Page 33 of Only Lovers in the Building
As Kylie had predicted, they’d all gathered at the roof to get drunk and watch fireworks. Only Ben was behind the bar and
warned he had no problem cutting them off. Sierra joined them this time. With a red, white, and blue popsicle in one hand
and a copy of Boss Babe in another, and Jeremy acting as cameraman, Sierra captured content before calling it a day.
“Who’s actually reading this?” she asked. “Is it any good?”
Ever the champion of literacy, Ben asked, “Why not read it and find out?”
“I’m a busy girl, Ben!”
Ben shook his head and left to serve a group of guys who’d stepped up to the bar. It was a busy evening; people arrived in
droves. Their little crew had come early to secure the best seats at the bar and keep Ben company. He’d volunteered to take
the shift so that Roxanna could take the baby to a picnic.
“If it’s spicy, I’ll grab the audiobook for my next flight,” Sierra said.
“It won’t disappoint,” Lily assured her.
“I’m not in it for the spice,” Kylie said, sipping on an all-American Jack and Coke. “I’m legit reading these books for relationship
tips. Maybe I should date women, because the open and honest communication just blew me away.”
“If I dated a woman, all I’d do is raid her closet and use her bath bombs,” Sierra said.
“Me, too,” Noah admitted. He was drinking champagne, having pledged allegiance to France’s tricolor flag.
Sadly, Lily had been boy crazy since the age of thirteen. And yet her most intimate and intense relationships had been with
the girls her age. As an adult she found most men, excluding Ben, two-dimensional and boring.
“Do you think it’s a woman thing? Or just a sign of a healthy relationship?” Jeremy asked. A true American, he sipped from
a longneck.
“What would you know about healthy relationships?” Kylie asked him.
“I know you’ve got to talk to one another,” he replied. “I wasn’t born yesterday.”
“Turn over your driver’s license,” Kylie said. “I’d like to make sure.”
Jeremy hid a smile with another swig of beer.
“I’m decentering men,” Sierra declared. “Clearing the roster.”
“Don’t go crazy,” Noah said.
“It’s not worth it,” Sierra said. “They’re a waste of my time.”
“It’s life,” Lily said. The only nod to the holiday was a tiny American flag in her porn star martini. “Nothing is wasted.”
“Oh, Lily,” Noah said with a hint of pity. “Keep dreaming.” He slipped off his sunglasses as the sun had begun to set. The
city dripped in gold.
Sierra flagged Ben and had them gather for a group selfie, taking advantage of golden hour. Within seconds, she’d posted the photo to her social media accounts with the caption Book Club .
Lily’s heart throbbed with joy, particularly after Ben brought her an order of cheese fries without her even asking. Still,
she chastised the group. “Why can’t we get together for a proper book club meeting away from the bar?”
“No time for that,” Noah said. “We’ve got hearts to break.”
“Maybe when I get back from the Maldives,” Sierra said. “But that’s a big maybe. There’s another trip on the horizon.”
“We hardly have time to read the books, let alone block out hours to discuss them,” Kylie said. “You get what you get. Just
be grateful we meet at all.”
“But how can we call ourselves a book club if we never meet?” Lily protested.
“Because this is America, and we’re free!” Sierra cried.
Everyone laughed, and they ordered more fries and mini hotdogs. Lily watched the sun set. Later she stole time alone with
Ben on his break. When the fireworks lit the sky, she closed her eyes. You get what you get. She was grateful for this.
Pop Shop
A Pop Culture Podcast
Category: Arts
Rating: 4.1 stars
July 5: Boss Babe by Gloria Hernandez
with Lily Lyon and Ben Romero
Miami Beach friends and neighbors Lily and Ben take us on a summer reading spree with romance book recommendations and in-depth
discussions on the ways popular tropes play out in the real world.
Lily: Hope everyone had a happy Fourth! This week’s selection, Boss Babe by Gloria Hernandez, is set in L.A. and features the music industry. It’s a love story between a studio executive and a newly
signed recording artist. Usually, this sets the stage for a mess of misogyny, but this is a sapphic romance. Pasha, thirty-two,
is the young executive, and Monica, a.k.a. Money, twenty-six, is a successful indie artist, new to the label and the object
of Pasha’s desires. As usual, our full reviews are available on BookTap. Here, we’re discussing the tropes. I’d like to begin
by saying what a refreshing read! This romance between two smart, ambitious, and business-savvy women is a master class on
honest communication. Our book club agreed: men could never!
Ben: Why do you do that?
Lily: Do what?
Ben: Put me in the awkward and unenviable position of defending all men.
Lily: That was not my intention. However, since you’ve assumed the position, you may as well give it a whirl.
Ben: It’s not fair to compare a straight relationship to a queer one. Straight men can’t express emotions. It’s been studied.
Lily: And where can I find these peer-reviewed studies? The New England Journal of B.S. ?
Ben: Society raised boys to be stoic, hide signs of weakness, build muscle like armor, and express aggression, not affection. Who raises these boys if not women? Most dads check out and are only ever around for the family photo—you know that.
Lily: [Gasps] Are you saying it’s our fault that men are emotionally stunted?
Ben: Our mothers’ fault, yours and mine, and every other mother all the way up the family tree to the top branches of the matriarchy.
Lily: Like father, like son ... Boys will be boys ... Do any of these expressions ring a bell?
Ben: Only in that they’re often muttered by women. You’ve reached for them more than once.
Lily: Just wait until we get out of here! I’ll show you who the superior sex is!
Ben: No need. I’ll happily fall on my sword and admit that women are superior communicators. They’re superior in every way. I’m
only kidding. You know I love to wind you up.
Lily: I bet... How did we stray so far from the point? And what was the point? I’m drawing a blank.
Ben: Boss Babe , a refreshing romance that did not rely on the miscommunication trope. Film critic Roger Ebert spoke of the Idiot Plot. I
hate it when the issue between the couple could have been quickly resolved if only they weren’t acting like idiots.
Lily: It happens more often than I’m comfortable sharing here. The couple faces an imaginary obstacle, a perceived slight, a miscommunication that breeds mistrust. They act like idiots all the way through, and if they’d only aired their feelings, the whole matter would have been resolved.
Ben: That would be one short novel. Let’s talk about what we liked about this book.
Lily: I like very much that the story isn’t based on fear.
Ben: Explain.
Lily: The fear of loving again, getting hurt again, the fear of intimacy, the ever-irrational fear of commitment. Those types of
fears. In real life, it makes perfect sense. I’m afraid of making yet another mistake. Such a waste of time. In fiction, it’s
redundant. Do you agree?
Ben: I agree. I’m afraid of hurting someone, inflicting pain.
Lily: That’s serious.
Ben: We’ve talked about this. Don’t you remember?
Lily: Yes, but tell me more.
Ben: Not with this mic in my face.
Lily: Go on! Dave can edit it out.
Ben: Dave could never edit it out of his mind. He’d never look at me the same way.
Lily: Fine. We’ll keep it moving.
Ben: Thank you.
Lily: Back to our discussion. I don’t want our listeners to think that this book is about two women just sitting around talking
about feelings. It’s fast-paced and spicy. To recap, Monica has just signed with a major label. At the same time, Pasha was
recently hired to turn said label around. It’s post #MeToo, and the company is seeking to rebrand after a series of misconduct
allegations. Pasha and Monica have instant chemistry, but hooking up could cost them both their careers.
Ben: Funny how they relied on a woman exec to clean up the messes of the male execs.
Lily: It’s called a glass cliff. Replacing a man with a woman so she can take the fall is classic. Her tenure will be short. It’s
only a matter of time until she’s replaced with yet another man.
Ben: With so much at stake, they should walk away.
Lily: I agree, and in real life, they would’ve pushed past this to focus on their careers.
Ben: This is not real life, so of course they go at it like rabbits.
Lily: We’ll leave it at that because we don’t want to spoil it for anyone. Also, our time is up.
Ben: I’d like to take a minute to communicate, clearly and openly, that I love spending this time with you.
Lily: Don’t think for a minute that you’re out of hot water. You’re not. As for the rest of you, the links are in the show notes.
Let us know what you think. Join us next week when we discuss Around Midnight by Charlotte Mitchel.
Ben: See you then.
Comments:
@Bradleyyyy: Is it me, or are these two hotter than loaded dynamite?
@AngelWings: This podcast is my whole personality now.
@user880203948: Mother is mothering! I don’t know what that means, but it’s fitting in this case.