mature for his age and his voice did sound like an adult. I haven’t viewed the video yet, but I’m sure it was very well done. Bruce is a fine photographer. Still, as you must understand, we couldn’t possibly allow our underage child to go to Hollywood without a chaperone.”
Another, much shorter pause.
“That’s very kind of you. I’ll discuss it with Bruce’s father and we’ll get back with you…. Yes,I realize the decision must be made immediately. Thank you for honoring Bruce and his accomplishments. He definitely is a special boy. And I think you should know that his younger sister wrote the script.”
She said good-bye very calmly and replaced the receiver on the hook. Then she drew a deep, shaky breath and collapsed into a chair.
“What’s going on here?”
Mr. Walker demanded.
They all had been so glued to the phone conversation that they had not heard the front door open and close. Now Bruce and Andi turned to see their father standing at the entrance to the family room. He set down his briefcase and hurried over to his wife.
“Linda, what’s wrong? You look as if you’re in shock.”
“I suppose I am,” Mrs. Walker said in a tremulous voice. “The children’s video has made the finals in a national contest. A producer named Craig Donovan wants Bruce to fly to Hollywood. This is surreal! Things like this don’t happen to normal people!”
“Surreal is right,” Mr. Walker said. “No responsible parents would ship their child off to Hollywoodto meet with some stranger. There’s no way to know what kind of man this Donovan is or what his true intentions are.”
“He sounded sincere,” Mrs. Walker said. “He hadn’t been aware of Bruce’s age. When I told him, he immediately offered to cover the expenses of a chaperone.”
“I will be Bruce’s chaperone!” Andi volunteered eagerly. “I will protect him from evil and guard him from temptation! I won’t let Britney Spears get anywhere near him!”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” their father said. “He needs an adult chaperone, and neither your mother nor I can get off work. If this opportunity had come after school let out, your mother might have been able to take Bruce to Hollywood. But she can’t leave her students in the final days of the school year.”
“That’s not fair!” Andi cried. “You could make this happen if you wanted to! One of you could quit your job and we could live on welfare until I become a famous writer! This is the best opportunity Bruce will ever have! The two of you are the meanest parents in the world!”
“And you have just placed yourself in the running for being the rudest child in the world,” Mr. Walker told her sternly. “We don’t allow that sort of talk in our family. Go to your room until you’re ready to come down and apologize.”
Tears of frustration were streaming down Andi’s face as she turned on her heel and stomped angrily out of the room.
“You were very hard on her, John,” Mrs. Walker said. “It’s understandable that she’s upset and disappointed.”
“You don’t know the half of it,” Bruce said. “This was Andi’s dream — second only to getting her book published. Of course she’s mad! It’s not like you didn’t know we were making a video and entering it in a contest. Dad, we even invited you to be in it!”
“We’re happy to have you and Andi work on creative projects together,” Mrs. Walker explained. “It’s just that we didn’t expect an outcome like this. We assumed that, at most, you’d receive a certificate like Andi did with her book project. That sort of recognition is appropriate for children. But this — it’s beyond comprehension! As Dad said,you can’t go alone to Hollywood, and neither of us is free to go with you.”
“Then the answer is no?” Bruce asked, trying once more. “You won’t change your minds? Even if I promise to phone you every half hour to let you know I’m okay?”
“The answer is
no
,” his father
Another, much shorter pause.
“That’s very kind of you. I’ll discuss it with Bruce’s father and we’ll get back with you…. Yes,I realize the decision must be made immediately. Thank you for honoring Bruce and his accomplishments. He definitely is a special boy. And I think you should know that his younger sister wrote the script.”
She said good-bye very calmly and replaced the receiver on the hook. Then she drew a deep, shaky breath and collapsed into a chair.
“What’s going on here?”
Mr. Walker demanded.
They all had been so glued to the phone conversation that they had not heard the front door open and close. Now Bruce and Andi turned to see their father standing at the entrance to the family room. He set down his briefcase and hurried over to his wife.
“Linda, what’s wrong? You look as if you’re in shock.”
“I suppose I am,” Mrs. Walker said in a tremulous voice. “The children’s video has made the finals in a national contest. A producer named Craig Donovan wants Bruce to fly to Hollywood. This is surreal! Things like this don’t happen to normal people!”
“Surreal is right,” Mr. Walker said. “No responsible parents would ship their child off to Hollywoodto meet with some stranger. There’s no way to know what kind of man this Donovan is or what his true intentions are.”
“He sounded sincere,” Mrs. Walker said. “He hadn’t been aware of Bruce’s age. When I told him, he immediately offered to cover the expenses of a chaperone.”
“I will be Bruce’s chaperone!” Andi volunteered eagerly. “I will protect him from evil and guard him from temptation! I won’t let Britney Spears get anywhere near him!”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” their father said. “He needs an adult chaperone, and neither your mother nor I can get off work. If this opportunity had come after school let out, your mother might have been able to take Bruce to Hollywood. But she can’t leave her students in the final days of the school year.”
“That’s not fair!” Andi cried. “You could make this happen if you wanted to! One of you could quit your job and we could live on welfare until I become a famous writer! This is the best opportunity Bruce will ever have! The two of you are the meanest parents in the world!”
“And you have just placed yourself in the running for being the rudest child in the world,” Mr. Walker told her sternly. “We don’t allow that sort of talk in our family. Go to your room until you’re ready to come down and apologize.”
Tears of frustration were streaming down Andi’s face as she turned on her heel and stomped angrily out of the room.
“You were very hard on her, John,” Mrs. Walker said. “It’s understandable that she’s upset and disappointed.”
“You don’t know the half of it,” Bruce said. “This was Andi’s dream — second only to getting her book published. Of course she’s mad! It’s not like you didn’t know we were making a video and entering it in a contest. Dad, we even invited you to be in it!”
“We’re happy to have you and Andi work on creative projects together,” Mrs. Walker explained. “It’s just that we didn’t expect an outcome like this. We assumed that, at most, you’d receive a certificate like Andi did with her book project. That sort of recognition is appropriate for children. But this — it’s beyond comprehension! As Dad said,you can’t go alone to Hollywood, and neither of us is free to go with you.”
“Then the answer is no?” Bruce asked, trying once more. “You won’t change your minds? Even if I promise to phone you every half hour to let you know I’m okay?”
“The answer is
no
,” his father
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