she was tired, possibly of him. “Don’t. I’m on abreak from rehearsal, and I just wanted to tell you that I saw the film and loved it. It’s some of your bestwork. And wish you a happy birthday.” She paused for a beat. “Loving you is never the problem, Danny. You know that.”
He let the silence linger for a moment, not because he wanted to but because he needed a momentto compose himself. “Well, it was very sweet of you to call. Thanks.” The words came out stilted. “I’vegotta get back to work. I’m starting a new pilot. The TV show I was telling you about.”
“You breaking out into your usual cold sweat?”
“Feels even worse than usual because of all the excitement for Exposed . Between that and
Winters , the goalposts got twice as high and moved back forty yards.”
“You’ll get over it. You always do,” she reminded him. “And let me know if there’s a part in it for
me.”
He held out the phone and looked at it, as if Charlene could see the look on his face and know itwas really meant for her, remembering when he used to do the same thing with a landline and thinking thegesture had more dramatic effect back then. “Are you kidding?” he asked. “Seriously, are you?”
“Oh, Danny,” she said, and he could almost see her batting her eyelashes, giving him the coy lookthat he could never resist.
“Don’t do this to me, Char. You know I’d write you a part in an instant if you asked. You alsoknow I have no plans to be upstaged by you anymore.”
“So our sweet moment is over?”
“You started it.”
“You know that whole wearing-rubber-soled-shoes-to-protect-you-from-a-lightning-strike is a myth, right?”
“You auditioning to be the next Mr. Wizard too?”
“OK, I gotta go,” said Charlene, her voice lacking affection. “Congratulations again. And happy birthday.”
“Bye, Charlene.” He clicked off the phone and tossed it on the couch, missing big, clunky telephone handles that made a satisfying slam .
He wanted a cigarette. He also, to his surprise, found himself wanting a drink. Those impulses had, for the most part, faded over the years. Rather, he had learned to live with them to the point that he hardly noticed them. But every now and again, that particular thirst would demand to be quenched, and he’d learned to be mindful of it, to talk himself through it until it passed. To quench it with a call to Ella or Paul, or smoke a cigarette instead, or walk around the studio lot. Anything but the bottle.
As if reading his mind at that moment, Ella called; his iPhone played some obnoxious song by
some pop star that she had insisted upon as her designated ringtone.
“I’m so sorry I can’t be there to celebrate with you, Daddy,” said Ella. He loved that she still called him “Daddy” from time to time.
“Not as sorry as I am,” he replied. Every year he spent his birthday with her, but this time she was on an overnight field trip at a marching band competition in Dallas.
“It’s a big one too. Forty-five, right?”
“That’s not so big.”
“Just don’t go start Botoxing or anything like that.” He could almost see her rolling her eyes in disgust.
“Guys Botox?”
“Well, aren’t you at that age where men start going off the deep end?”
“Who told you that?”
Ella didn’t answer.
“How’s Dallas?” he asked.
“Haven’t seen any of it. We’ve been practicing nonstop.”
“Well, good luck with your competition tonight, darlin’. I’m sure you’ll nail it.”
“If we can get the horns in sync, yeah. What are you gonna do for your birthday?”
“Probably watch a movie.”
“Don’t guilt me, Dad,” said Ella in a voice that sounded exactly like her mother.
“What makes you think I’m guilting you?” he replied, a touch annoyed, probably more at Frannie
than Ella.
“Just ’cause I’m not there doesn’t mean you should sit in a dark room by yourself. You have
friends. Go out to
He let the silence linger for a moment, not because he wanted to but because he needed a momentto compose himself. “Well, it was very sweet of you to call. Thanks.” The words came out stilted. “I’vegotta get back to work. I’m starting a new pilot. The TV show I was telling you about.”
“You breaking out into your usual cold sweat?”
“Feels even worse than usual because of all the excitement for Exposed . Between that and
Winters , the goalposts got twice as high and moved back forty yards.”
“You’ll get over it. You always do,” she reminded him. “And let me know if there’s a part in it for
me.”
He held out the phone and looked at it, as if Charlene could see the look on his face and know itwas really meant for her, remembering when he used to do the same thing with a landline and thinking thegesture had more dramatic effect back then. “Are you kidding?” he asked. “Seriously, are you?”
“Oh, Danny,” she said, and he could almost see her batting her eyelashes, giving him the coy lookthat he could never resist.
“Don’t do this to me, Char. You know I’d write you a part in an instant if you asked. You alsoknow I have no plans to be upstaged by you anymore.”
“So our sweet moment is over?”
“You started it.”
“You know that whole wearing-rubber-soled-shoes-to-protect-you-from-a-lightning-strike is a myth, right?”
“You auditioning to be the next Mr. Wizard too?”
“OK, I gotta go,” said Charlene, her voice lacking affection. “Congratulations again. And happy birthday.”
“Bye, Charlene.” He clicked off the phone and tossed it on the couch, missing big, clunky telephone handles that made a satisfying slam .
He wanted a cigarette. He also, to his surprise, found himself wanting a drink. Those impulses had, for the most part, faded over the years. Rather, he had learned to live with them to the point that he hardly noticed them. But every now and again, that particular thirst would demand to be quenched, and he’d learned to be mindful of it, to talk himself through it until it passed. To quench it with a call to Ella or Paul, or smoke a cigarette instead, or walk around the studio lot. Anything but the bottle.
As if reading his mind at that moment, Ella called; his iPhone played some obnoxious song by
some pop star that she had insisted upon as her designated ringtone.
“I’m so sorry I can’t be there to celebrate with you, Daddy,” said Ella. He loved that she still called him “Daddy” from time to time.
“Not as sorry as I am,” he replied. Every year he spent his birthday with her, but this time she was on an overnight field trip at a marching band competition in Dallas.
“It’s a big one too. Forty-five, right?”
“That’s not so big.”
“Just don’t go start Botoxing or anything like that.” He could almost see her rolling her eyes in disgust.
“Guys Botox?”
“Well, aren’t you at that age where men start going off the deep end?”
“Who told you that?”
Ella didn’t answer.
“How’s Dallas?” he asked.
“Haven’t seen any of it. We’ve been practicing nonstop.”
“Well, good luck with your competition tonight, darlin’. I’m sure you’ll nail it.”
“If we can get the horns in sync, yeah. What are you gonna do for your birthday?”
“Probably watch a movie.”
“Don’t guilt me, Dad,” said Ella in a voice that sounded exactly like her mother.
“What makes you think I’m guilting you?” he replied, a touch annoyed, probably more at Frannie
than Ella.
“Just ’cause I’m not there doesn’t mean you should sit in a dark room by yourself. You have
friends. Go out to
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