Page 31 of It's in the Contract
“Oh no,” I say. “What happened?”
“I’ll tell you over dinner. Let’s see what your mom made.”
We take seats at the table, and Mom brings over a pot of something. “Chicken zoodle soup!” Mom says, beaming. “With extra chicken for more protein.”
“Smells great,” Dad says.
“Zoodle?” I say.
Mom gives me a level stare. “No complaining, you.” She scoops me up a huge ladleful and hands me a slice of gluten-free bread made out of ground nuts. Scrumptious.
I text Suzy a pic.Save me!
She texts back a barf emoji. I love her.
“What’s going on, Dad?” I take a sip of soup. It’s salty and savory, with tender chicken and ribbons of zucchini that are difficult to spoon up but tastes all right. “It’s good, Mom!”
Mom’s face lights up, and I glow inside. Sometimes, during moments like this, I feel like Mom and I could actually connect. I think I might want to tell her more what’s going on with me, with Zeke, this horrible social pressure I feel. But I don’t. It’s not the right time.
“Well, I got some bad news. Some good news, too, but some bad.” Dad blows on his soup. Mom and I watch him expectantly.
“The good news is, I got the part.” Dad grins.
“Yeah!” I cheer.
“Good job, Ben!” Mom smiles.
Dad slices a hunk of “bread” and slathers it with grass-fed butter. “I’m thrilled. My agent thinks this role could be huge for my career.”
Mom reaches across the table and takes his hand. “That’s fantastic, hon.”
Dad swallows a bite of bread. “But the bad news is I’m going to be in LA for at least two months of filming, maybe longer.”
My stomach drops.
Mom’s face falls. “So long?”
Dad stirs his soup. “I know it’s a long time. But this is my dream role.”
“You’ve got to do it,” Mom says. She looks at me. “We’ll support you. Right, Cal?”
I think about everything Dad’s going to miss in those two months. Me cheering at football games, the Homecoming dance, Halloween . . . I love Halloween with Dad. He always dresses up and scares Mom. Every year he gets her so bad, and I laugh until I cry.
I look up, and my parents are staring at me expectantly. “You’ve got to go for it,” I say.
Dad smiles. “Thanks. I’ll come back whenever I can, though I don’t know how often that will be.”
Mom smiles. “It will be worth it at the end to see you on that screen.”
Dad reaches out and takes her hand. Then he turns to me. “You sure you’re okay with it, Callie Berry?”
I force a smile. “Of course, Dad.”
Twelve
Vote for Callie Carter! Link in bio.
Instagram caption by @SuzyJeongBoss.
