Helen



A week after the incident with Helen, Trent sent her flowers and told her in a card that he was sorry and wished her well in her career. Helen being a loving forgiving person called him the moment she received the flowers.
It was a tearful conversation on both sides, but the damage had been done. Helen had signed with Newman out of spite and committed herself to a binding five year contract.


The saddest thing was that Tony Deppiesse, Helen’s father was no longer speaking to Trent.
It filtered down to me that Tony could have forgiven Trent for lying to Helen (as long as he made it right) but couldn’t get past the way he treated Helen when she’d come over to give Trent a second chance.
We no longer socialized with the Deppiesse’s though my Uncle and Allie Deppiesse (Helen’s mother) still spoke on the phone occasionally.


Dex Newman tried to charm Helen’s parent’s in the beginning by going to church with them and promoting Helen’s charitable work, but found Tony a hard person to con.
Newman finally decided he needed Helen away from her family’s influence and moved her and Reginald into the mansion next door to his. Helen was getting all sorts of movie offers and could easily afford it.
Helen and Reg sold their modest little home and started to live a more Studio Town life style with Newman’s encouragement.
Newman also bought out Reg’s contract with The Capt’N Billy Show and now Reginald was considered Dex’s right hand man.
Reginald did get a few bit parts in Helen’s films in the beginning, but his characters were still always killed off.


Newman did make Helen a star, but my Uncle was concerned with what the cost may be later. He’d known Dex Newman since he was eleven years old. Dex had dated and eventually married my mother.
My Uncle had been fooled by Dex in the beginning, but after my grandparent’s both died quite suddenly, Dex’s true colors soon appeared. He pushed my mother ruthlessly toward a modeling/acting career. He’d even got her hooked on drugs so he could control her.
I would learn later that Newman used other cruel methods to keep her in line.


Uncle Remington was also a target of Newman's mental and physical abuse.


My Uncle finally convinced my mother to run away with him and neither looked back since....well except maybe once, because I was born years after my mother and Daddy married.
I’d overheard my Uncle and Trent say that Daddy wasn’t my real father. Newman once made the comment that I might be his and even bragged to my Uncle that my mother had strayed during her marriage to my father. I kind of added two and two together.
Uncle Remington and Trent had no idea that I suspected Newman was my real father.


It kind of creeped me out that my mother may have cheated, (though I hadn’t officially learned the facts of life, I know now it had been more than just a few stolen kisses.) I could forgive her anything.
The Mansfield way was to forgive and move on. I thought it was a very good policy.
I would do anything just to have Mommy and Daddy back again.


‘Hey daydreamer,’ Trent teased me. ‘This is your stop.’
I snapped out of my memories of playing with Mommy on the beach and grabbed my school bag.
I quickly kissed my Uncle who was in the driver’s seat.
Like he did every morning, Trent got out of the car to open the door for me.
I slid on out and paused a moment to look up at him.
We all make mistakes and I think everyone has done something stupid that they regret.
I feel a truly good person learns from those mistakes and at least tries to change once they learn they need too.
Trent Thornton is a good man and in spite of his past mistakes, quirks, and other issues, loved both my Uncle and me. He and my Uncle were like two halves of one whole. I’m glad Trent is part of our life.
I gave him the biggest hug and kiss I had, before I went to join my friends.