sweet?"

"Mom, we have someone we want you to meet and it must be done today."

"Oh my. Why so urgent?"

"Mom, we'll explain it when we get there."

"Pam, you're worrying me to death. Tell me what's going on."

Pam looked at me and then at Janie. We both nodded.

"Tom and I have found your other daughter."

We heard the phone drop and the faint sound of wailing at the other end. Of course, the girls on our end began crying and I also had tears in my eyes. It took a couple of minutes before anyone could speak.

"Mom, she is with me and Tom now."

Janie spoke in her best New Jersey/California accent, "Hi Mom, this is Janie."

Through her tears, Ruth finally responded, "Hi Janie. I just don't know what to say."

I replied, "There will be plenty of time for that. We're trying to arrange a private plane to fly us over in a few hours. We need to do this today because of several time constraints. I'm really sorry that we had to break this to you over the phone. It just couldn't be helped."

"Do I need to pick you up at the airport?"

"No, we'll get a rental car."

"Okay, I'll be here."

Janie called the airport and booked a plane and pilot for takeoff at 11:00 am. Turned out that Janie was also a certified pilot.

"Pam, I know you and Tom have to work tomorrow. I'll pack a few clothes and things I need and see if I can stay a few days with Mom. We have a lot of catching up to do. Do you have any sweaters or sweatshirts I can borrow? I only brought a lot of dressy stuff and this one pair of jeans."

Pam and Janie walked to the bedroom to chose clothing for the trip. I picked up the phone to call Dad.

"Hello son."

"Hi Dad. There's an article in the Chattanooga paper this morning about me. It also shows Pam in a picture. I just wanted to tell you the true story so you know how slanted that article is."