I Fall Apart

Lin

I couldn't believe someone could sink so low as to report on a minor's kid, who had no say in the fact that her father was famous.  It was incomprehensible.  I didn't have the reporter's name, just the publication.  And I had Vanessa Nadal on my side.  We were going to win.

We knew Nora didn't like this, but at this point we didn't have a choice.  We couldn't let a publication invade her privacy like this.  Vanessa filed the necessary paperwork the next day.  The publication was served with the lawsuit.  To put it nicely, we threatened to sue for a large amount of money unless they withdrew the story before publication.  My understanding was that it would have to be a very quick turnaround.  Like, by the end of the day.

We all wondered how the story had gotten out.  Probably some kid at school.  Nora wasn't the only one with connections at Hunter.  Some of the students were children of prominent people in the city, the press, actors, musicians.  It was irrelevant at this point.  Someone had leaked it and now it was out.

Vanessa and I were talking on the phone throughout the day with updates.  Their lawyer was in contact with them, throwing out the usual bullshit of freedom of the press.  Really, they had nothing to gain from publishing the story.  If they did, they'd get sued for a massive amount of money, and they'd be forever known as the assholes who trashed Lin-Manuel Miranda's innocent daughter.

We knew what they were after.  Celebrities and celebrity children behaving badly sold papers.  I got it when the celebrity kid was full-grown, but 15?  She was just a kid.

I got more and more nervous as the end of the day neared.  They still hadn't called and agreed to pull the story.  My agent was already working up a press release just in case the lawsuit failed.  I started thinking about what I might post on Twitter.

The boys had been put to bed, and V and I were both sitting at the kitchen table, waiting for a phone to ring.  V was still on her computer, looking into more legal options in case this one failed.  Finally, the number for the publication's lawyer came up.  V answered it immediately.

"Vanessa Nadal," she answered, sounding very lawyerly and serious.  "yes....Yes, I understand....no....definitely not."

I was watching her intently for any sign of a positive or negative reaction.  Finally, she pumped a fist in the air in victory.

"Thank you, sir.  You made the right decision.  Goodbye."

We immediately felt relief.  Vanessa got up and hugged me.  I yelled for Nora to come out, and we told her the good news.  She was relieved as well and hugged us.  We all went to bed later, feeling much better about things.  Unfortunately, it was a bit pre-eminent.

The next morning, social media had erupted with the story.  It was all over Twitter and Facebook.  There was no picture, but the story was everywhere.  Unfortunately, there wasn't one person who could be blamed.  I woke up to my phone exploding.  I still had Nora's phone, thank goodness, so she was sleeping through the storm.  I scrolled through my feed and rubbed my eyes, already exhausted.  Then I swung myfeet over the bed and headed to Nora's bedroom.  She deserved to know.

I knocked on her door and she didn't respond, predictably.  She was fast asleep, dead to the world.  I wished I could just let her sleep and not have to face the world, but I knew that wasn't possible.  I knelt next to her bed and gently shook her upper arm.

"Sweetheart?  It's time to wake up," I told her gently.  She grumbled and fluttered her eyes open.

"What's wrong?" she croaked out, seeing the look on my face.  I sighed.

"Unfortunately, your story's all over social media," I told her reluctantly.  "No picture, but there's lots of gossip.  I wanted you to find out from me."