Fame and Fortune

"Ladies and gentleman. Thank you for coming and welcome to tonight's event where best-selling author and psychologist, Doctor Tyler Montgomery, will be sharing the secrets of finding and keeping true love."

There was a burst of applause before she added, "And who doesn't want that, right?"

As the applause started up again, she called out, "Am I right?"

There was calls of, 'Yes!' and 'You are SO right!' and other similar things before she continued.

"That's more like it! So without further adieu, it is my privilege and honor to introduce to you—Doctor Tyler Montgomery!"

Jenna clapped politely as the auditorium exploded with noise. There was a thundering crescendo of applause with whistles and even a few salacious remarks that caused her to smile.

"Oh to be young, single, and horny again," she thought before realizing she was all of those things except for young.

The moment she saw him, she understood what Kami had been talking about. He was indeed an extremely good-looking man. Jenna judged him to be a shade over six-feet tall with an athletic-looking body, gorgeous hair, an incredible smile, and a face that was both handsome and 'pretty' at the same time. Even so, there was nothing feminine about this young author who oozed masculinity and self-confidence. She'd soon know whether or not he was cocky, and if so, she'd tune him out and pay him no further mind. But for the time being, he was very easy on the eyes, and she knew he had a pleasant speaking voice, so for the time being she settled in to at least listen to what he had to say.

"Good evening to my home town of Seattle!" he called out, speaking away from the podium via a remote microphone attached to an earphone plugged into his left ear.

"It's so great to be back home!"

The cheers kept coming as did his smile until the crowd finally quieted down.

"Okay, folks. Let's get right to it, shall we?" he said as he hit the clicker in his hand. A first slide appeared then he continued speaking.

"Love. What does that really mean? We hear about it all the time, right? It's in books, it's all over the television. It's in movies and songs, and pretty much everywhere we go. And who hasn't seen the half-dressed lovers on every romance novel? So it should be pretty easy to define, right?"

He waited then said, "Wrong! It's one of the most difficult, open-ended words in the English language. It covers everything from feelings about food, 'Oh, I love that!' to what a parent feels for a child to what a dog gives to us unconditionally to that feeling of being love...sick...when we say we're 'in love'. But what does it really mean?"

Jenna was almost shocked when she realized she'd sat up in her chair and was hanging on every word. She was glad no one, especially Kami, had noticed, as she slowly sat back never taking her eyes off the speaker.

"That is what we're going to discuss tonight. We're going to explore what love is, what it means, and why all of us want it so badly. We'll examine it from every angle then once we have reasonably good understanding, we'll discuss how to go about finding it and most importantly, how to keep it."

He paused for effect then said, "And all in just forty-five minutes. I promise."

Jenna looked around and saw woman after woman staring at him with spellbound eyes. Like she'd been, they were captivated by his good looks, friendly demeanor, and overall charm. That, plus the hope of finding this elusive four-letter word explained why so many were already in a kind of hypnotic state.

Jenna found his talk interesting but not life-changing. It seemed mostly to be common sense, at least to her anyway. And of all the things he said, the one she found herself agreeing with the most was the way love was tied to responsibility.

"Far too many of us want love to come to us. Free-flowing, never-ending love. But how many of us think about the very serious responsibilities that come with that kind of love?"

Tyler looked around the room and periodically stared at someone here or there to drive his point home.

"What kind of responsibilities? How about after that warm glow wears off? You know, the one we all get when we meet that special someone. The person we can't wait to see or be with? Why is it then almost always the case that just a few years...or maybe...months...later, we find ourselves able to ignore their phone call or text? Why doesn't our heart beat fast when we see them at the end of a long day? Are we 'out of love'?"

Tyler posed many such questions then offered something Jenna had never heard.

"People act on the basis of one (or more) of five underlying sources of motivation. The highest is that done out of...love. Pure, unselfish, unconditional love. Then comes reward. What's in it for me? What do I get in return? Then we have duty. I don't feel like doing that, but this is what I signed up for so, by God, I'll do it. After that comes fear. If I don't do it, will he or she leave me? Will they be angry? Will I be hurt physically or emotionally? Lastly comes force when someone makes you do something you don't want to do. They...force you to do it against your will."

He paused for effect again then asked the audience, "Which of these motivations drives you to act in a relationship? Which do you want to drive you? Which do you want to drive your partner?"

Tyler walked back and forth across the stage once, stopped, faced the audience then said, "Love and marriage are more than a warm feeling. That's a big part of it, but what about when the one you love is sick and looks like...hell?"

There was some nervous laughter before he continued.

"How about when you're under enormous financial stress? You're both working full-time and you're still under water. How do find time for love? Once the novelty wears off, how will you react? Will you blame your partner for your feelings of boredom and begin looking for greener pastures? Or will you dig deep and remember your vows—sacred promises you made to love, cherish, and care for that person? Will you...love them where 'love' means taking action? Or will you sit by waiting for this thing you imagine to be love to just magically flow your way?"

He spent some time talking about realistic and unrealistic expectations then finished with a favorite quote.

"Our time together is almost over," he said as he was wrapping up.

"In conclusion, let me remind you that while force is never a proper motivation, fear at times can be. Fear of losing your marriage. Fear of not being loved back. But above all else, you have a duty to love. Yes, a duty. It is a responsibility you accept...or should accept...when you say 'I do.' If you're not that committed to making marriage work, please, please don't exchange vows, because that warm glow inevitably fades. So always remember what made you fall in love. Keep that as a touchstone to go back to when you're tired and don't feel like you can give any love that day. And above all else, have realistic expectations. Keep this saying in your mind as you approach the hard work of loving another human being."

He looked around one more time then shared it.

"I slept and dreamed that love was beauty; I awoke to find that love is duty."

He waited for several seconds to let it sink in then smiled warmly and said, "You've been a wonderful audience! Thank you for coming and for letting me share a few minutes of your time!"

The auditorium erupted in applause as the hopeful stood and cheered for the man who'd essentially just told them 'marriage is a lot of work' in 45 minutes of gilded prose.

Jenna stood, and she also applauded, but other than a couple of things she thought were important, she really didn't hear anything new. In fact, it reminded her of being a little girl and going to revivals at church with her parents. Evidently, the congregation needed reviving about twice a year when some fire-breathing evangelist would come in for a few days and raise the roof with thunderous preaching and threats of hellfire and rewards of walking on streets of gold.

She was too old to moved by that kind of gimmick, but all in all, it was well worth an hour of her time.

"Mom! Come on! We have to get in line to see him!" Kami said as she grabbed her mother's hand. "I brought his latest book, and I'm not leaving without an autograph and at least a selfie with him."

"Kami, seriously?" her mom said even as her daughter dragged her with her.

It took nearly thirty minutes to get their fifteen seconds with Dr. Montgomery, and Kami was beside herself when he smiled at her and shook her hand.

"I am such a huge fan, Doctor Montgomery!" she bubbled as he signed her copy of the book 'To Kami. May you earn all the love you deserve'.

She was holding out her cell phone when he tried to give the book back to her, so he dutifully moved in for a selfie and smiled.

Jenna stood back and let her daughter have her moment alone with her most recent crush. Just because she couldn't get excited about the latest and greatest self-help 'expert' didn't mean she couldn't enjoy watching her daughter do so.

After the selfie, Kami thanked him, but he was already reaching out to shake the next woman's hand when he glanced over at Jenna then smiled.

He pulled his hand back, then motioning to Jenna said loudly enough so she could hear, "I don't believe we've said hello."

Jenna was so surprised she didn't move for a couple of seconds.

"Mom! Shake his hand," Kami said in that 'hurry up' tone of voice.

Jenna stepped forward then said, "It's very nice to meet you."

"You, too," he told her.

When he let go of her hand she turned to walk away when Tyler said, "I didn't catch your name."

Jenna turned back toward him, smiled and as she continued walking said, "I know."

"Mom!" Kami said again.

"Come on, honey. It's late," was all her mother said in reply.

Kami alternated between raving about his 'brilliant talk' and asking her mom why she'd been so rude to him.

After the second time, Jenna said very calmly, "Kami, I'm never going to see him again. I was giving you space to say hello, and if you remember, I did shake his hand. That's not being rude."

Kami sat there quietly for a moment then said, "Did you see the way he looked at you?"

"At me? Honey, trust me. There was no 'way'. He just wanted to say hello. Probably hoping to sell another book," her mother asked, having no idea what her daughter meant.

"He looked at you the way I was looking at him and the way I wanted him to look at me," Kami replied.

Her mom laughed politely then said, "No, he wasn't 'looking at me' like that."

She glanced at her daughter then said, "In case you hadn't noticed, he's your age, not mine."

Kami finally realized she was a tiny bit jealous and that it was her mom she was jealous of. It wasn't the first time, but in this case, it did seem a little foolish.

"I guess I got all wrapped up in actually meeting and thinking maybe he'd, you know, notice me and..."

Her mom reached over and touched Kami's arm as she drove.

"It's okay, honey. I get it. He's famous, rich, and yes, he's very good looking. You're single and there's nothing wrong with, you know..."

"Fantasizing?" Kami said before they both laughed.

"I just really, really want to find the right guy, Mom," she said.

"Have you stopped to think there might not be any such thing?"

Kami sighed then said, "I know you don't believe in soul mates, but I do. Can't you just let me have my..."

Before she could say 'fantasy' the second time both of them laughed again.

"Okay, fine. So I'm not going to be Mrs. Tyler Montgomery. But...he is so handsome!"

Her mom laughed again and also agreed again before saying, "Just try and be the right person, and when someone who is as committed to love as Doctor What's-His-Name, you'll be ready."

Kami cut her eyes toward her mom again then said, "Deep down I know you're right. It's just so hard to get over all of this...this social programming or whatever, you know?"

"Well, it's the way society conditions us. But we don't have to be pawns, you know. We can chart our own paths and find our own way. Sometimes we have to break outside of the expectations we've built up based on all of that conditioning to find someone who'll be a good fit even it's not someone we might normally consider."

"You never say 'someone who'll make us happy'," Kami offered.

"You know why, honey. I've said it a hundred times before."

"I know. It's not the other person's responsibility to make us happy. That's up to us."

"Oh, so you were listening!" her mother teased.

"How could I not? I only had the best mother ever growing up."

"Ah, thank you, sweetie! And...dittos."

"And you are right," Kami said. "As much as I want to believe there's this one man out there who will make me happy, there isn't. Being happy is my responsibility—not his."

"I don't tell you enough how proud I am of you, Kami," her mom said sincerely.

Kami reached over for her mom's hand then squeezed it.

"I love you, Mom."

"I love you, too, honey."

"Just one small piece of advice?" Kami said.

"Sure."

"Maybe you should take your own advice, Mom. Maybe you should try looking outside of your own ingrained expectations. You know, be more open to finding someone you may not have thought could ever work."

"While I agree with you wholeheartedly about taking my own medicine, the difference with me is I'm not really looking anymore."

Jenna knew she wasn't being completely honest, but she didn't want her daughter worrying about her any more than she already did. Were she to tell her she was often lonely, well...she just wasn't going to admit that.

"Okay, fine. But you're still so beautiful, and I can't imagine you living alone the rest of your life."

Kami stopped knowing her mom would give her grief if she pushed it any further so she quit for the time being.

"I'm not lonely, honey. I have you. And my other friends. So I'm fine. Really."

As they drove along in silence, Jenna wondered if she'd said that more for her daughter's benefit or for her own. After a few seconds of mulling it over she knew the answer and sighed loudly enough for Kami to look over and ask if everything was okay.

"Oh, sure. Everything is just fine, honey," she said, keeping the little white lie going.

*****

Three Months Later

"Mrs. Fox! Hi. You just missed Kami," the perky young waitress said.

"I thought she came in at noon today," Jenna replied as the girl showed her to a table.

"No. Sorry. She left at noon. She just left like maybe two minutes before you got here."

"Well, I didn't tell her I was coming, so I can't expect her to read minds, I suppose," Jenna said as she sat down and grabbed a menu.

The girl filled her glass with water then said, "Black coffee?"

"You know me too well."

"You got it. I'll be right back with that and take your order in a sec, okay?"

"Take your time. No hurry," Jenna told her.

Jenna had worked in human resources for Starbucks on Utah Avenue South for the last fifteen years, and had the luxury of setting her own hours as long as she spent eight of them working either from home or in the office. She had two newly-hired employees to take care of, but both of them were scheduled for two o'clock. She'd already worked three hours at home, and decided to have lunch at the restaurant where Kami worked waiting tables, and now regretted not calling first.

Jenna had done her best to get her daughter to go back to college or come work at Starbucks, but unlike her mother, Kami wasn't the type to put a lot of value in things like work or even money, so that made her interest in the wealthy, New Age guru all the more puzzling to her. Kami was a free spirit and very much a people person, and waitressing allowed her meet and be around a lot of people. She seemed happy, so her mom left it alone—most of the time.

Her waitress, or server as everyone said these days, came back, poured her a cup of black coffee then took her order.

"Same old," Jenna told her knowing the girl understood that was a club sandwich with whole wheat bread.

Jenna rarely ate 'junk', and when she did, a 'club' was still one of her favorites, and even then it wasn't all junk. It was actually fairly healthy. Jenna just ate very healthy most of the time, so this was a big treat for her.

She thanked the girl, took a first sip of coffee which wasn't as bad as it normally was, then got out her iPad to check on her schedule for the rest of the day. The 'new hires' would keep her busy until it was time to go home, and she'd be working at home the entire day tomorrow. Satisfied, she opened a crossword puzzle she enjoyed playing online, and sat there finding words and sipping coffee while she waited.

Jenna wasn't paying attention when he walked in. Nor did she notice when several people pointed or even her server, who was walking by her table, said rather loudly, "Oh, my God! Aren't you that guy on TV?"

Only when she brought him back to seat him at a table did she notice, and even then it took her a second to make sense of what she was seeing. It was definitely him, and as she watched him, he looked over and saw her.

He stopped at her table the said, "Hi. I didn't expect to ever see you again."

The server stood there wondering how they knew each other, but too starstruck to speak. Unfazed, Jenna smiled politely.

"You remember me?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course. You caught my eye and I was trying to get your name but you blew me off."

He was smiling and clearly being polite. Even so, Jenna couldn't believe he remembered their very brief interaction.

"Sir?" the server said trying to get his attention.

Ignoring her, but not in a mean way, he nodded to the empty bench seat across the table from Jenna and asked, "Would you mind?"

"Oh. No. Not at all," she said as he scooted in almost immediately.

"Wow. This is so cool!" the young girl said as she nearly drooled over the handsome man who's name she didn't know but who's face she'd seen on billboards around town as well as on TV.

"I think she wants to take your order," Jenna said, hoping to snap the girl out of her self-induced trance.

"Oh, right. Sorry!" she said. "Yes. What can I get you?"

"The greasiest, bloodiest, rare burger you have and an order of fries and a vanilla shake," he told her with a polite smile. "Oh, and some coffee, too, please."

"Oh, sure. Right away!" the girl said never taking her eyes off of him.

A couple of seconds later she still hadn't moved so he smiled at her and said, "Thank you."

She 'woke up' again then spun around and walked away as she waved at the kitchen staff and pointed furiously at the table where he was sitting.

"Do you always create this kind of stir?" Jenna asked with a smile.

"Occasionally."

He waited then told her, "But sometimes it's a lot worse."

"I can see why," she said. "You were a big hit with my daughter, and from what I could see, every woman who came to hear you speak."

"And yet, I evidently didn't make much of an impression on the only woman I really wanted to meet that night," he said without any hint of sarcasm or macho come-on.

"Who? Me?" Jenna said with total surprise.

"Yes. You," he told her. "And since we haven't been formally introduced, I'm Tyler."

"Ah, right. I kept thinking Tony or Taylor, but that sounds right," she said.

Tyler laughed then replied with, "Wow. I guess I really did impress you..."

"Jenna," she told him.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Jenna."

She told him, "You, too,' then said, "not to be rude, but most of what you said is really just basic knowledge, and in my humble opinion, common sense."

His smile disappeared, and Jenna was sure she'd insulted him and began apologizing.

"Please don't," he said even before she could explain why she said she was sorry. "No, you're absolutely right, and that's one of several things that's really been eating at me lately."