twelve-hour-a-day job that she's had since she was eight and a pink Bentley with her name plastered all over it. If she wants out, let her get out. Now. Before she does something truly out there."
"Like what? Run away for real? Like you did?"
"Yes." Mom's voice raises a notch or two now. "Like I had to. Because I was never going to get the support I needed at home. What was I supposed to do? I was having all those problems on-set with that leading man with the wandering hands. And the studio told me to suck it up. My own mother told me to suck it up. I didn't know what else to do!"
"I know that, Cass. And the position they all put you in, at seventeen no less, was unforgivable. But Rory has that support. Which is why she doesn't need to run. And that's what I'm trying to show her. Along with how to be responsible and fulfill her commitments. It's about being an adult." Uncle Erik pauses briefly. "Anyway, if you want to play the 'family life' card, you can hardly say Thea's life is normal."
In the hallway, my eyes widen with this one. Go Uncle Erik! Way to stand up for yourself! I lean into the wall and get ready to stay put for the long haul. This should be good.
"As close as I can get to normal for a Hartley, she does," is my mom's response.
Uncle Erik laughs at this.
"What?" my mom says. "What's so amusing?"
"Cass. You saw that footage of Thea tonight. You're in denial."
"About what, exactly?"
"She's a Hartley. Through and through."
"She's a Wallis," Mom retorts.
"In name only," Uncle Erik replies. "She's a Hartley and then some. As much as you want to deny it, she's an all-singing, all-dancing, star-spangled, curly-haired Hartley. You think she doesn't see through all those classes and things you send her off to? She's fifteen now! You can't keep her out of the spotlight forever."
In the silence that follows, I quite seriously think my mom might be strangling her poor brother. But then I hear her sigh. "I can try and deny it," she replies, sounding defeated. "I can…delay it. I just need her to be old enough and wise enough to see things as they really are."
"You don't give her enough credit, Cass. She's a smart kid."
"I know that."
"Does she know you know that?"
My mom sighs, but no one speaks for some time.
"That video made me think." It's my mom who cracks first. "It was so easy when they were that young."
A loud snort exits Uncle Erik. "Obviously you don't remember the sleep deprivation."
Mom laughs at this. "Oh, yes. That's true. Remember that trip to Mexico when Allie was tiny?"
"And Rob was off working somewhere or other and we went all earth-parent and thought we could have a vacation. Just us and the kids and no nannies."
They both start laughing now , and I think I even hear someone slap the marble counter.
"What did we last…two days before we started scouring the countryside for help?"
"It felt like a month!" Mom sounds like she's crying now she's laughing so hard. "That wasn't a vacation. That was baby boot camp. All we did was change diapers, make bottles, and force Rory to watch TV so we had more time to change diapers and make bottles! I think we got to the beach once. Maybe twice."
"And the tantrums," Uncle Erik adds. "Don't forget those."
This time, it's Mom who snorts. "Forget the tantrums? How could I? We're both still getting those."
- 8 -
Mom and Uncle Erik start reminiscing about the good old days after this , and I wander back to bed. It's only when I get there that I remember what I was heading to the kitchen for in the first place and realize I don't even feel hungry anymore.
I try and go back to sleep again, but can't. I read for a while, but my eyes simply can't concentrate on the page. And then my legs start getting twitchy, and when this starts, I know the sleeping, or even resting, thing is just not going to happen. So, I get up and stretch for a good twenty minutes or so. And then, when I still don't feel tired, I give up, change into a crop top and running
"Like what? Run away for real? Like you did?"
"Yes." Mom's voice raises a notch or two now. "Like I had to. Because I was never going to get the support I needed at home. What was I supposed to do? I was having all those problems on-set with that leading man with the wandering hands. And the studio told me to suck it up. My own mother told me to suck it up. I didn't know what else to do!"
"I know that, Cass. And the position they all put you in, at seventeen no less, was unforgivable. But Rory has that support. Which is why she doesn't need to run. And that's what I'm trying to show her. Along with how to be responsible and fulfill her commitments. It's about being an adult." Uncle Erik pauses briefly. "Anyway, if you want to play the 'family life' card, you can hardly say Thea's life is normal."
In the hallway, my eyes widen with this one. Go Uncle Erik! Way to stand up for yourself! I lean into the wall and get ready to stay put for the long haul. This should be good.
"As close as I can get to normal for a Hartley, she does," is my mom's response.
Uncle Erik laughs at this.
"What?" my mom says. "What's so amusing?"
"Cass. You saw that footage of Thea tonight. You're in denial."
"About what, exactly?"
"She's a Hartley. Through and through."
"She's a Wallis," Mom retorts.
"In name only," Uncle Erik replies. "She's a Hartley and then some. As much as you want to deny it, she's an all-singing, all-dancing, star-spangled, curly-haired Hartley. You think she doesn't see through all those classes and things you send her off to? She's fifteen now! You can't keep her out of the spotlight forever."
In the silence that follows, I quite seriously think my mom might be strangling her poor brother. But then I hear her sigh. "I can try and deny it," she replies, sounding defeated. "I can…delay it. I just need her to be old enough and wise enough to see things as they really are."
"You don't give her enough credit, Cass. She's a smart kid."
"I know that."
"Does she know you know that?"
My mom sighs, but no one speaks for some time.
"That video made me think." It's my mom who cracks first. "It was so easy when they were that young."
A loud snort exits Uncle Erik. "Obviously you don't remember the sleep deprivation."
Mom laughs at this. "Oh, yes. That's true. Remember that trip to Mexico when Allie was tiny?"
"And Rob was off working somewhere or other and we went all earth-parent and thought we could have a vacation. Just us and the kids and no nannies."
They both start laughing now , and I think I even hear someone slap the marble counter.
"What did we last…two days before we started scouring the countryside for help?"
"It felt like a month!" Mom sounds like she's crying now she's laughing so hard. "That wasn't a vacation. That was baby boot camp. All we did was change diapers, make bottles, and force Rory to watch TV so we had more time to change diapers and make bottles! I think we got to the beach once. Maybe twice."
"And the tantrums," Uncle Erik adds. "Don't forget those."
This time, it's Mom who snorts. "Forget the tantrums? How could I? We're both still getting those."
- 8 -
Mom and Uncle Erik start reminiscing about the good old days after this , and I wander back to bed. It's only when I get there that I remember what I was heading to the kitchen for in the first place and realize I don't even feel hungry anymore.
I try and go back to sleep again, but can't. I read for a while, but my eyes simply can't concentrate on the page. And then my legs start getting twitchy, and when this starts, I know the sleeping, or even resting, thing is just not going to happen. So, I get up and stretch for a good twenty minutes or so. And then, when I still don't feel tired, I give up, change into a crop top and running
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