by Eileen Palma
“Diesel’s been slumped by the door waiting for Sarah Jessica Barker to come back since you guys left,” said Jack, as soon as Kate picked up the phone.
“Sarah Jessica Barker is sound asleep on the couch. Diesel wore her out.” Kate put her laptop on the table and stood up to stretch, glad for the welcome writing break.
“Thanks again for breakfast. And for hanging out last night while I waited to see how David was.”
“Any more news?” asked Kate.
“He’s pretty sore from the surgery. But he’s still too out of it to really get what’s going on.”
“In this case, maybe ignorance is bliss. He can’t make himself crazy about his vision if he doesn’t know he’s supposed to be worrying about it.”
“That’s true. I remember talking to a doctor back when my mom was sick. He said sometimes nature helps protect us by making our minds less aware of what’s really happening to our bodies.”
“That’s when you think there must be some higher power out there taking care of us.”
“I usually don’t get into these kinds of philosophical discussions without a few drinks in me,” Jack said with a light laugh. “So how did your meeting with Dana go? I’m dying to know what was so important that she had to drag you away.”
“I’m writing an op-ed for New York Today!” Even as Kate said it, she couldn’t believe it.
“Wow! You write too?” asked Jack.
“Before now—just recipes for my cookbooks. So, I’m a little freaked out I won’t sound intellectual enough for a newspaper.”
“An op-ed isn’t about making yourself sound smart—it’s about getting your opinion across to the masses. Not only that, I don’t think sounding intellectual is actual criteria for getting printed in New York Today.”
“Was that meant to make me feel better?”
“Sorry. What’re you writing about?”
“What else? Childhood obesity.”
“That’s a pretty broad topic,” said Jack. “What’re you going to focus on?”
“It’s too early to say. I’ll be ready to talk, after I’ve made a little headway.”
“You sure you don’t want to try out a few ideas on me?”
“I can’t now. I’m still thinking it through. Besides, I’m sure the last thing you want to talk about is fat kids.”
“You know they always say it’s impossible to edit your own work. It’s good to get a second pair of eyes to look it over for you.”
“That’s what Dana’s for. And Mrs. Fink, too. She thinks she’s a professional because she writes the Mahjong club newsletter. I want you to see the perfect draft.”
“I’ll be off in a minute!” Jack called with his hand over the phone to muffle his yell. “Sorry about that. Lauren forgot about some project that involves collecting a bunch of sticks to make into a wigwam. Did I mention it’s due tomorrow?”
“Where the heck are you going to find sticks in Manhattan?”
“Good question. Looks like I’ll be busy for the rest of the night. Which is too bad because I can think of a few things I would much rather be doing with you.”
“I would much rather be with you too. But it looks like I’ll be pulling an all nighter myself.”
“Mahatma Gandhi got it right when he said be the change you want to see in the world. My business partner Matt and I were both devastated by the senseless death of four-year-old Oksana Karev because there were no car seats to accommodate her proportions. We created Considerable Carriages to prevent another tragedy like that. We are delighted to award Better Beginnings Early Childhood Center with the Oksana Karev Scholarship fund so more children can be the change they want to see in the world.”
Jack Moskowitz, Oksana Karev Annual Scholarship Gala
Chapter Thirteen
Jack headed upstairs to check on Lauren. They had barely finished that stupid wigwam in time to hand it in that morning. He needed to make sure she didn’t have any other ridiculous time wasters due any time soon.
Jack heard Lauren’s voice as soon as he made it halfway up the stairs.
“Now that I got my Giant, I just need to cast into a perfect handstand and my bar routine will be ready for the first meet.”
Jack peeked through the crack in Lauren’s partially opened door and saw Harper’s face filling Lauren’s MacBook screen from where it rested on her desk.
“I’m so bummed I missed seeing you get your Giant. Maybe Uncle Jack can film you on bars and email it to me?” Harper’s face was pale and her hair hung in lank waves like it hadn’t been washed in a few days.
“Why does he need to video me? Aren’t you coming home soon?” Panic filled Lauren’s voice.
“Filming’s taking longer than I thought. I miss you so much, Bunny.”
“You’re filming a commercial, not a movie. I don’t understand why this is taking like a year and a day.” Lauren leaned so far back in her chair that Jack was afraid she would tip over. He stopped himself from warning her so he could hear Harper’s response.
“Aren’t you having fun with Uncle Jack? I bet the two of you love not having me around with all my rules.” Harper forced her mouth into a smile and Jack could tell she was trying to keep her tone light.
“Yeah, we’re having a good time. Uncle Jack’s always fun, but I miss you. We never finished reading Homecoming.” Lauren held up the thick book and spread it out so Jack could see they were about halfway into the book when Harper had left. He hoped to God he didn’t get stuck reading that book with Lauren. It had been boring enough the first time around with Harper.
“I’ll buy another copy here, and we can do the next chapter on Skype tomorrow night after practice.”
“And Uncle Jack doesn’t know how to do my hair right for gymnastics. It keeps falling out of my ponytail and getting in my face.”
“Something tells me you might be ready to do your own hair for practice. You could even use some of my special hair pomade—the one they gave me at the Frizz-Tamer photo shoot. Just remember a little goes a very long way.”
“Can I also borrow some of your special hand lotion? My hands are a mess from the bars.” Lauren held up the palms of her hands to the computer.
“It looks like you’re getting another rip. Have Uncle Jack put lots of hemorrhoid cream on both hands and wrap them up before bed tonight.” Jack had been shocked the first time Harper had covered Lauren’s hands with the thick white cream. But the giant blisters and rips on the palms of her hand had shrunk considerably by the morning.
“I’m all out.”
“You know what that means.”
“Uncle Jack has to buy more! He is going to be mortified!” Lauren laughed for the first time all day.
“What am I going to be mortified about?” Jack opened the door and Lauren held up her blistered palms.
“You have to buy me more hemorrhoid cream!”
“Let’s hope Kate doesn’t bump into him on line in Duane Reade when he’s buying that.” Harper’s face brightened as soon as she heard her daughter laugh.
“How’s the shoot going?” asked Jack, with a pointed look.
“Slower than I’d like.”
“Hang in there. Don’t worry about us here. We’re doing great.”
“We have to go so I don’t get stuck doing push ups.” Lauren stood up and started rooting through her leotard drawer.
“I’ll call you later to say good night. I love you, Bunny.” Harper blew kisses at the screen. “Love you too, big brother.”
“Love you too, Mom.” Lauren blew a kiss at the screen. Jack hadn’t heard Lauren put up with being called her toddler nickname in a long time.
“I’ll wait for you downstairs. But hurry up and get ready.” Jack shut the door and headed back downstairs.
“Lauren!” Ten minutes later, Jack was still waiting downstairs.
“OMG, you don’t have to yell. I’m right here.” Lauren materialized from behin
d him. She had added a chunky silver necklace and dangly feather earrings to her leotard and legging ensemble.
“You’re just going to have to take all that crap off for practice.”
“Chillax Uncle Jack. You’re all riled up today.” Lauren pulled her gym bag off the bannister and grabbed the banana Jack held out for her.
“Well, don’t blame me when we’re late and you’re stuck doing all those push ups.”
“I can’t wait till I start filming with Kate next week,” said Lauren, the master of changing the subject. “She’s so cool.”
“That’s one thing we can agree on today.” Jack grabbed his keys and phone off the coffee table and headed towards the front door.
Lauren leaned down and ruffled the top of Diesel’s head on her way out. “Bye Fuzz Monster.”
As soon as they got to the sidewalk, Jack spotted Matt skateboarding down the street towards them.
“Listen, don’t say anything about Kate to Matt. He hates her because of the whole Straight Talk thing.”
“You didn’t tell Matt you’re, like, dating Kate?” Lauren didn’t try to keep the shock out of her voice. “OMG! He’s going to be so pissed at you when he finds out.”
“Watch the language! We’ve got a lot going on with the business. So, keep your trap shut.”
Matt rolled up, his skateboard wheels scraping over gritty asphalt; a sound Jack had always associated with his best friend.
“What’s up, Small Fry?” Matt bumped his fist against Lauren’s in greeting. “You ready for that push up contest?”
“Totally! You’re going down, Skater Boy.” Lauren poked Matt in the chest for emphasis.
“Tonight after practice?”
“I’m so on to you. You want to do it when my muscles are tired from a four-hour practice. No way.”
“Fine. You pick the day I’m going to demolish you.” Matt folded his hands across his chest and leaned down to meet Lauren’s eyes.
“First thing Saturday morning,” countered Lauren.
“You’re killing me. You want to get me when I’m hung over.”
“She’s a smart one,” said Jack.
“No, she’s sheisty. Just like her uncle,” said Matt.
“You all right man? You don’t look so good,” said Jack. His friend’s normally all weather-tanned skin looked washed out and he was wearing the same black jeans and VitaminWater-stained tee-shirt from the day before. Lauren used the distraction to shoot off a text, but Jack was sure she was still listening with one ear.
“I’ve been up late every night this week working on an ad campaign for the line I’m waiting on you to finish,” said Matt. “And Anne left me a really weird message last night and we’ve been playing phone tag ever since.”
“What did she say?” Jack couldn’t remember the last time Matt had talked to his ex.
“It was hard to understand her, because of all the crying. I think she said something about bad timing and needing to talk.” Matt rocked back and forth on his skateboard.
“She was probably just drunk dialing. I’m sure it’s par for the course once those divorce papers get finalized.”
“Maybe.” Matt didn’t look convinced.
“Just don’t let her play with your head. Remember—she’s the one who walked out on you.”
“She sounded way off.”
“She’s not your problem anymore.”
“Come right back after you drop Lauren off. We’ve got to nail down these designs tonight.” Matt leaned his board to the side and popped it up into his hands.
“Use your key to get in,” said Jack. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Jack and Lauren walked to Chelsea Piers quickly, and Lauren missed the dreaded pushups with a minute to spare. As soon as he saw Lauren safely inside the practice area, Jack headed to the soda machines for a Coke. He stopped when he saw a crowd standing around the plexiglass windows that overlooked the ballet studio.
“What’s going on?” Jack turned to face a woman whose torso was completely covered by the baby wrapped across her chest.
“Kate Richards is filming a Zumba class. My daughter was one of the girls they picked for filming.” The portly woman smiled brightly at Jack and he wondered if her daughter would turn out to be one of the more athletic kids Kate liked to use as an example or one of the overweight ones that appeared on her show looking for help. Jack knew the show’s formula because he had downloaded a few episodes to watch with Lauren. He had told Lauren it was to help her get ready for filming, but he had to admit it was so he could see more of Kate.
Jack was just tall enough to peek over the heads of the mothers who were crowded around every available bit of viewing space. He spotted Kate directly in front of the studio-mirrored wall wearing camouflage dance shorts and a matching tank with the KidFit logo stretched across her chest. Jack could feel the vibrations from the music beat against his forehead as he leaned on the plastic window for a closer look. Kate jumped and bounced in time to the music while the kids followed. She did a sequence of moves quickly, and then slower. Then she stopped and watched the kids. Jack couldn’t hear what she was saying, but Kate was all smiles as she went around the room coaching the kids individually.
“Isn’t this amazing?” asked the baby-covered mom. “My daughter Trinity is the one in the front row with the hot pink tank top. The poor kid put on a lot of weight since she hit puberty and has been really down on herself. She wrote a letter to the show and Kate invited her to come film the Zumba class. We drove all the way from West Virginia for this.”
“Your daughter looks like she’s having fun.”
“Oh, yeah. This is all she’s been talking about for weeks. She can’t wait to go back to school and tell all her friends about it,” said the woman as she turned back to the window.
Jack pulled his cell phone from his back pocket. “Sorry man, I gotta bail.”
“You can’t keep dodging me,” said Matt.
“You can be such a chick sometimes. I just remembered I have to meet with Irina tonight.”
“How long is that going to take?” asked Matt. “I can stick around and watch the game till you get back.”
“What game?”
“I don’t know. There must be some kind of game on.”
“It’s probably gonna take awhile. By the time I finish with Irina I might as well stick around till Lauren’s done with practice.”
“We have to figure this shit out like today.” Matt’s usually laid back attitude was getting more and more aggressive the longer Jack held out on him.
“Relax. We can deal with it in the morning. Just pick up some bagels and coffee from Delish on your way over.”
“Jack, I need to know you’re on board with the upgrades.”
“Let me deal with Irina tonight, and tomorrow you and I can meet up. You put the scholarship stuff in my lap every year. Don’t get pissed at me for dealing with it.”
“You know that shit makes me uncomfortable. I can’t stand seeing Irina cry. It’s so creepy—like the time the Challenger crashed and even mean Mrs. Rothschild was crying about it.”
“That’s why I’m handling it. So quit giving me a hard time.”
Matt exhaled loudly, tickling the hairs in Jack’s ear through the phone line. “I’ll be at your door bright and early, so we can straighten this shit out. And tell that punk niece of yours to be ready for me to whoop her ass.”
As soon as he hung up, Jack tracked down Irina Karev, head of the Chelsea Piers Fieldhouse, in her overly air conditioned office. She was wearing a black tracksuit with Capri pants that cut off right at her protruding calf muscles. The former Olympic medalist was several inches shy of five feet but could probably bench-press Jack.
“Good to see you.” Irina stood up and gave Jack a tight hug. “How’s David? I haven’t heard from Harper since yesterday’s email.”
“As of this morning he could see blurred shapes. He’s a fighte
r. Where do you think Lauren gets it from?”
“Remember the time Lauren split the beam and came crashing down during sectionals? I thought she had broken something for sure, but that kid got up, blinked the tears back and finished her routine. She’s tough as nails, that little one,” said Irina, her voice tinged with the remnants of her Russian accent.
“That’s what I keep trying to tell my sister. Lauren can take the truth.”
“Everyone handles situations like this differently. Trust Harper to figure it out in her own time.”
“Listen, the reason I came by is to go over a few things for the scholarship dinner.”
“You didn’t have to do that tonight,” said Irina. “I could’ve stopped by your place when it was more convenient for you.”
“I was here dropping Lauren off anyway.” Jack shrugged his shoulders.
“Did you get my email with the date and location and all of that?”
“Yeah, sorry I didn’t write back. All the logistics work for me. I’m still finishing up my speech. I’ll email it to you in the next few days so you can let me know what you think.”
“I’m sure it will be wonderful like it always is,” said Irina. “I never worry about your speech.”
Jack grabbed a Post-it note from Irina’s desk and jotted down a number. “This is what we’re working with this year.” He handed the note to Irina.
Irina stared at the paper, in complete silence and practically collapsed back in her chair.
“I was thinking there was enough to start a second scholarship. We already fund the kids to do sports here. But what happens when they get old enough for college? I thought we could start a second fund to help supplement the athletes who only get partial athletic scholarships to college. Like Rachel Winter from the gymnastics team last year.”
That’s when the dreaded tears came. In the years since Oksana’s death, the tears didn’t flow as early in the discussion or as much, but Jack always knew they were coming, and the stress came with not knowing when. Coupled with the fact that Irina shoved away all forms of comfort when she was crying made for a tense situation.