Press Release

16: Pressed Against the Window

I'm prepared for her cold, professional demeanor this time. After Friday's interviews when she'd pretended I didn't exist, and in spite of our closeness Sunday afternoon, I know that she's going to withdraw today. In some ways, she is very like me. We both have public faces and private faces. She's exceedingly good at modeling the difference between the two.

When she walks in, she barely glances at me, smiling instead at the reporter from Entertainment Tonight and holding out her hand. "Marthe," she coos, "So lovely to see you again. Here are the items that Xavier will not be discussing today," as she hands over a sheet.

"Nice try, Olivia," the journalist counters, "but I have assurances from the production company that...." her voice trails off as she reads through the list, clearly surprised.

Watching the exchange, I'm curious. Clearly, Olivia didn't make the arrest off the record. I wonder why.

Throughout the interview, I'm distracted, wondering when The Question will come, but Marthe never even hints at Xavier's weekend activities. Scratching my head during the break between interviews, I ponder the move Olivia had made. It really was genius. By not taking the arrest out of the discussion, she made the reporter think it couldn't possibly be a big deal. Smart move, really. I'm unsure how long her luck would hold up, but I am curiou.

Next up is one of the newer film critics, and he is known for his nosy questions. Like Marthe before him, Oliva approaches and hands over a list of topics not up for discussion. This time, though, she uses a different approach. "Hey, Sam. Here are some topics that Xavier has limited permission to discuss, so if you could keep your questions within these parameters, that will keep us all out of legal difficulty." I'm confident the arrest is part of this list.

By this time, I'm so completely intrigued by Olivia's tactics that I've turned on my own auto-pilot. After all, I've been through hundreds of similar interviews. No thought processes required.

"So, Harry," asks the journalist, "I hear that both you and Misty will attend the upcoming Stand Up to Cancer event in a few weeks. How do you feel about being in the same space as your ex?"

For a moment, I'm flummoxed. Misty? Who the hell is Misty? Oh wait. Yeah. My former fiancée. Do not look at me that way. Yes, we were engaged, but my mind was elsewhere, okay? So forgive me if her face didn't come immediately to my mind.

Blankly, I stare at the reporter, running through possible answers to the question.

With the dead air, Sam tries again with a different question, "So, Harry. Your ex-fiancée, Misty Hanover, will be at the Stand Up for Cancer event next month, and you are performing for the charity that same night. How will you react to being on the same stage with her when you two came so close to tying the knot not long ago?"

My eyes wander to Olivia's face first, and then I bounce over to Jeffrey where he's standing, shaking his head. Not at me, but rather at Sam. I look back at Olivia where she's nodding her head in Sam's direction, clearly urging me to answer the question.

"Uh, well....." I clear my throat and gather my thoughts as quickly as I can. All of these years of media training, you would think I would know how to respond to a question like this. "I think that Misty is, uh, a very talented woman, and the, uh, the organizers of the event are, uh, lucky to have her as part of the, uh, night's entertainment."

As soon as the words escape my lips, I know it's going to be an answer that gets lots of airplay. My fans will listen for nuances in my voice, dissecting every word and every breath. In the end, there will be a twitter fight over whether #Histy was too #Hasty in breaking up. (Yeah, let me toot my own horn for a moment 'cause that was some clever word play.)