As the plane touched down at LAX, Reginald thought about his escape. Yvonne agreed that he should come out there and get some rest. Not just physical, but mental. Reginald had become a mega-star at a very early point in his career. One of his best friends is now going to prison for a long time. Another friend was killed before his eyes and he's had two physical confrontations, all within a month. To top it off, he didn't feel like he could trust his bosses anymore, after they tried to use him to get to Duane. He had a lot on his mind.
After he picked up his bags, he saw a man standing with a sign and his name on it. The man recognized Reginald immediately and led him out to a limo. Reginald stepped into the limo and there was Yvonne sitting in the corner.
"Hey baby," she said excitedly. They hugged tightly and Reginald kissed her softly on the cheek. "I'm so sorry about Duane," said Yvonne. "If there's anything I can do, just let me know," she finished. "Thanks, but I don't think we can do anything for him at this point, except be there for him," Reginald said.
They rode quietly to her home. Yvonne lived on the beach, in Malibu. Her neighbors were other celebrities: musicians, actors, pro-athletes. She had palm trees in her front yard and sand in her back yard. The ocean was only 50 yards from her patio. It was unbelievably beautiful.
Reginald tipped the driver as he brought in the last of Reginald's luggage and quickly disappeared out Yvonne's front door. It wasn't even noon yet, but Reginald felt like napping. "Jet-lag is a trip," Reginald said softly as he found himself drifting off to sleep. "Yeah, it takes some getting used to," Yvonne responded.
Reginald took some time to catch Yvonne up on some of the things he had dealt with the last few days. He told her about Craig and Claude setting up Duane. He told her about Sonny, who she had never met. He also caught her up about the incident on the radio, with Spit Fye. He did have some good news for her. He told her about him including his friends in the tour and giving them a chance to become his permanent band again.
"That's great baby," said Yvonne. She was smiling ear-to-ear. "Those guys really love you, and it shows," she said. "Giving them an opportunity to work with you again is a wonderful thing to do."
Reginald nodded in agreement. They had always been there for him and he wanted to do the same for them, especially now that Duane wasn't able to run the club anymore. Reginald sat quietly and began to stare off.
"What's wrong, Reggie," asked Yvonne. Reginald hesitated. He wanted to tell her about his meeting with Earl and the money he was holding for Duane. "You can tell me anything Reggie. I hope you know that," she said. "Yeah, I know. But this is something you might not want to know about," Reginald said.
Reginald's phone began to ring. "Saved by the bell," he laughed. Yvonne smiled nervously. "Hello," said Reginald into the phone. "Reg, it's Farley," he said on the other end of the phone. "Knucklehead, what's up," asked Reginald. "Man, you aren't going to believe this. Turn to BST," said Farley. Reginald turned on the TV and he saw Spit Fye on the screen, being interviewed by Carmen on her show.
"I just want to express my deepest sympathies to Mike's family," said Spit Fye. "I know this might not be popular, but I plan to attend his benefit concert in our hometown of New York," said Spit Fye. Carmen seemed rattled. "Spit, are you sure that's a good idea. How do your lawyers feel about that," she asked. "They are against it, but I think it shows that I held no ill will against Mike. We were brothers in a lot of ways, and if people want to take out their anger over his death on me, then I can take it. I deserve it," said Spit Fye. "That's very brave of you," said Carmen.
"On a related note, is it true that you called into a radio station to harass Reginald Morgan," asked Carmen. Spit Fye scoffed. "It's not true," said Spit Fye. "Someone called in and pretended to be me," said Spit Fye. "Reginald has a problem with me and he's trying to make me look bad. I just want to say something specific to Reggie," said Spit Fye. He looked directly in to the screen. "I forgive you man," said Spit Fye as the camera zoomed in. "Well there you have it," said Carmen. "One of the greatest of all time, Spit Fye, completely open and honest," she said as she went to commercial.
Reginald's fists clinched. "Farley, let me call you back," he said as he hung up the phone. "He is playing with me, trying to ruin my reputation," said Reginald. "Don't worry about him babe," said Yvonne. "He's not worth your anger. I can't believe he'd show his face at that concert. There's no way in hell that they should let him be there," said Yvonne.
Yvonne picked up her phone to call Image. "Let me speak with Deane Milner please," she said. "This is Yvonne Summers," she finished. She sat on hold for about thirty seconds when Deane picked up the line. "Yvonne, how are you," Deane said. "Not too good, Deane," said Yvonne. "Listen, why are you all allowing Spit Fye to attend this concert for Mike? Knowing he's the one who pulled the trigger. There's no way he should be there. Mike's family will be there and you know they won't be happy to see the man who killed him," she said.
"Yvonne, BST has chosen to pick up this benefit concert. One of the stipulations is to allow Spit Fye and Reginald to have a sit down, on camera, prior to the concert. Then they have to agree to shake hands and put an end to all their conflicts," said Deane.
"Reginald is right here with me and he is not pleased about this at all," said Yvonne. "Here, you talk with him," said Yvonne. She passed the phone over to Reginald. "Hello, Mister Milner," said Reginald. "I just can't believe that you all are going along with this," Reginald said. "Look Reggie, all the incidents that you've had recently; the connection to organized crime. We just need some positive press. At this point, the share holders are putting pressure on me to cut you loose if you don't agree to this. BST wants a sit down between you and Spit Fye so you can clear the air. If I'm completely honest with you, I believe it's a ratings thing. But I also believe that people who are fans of you both want to see peace," said Deane.
Reginald shook his head. "I see," he said. "I'll talk with him," said Reginald. "Good, we're glad that you are willing to move passed this whole incident," said Deane. "Yeah, here's Yvonne," Reginald said disgustedly as he gave her the phone. "Deane, you know this isn't right," she said. "This is a business and you know this is all about business," said Deane. Yvonne hung up the phone.
"Reggie, do you have anything on schedule for the next few weeks," asked Yvonne. "No, nothing except getting my boys on their feet and going to Duane's hearings, that's it," he replied. "Well, I've got a lot of room. You are more than welcomed to stay with me indefinitely," said Yvonne. Reginald hugged Yvonne tightly. "Thank you baby," he said.
Over the next week, as Reginald got more comfortable, he went out and got a cell phone with a Los Angeles number, and even rented a post office box for his mail. He only shared his new number with his closest friends. Not even his bosses at Image had his number. Once a day, he'd check his voicemail on his old cell phone and find 20 or more messages. Most messages were from the publicists office at Image, reporters and local party promoters were also calling.
Reginald really didn't want to talk to anybody. He did have to speak with an Image rep to finalize his sit down with Spit Fye. He agreed to speak with him the afternoon before the concert, there in New York, on camera.
The big day finally arrived. Reginald and Yvonne had flown in together from Los Angeles to New York. They reserved a hotel suite in a Hilton in Manhattan, while they were in the air and expected sufficient transportation from the airport to venue and then back to the hotel after the event.
The sit down was to be in a conference room in Madison Square Garden, which is also where the concert would be held. There were cameras filming Reginald and Yvonne's arrival to the building. They had also filmed Spit Fye's arrival. The cameras followed them into the building and through all the hallways.
The sit down had become almost a completely separate event from the concert, although they were initially related. People were more concerned with Reginald and Spit Fye's beef than they were with the memory of Big Mic.
Carmen Lane was the moderator of the conversation. It would just be the three of them in the room together with nobody else except the camera people.
As Reginald reached the door, he saw Carmen standing there. Carmen approached Reginald as if walking on egg shells. She knew that he was very suspicious of her. "Reggie, I haven't talked to you since," Carmen hesitated. "I just want you to know that I had no idea about what was going on. I just wanted to help you," she said. Reginald nodded in approval. "It's okay, you didn't pull the trigger," Reginald said. He turned and hugged Yvonne. "I'm going in baby," he said. "Okay, I'll be waiting," she said. Reginald followed Carmen into the room. Spit Fye was already waiting for him inside.
"Okay, for the sake of the magazine covers and any other media that need still shots, can I get you guys to shake hands," asked Carmen.
Reginald walked over to Spit Fye. The intensity in the air was very thick. You could tell that the two didn't like each other. Spit Fye stood up and stretched his hand out to Reginald.
The two men shook hands as cameras flashed and recorded what seemed to be a good start to a very important moment for both men.
To Be Continued...
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