I was relieved that the movie had done so well. This was a significant decision that I’d made on my own, and it had been against the advice of the people I paid to help me with this, too. I was proud that I’d thought it through and made the right decision. I felt it was important to mark milestones in my growth as a businessman.
◊◊◊
When I arrived home, Bandit wasn’t happy. He’d been left alone all day. I grabbed his squeaky mouse out of his toy box and tossed it for him. I was on the floor playing with him when Rita and Halle got home.
“Who’s this girl you wanted to bring home with you?” Halle asked as she got on the floor to say hello to Bandit.
“Her name is Isabel Alexandra. She’s been cast in the new
“How was the yacht?”
“It was great. It was intended as a sales trip, and they wanted us to sign contracts for the next two movies. They made a good offer, but I decided to hold off so we could see how this movie turned out.”
“You should know by tomorrow,” Halle said.
“Actually, we won the weekend. It looks like the movie is going to make money. The studio already sent Saul an updated offer.”
“That’s great news. Do you plan to start doing this full time?” Halle asked.
“I might. I’d like to graduate from high school before I decide.”
“If I had the kind of movie offers you have, I’d get my GED and be done. Getting a role is all about whether you’re a hot product or not. In my opinion, taking a break is a terrible idea. I’ve seen it happen too many times. Hitting it twice is very hard. The only person of note that I can think of who pulled it off was Daniel Day-Lewis. Of course, that doesn’t mean it can’t be done. But you’re not Daniel Day-Lewis yet, either.”
“No, I’m Bond, David Bond.”
“I expect that would be more believable if you didn’t have a kitten sitting on your stomach.”
“Hey, Bandit’s a tough kitty. I don’t lose any street cred with him as my sidekick.”
“I sometimes think he likes you better than me.”
“Not a chance. He loves his mama,” I said and leaned in to kiss her.
Rita ordered what they call pizza in California. It had slices of tomato, goat cheese, basil, and balsamic vinegar on it. It was good, but it wasn’t real pizza. After dinner, I pulled up my emails and found my script changes for tomorrow. I vowed to be ready this time.
◊◊◊
Chapter 31 – My Path in Life Wednesday January 13
The last two days had been nonstop. I would get up and run, then go to the set and do my acting bit. I’d pick up some driving classes, go surf, practice at the dojo, and work with Maria on helping her become a porn star. To blow off steam, I would get out my tee and net to hit baseballs in between scenes.
I’d just finished my first scene of the day when Jessup came to me, looking worried.
“You’ve been summoned to Paul Andon’s office.”
He was the studio executive in charge of the
“What for?” I asked.
“I don’t know, but the direction was to send you over as soon as possible. We’ll rearrange the schedule. Be ready to stay late tonight,” Jessup said.
Something I liked about Jessup was that he didn’t believe in sixteen-hour days like so many directors did. He felt that if you got tired, the product suffered. I’d talked to Zak, and he told me it was more common than I realized. It was also why they didn’t usually hire minors to play teens. California had strict child-labor laws.
I stopped by my trailer and told Caryn where I was going. She wanted to go with me, but I told her if he had wanted her there, he would’ve invited her. I assured her that if she was needed, I would send her a text. I borrowed a golf cart and ran over to the executive building.
When I walked into reception, they told me to wait, and someone would come get me. I was soon escorted to a conference room where Paul and four other men and women were seated. Paul introduced me to each one. They were in charge of different aspects of the movie from the management, financial, sales, and marketing sides of the business.
“We’ve received signed contracts from all the main cast members but you. I’ve been told I need to get you under contract by Friday so we can move forward.”
The whole veiled-sense-of-urgency ploy. My mom was in real estate, and it was a sales technique some realtors tried to employ. Done correctly, it was very effective. Dad was fond of telling me my problem wasn’t his to solve. This was an artificial deadline to force my hand.
“So, why am I here, and not Saul, my agent?” I asked.
“Saul said that you insisted on waiting another week before he could begin negotiating. I thought if we had a talk, maybe we could speed things up. And I wanted to be sure you were aware what our current offer is. I’ve been authorized to give this to you today. At close of business, it will be taken off the table, and we might have to either look elsewhere or write Stryker out of the next two movies,” Paul said.
