Chapter Twenty-Seven

743 33 6
                                    




Grace

I felt guilty.

Everyday Mom was going off to film either American Horror Story or Crime Story. Each day she would come home, exhausted. But I still asked her to help me practice for the audition. It was selfish, but I really needed her help, especially because she had played Laura before.

8:30pm rolled around fast everyday, and although I had been practicing by myself in my bedroom or with Holland, practices with Mom always gave me the best results.

"Hi, Sweetheart" I heard Holland say as I paced back and forward in the living room

"Hi" I heard Mom's tired reply

"She's in the living room, but maybe you should take a night off tonight" I head Holland say to Mom

I felt bad, she was working so hard and she was pregnant

"No, no, I can manage half and hour with her, she needs my help"

She walked into the room and smiled tiredly at me

"Hi, baby bug"

"Hi, Mommy. We don't have to rehearse tonight, I think I'm okay" I went and sat next to her on the couch

"Honey, the audition is tomorrow. You should probably just do a run through" she lifted her tired head from the back of the couch, her eyes struggling to stay open.

She had left the house at 5am that morning

"You look exhausted, it's fine, I'll let you rest" I placed a kiss on her cheek

"Grace, come on, just do a run through" Mom insisted

"But you look like you could fall asleep any minute"

"Just hand me the script and start saying your lines"

I sighed and handed it to her and started

"I may be tired, but I can sense bad acting, come on Gracie, act like you have been doing all week"

I was startled by her bluntness, but thankful for the honesty

"Better" she mumbled as I got into it

"No, no, do that again, you need to be more convincing. She's petrified to go outside and do things, to meet people and have to talk to them. Channel your inner child – act like... act like you would if you were going away from me for a long time, be scared and uncertain"

That wasn't exactly hard to channel considering I was a seasoned pro at crying over being separated from her

"Good, good, Gracie" she nodded her head as I finished off the last lines "Brilliant, baby, you're going to nail that audition tomorrow"

I sat next to her and hugged her close "Who were you today? Sally or Marcia?"

"Marcia" she whispered

"And who are you tomorrow?"

"Sally that girl"

"I can't wait to see you in both" I smiled

Her eyes shot open "No Hotel for you"

"Why?!" I sat forward

"It's very... grownup" she said settling her head back down

"So, there's sex, alright Mom. It's not like I watched you breast-feed a 35-year old guy 3 seasons ago"

"Baby just hush" she pulled me closer to her and when I felt her breathing get deeper and slower, I got up and went to the kitchen where Holland was reading over a script of something she was preparing for

Endless LoveWhere stories live. Discover now