Transformation
Copyright© 2025 by A Well Traveled Man
Chapter 7
Alex meditated and exercised at 4 a.m. On Wednesday, grabbed the quarterstaff and attained Chi. Then, starting my run from the backyard, I hopped two fences and ran my route around the subdivision. I completed one loop, stopped, practiced the flicker walk, resumed my run, and finished in the backyard. After stretching, I went upstairs, showered, ate breakfast, and checked the mail. There was a letter from UCI, so I opened it up. My classes would be online for the summer because of a shortage of professors. The labs were still going to be active on campus and were optional, but available if needed. If I wanted in-person instruction, that would be available in the fall semester. Well, that frees up a lot of time. I ordered my ride to the dojo, then went to the pool and swam laps. I got out, showered, dressed, and waited for Lyft at eleven.
He arrived at the dojo 10 minutes early, greeted Sensi, and we entered the back room. On the wall, Sensi had two five-foot-tall posters of the human body, front and back. Then he pointed out the body’s pressure points and what each one did. There was sleep, paralyzing, blindness, hearing loss, loss of function, and the holy grail, heart-stopping. There were dozens more, but the main point was the major ones. The time of pressure applied had different effects, from minutes to permanent. Then Sensi showed me how to hit the pressure point with what he called a finger punch. He demonstrated how to hold the fingers together and strike the pressure point like a hammer. It would temporarily stun or immobilize the attacker until steady pressure could be applied. Sensi gave me a thick book on pressure points to read, along with a book on hypnosis techniques. Sensi said the sleep pressure point allows hypnosis if they are in a deep sleep. We will cover more next week. Alex bowed and thanked him for the instruction and went outside to Mom’s car.
She was on the phone, so we didn’t move. When her call ended, Mom said Shannon was great. She called the studio and said she represented you, and from this point forward, all calls go through her. Then Shannon told them we couldn’t meet or discuss the project without a proposal. Finally, she informed them that you had another movie project starting soon, so time is of the essence. Well, she just received the proposal, and that was the phone call I was on. And what’s the proposal? I asked. Mom said it’s on scale for a first-time actor. They will reshoot Davie Thom’s scenes and finish the movie. Two weeks straight, and they will provide a trailer on set. Shannon said it looked good.
Call her back and put it on speakerphone. Mom did, and I told Shannon, This is Alex Hollister, a top-producing model for Calvin Klein. I wouldn’t work for scale unless all I did were bit parts I did on Monday. Call them back, and if they can’t pay me the same as the drunk screw-up Davie Thom, pass on the deal. Add time off for my training and accommodation for my mom. Also, write something in the contract if the movie exceeds current revenue projections, I get a percentage of anything above the gross, not net. Get the predictions before submitting our counteroffer. Start high on the percentage, but don’t go below 2%. Oh, and put in a rider for releasing the movie directly to streaming, the percentage automatically kicks in. That should about do it. Let us know how it goes, and thanks for the help. Then I hung up.
We stopped for Chinese takeout on the way home. During dinner, Mom said I was hard on Shannon. Alex said she didn’t factor in using me to bring attention to the movie. And let’s not forget the free publicity CK gets from this, too. Ever wonder how Ali got me a bit part in the film out of nowhere? Calvin Klein is backing this movie and has probably heard about the problems with the movie. And you forgot the best part if we agreed to do the film. Dad and Stephanie get to see us walking down the red carpet at the Oscars. The movie won’t get nominated for anything, but we’ll get an invitation. Mom smiled and said he’d be cussing up a storm when he hears about the movie. The Oscars may push him over the edge. Both of us were laughing on the way to bed.
Alex meditated and exercised at 4 a.m. on Thursday, grabbed the quarterstaff, and attained Chi. Then I took off on my run around the subdivision. I saw a moving truck parked in Mrs. Stewart’s driveway, and the twins were putting luggage in an SUV, so I waved. When I reached the halfway point, I stopped, practiced the flicker walk, and continued my run. When I got close to home, there was a strange car in our driveway. So, I went to the backyard and entered the house through the patio door. Dad had his hands on Mom’s neck, so I kicked him in the balls hard. When he started to fall to his knees, I hit him with a right uppercut punch to the jaw that knocked him out. Then I started kicking him in the nuts when Mom pulled me off him.
Mom said Dad lost his job because he got caught screwing an intern in his office. She was his boss’s niece, and she claimed he raped her. So now he wants to move back home with us, and I told him no. That’s when he grabbed my neck, and you came in and put him on the floor. Ok, we must move him away from here while he’s out. Put on some gloves, then pull his car up to the garage. Hoping this would work, I put Dad in a deep sleep with a pressure point and said,” Thomas, you’re in a deep sleep. You get physically ill and throw up thinking about Rachel or Alex.” All you want to do is go as far away from them as possible so you can cure your illness. I heard Mom open the gate, so I lifted Dad in a fireman’s hold, carried him to his car, and put him in the back seat.
I told Mom to follow me to the road outside our subdivision. We’ll leave him there. And hopefully, when he wakes up, he’ll leave the area. I don’t think he wants any more punishment from me. So, after getting some gloves, I drove Dad’s car outside our subdivision and parked it off the road. Mom gave me a ride back, saying you drove his vehicle well for a first-time driver. I went to the garage gym, and Mom entered the house. After my weight training, I showered and went to the kitchen. Mom was on the phone and said it was Shannon, then put it on speaker. Shannon said they agreed to everything, and I fought with them on the percentage and finally gave in to 5%. I’m making the contract now, and they want to meet at 4 p.m. to get it signed. You start tomorrow at 8 am on set at Universal. Alex said Good work, and we’ll see you at the signing this afternoon. I called Sensi and asked if I could come in early, and he said he wasn’t feeling well, so today’s workout was canceled.
I looked at Mom and asked about California’s child labor laws. She said they are something like 16 or 20 hours a week. Why? Alex said SAG has rules for work hours and set conditions. So does the State of California. I don’t mind putting in long hours, but we all need rest. We need as much information as possible if they try to overwork me. Also, there wasn’t a stunt coordinator, site safety, or medical personnel on the set. They must have been working at Universal, so where were they? Who are they? Some strange things are going on in this movie.
Mom went upstairs to pack some clothes for me, and I went to the garage and then to the attic. Alex pulled out the bug detector, alarm clock, and smoke detector, then returned to the house and upstairs. I put them in a duffel bag with my laptop, books, oversized sweatshirt, and baseball cap. We ate an early lunch and lay by the pool until it was time to leave. Traffic was a bitch, and we were 15 minutes late. The contract was signed, then Alex asked how the payroll works. They said you get paid at the end of the shooting. Alex told them you could technically still be “shooting” months after my work is done. Then I asked Shannon to check SAG rules on pay, rest time, and maximum work hours, and they yelled Stop! You get 1/3 at the start, 1/3 when your part is completed, and the final 1/3 when shooting is completed. Boy, that’s quite a bit different from what you first said. I’ll chalk it up to stupidity, not you trying to rip me off. So, the check will be ready tomorrow morning before we start. Now, can someone show us our trailers?
Walking outside, Shannon said that it was my fault. I was rushing to complete the contract, so I forgot to put it in the payment structure. Alex told her not to worry, to write an addendum, and to get it signed the next day. They showed us our trailers, then Shannon left, and we went to the main building, and I asked for Bob Adams. I told him I was in his Saturday class when he came out. Then I wondered if Universal had a locksmith on site or if he could recommend one. Bob said we have one on-site and gave me the number. I thanked him, and we drove home. On the drive home, Mom asked about the locksmith. Alex told her that those trailers are used by different people all the time. Changing the locks when moving in is for our safety and protects our valuables. You don’t want someone going through your underwear while we’re on set, do you? Mom hit me and then laughed.
We stopped at Sonny’s BBQ for takeout dinner and arrived home at 7 p.m. We were eating dinner when Ali called. She asked how it went, and we said fine. She wondered what was wrong, so I told her about the pay issue, the missing supervision on set, and my uneasy feeling working with these people. I said if Mr. Klein had money in this film, he should have watched it like a hawk. Then we said our goodbyes, finished dinner, and went to bed. I sat in the lotus position, accessed my Chi, and checked my energy stores. They were full, so I opened my view and scanned the surrounding area. Everything looked normal, then I checked Mrs. Stewart’s house. The house was empty and up for sale. It’s too bad she went off the deep end. I tried to see if Dad’s car had moved, but my viewing didn’t reach that far, so I shut down viewing and went to sleep.
Alex meditated and exercised Friday at 4 am, grabbed my quarterstaff, and gathered my Chi. My first stop on my run today was to check on Dad’s car. It was gone, but a large puke spot was on the ground. So, what I did worked, and I continued running, stopping halfway to practice my body flicker walk. When I finished my run, I stretched, showered, dressed, and carried my bags downstairs. Mom had her bags by the patio door, so I loaded our luggage into the car. We arrived at Universal at 7:30 am, and a golf cart took us to our trailer. I told Mom to stay outside, took the bug wand, and ran it through her trailer. Alex found six bugs and two cameras, and Mom was pissed. She took her bags inside, and I ran the wand through my trailer. They liked me more because there were six bugs and four cameras. Alex called the locksmith and gave him our location. He said he was on the way.
Dan Flint was the locksmith, and he said our trailer locks were crap. So, I told Dan to install his best locks, and we will pay any additional charges. He smiled and got to work, and then a gopher drove up in a golf cart. He said I needed to be on the set. So, I told Mom I would return in a few minutes and got into the cart. When we arrived, the director said, You’re late. Alex asked his name, and he looked pissed, then said Mark Case. Alex told Mr. Case I’d been here since 7:30 a.m., waiting for my check. That was the agreement when I signed the contract. So go to the powers-to-be and yell at them for the fuckup. I’ll be at my trailer till 9 a.m., then go home for the day. No check, no work, and walked away.
When I got back, Mom asked what happened, and I said no checkie, no workie, and she laughed. Then, at 8:55 a.m., a golf cart raced to our trailer, and the gopher handed me an envelope. The check was inside, so I gave it to Mom and asked her to call and verify the funds were available. They were, so I got into the cart. The day was full of wardrobe changes, makeup touchups, and re-shoots, and ten scenes were shot and reshot. We ended at 7 p.m., and I returned to the trailer. Mom had two steak dinners waiting, and I devoured mine. Mom said we get free food at the canteen, and it’s open until 9 p.m. I said for tomorrow night, order me two dinners because I’m burning everything I eat. We have 15 minutes to eat lunch and then return to the set. Tomorrow I’m taking 45 minutes, and they can kiss my ass if they complain.
We finished dinner, and then I asked if anyone was in our trailers today. Mom said just the maid service, and I let them in. Alex got up, went to his trailer, returned with the bug detector, and rechecked her trailer. He found two more bugs and a camera in the bathroom. Returning to my trailer, I found two more bugs and cameras and put them in a bag under the kitchen sink. I sat in the lotus, found my Chi, opened my view, and checked the surrounding area. All the trailers were occupied, and one had six monitors mounted on the wall. It was Rob Johnson, the producer. I didn’t think much about it until he entered the trailer and logged into his computer. I found our voyeur and sick bastard at that. He was masturbating to the bathroom scenes on the monitor.
I closed my view, set my internal clock to 1 am, and slept. When I woke, I dressed in dark clothes and gloves, quietly left my trailer, and went to Rob’s. He left the trailer door unlocked, so I slowly opened it and looked inside. Rob was asleep at the desk with his pants around his ankles. I went into the kitchen, put the tea kettle on the stove, turned on the gas, and blew out the flame. Then I quietly exited the trailer, returned to mine, and slept.
On Saturday at 4 am, I meditated, exercised, grabbed my quarterstaff, acquired Chi, and ran. Running through the empty movie lot was interesting, but it was spooky at the same time. At the end of my run, I stretched, showered, and dressed, then went to the canteen for breakfast. Mom met me, and we ate breakfast. Then, Mom said she was going home to do laundry and would return later today. Suddenly, there was a loud boom, and everyone went outside. We all walked toward the noise and saw a trailer destroyed. Someone said that’s Rob Johnson’s trailer as we watched the fire department putting out the flames. There wasn’t much fire, but the firefighters hosed it down to be safe. Alex hugged and kissed Mom goodbye and went to the set.
Today was a repeat of yesterday, but I took breaks and an hour’s lunch. When I returned from lunch, Mark Case chewed me a new asshole, so I told him to fuck off and left the set, and returned to my trailer. Mark followed me to my trailer, so I called security. Security showed up and told Mark to back away from the trailer. I said that man, pointing to Mark, followed me to my trailer and tried to break in. Security arrested Mark Case, and the assistant director, Sam Washburn, asked me to return to the set. We worked for the rest of the day and finished at 7 p.m. again. Mom had two dinners ready for me and one for her, then I told her about my day.
Mom called Shannon and Ali, and we have a meeting at 8 a.m. Sunday. They couldn’t believe two 15-minute breaks and an hour lunch set the man off, but Mom said I saw him last night. Fix it, or I will start making phone calls. Don’t believe your client. Maybe we need to change that, too, and hung up. Monday, we will begin looking for a new entertainment lawyer. Shannon isn’t up to the task. You dictated the contract to her, and she didn’t put in the pay provisions or work rules. Alex told Mom that the assistant director, Sam Washburn, was good, and we worked well together. I would be willing to finish with him directing me, not Mark Case. We said good night, and I went back to my trailer and crashed.
Alex meditated and exercised early Sunday morning, grabbed the quarterstaff, and acquired Chi. Then I took off for my run through the universal lot, returning to the gym. I stretched, did my weight workout, returned to the trailer, showered, dressed, and went to the canteen for breakfast. Mom met me, had breakfast, and then went to the meeting. I was surprised to see Ali sitting beside Shannon, across from four Suits. Mom and I sat several chairs away from everyone else to send a message. No one said a word, so it’s my job to tell you the problem because my representative doesn’t believe me.