down.
Anyway, I got to the funeral home and hung around for a bit,
and the first person I ran into was Nicole. She come over and said
hi and gave me a little kiss, and she told me she had left the kids at
my house. She had been unable to find Kato, she said, and she
knew I was taking the kids to Vegas the following day, so it seemed
like a good solution.
“How was Cabo?” she asked.
“It was fine. I might build a little house there.”
Then we saw Billy's wife and family and went over to express
our condolences. Our friendship went all the way back to when
Nicole and I were first married, and we talked about the old days,
and I could see that stirred up a lot of feelings for Nicole.
When things broke up, Nicole and I found ourselves out in the
parking lot, alone. “I'm hungry,” I said. “You want to get a bite to eat?”
“Sure,” she said.
We went to a little restaurant in Santa Monica, and for some
reason Nicole started talking about Marcus Allen and his fiancee,
Kathryn, who were about to get married, and who had asked me to
host the wedding at my place, on Rockingham. I told Nicole, “It's
funny. Kathryn reminds me a little of you when you were preparing
for our wedding. She's over at the house almost every day, running
around and worrying about every little detail, from the table set-
tings to the flowers to the music. She wants to make sure that every-
thing turns out just right.”
Nicole got a sad look in her eyes, and said, “She's a nice girl,
that Kathryn.”
“She's more than nice,” I said. “I know you don't know her all
that well, but she's been in your corner from the start. When you
moved out, and she saw how upset I was, she told me you'd be com-
ing back. `O.J.,' she said. 'Nicole has been with you since she was
eighteen years old. She needs to do this—she needs to find herself—
but she'll be back'.”
“That's the same thing I told you,” Nicole said. “But when I
told you, you didn't believe me.”
“About coming back? You never said anything about com-
ing back?”
“No—about finding myself,” she said. “I didn't know who
I was.”
“And you know who you are now?”
“I'm getting closer,” she said.
“Well, anyway, let's not go there,” I said. “All I was trying to
tell you is that you've got a good friend and a big fan in Kathryn.”
Suddenly Nicole was crying and I couldn't for the life of me
figure out why that would upset her. These big old tears were pour-
ing down her cheeks, and people at the neighboring tables were
taking notice. “What's wrong?” I said, whispering. “I wasn't trying to
upset you.”
“That's not it,” she said.
“Then what?”
“Marcus is not your friend,” she said.
“What do you mean 'Marcus is not your friend.' 'What is that
supposed to mean?”
She looked at me like she really wanted to say something that
she couldn't bring herself to say it, and then it hit me. “Did some-
thing happen between you and Marcus?” I asked.
She put her head down on the table and started crying louder.
I felt like the whole restaurant was looking at us, so I turned and
signaled for the check. 'When I turned back to look at Nicole, she
was lifting her head off the table, sniffling, and using the napkin to
dry her tears. She looked at me, all pitiful.
“What?” I said.
“Something did happen with Marcus.”
Man, I'll tell you, another guy would have probably lost it, but
I didn't lose it. I just shook my head, kind of stunned, and the bill
came and I paid it and we went outside. I hadn't said a word to her
the whole time. I was still trying to process what she'd just told me.
“What?” she said, like she was scared of me or something.
“You're not going to talk to me now?”
“I'll talk to you when I can think of something to say.”
I drove her back to the funeral home, because her car was still
in the parking lot, and I didn't say a word to her the entire time.
But when we got there, not ten minutes later, I cut the engine and
unloaded on
Anyway, I got to the funeral home and hung around for a bit,
and the first person I ran into was Nicole. She come over and said
hi and gave me a little kiss, and she told me she had left the kids at
my house. She had been unable to find Kato, she said, and she
knew I was taking the kids to Vegas the following day, so it seemed
like a good solution.
“How was Cabo?” she asked.
“It was fine. I might build a little house there.”
Then we saw Billy's wife and family and went over to express
our condolences. Our friendship went all the way back to when
Nicole and I were first married, and we talked about the old days,
and I could see that stirred up a lot of feelings for Nicole.
When things broke up, Nicole and I found ourselves out in the
parking lot, alone. “I'm hungry,” I said. “You want to get a bite to eat?”
“Sure,” she said.
We went to a little restaurant in Santa Monica, and for some
reason Nicole started talking about Marcus Allen and his fiancee,
Kathryn, who were about to get married, and who had asked me to
host the wedding at my place, on Rockingham. I told Nicole, “It's
funny. Kathryn reminds me a little of you when you were preparing
for our wedding. She's over at the house almost every day, running
around and worrying about every little detail, from the table set-
tings to the flowers to the music. She wants to make sure that every-
thing turns out just right.”
Nicole got a sad look in her eyes, and said, “She's a nice girl,
that Kathryn.”
“She's more than nice,” I said. “I know you don't know her all
that well, but she's been in your corner from the start. When you
moved out, and she saw how upset I was, she told me you'd be com-
ing back. `O.J.,' she said. 'Nicole has been with you since she was
eighteen years old. She needs to do this—she needs to find herself—
but she'll be back'.”
“That's the same thing I told you,” Nicole said. “But when I
told you, you didn't believe me.”
“About coming back? You never said anything about com-
ing back?”
“No—about finding myself,” she said. “I didn't know who
I was.”
“And you know who you are now?”
“I'm getting closer,” she said.
“Well, anyway, let's not go there,” I said. “All I was trying to
tell you is that you've got a good friend and a big fan in Kathryn.”
Suddenly Nicole was crying and I couldn't for the life of me
figure out why that would upset her. These big old tears were pour-
ing down her cheeks, and people at the neighboring tables were
taking notice. “What's wrong?” I said, whispering. “I wasn't trying to
upset you.”
“That's not it,” she said.
“Then what?”
“Marcus is not your friend,” she said.
“What do you mean 'Marcus is not your friend.' 'What is that
supposed to mean?”
She looked at me like she really wanted to say something that
she couldn't bring herself to say it, and then it hit me. “Did some-
thing happen between you and Marcus?” I asked.
She put her head down on the table and started crying louder.
I felt like the whole restaurant was looking at us, so I turned and
signaled for the check. 'When I turned back to look at Nicole, she
was lifting her head off the table, sniffling, and using the napkin to
dry her tears. She looked at me, all pitiful.
“What?” I said.
“Something did happen with Marcus.”
Man, I'll tell you, another guy would have probably lost it, but
I didn't lose it. I just shook my head, kind of stunned, and the bill
came and I paid it and we went outside. I hadn't said a word to her
the whole time. I was still trying to process what she'd just told me.
“What?” she said, like she was scared of me or something.
“You're not going to talk to me now?”
“I'll talk to you when I can think of something to say.”
I drove her back to the funeral home, because her car was still
in the parking lot, and I didn't say a word to her the entire time.
But when we got there, not ten minutes later, I cut the engine and
unloaded on
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