Starring Me

by Krista McGee

  Forget it. That’s really dumb. Man, this is hard. If they just gave me something to work with. I can’t come up with something out of thin air. “Write a monologue.” Well, you know what? I can’t. I’m sorry. I give up. (She throws the paper away and exits)

  Chapter 11

  To Kara McKormick, next big star.” Kara’s brother Joey lifted his glass of sparkling grape juice into the air. Dozens of McKormicks joined him in the toast, all cheering and splashing juice around the dining room.

  “Sit, everybody.” Pop herded his large family into the living room. A blended family, Ma and Pop each had two children when they met and married almost thirty years before. Two more children followed. Kara was the youngest of the six and enjoyed that position in the family immensely. She loved that she had nieces and nephews just a few years younger than she, and she loved that when everyone was together, her house was so full it threatened to explode at the seams.

  “Kara, are you nervous?” her sister Mary asked.

  “A little, I guess.” Kara reached for Mary’s nine-month-old daughter, Ruth Ann. “But more excited than nervous.”

  “We’ll sure miss you.” Kara’s brother Sam squeezed himself between Kara and Mary. Sam was twenty-seven—closest in age to Kara. “Who am I gonna tease now that you’re gone? Little Ruthie Ann is too small. Right, little lady?” Sam pinched Ruth Ann’s cheeks and the baby reached for her uncle with a smile. “She knows who loves her.”

  “Hey.” Kara grabbed for her niece. “Always taking what’s mine. Some things never change.”

  Ma walked to Kara. “You two fighting again?”

  “He started it.” Kara pointed to Sam.

  Mary laughed. “We may have to send some siblings down every once in a while to check up on you.”

  “All right.” Kara smiled. “But in birth order.”

  “So I’m last?” Sam bounced Ruth Ann on his knee. “Where’s the love?”

  “My little Kara.” Pop nudged Sam over on the couch so he could sit next to her. “I’m going to miss you.”

  Ma pulled out a handkerchief and wiped her eyes. “We thought we’d have a few more years before you left the nest.”

  “You might,” Kara said. “I haven’t made it yet.”

  “But you will.” Ma put her hands on her hips. “You’re the most talented girl in the world.”

  “Too bad you’re not the director.” Kara laughed.

  Her brother Patrick joined the family by the couch. “So, how are we going to keep you from getting a big head? ”

  “A big head?” Kara pushed her brother. “Me? How dare you. Hey, where’s my bouncer? Get this guy outta here.”

  Patrick raised his hands in surrender and laughed. “That’s my girl.”

  “So,” Joey said, “a month of auditions, huh? What do you do for a month?”

  Kara shrugged. “I’m not really sure. Different kinds of screen tests, I guess. Different types of sketches.”

  “So, no mud obstacle courses?” Joey referred to one of the competitions in The Book of Love.

  “I doubt it.” Kara pushed her other brother. “But if you recall, I did pretty well on that. Only missed one question, thank you very much.”

  “She’s brilliant.” Ma handed Kara a piece of chocolate from the crystal candy dish on the end table.

  She refused the candy, and Patrick grabbed it from Ma’s hand. “Watch it, Ma. You’re making us think Kara here might be your favorite.”

  “All my children are perfect. Smart, beautiful, talented, every one of yous.”

  Kara turned to her mother. “Come on, Ma. We all know I’m your favorite. You don’t have to pretend.”

  This statement caused a storm of good-natured protests from the other five siblings. Each child was sure he or she was the apple of their mother’s eye.

  Pop silenced them all with a clap. “All right, you hooligans. Your mother doesn’t have any favorites. She loves you all the same. Now me, on the other hand . . .” Pop finished his sentence with a smirk and a shrug.

  More shouting and laughing resulted, and Kara sat back and took it all in. They are great. Loud and opinionated and awesome.

  The McKormick clan spent the day talking and laughing. Kara was sad to see the last of her siblings go.

  I’m so used to seeing them all the time. I missed them like crazy while I was gone on The Book of Love, and I knew that was just for a few weeks. If this works out, I’ll live in Orlando for months at a time. Am I ready for that?

  Ma gathered up the plates and cups scattered throughout the living room. Kara helped, and the two walked to the kitchen in silence.

  “It’s going to be so quiet without you here.” Ma teared up again.

  “You guys could always move down with me.” Kara looked at her mother. “Dad can retire from teaching, can’t he?”

  “Technically, he could. He’s been at the same school since before we met.”

  “I know he doesn’t enjoy it as much as he used to.” Kara dried the dish her mother gave her and put it in the cabinet.

  “That’s true. The last few years have been tough.”

  “And with his cholesterol . . .” Kara put down the towel and sighed. “I worry about him.”

  “You and me both, honey.” Ma scrubbed the plate harder than necessary.

  “So if I make the show, be like every other New Yorker and retire to Florida. Pop can learn how to golf and you can join a book club.”

  “What about all the others? We can’t leave your brothers and sisters.”

  “And the grandkids.” Kara smiled.

  “And the grandkids.” Ma shook her finger as she spoke. “Patrick’s in-laws, they moved down to Florida two years ago, remember? The grandkids barely know them. Last time they were up, little Ethan cried and cried, wouldn’t even let Sally touch him.”

  “Ma.” Kara placed another plate in the cabinet. “Sally and Dale barely saw Ethan and Emily when they lived here. They were always traveling or out with their poker friends. You and Pop, you’ll always make sure you have time with your grandkids. Plus, there’s video chatting. You can call them every day if you want, even see them. They’ll never forget who you are.”

  “This is home, Kara.” Ma dried her hands and sat at the kitchen table. “Your pop and me have lived here in Smithtown our whole lives. We want you to follow your dreams. But we just can’t go with you. Our roots are here.”

  “All right, Ma.” Kara joined her mother at the table. “If I were Addy, I’d tell you I would pray that you changed your mind.”

  “I like that Addy.” Ma smiled. “She’ll be nearby to keep an eye on you.”

  “She will.” Kara touched her mother’s hand. “But I’ll still miss you and Pop like crazy.”

  “And the others?” Ma dabbed her eyes with her handkerchief.

  “Of course. I’ve got the best family on earth. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  Pop walked in and joined Kara and Ma in the kitchen. “What’s with the waterworks, ladies? This is a great day.”

  “I know.” Ma motioned for him to sit at the table with them. “But she’s our baby.”

  “Of course she is.” Pop patted Kara’s back. “That’s not going to change.”

  “But she’ll be so far away.” Ma’s tears flowed more freely. Kara felt her own tears spilling down her cheeks.

  “Two hours in a plane.” Pop hugged his wife. “That’s nothing.”

  “I’ll call every day, Ma,” Kara promised. “And I’ll show you how to use video chatting so I can show you around the house where I’ll be staying.”

  Ma dried her eyes. “I’d like that.”

  “And we can come down,” Pop said. “I’ve got another month and a half before school starts. Maybe we can take some of the grandkids and go to Disney for a couple days.”

  “That would be fun.” Ma smiled. “Emily would love to see Mickey and Minnie.”

  “She sure would.” Pop grabbed a cookie from the plate at the end of t
he table. “Can’t you just see her little eyes light up?”

  Ma laughed. “I sure can.”

  “So we’re all good now?” Pop asked. “No more tears? ”

  “Not until I get on that plane,” Kara said.

  “The phone is lighting up.” Ma picked up the receiver and dialed the number for voice mail. “With all the noise, I didn’t even hear it ring.”

  “It’s probably one of Kara’s friends wishing her good luck.” Pop gave Kara another hug.

  Ma started pressing buttons on the phone.

  “What is it, Ma?”

  “I’m trying to get it on speaker.” Ma handed the phone to Kara like it was a shard of glass. “You do it.” Kara pressed the speaker button.

  “So if you’re interested, please give us a call back at this number.”

  “Who was it?” Kara pressed the Replay button.

  “I don’t know. It was for you. About the audition, I think.”

  “Here it goes.” Kara kept the phone on speaker and they all listened in.

  “Good evening. This call is for Kara McKormick.” The man’s voice was high and very proper. “I am Jordan Sands, a Broadway producer and director. We are holding auditions for a new musical. I saw your work on The Book of Love and I’d like you to be part of these auditions. They will be televised live, just like The Book of Love, with the winner being chosen by audience vote. We have had great success with this model in England, and we believe this TV show and the musical will be huge successes here as well. Mary Kegel has agreed to be one of the guest judges, as well as Robert Van Zandt.”

  Kara recognized the names—recent Tony Award winners and amazing actors. She and her friends had gone to see a musical that starred Mary Kegel the year before. Kara thought she was one of the most phenomenal actresses she had ever seen.

  “We will hold the preliminary auditions on Monday, so if you’re interested, please give us a call back at this number.”

  Kara saved the message and walked, in a daze, to the living room.

  “What do I do?” She sat on the couch.

  “This show would be on Broadway?” Pop sat next to Kara.

  “Right here in New York.” Kara stood and walked around the living room. “I wouldn’t have to leave you guys.”

  “But what about the show in Orlando?” Ma stood in the doorway.

  “That’s incredible too.” Kara swallowed hard. “This isn’t fair. How do I choose? Why do they both have to be auditioning at the same time?”

  “Could you fly back up Monday for these auditions? ”

  Pop looked at his watch. “It’s just nine o’clock. Why don’t you see if you can get ahold of this guy? Tell him your predicament.”

  “And ask him to hold those auditions for me? Right, Pop.”

  “You’ll never know unless you call.”

  Chapter 12

  This water is freezing,” Jonathon complained as he stepped into the raft.

  Chad threw his friend an oar. “You really need to get out more.”

  Chad had convinced Jonathon to join him on a trip to North Carolina. His parents were no longer interested in white-water rafting, but that was an activity Chad loved. The president and First Lady agreed to let Jonathon come along for a few days, provided, of course, his Secret Service agents remained close by.

  Bull, Jonathon’s lead Secret Service agent, jumped in behind Jonathon, splashing the ice-cold river water all over Jonathon’s back. “You’re telling me. All this boy does is study and play baseball.”

  “And text his girlfriend.” Chad nodded toward Jonathon’s cell phone.

  “She’s not my girlfriend.” Jonathon shut his phone and put it in a waterproof bag Chad had given him.

  “Mmm-hmm.” Bull clicked a life vest over his large chest. “Keep telling yourself that, boy. You forget I watched it all happen. There’s no foolin’ Bull.”

  Jonathon’s face turned red. “Anyway, can you please tell me what I need to do to keep from drowning in the rapids? ”

  “Don’t fall in.” Chad laughed as he settled himself in the back of the four-passenger raft.

  “Very funny.” Jonathon looked at the churning water of the Nantahala River.

  “Relax.” Chad pushed them out into the current. “I’ve gone white-water rafting dozens of times. I’ll steer. You boys just paddle when I say paddle. All right?”

  Ten minutes later, the raft was stuck on a rock in the middle of the river.

  Jonathon stared at Chad in disbelief. “Some expert you are.”

  “Don’t worry. I got this. We’ll be out of here in no time.” Chad pushed against the rock with his oar. The raft didn’t even budge.

  An eight-person raft drifted past them. A six-year-old inside waved and laughed at the three large men.

  “Very nice,” Bull said. “We just got passed up by a kindergartner.”

  “We’ll just have to get out and push it off. No big deal.”

  Jonathon stuck his hand in the water. “No way am I getting in there, man. You got us stuck. You get us unstuck.”

  Chad struck his oar in the water, sending an icy spray of water raining down on Jonathon. “You big wimp.”

  “I’m not a wimp.” Jonathon smirked. “I just don’t want to die of hypothermia in June.”

  “You won’t die of hypothermia.” Chad laughed. “We just need to give the raft one big push. Then we can jump back in and keep going. We haven’t even hit the big rapids yet.”

  “Seems to me like all we’ve hit is this rock,” Bull said.

  “Come on, get out and help me push.” Chad jumped into the water.

  Bull crossed his arms. “I’m with my buddy here. You push us out.”

  “You guys together weigh over three hundred pounds.” Chad crossed his arms over his chest. “I know I’m strong. Real strong”—he flexed his muscles to prove his point—“but that’s too much weight, even for me.”

  “Boy, you sure talk a lot of smack.” Bull jumped into the water, towering over Chad.

  Chad slapped Bull on the back. “I know, man. But when you’re built like me, you can.”

  Bull came up behind Chad, lifted him up, and threw him several feet away. Chad came up spitting out water.

  “That’s right.” Bull laughed. “Who’s the man?”

  Chad coughed, then ran for Bull. Bull jumped to the side, causing Chad to run right into the raft. Jonathon fell backward as the raft slid off the rock and began speeding down the river.

  “Hey, wait!” Chad swam after the raft. Bull joined him.

  “How do I stop this thing?” Jonathon held an oar in the air. The raft drifted underneath a tree, pushing the oar into the water. Jonathon reached for a second oar, but it slipped out of his hands. Chad and Bull stopped swimming to laugh at their friend as the “kindergarten raft” pulled up beside Jonathon.

  “Need a hand, mister?” the little boy asked as his father held an oar out to Jonathon.

  While the two rafts floated to a calmer portion of the river, Chad and Bull swam up to meet Jonathon.

  “One, two, three.” Chad and Bull grabbed the side of their raft and flipped it over, causing Jonathon to tumble out.

  “Hey.” Jonathon scrambled to right the raft. “What was that for? Chad’s the one who started this.”

  Chad laughed. “I know. But you looked way too dry sitting up there. Now we all match.”

  “You boys all right?” the father from the next raft called out.

  Bull pulled himself into the raft. “Yes, sir. I’ve just got to keep an eye on these little ones. You know how it is.”

  The man nodded. Chad and Jonathon looked at each other and tried to flip Bull out of the raft. The larger man, however, anticipated their move and pushed each of them underwater.

  “I am a trained agent, boys.” Bull flexed his very large muscles. “Youth and energy are no match for these brains and brawn.”

  “Okay.” Jonathon panted. “Truce. White flag. Uncle. Whatever you want to hear. Just get
me back on dry land.”

  Bull laughed, helping the boys back into the raft and pulling the raft toward the lost oars.

  After two more hours and three more trips into the river, Bull, Chad, and Jonathon pulled up to shore. Soaking wet, they wrapped up in towels and begged their driver to stop off at the nearest coffee shop for the largest, hottest drinks they could buy.

  “That was fun,” Chad said, hands wrapped around his coffee cup.

  “It was.” Jonathon nodded. “Even if you two did try to drown me.”

  Chad looked out the coffee shop window, the Nantahala rushing beside them, green trees leaning over the churning water. “You know, if show business doesn’t work out for me, I could live here. Be a guide. That would be awesome.”

  “Sure.” Jonathon laughed. “You’d be in high demand too. Not everybody can guide a raft onto a huge rock.”

  “Hey.” Chad set down his coffee. “That current is strong.”

  “Yeah, well. I still think you better stick to your day job.”

  “Here’s hoping I can.” Chad lifted his cup in a mock toast.

  “So, what’s next?”

  “I’m going to try something new,” Chad said. “Acting.”

  “Really?”

  Chad shrugged. “I love being onstage. And not just singing, but connecting with the audience and telling a story. It’s like nothing else.”

  “Better than white-water rafting?” Jonathon smiled.

  “Definitely.”

  “Don’t you have to record more songs?”

  “Yep.” Chad watched out the window as a kayaker made his way down the river, gliding between larger rafts and rocks. “But I’m not bound by a contract anymore. So I’m free to do what I want.”

  “And you want to act?”

  “Not just act.” Chad took another sip of his coffee, finally warming up. “I’d like a chance to do it all. Act, sing, even write.”