Personally, I thought the game-playing was why people like Chloe Larkin were unhappy and could never find the right person. Her rant about how the guys she had recently dated were each what she affectionately called a ‘man-child’ was spot on. It was what young men seemed to be like now. They just wanted to hook up and not date seriously.
At some point, I’d imagine you would quit the fantasy of changing a guy. You’d realize what you had was what you were going to get, no matter how much they loved you. I recall there was a metaphor about changing the spots on a tiger or something like that.
◊◊◊
When we had our break for dinner, Lexi found me.
“Saul called. He wanted you to know that your movie came in third at the box office this weekend behind the Star Wars movie and
“That’s good, right? I thought we would be behind
“
“I bet he’s been getting calls for me about other roles,” I said, making my guess as to why he was pleased.
“Probably,” Lexi agreed. “Halle also called. She said the song you two did,
It had been a hit when Martina McBride and Jim Brickman recorded it as a duet, but that had been a long time ago. It sounded like Halle had breathed new life into the song.
“If Halle wants me to, then I’ll do it,” I conceded. “Maybe they can auto-tune my voice.”
I noticed Lexi bit her tongue to prevent a smart comment.
◊◊◊
It was another brutal day on the set. We didn’t get out of there until almost four in the morning, with plans to resume filming at nine a.m. If I was lucky, I might get four and a half hours of sleep. What made it bearable was that Mr. Otsuki was very clear in what he wanted as far as my performance went. The other huge help was that Mr. Nomura, my mentor, had stepped up and helped me learn my lines. He offered to do that for the rest of the filming, so I took him up on it.
As we were driving home, Lexi told me that Lily had called. She and her family were actually in LA and wanted to meet me for lunch tomorrow. I hoped there was good news about her mom.
◊◊◊ Tuesday December 27
Brook was an angel because she had breakfast ready when I climbed out of the shower.
“You’re too young to be working these hours,” she informed me as she tentatively took a sip of coffee.
Usually, either my dad or mom made coffee in the morning. Brook must have used half a can to make this batch. It was almost strong enough to give Cuban coffee a run for its money.
“I’m sorry,” I said and gave her a kiss. “I know you wanted to spend time with me, but I have to go. Why don’t you join me for lunch with Lily and her family?”
“I think you need to do that alone,” she said.
From her expression, it couldn’t be good news. I took a deep breath and shook my head. I could tell she didn’t know the full story, so I decided to wait and let Lily tell it. Manaia grabbed my arm and started to drag me out. When I glanced at Lexi, she wouldn’t look me in the eye. I suspected she’d told Manaia to get my butt moving. I let them put me in the car and then turned to Lexi.
“Do you know what’s going on with Lily?” I asked.
“Pride. Fear. Guilt. Pick a number. From what little she told me, it wasn’t her mother’s fault for leaving. Before you ask, she didn’t give me any details. It sounds like she just needs you to listen to her and be her friend,” Lexi advised.
I nodded and remembered my prayer for times like this. ‘God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.’ I couldn’t worry about Lily right now; I had to focus on the task at hand, which was acting. So, I pushed my worry about Lily down into a box deep inside me and closed the lid for now. I would worry about it when I saw her at lunch.
◊◊◊
I was told that lunch with Lily and her family would be at my house. Lexi had made the call that Lily would want to have some privacy and not share her family business in public. Brook had gone to the grocery store and bought ready-made dishes for lunch.
When we pulled up, I saw a rental car in the driveway. I was getting out of the SUV when the front door flew open, and Lily ran out. I soon found her wrapped around me, sobbing. Her dad and brother stuck their heads out the door, as did Brook. Thankfully, Brook took them in hand and led them back into the house. Lexi joined them, but Manaia remained in the car to do his security bit.
