one.'
I watch her closely again. 'I'm sure they don't
think you're stupid.'
Romy snorts the most elegant snort I've ever
heard. 'Sure. They never once thought that. You
know what some journalist called me the other
day? A "celebutard". My brother thought that was
really funny. He faxed me the article just so I could
read it. He even highlighted it for me, so I didn't
miss the good bit.'
My eyebrows raise at this. 'He faxed it to you? And highlighted it?'
There's a long pause.
'Yes.' Romy sounded miserable.
I'm not sure what to say, so I say the obvious
thing. 'Well, that wasn't very nice of him, was it?!'
Geez. He sounds like he needs more than a few
minutes in the Supernanny naughty corner.
She shrugs. 'Being a Rich Girl is all I'm good
for. But, oh, I don't know ...' she pauses. 'Sometimes ...'
I nod at her, expectantly.
'I don't know ... sometimes I just feel like I want
to do something more.'
'Like what?' I prompt.
She stops again and thinks for a second. 'I'm not
sure. Like something I'm really good at. Something
that's really about me.' Romy turns to look at me.
'I guess you think I'm the ultimate poor little rich
girl, don't you?' She laughs slightly. 'Crying over
nothing when I've got the perfect life.'
But I shake my head slowly in return. 'No. I
don't, actually.'
Romy looks surprised. 'You don't?'
'Nope.'
'Oh,' she thinks about this for a moment. 'And,
um, why is that?'
I consider my words for a second. I don't want to
get JJ fired, after all. 'Well, because it kind of all adds
up, doesn't it? You just said your family always made
you out to be the less smart one and now your job,
your whole life, really, is being this Rich Girl character
who isn't really you and also isn't that bright,
but everyone assumes you're one and the same. It
can't be easy for you. It must get you down.'
Romy sits beside me and stares at me, looking
kind of shocked as I speak. When I'm done, I
start to freak out, thinking I've said too much.
What was I thinking? She's going to fire JJ, for
sure. Right when I've just about mentally finished
packing my bag, Romy points a finger at me and
starts waggling it. Oh, brother. This is it. This is
so it. JJ and I are outtie. Au revoir Paris. I wince,
waiting for Romy's words that will vote us off the
island (or, you know, the continent). Finally, they
spill from her mouth. 'That is it! That is really it!
You totally get me, don't you?'
Oh.
'Maybe what I've been thinking over these past
few weeks has been right,' she adds.
'What's that?' I ask, relieved it doesn't look like
JJ and I will be leaving on the next jet plane.
'That I should leave the show!' she throws her
hands out.
I jump off my stool with this and poor Fluffy
goes flying with a shocked 'Mrow!'. 'NO!' I yell.
Romy's hands fall by her sides.
'I never said that!' I lower my voice now and
bend down to pick up a stunned Fluffy. 'I didn't
mean you should leave the show. I mean, you're
contracted, aren't you? For the season. Like JJ.'
'But if it's making me unhappy ...'
I think. Fast. 'Maybe ... um ... maybe it's not
the show? Maybe it's about you.'
There's a frown. 'What do you mean?'
'Um, I'm not sure ...' I start, but I begin to
remember when JJ first started working her
pretty close to intolerable Tokyo job and found
that she could handle her work hours better by
developing outside interests that took her mind
off things in her non-work hours. She took a class
in ikebana (flower arranging) and got really good
at it, too.
I settle back onto my stool now, replacing Fluffy
and giving the poor animal the pat he deserves.
'There's nothing in your contract to stop you
exploring other areas, is there?'
'Like?' Romy prompts.
'Like college or something?' I regret the words
as soon as they leave my mouth. Whoops. I can't
believe I just said that. It's just that it was the most
obvious thing. The first thing that popped into my
head. 'Oh, sorry, I forgot you didn't like school,' I
add quickly.
'That's okay,' Romy pushes
I watch her closely again. 'I'm sure they don't
think you're stupid.'
Romy snorts the most elegant snort I've ever
heard. 'Sure. They never once thought that. You
know what some journalist called me the other
day? A "celebutard". My brother thought that was
really funny. He faxed me the article just so I could
read it. He even highlighted it for me, so I didn't
miss the good bit.'
My eyebrows raise at this. 'He faxed it to you? And highlighted it?'
There's a long pause.
'Yes.' Romy sounded miserable.
I'm not sure what to say, so I say the obvious
thing. 'Well, that wasn't very nice of him, was it?!'
Geez. He sounds like he needs more than a few
minutes in the Supernanny naughty corner.
She shrugs. 'Being a Rich Girl is all I'm good
for. But, oh, I don't know ...' she pauses. 'Sometimes ...'
I nod at her, expectantly.
'I don't know ... sometimes I just feel like I want
to do something more.'
'Like what?' I prompt.
She stops again and thinks for a second. 'I'm not
sure. Like something I'm really good at. Something
that's really about me.' Romy turns to look at me.
'I guess you think I'm the ultimate poor little rich
girl, don't you?' She laughs slightly. 'Crying over
nothing when I've got the perfect life.'
But I shake my head slowly in return. 'No. I
don't, actually.'
Romy looks surprised. 'You don't?'
'Nope.'
'Oh,' she thinks about this for a moment. 'And,
um, why is that?'
I consider my words for a second. I don't want to
get JJ fired, after all. 'Well, because it kind of all adds
up, doesn't it? You just said your family always made
you out to be the less smart one and now your job,
your whole life, really, is being this Rich Girl character
who isn't really you and also isn't that bright,
but everyone assumes you're one and the same. It
can't be easy for you. It must get you down.'
Romy sits beside me and stares at me, looking
kind of shocked as I speak. When I'm done, I
start to freak out, thinking I've said too much.
What was I thinking? She's going to fire JJ, for
sure. Right when I've just about mentally finished
packing my bag, Romy points a finger at me and
starts waggling it. Oh, brother. This is it. This is
so it. JJ and I are outtie. Au revoir Paris. I wince,
waiting for Romy's words that will vote us off the
island (or, you know, the continent). Finally, they
spill from her mouth. 'That is it! That is really it!
You totally get me, don't you?'
Oh.
'Maybe what I've been thinking over these past
few weeks has been right,' she adds.
'What's that?' I ask, relieved it doesn't look like
JJ and I will be leaving on the next jet plane.
'That I should leave the show!' she throws her
hands out.
I jump off my stool with this and poor Fluffy
goes flying with a shocked 'Mrow!'. 'NO!' I yell.
Romy's hands fall by her sides.
'I never said that!' I lower my voice now and
bend down to pick up a stunned Fluffy. 'I didn't
mean you should leave the show. I mean, you're
contracted, aren't you? For the season. Like JJ.'
'But if it's making me unhappy ...'
I think. Fast. 'Maybe ... um ... maybe it's not
the show? Maybe it's about you.'
There's a frown. 'What do you mean?'
'Um, I'm not sure ...' I start, but I begin to
remember when JJ first started working her
pretty close to intolerable Tokyo job and found
that she could handle her work hours better by
developing outside interests that took her mind
off things in her non-work hours. She took a class
in ikebana (flower arranging) and got really good
at it, too.
I settle back onto my stool now, replacing Fluffy
and giving the poor animal the pat he deserves.
'There's nothing in your contract to stop you
exploring other areas, is there?'
'Like?' Romy prompts.
'Like college or something?' I regret the words
as soon as they leave my mouth. Whoops. I can't
believe I just said that. It's just that it was the most
obvious thing. The first thing that popped into my
head. 'Oh, sorry, I forgot you didn't like school,' I
add quickly.
'That's okay,' Romy pushes
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