Page 63 of Only the Small Bones
“Hopefully with good news. Did Mark get back to you regarding the Kiwanika movie?” I’d turned down his offer to work with him on it at the gala, and his ego bruised easily. He’d make me grovel now.
“Nope. He hasn’t returned my calls either. You know how he is. Give him a few more days to come around.”
“Yeah, okay.” I could hear her pen clicking away in the background. I sighed. “What is it?” The clicking stopped.
“You think you know me, huh?”
“I do. Now what’s on your mind?”
She cleared her throat. “I spoke to Xavier.”
“Yeah,” I sighed, knowing what she’d say next.
“He’s striking out on his own.”
“Yeah. It’s for the best.” I was surprised it took him this long to let her know. Maybe he’d been hoping I’d try to change his mind. Doing so wouldn’t have been fair, or what was best for him.
“Are you sure?”
“I am.”
“Well, he fired me before I could drop him.” She chuckled. Representing us both would’ve been a conflict of interest and a disaster. Besides, Mihaela’s loyalty would always be to me. “Raymond’s going to work with him moving forward.”
“Raymond’s good. He’ll help him get to where he wants to be.” And I’d be there for him professionally if he ever needed me.
Mihaela and I went over a few more offers and goals for the new year before wrapping up the call. For a while I sat there in thought, my fingers steepled in front of me. Why did I have to wait for studios to bring projects to me? Why couldn’t I create my own? Tell the stories I wanted to tell? I’d been in the business long enough to know how it worked. All I needed was the right team around me.
An idea lodged itself in my heart. I crossed the library in six long strides, untucking my favorite book from its shelf.Gargantuan.
Gazing at the cover, I ambled over to my desk again, dialing my manager.
“Miss me already?” Jamal said in a dry tone. I’d already had my daily check-in with him on the car ride home. I chuckled but got right to the point.
“I’d like to secure the film rights to a book.”
“Uh, you don’t have a film production company.” His tone suggested he thought I’d hit my head.
“I know that. I’d like to create one.”
There was a flurry of activity on the other end, drawers opening and closing, papers shuffling. I smiled, knowing whatever I came up with, Jamal would be committed to it.
“So what’s your niche gonna be? Period pieces? War Films? Movies that focus on human rights? Documentaries?”
“Animation,” I replied. I typically composed for the genres he’d rattled off. I still would, but I also wanted to bring another side of me to life. “I’d like the rights to a children’s book. A series of them.”
“Okay, animation it is,” he said without skipping a beat. “First, let’s make sure your company name hasn’t already been trademarked. Then we can bring Estello in.” Estello was my business attorney.
“Do you have any names in mind, or should I come by with Eggos and booze for a brainstorming session?” he teased.
“I’m never eating Eggos again,” I vowed. Not after having Ryan’s homemade waffles. “And I already have a name. I trademarked it years ago.” I hadn’t known what I wanted to do with it, but I needed it to be mine in case I one day thought of something worthy of using it for. That day had arrived.
“Well, don’t keep me in suspense. What is it?”
I moved to the window, placing my palm against the glass the way Ryan loved to do when it rained. Something about the vibrations of the rain striking the glass calmed him. I closed my eyes, trying to siphon some of that calm into me.
“William? You still there?”
“Yeah, I’m still here.”
