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“Your mother called last night,” he said.
Thankfully he had enough screws in so when I flinched, the drywall didn’t fall. He finished securing it to the wall before answering.
“What did she want?”
I set the next sheet into place and waited for him to answer.
“She asked if you’re okay.” He drilled a screw into place. “Said she’s been calling you but you’re not picking up and haven’t called her back. That true?”
“Yeah.”
He shrugged and continued working. I thought he’d say more about their conversation, but as we finished hanging the drywall, he was either quiet or spoke about work.
I looked around the garage, happy with our progress. Aside from a few special cuts, the drywall is hung. When we come back from lunch, one of us will take care of those while the other starts taping the seams.
We normally bring something to eat on site, but we’re working right down the block from Whitman's Cafe so decided to eat there instead. It’s a win-win as far as I’m concerned. We’ll have a delicious lunch and Pop will actually have to take a real break.
The cafe is crowded this time of day, but we found a table for two near the back. After placing our orders, Pop headed to the bathroom to clean up and when he returned, I did the same. As I washed my hands, I chuckled at my reflection. My dark hair is sprinkled with drywall dust, giving it a salt and pepper look. I dampened a paper towel and ran it over my hair to clear out the worst of it then headed back out to the table.
“So why aren’t you answering your mother?” Pop asked once I got settled.
“You know she only calls me when she wants something.” I took a drink of water then shook my head. “Last time she was badgering me to do that reunion show.”
“You should at least answer to see what she wants.”
“It will only aggravate me.”
I don’t know why Pop is essentially sticking up for her. She never calls him either. But I didn’t say that. There’s no reason to point out what is a touchy subject.
Theoretically I suppose I love my mother, I just don’t like her very much. She’s the quintessential stage mom and once I removed that element from our relationship, we no longer had one.
“Well, she sounded worried.”
I snorted.
“She probably has a deadline for whatever she wants me to sign up for. If she just wanted to reconnect, she’d leave a message stating that.”
Our food arrived and the conversation was paused while we dug in. Thinking about my mother always raises my blood pressure, which is why I try to avoid it. Usually it’s easy. It’s an out of sight, out of mind kind of thing.
I’ve been living in Seaside working as a handyman for twelve years. I feel so far removed from my life before that, sometimes I can’t believe it actually happened. Unfortunately, there’s proof of that time showing daily in reruns.
“I’m not getting any younger, you know,” Pop said. “I just don’t want you to be alone when I’m gone. Your mother is the only family you have.”
I popped the last bite of burger into my mouth and chewed as I pondered his words.
“First of all, I don’t want to talk or think about a time when you’re not here. And second, my mother has let it be known that she only wants one kind of relationship with me and that’s not one I’m interested in.”
“There has to be a middle ground for the two of you.”
“Pop, she wouldn’t take my calls for five years after I moved here.Five years. And she only called me then because she wanted me to do an interview for one of those stupid where-are-they-now shows.” I shook my head. “As if I want people to know where I am now.”
“She’s getting older too. Maybe she’s changed her priorities.”
If that was the case, she’d work on her relationship with Pop, and that hasn’t happened.
“I doubt it.” I took a drink. “For years I wished Tally Corbin was the kind of mother who made me peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and tucked me in. Instead, she ran me from one audition to another and negotiated contracts.”
Our relationship worked until I decided I didn’t want to act anymore, which was right around the time I turned eighteen. I was overweight and pre-diabetic, but was reprimanded when I made some lifestyle changes to lose weight. InChase and Corbin, I played the chubby, unpopular geek. The role of handsome ladies’ man belonged to my co-star, Chase Collins.
