Chapter Thirty-Four: Ho Ho Ho
Iwoke to the soundof his phone buzzing.He sat up in bed and checked it.He never got messages on his phone unless they were about work.
“What is it?”I said.
“Callback.They want me to audition for them on the twentieth.”
“That’s when we’re flying to Timmins.I booked our tickets.”I sat up in bed.
“Craig, I can’t miss this.I think they’re gonna offer me a part.”
“So you don’t want to come to Timmins with me?”
“I do, but I have to do this audition.Can you rebook our tickets?Stay with me here, then we can fly out together.”
“I don’t know if I can change the date.”
“Look, give me the details, and I’ll try and rebook them for us.”
“I’ll do it,” I said.He wasn’t too good at that kind of thing.
He didn’t argue, so while he was in the shower, I started making calls.I was sweating.My parents would not be happy.Knowing them, they had every minute of our visit planned: decorating the tree, the Christmas concert, visiting their friends, shopping, ice skating.This would disrupt their schedule, and they would not let me forget that.
In the end, it took me two hours, and I had to pay extra, but I got our tickets changed.Then I emailed my parents with the bad news.I opted to take one for the team and told my parents we’d be arriving a day later because something had come up at my work.I didn’t want them blaming Eddie.
I clicked send and looked at him.“If the show wants to see you again before Christmas, fuck them.”
––––––––
In case his auditionwent badly and spoiled his mood, we decided to exchange our Christmas gifts the day before, make an evening of it and go out for dinner.Work hadn’t been busy, which was good because I’d had time to work on his Christmas present.
I got home from work that evening, gave him a kiss, and went to the bedroom to change into the jeans he liked and what he called my “hot fleece,” because he liked unzipping it.
But as soon as I got into the bedroom, I stopped dead.I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.It took up most of the wall by the bed.
It was a framed poster of me, in black and white, wearing my tap shoes.Must have been from our photoshoot.
“Are you kidding me?”I said.
