Chapter 30

Waking up early., I put on my sweats and went to the gym. After working out on the heavy bag and weights for an hour, I returned to my room feeling energized and pumped. After my shower, I dressed, packed, went to the kitchen, and greeted Grandmother. We ate breakfast, and I drank my protein shake. Then, Mom arrived and drove to Beverly Hills.

The receptionist saw us and said go on back she’s expecting you. Robin welcomed us and asked why Alisha Kemp, with Ford Modeling Agency, was calling me. I told Robin I met her on the flight from Washington, DC. She wanted my body, and I threatened to sic my Grandmother on her, and everyone laughed. Robin asked if I wanted to model, and I said no unless it paid extremely well. I know what they do to new models, just like the movies. Alisha wouldn’t call you unless she wanted me. So, put the squeeze on her and see how much she’s willing to pay.

Then Alisha got to the interview requests, and I told her my contract doesn’t include doing interviews or travel expenses. They are already using me to generate interest in the movie. I told her to hold on a minute and called Dave Lane. I said hey David, it’s Chase Reynolds, and I’m with my agent, Robin Gates of WME. We have a shitload of interview requests, and you know my contract doesn’t include doing them. Do you want to send her a contract to cover them? Or do we pass the word on that you were too cheap to pay for travel and expenses for the actor to do interviews? Great, I’ll tell Robin to expect it shortly. Thanks, David and I hung up.

Everyone was laughing, and Robin said I should work for WME. I told Robin to pick 4 or 5 good ones and schedule them for next week. Group them if possible to reduce travel and let us know. Then she said I have a reading for a movie tomorrow at Universal at 10 a.m. It’s an espionage/suspense movie where you play the son of an Army Colonel working for CID. On the outside, you’re a normal high school kid who plays basketball but is a highly skilled hacker at night. Your father is killed investigating intelligence leaks, and you are determined to find who killed him.

I agreed to go to the reading after checking with Grandmother and Mom. Robin said she would find out when the movie premiere is and what to wear. We thanked her for the help and drove home. While we ate lunch, Grandmother asked me if I thought Alisha Kemp, with Ford Modeling Agency, would ask me to model for them. I told her Alisha would ask, but whether they agree with my conditions is another matter. School and working for Paula come first, and they are used to controlling their models. So, I don’t see how it could work out.

After lunch, I changed clothes and hiked to the cave pool. I stripped, entered the pool, and felt the energy surge through me, and then I passed out. When I woke up, I was floating, so I got out, dressed, and returned home full of energy. I went to my room, changed, and shot hoops until Mom called in to get cleaned up. After my shower, I dressed and went to the kitchen. While we ate, Paula called and asked when we were going to the cabin. Mom said we were planning on leaving Friday at 6 a.m. Paula said great, and I’ll be ready and said goodbye. Grandmother said do you think she’s anxious and everyone laughed.

After dinner, we went to the den, and Mom asked when I was leaving for my reading in the morning. I told her there was no way to avoid rush hour traffic, so I would go around 7 a.m. I said goodnight, went to my bedroom, practiced my telekinesis, sensed the area, went to bed, and fell into a deep, relaxing sleep.

I awoke at 4 a.m. dressed in sweats and ran around our subdivision, sensing every house, and then returned home. After showering, I dressed, packed, and went to the kitchen. I ate breakfast with Grandmother and drank my protein shake. She said to be careful and be on guard for any unusual requests. I told Grandmother I would and took off for Universal Studios.

After over two hours in rush hour traffic, I wasn’t in the best mood when I arrived. So, I sat in the Tahoe and meditated for 30 minutes, clearing my mind and relieving stress. I was told to have a seat when I checked in at the reception desk. After thirty minutes, I told the receptionist I was leaving and walked out the door. She yelled wait, but I just waved goodbye. I saw a man run out of the building as I drove away.

Robin called me on the way home and asked what had happened. After battling over two hours of traffic, I told her they let me sit and wait 30 minutes. No one was scheduled before or after me, so it was a power trip. Robin said let me call them, and I’ll call you back and hung up. I arrived home, and Grandmother told me to sit and tell us what had happened.

Mom put lunch on the table, and I told them what had happened while we ate. Grandmother said that’s good you called their bluff. Then Robin called and said it was a misunderstanding. I told her she was right. They thought I was an idiot, and I’m not, so where do we go from here? Robin said they want you to come back I laughed and asked when. Robin said today, and I said sure. Have them book a conference room here in Newport Beach, and I’ll see them at 6 p.m., and everyone laughed.

I told Robin they screwed the pooch because I’m not going back today. We are going away for the weekend tomorrow, so next week at the earliest. And they provide a town car to and from, or they can kiss my ass. Robin said they would never go for it, and I told her it’s that or no reading and hung up. Grandmother said if Robin calls back and they agree, you’ll have them by the short hairs, and we laughed.

Robin called back and said a town car would pick you up at 10 a.m. on Monday, laughing. She asked how I knew they would do it, and I told her I didn’t. What I knew was if they wanted me there, they would provide the car because they screwed up. Robin said she would call me tomorrow with the interview schedule, and we said goodbye.

Grandmother and Mom went to the market to get food for the cabin. I changed and shot hoops in the driveway until they got home. When they arrived, I helped unload the perishables and left the rest in the Arcada. When everything was put away, Grandmother and Mom started dinner, and I went upstairs to pack. She told me we planned to come home Sunday morning, so prepare for three days of clothes.

When I returned to the kitchen, dinner was ready, and as we ate, Mom said we were leaving at 5:15 a.m. tomorrow. They seemed excited for some reason, and then I figured it out. They were expecting major benefits from this visit, and so was Paula. We talked about what we would do while we were there, and skiing came up. Mom said if we go early Saturday morning, we can ski for a few hours before it gets crowded. I agreed but knew it would be busy if the skiing were good.

After dinner, we said goodnight and went to our bedrooms. I practiced my telekinesis, sensed the area, went to bed, and fell asleep immediately.