When we were done, we found that Mom and Tracy had gone to the grocery store and made dinner. I watched in amazement as Pam ate as much as I did, though I was smart enough not to comment on it. After we ate, everyone else went home, leaving me with the chance to finally talk to my parents in private.
“Rita tells me that you’ve been doing well on the set and that you haven’t caused her any problems,” Mom said. “I did get a call from Tami that said you told her you’d give her a debit card if she’d get pregnant.”
Dad actually shot beer out of his nose.
“Yes, ma’am, I did.”
“She also said you’d told her you were my favorite son.”
“Everyone knows that,” I said.
She just smiled at me.
“Caryn seems to be doing well. How’s she working out with you one-on-one?” Dad asked.
“I think she’s overqualified for some of what she does for me. When the deal on the farm closes, I want her to work with Grandma Dawson and Uncle John to get it up and running. I may need to hire someone like Kendal to be my personal assistant down the road.”
“I was talking to Tom about some other matters, and he mentioned that he was worried about the firm. Kendal might be looking for something soon,” Dad said.
“My only concern is whether I’d have enough for her to do,” I admitted.
“Why don’t you talk to Caryn? Angie and I aren’t doing enough with the nonprofits. Caryn might use her for those or other parts of your business,” Mom said.
“Shouldn’t I let Caryn decide? She’ll have to work with whoever is hired,” I said.
“You’re right; I’d be resentful if my boss hired someone to work with me without my input,” Dad admitted.
“David, I was considering opening my own real estate company. I wanted to see if you’d partner with me,” Mom said.
Dad got quiet, which meant Mom was serious.
“What would you need?” I asked.
“We’d need office space for three or four agents. There are a couple of the better performers in the office who aren’t very happy with how things are run. I thought we could get one larger office and share a receptionist and equipment. Maybe Caryn could be the office manager,” Mom suggested.
“You know I’d do anything for you, but you need to talk to Caryn about this. She would need to run the numbers and agree that it makes business sense if you want me to be a part of it. Otherwise, I could just give you some money to help you get started,” I said.
“Well done. I told your mother you were learning a lot about business and wouldn’t just accept her proposal at face value. You’ve been listening,” Dad said.
“I learned a hard lesson,” I admitted.
Dad and I had a brief discussion where I filled him in on me giving my word to my fellow lead actors in
Then my mom wanted to talk about the wedding. Dad and I cut her off and told her to call someone who cared. We both laughed when she made vague and ominous threats. I would be sure to lock my door tonight.
◊◊◊ Monday December 28
Fritz showed up early so we could run. He took me along the beach. Running the hills around Rita’s house, like we had been doing, made my thighs and butt work overtime. Running in the sand made that seem like child’s play. It was good that I brought my Bo staff, or I might have fallen down when we finally made it back. Fritz just collapsed.
“Whose idea was that?” I complained.
He just grunted.
◊◊◊
Mom and Dad wanted to go to the studio with me today and watch me work. I was in the first scene of the day, so we went to makeup and then the set. Dad was going around meeting everyone as usual, with Mom in tow. I was probably going to regret letting them come with me.
Rita showed up with Tracy, Pam, and Lacy. I guess they also wanted to watch. I had several scenes back-to-back. Watching a movie being made is a lot like watching a play rehearsal: after you’ve seen a few scenes, you’ve had enough. When I was done, everybody but Tracy had abandoned me.
“Where is everyone?” I asked.
“Your mom wanted to talk to Caryn about some business idea, and your dad decided to go with her. Cora called, and there’s some wedding emergency, so Pam and her mom left to deal with that.”
“I’m going to hitting practice. You can either go with me or hang out with Halle,” I said.
“Zak offered to show me his trailer.”
“Take your pepper spray. You’ll need it,” I warned.
“Halle said to just tell you, and you’d make him stop his unwanted advances.”
“I changed my mind. You’re going with me.”
◊◊◊
Coach Revilla wanted to meet at USC’s baseball field. Coach Boyd was back with two more pitching prospects. One was a moose of a boy they’d just signed to their Single-A club. The coaches wanted to work on situational plays. Things like two outs, two on, and tied. Then it would be down one or two. Coach Revilla would explain what types of pitches I should look for and where to hit the ball.
