talking, for some reason. âDo you think Dad is going to, like, hate me forever?â
She put down her magazine. âJack, you do know your dad loves you more than anything in the world, right?â
âOf course I do.â
âBut this is not easy for him,â my mom said. âHe has very, very strong beliefs about how to best raise his only child. And now, heâs embarrassed on top of it. Heâs becoming known, completely unfairly, as a crazy dad. People are starting to look at him funny, and people at work are poking fun at him. This is not easy for him, you have to know that.â
âI totally know that.â After another second, I asked, âBut why canât he just let me quit some stuff? Why is that so impossible?â
âBecause heâs your father,â my mom answered.
I changed to the warrior position. Nana would have been totally impressed. âWell, what do you think?â I asked my mom.
My mom sighed. âI think youâre both crazy.â
I laughed. âThat makes sense.â
âI just hope I didnât make a dumb decision by letting this TV show happen,â she said. âBut maybe we need something crazy like this to help us figure things out.â
âRight.â
My mom got up. âI need to go pick up your grandmother at the station.â
I decided to ask the question Iâd been thinking about for the last two days.
âWhen is Dad going to be home?â
My mom stopped and looked at me. âI donât know if heâs going to make it home tonight, honey. His meetings in Phoenix are still going on.â
âOh,â I said. For some reason, I was disappointed.
My mom could tell, of course, because thatâs what moms do. âBut heâll be home tomorrow,â she said, âand everything will be okay. Thatâs a promise.â
As she started to walk away, I found myself pulling her back toward the couch and giving her a hug.
âWhatâs that for?â she asked, surprised.
I looked up at her. âI guess just for understanding,â I said.
My mom hugged me back, and neither one of us said anything for a minute. Finally she let me go.
âIf only you were this dedicated to Chinese,â she said.
Â
35
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At four oâclock, two huge trucks rumbled up our little street and parked on our lawn.
âWhoa,â said Nana, peering out the window. After getting home from the city, sheâd spent most of the afternoon picking out an outfit.
Iâd spent most of the afternoon practicing my answers to imaginary questions.
âYes, Brody, itâs great to be an inspiration to kids around the country.â
âYes, Brody, I do miss school, and my friends, but itâs for a good cause.â
âNo, Brody, I donât have a girlfriend right now, but Iâm definitely open to suggestions.â
When I heard the roar of the trucks, I looked out the window. A huge guy with a beard hopped out of the first truck.
âLetâs set up the stage right here,â he yelled to the rest of the guys.
Stage?
âUse the house as the backdrop,â he continued. âAnd get that tree in the frame, too. Itâs pretty.â
Soon, eight more guys jumped out of the trucks. Half of them set up a little path of metal sheets, and the rest unhitched the huge truck doors and started rolling off a bunch of giant steel planks.
The next thing I knew, my mom was running outside at a full sprint.
âExcuse me, excuse me! Hello? What is all this??!?â she yelled at no one in particular.
When no one in particular answered her, she went up to the huge bearded guy, who seemed like he was in charge.
âCan you please move these trucks? Youâre ruining my lawn.â
âSorry, maâam, we need to unload the deck for the stage.â
âSTAGE?!â
The huge bearded guy looked down at her. âAre you Mrs. Strong?â
âYes,â
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