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“Are you going to settle down and get married?”
Angel heard the derision in the question, and he knew he deserved it Celebrities in trouble azine had the wedding headlines—and the subsequent divorce headlines—to prove it The media and the public had learned to disbelieve a celebrity ore to change his or her life
He had no way to convince them or hiain
“You didn’t answer the question”
Angel looked at the reporter, who sat in the back row The man looked rumpled and tired There was no emotion in his face—just a bored look, as if to say, Spit it out, DeMarco, I don’t have all day
“Okay, boys and girls, here’s your quote for the day Angel DeMarco quits”
There was a general snickering from the crowd They’d heard it all before and they didn’t believe it No one ever really walked away from fame
“Hey, Angel,” someone yelled from the back of the room “Is all this a front for AIDS? That prostitute in Florida—”
Angel burst out laughing at the absurdity of the question All of a sudden he felt young and carefree, alht He hadn’t meant to do that, to say that, but it had come out somehow, and now that he’d done it, he felt freer than he’d been in years These people would continue watching him for a few days or weeks, but one day he’d wake up and they’d be gone; they wouldn’t care anymore He could live the way he wanted and not worry that every little rock in his ould be turned over and exae Joe—the idea wasthis time
“I definitely don’t have AIDS,” he said ’The only infectious disease I ever had was farin that seemed to coone”
He waved briefly, and found hiain “Good-bye”
Angel’s s face appeared on the television screen The bland walls of the cafeteria framed him, made him look incredibly vibrant and full of life Even in the flawed color of the s shade of green
Madelaine grabbed the reh the channels—he was on every one, saying the sairls, here’s your quote for the day Angel DeMarco quits … quits … quits…
Even now, hours after the press conference, that statement surprised her He’d never once indicated that he had any intention of quitting show business
What would he do now?