LONDON, Bernard and Arthur hugged and kissed good-bye at Heathrow, near security.
People stared, but no one was intrusive enough to ask for Bernard's autograph.
Arthur appreciated that. He also appreciated the fact that tears streamed down Bernard's face.
Of course, Arthur had tears as well.
"I'm going to miss you so much," Bernard said and squeezed him tight.
"I'll probably be home way too soon," Arthur said in a self-deprecating way.
"For selfish reasons I hope so. But for you. And me. Oh. Well, I do think you're going to get the part. If they're smart. If not, it's their loss. You know. All that stuff."
Arthur nodded. It was hard to talk without outright bawling.
They kissed again, in a manner that overstepped their usual PDA parameters.
Then it was time for Arthur to get in line.
***
At the gate, Arthur thought about his family.
He didn’t look forward to seeing any of them.
Not his dad.
Not his mom or his sisters.
He did love them. He was just not in the mood for them. Nor was he in the mood for Atlanta or anything American.
He was in the mood for Bernard and his life in London.
He looked around at the people around him, wondering which were English, which were American, and which were none of the above.
Who was going on a holiday?
Who was ending a holiday?
Who was leaving home?
Who was going home?
A woman met his eyes when he looked at her.
He smiled at her.
She didn’t smile back.
That made him feel lonely.
***
In the economy section, Arthur tried to sleep, but he couldn’t. He was too uncomfortable.
He hated himself for wishing he was in first class or business. Here he hated that his father bought him airline tickets, yet, at the same time, he was annoyed that he wasn't given a higher class of travel.
On the bright side, he wasn’t sitting by any young children.
Also, his seatmate was friendly but not overly chatty. And he didn’t laugh too loud while watching movies, which Arthur appreciated.
***
Arthur turned on his seat light and rummaged through his backpack.
He pulled out a printout of the script segment the casting director had emailed him.
The character he was auditioning for was Edward Nichols, the brother of April Nichols who supposedly was the first ghost to reach out to the living.
He read the lines in his head.
Edward: I feel maybe I'm being punished for my mistakes. Or maybe it's the devil that's after me. I don't know! Am I crazy?
Kelly: I think we all have times where we wonder if we're crazy. You know. Such is life.
Edward: What would you do if you were me?
Kelly: I would talk to my girlfriend.
Edward: Thank you. (pause). What do you think? You don't think it could really be April. Do you?
Kelly: I'm not sure it matters what I think.
Arthur liked the script, or at least the small bit he’d seen. He hated to think how he would feel when the movie came out and as his luck went, he wouldn’t be in it.
In the past, he had a hard time supporting films and TV shows that he’d auditioned for. He'd see the trailer at the theater, and he’d imagine the whole cast and crew sticking their noses up at him saying, Ha ha! You didn't get to be part of this!
***
Arthur finally slept. But not for long.
That was probably okay, because then he'd sleep better at night when he got to Atlanta.
***
The plane landed at half past seven.
As they waited to taxi to the gate, Arthur texted Bernard even though Bernard had told him to FaceTime. But it was 1:30 am in London, and Bernard had to get up early for work.
As soon as Arthur sent the text, he heard his FaceTime notification.
He answered the call.
"I told you to call me!" Bernard said.
"I know," Arthur said. "I didn't want to wake you."
"I'm not asleep. I've been waiting to hear from you."
So incredibly wonderful. "I love you," Arthur said.
"Love you too," Bernard said. "Give your family my love".
"I will." Arthur yawned.
"Did you sleep enough?"
"No," Arthur admitted.
"Well, on that note. I'm going to get some sleep."
"Okay. Love you, Monkey Butt."
"You too, Skunk."
Arthur's heart melted into gooey mushiness.
After a minute more of good-byes, he put his phone away. He noticed then that his seat companion had been Skyping. Arthur could hear the voice. It was a little girl or boy.
He snuck a peek at the screen. A girl. Long blond hair. He couldn’t tell if she was a ghost or not.
The seat belt light turned off.
Neither Arthur nor his seat companion stood.. There was no point. They were too far in the back for it to matter yet.
The seat companion ended his Skype conversation.
Arthur smiled at him in that way one smiles at parents who so obviously love their kids.
He smiled back at Arthur. "Do you have children?"
"Not yet."
"You're young," the man said.
"How old's your…" No. Oops. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to ask that.
"She was five," he said.
Arthur nodded. What do you say in situations like this? I'm sorry was the standard in the past and even back then it seemed weak. Now it was both weak and maybe also inappropriate.
"Cystic Fibrosis. A very bad case. Most kids live much longer these days. Her sister has it and is doing great."
Arthur had no idea what to say. He just sat there like a useless lump. His seat companion kindly changed the conversation. "Were you in London for a holiday?"
"Uh no," Arthur said. "I live there with my husband. I'm visiting my family."
"Oh," the seat companion said. "I see."
Had the husband thing made him uncomfortable? Arthur thought he saw something in the man's eyes, but maybe he had just imagined it.
"Well, enjoy your visit with your family." The seat companion stood. The line was moving now.
"Thanks. You too. I mean…Were you on holiday?"
"Work conference," the man said; then redirected his attention to the overhead compartment.
As Arthur got his own stuff, he continued to wonder whether or not he had been sitting by a homophobe.
Was he being oversensitive? Imagining things? Did the guy become less friendly when he talked about having a husband or was he misinterpreting things?
Maybe the guy was quiet because he was thinking about his daughters. And it wasn’t as if he outright rejected or attacked Arthur.
He decided not to worry about it.
***
His whole family was waiting for him in baggage claim.
His mom and dad held each other's hands.
Zoe was texting someone and didn't see him until he was only a few feet away.
Taylor smiled in what seemed to be a mixture of happiness and embarrassment. He hugged her first, noticing she felt very bony.
"Me next," Zoe said. She put her phone in her purse and gave Arthur a huge squeeze.
Then suddenly, he was incredibly happy to see them. He started to cry. Zoe cried too, followed by Taylor.
His mom didn’t cry, but she nudged Zoe away, so she could get her hug.
Arthur looked up at their dad, and saw he was crying too. This made Arthur cry even more, and he felt guilty for the fights they had lately…maybe for all the fights they had through life.
"It's so nice to have you home," his mom said.
"It is," his dad agreed.
Arthur looked at each of them, and they looked at him.
Taylor giggled a little. Then there were more tears all around.
As they walked to the carousel, Arthur pinched Taylor’s arms. "You really are way too thin."
"And that’s after gaining a few pounds," Zoe said, giving Taylor a stern look.
"You're doing okay, though?"
"Yeah," Taylor said.
"She's eating dinner tonight," Zoe said. "Or she knows I'm going to strangle her. Speaking of. Are you up for eating? Dad made reservations for Chinese."
"Sounds good," Arthur said.
***
It was surreal sitting in the back seat of the car with his two sisters. He felt as if he snapped his fingers, they'd be children again heading out for their traditional Sunday dinner.
Funny, because it was Sunday today.
Although back then, they weren't usually texting on their smartphones, which both Zoe and Taylor were doing now.
Taylor typed something; then giggled.
Arthur caught her eye, and she blushed.
"Who're you talking to?" he asked.
"Nobody," she said.
"Well, that's a new one," Arthur said. I thought it was amazing enough that we could talk to dead people. But now you can actually talk to nobody."
"It's pretty amazing," Zoe joined in on the joke.
Taylor got another text. She read it and laughed.
"Let me just ask this," Zoe said. "Is he in the car with us? Or she?"
"No comment," Taylor said. She was really blushing. Arthur was glad to see her happy.
"What's going on back there?" their mother asked.
"I'm still trying to figure that out." Arthur replied.
***
At the restaurant, Arthur again sat between his two sisters.
Their father dominated the conversation. He talked about his connection to the director of the film and requested that Arthur "manage his expectations". "I got you the auction, but I can't guarantee you'll get a part. Acting's very competitive. As you know. But if all else fails, at least we got to have this family reunion. I, for one, am very grateful we're all here together."
"Let's make a toast!" Zoe chimed in. She lifted her glass of water and the others followed.
Next their father talked at length about his big project. "By next year, we'll sit here at the restaurant and see both living and dead together. No more depending on phones." Arthur noticed that Zoe looked uncomfortable, as if she wanted to say something but didn’t have the guts to say it.
“What do you get out of it?" Arthur asked. He was curious. His father was doing all this. Was it just to better the world, or did he get rewarded in some way?
His father might claim to be altruistic, but there was usually something he got in return. An article in the paper. An award to hang on the wall. A call from a celebrity.
"Just good old satisfaction," his dad said, beaming. "The world's going to change forever, and I get to play a huge part. It's a humbling experience."
Arthur hated when people called an experience humbling when actually it was the exact opposite. No, it wasn’t humbling to win an Oscar. Failing at ten auditions in a row? Now that was humbling.
"Dad—" Zoe said.
Arthur looked at her. She really did seem nervous. It wasn’t his imagination.
"Yes?"
"There's something I need to tell you. Well, I have lots of things to tell you. I was going to tell you earlier this week, but then I decided it's better to wait until Arthur's here."
"Thanks," Arthur said, feeling nervous for her and her news.
"Go ahead," their dad said. "I'm all ears."
"Well, there's someone I want you guys to meet."
"Okay," their dad said.
"Maybe in a couple of minutes. Well, after—"
They all waited.
"I have a boyfriend."
"Great!" Arthur said; though he's a little hurt that he was just hearing about it now.
"Awesome!" Taylor said.
"That's wonderful, Sweetie," their mother said.
"A boyfriend?" their dad said. "You mean a friend that happens to be a boy."
Zoe laughed. "No. A real boyfriend. A boyfriend boyfriend."
"What about Mickey?" their dad asked.
"We broke up!" Zoe's glee was partially replaced by obvious annoyance.
"I thought you were just taking a break," their father said.
"No," Zoe said. "It's over."
"I think you should think about that," their father said. "It's hard to find guys like Mickey."
Arthur had a hard time believing what he was hearing. But he tried to keep his cool. They didn’t need a scene the very first night they were together.
With that, the waiter came over to take their orders. None of them had really looked at their menus.
"Do we need more time?" their father asked.
Yes, they all agreed.
The waiter smiled and walked away. They opened their menus and read.
"Why don't I just order for everyone?" their father said. "I think I know what everyone likes."
Everyone agreed that this was fine. Arthur didn’t like the way his father took control; but all the same, he figured what his father ordered would be okay.
The waiter came over minutes later and took the order.
When he left, they sat quietly for a short moment.
Then their father started to talk about how Joker Jenson’s might dive into the whole Asian condiment thing. They listened without much comment.
Then Zoe said. "Can I tell you about my boyfriend now?"
"Yes!" Taylor said.. "I want to know."
"Me too," their mother said. "Tell all."
"Well…" Zoe said blushing. "I've known him for a very long time. A very long time."
"The pediatrician!" Arthur said.
Zoe laughed. "No."
"Who is it?" their father asked "Why are we playing guessing games?"
"His name's Keith."
"And how did you meet him?" their mother asked.
"In my dreams."
"What?" Arthur and Taylor said at the exact same time. Taylor looked at him, and they both smiled. Then they turned their attention back to Zoe. What in the world did she mean?
"What are you talking about?" their father asked. He seemed tense, maybe worried.
"He's an OS. And an EB."
"You can't be both," their father said.
"Well, he is. He's powerful."
"And they can't go into dreams," their father said.
"Well, they can," their mother said. "But it's rare."
"Keith's powerful that way too. We see each other every night." She blushed again.
Arthur trusted her not to go TMI.
"We knew each other before this all happened. He started visiting me when I was a teenager. I thought I was crazy, but now I know I'm not."
"I think this whole thing is crazy." Their father was looking more and more tense.
Arthur didn’t get it. Wasn’t he the one who was trying to open up more conversation between the living and dead?
"I have a dead boyfriend too!" Taylor blurted out. They all turned and stared at her. Now she was the one blushing.
"Really?" Zoe said. "That's wonderful, Taylor!" She reached across Arthur and squeezed Taylor's hand. Sister power!
"Should I feel left out?" Arthur joked. "And I thought I was special for dating a British guy."
"I can't support this," their father said.
They all stared at him, dumbfounded.
"Why?" their mother asked
"Why?" he asked. "Do you support this?"
"Well—”
He didn’t let her finish. "It's wonderful that we can talk to the dead. Of course I support that. It's because of me that we're taking a thousand steps forward. But we weren't meant to have romantic relationships with them. It's unnatural." He looked off into space. He had that look, the one they've all seen before, the one where he was struggling not to explode.
"Honey," their mother said. "I think we need to look at this in a—"
"No!" he snapped.. He banged his hand on the table.
People at other tables turned around.
Then their father whispered angrily. "This is sicker than gay—" he stopped himself.
Arthur felt his stomach churning. "Sicker than what?"
"I didn't mean—"
"What did you mean?" Arthur demanded.
"Don't you dare accuse me of anything. You know I have always supported you and Bernard."
"Have you?" Arthur asked, his voice trembling.
"Let's not overreact," their mother said.
Taylor started crying.
They heard a text alert.
"Who's phone is that?" their mother asked.
"I think it's Taylor's," Zoe said..
"Are you going to get it?" their mother said.
Taylor shook her head.
"Let's try to calm down," their father said. "And have a nice dinner."
"I want you to know what you mean, sicker than gay."
"I said let's drop it. You know I support gay marriage."
"Then what were you saying before?" Arthur asked. He wasn’t going to let his father off the hook so easily.
"I am 100% fine with gay marriage. 110%. If you don't want to believe that, you're a fool. But I'm not going to sit here and try to prove it to you." He looked at Zoe. "But neither am I going to pretend that I support dating dead people. Sue me for wanting my girls to have healthy normal relationships with houses and children." He gave them a warm fatherly smile. "I want grandchildren!"
"Arthur can give you grandchildren." Zoe said.
"Yes, but—" their father said. "No. Yeah. He can give me grandchildren. And that's wonderful. I look forward to it," he turned to Arthur with an annoying level of newfound cheerfulness "Any news on that front?"
"No," Arthur said. He was still peeved about the gay comment but trying not to be.
Taylor got another text alert. This time she read it and responded "It's my boyfriend," she said quietly. "He wants to know if he can meet you guys."
"Sure!" Zoe said.
Arthur and their mom agreed as well.
"Let's do it," their dad said; then forced a smile. Taylor was beaming and blushing as she waited for the call. When it came, she answered and then lifted her phone so they could all see him. He wore a long-sleeved blue v-neck shirt.
"Family…this is Jesse. Jesse, this is my family."
"Hello there!" he said in an accent that was almost as sexy as Bernard's.
"Things got fairly intense just now. You guys are full of exciting drama. I'm thrilled to be a part of it."
Arthur looked at his father to see his reaction. He didn’t seem to be much of a fan.
Continue to Chapter Forty-Five
Go Back to Chapter Forty-Three
No comments:
Post a Comment