Jamie's Encore
Chapter 26 Father vs. Son
Jamie and Caitlin are relaxing on the back balcony – in the double lounger, of course.
"Sweetheart?"
"Yes, babe." She thinks he sounds tense; she can feel it in his muscles.
My dad called me; he asked for a father, son talk."
"Any idea what he wants to talk about?"
"I am pretty sure it's the alcohol-free home thing. I bet Pops is quite hard to live with these days."
Caitlin drops her head. "Jamie-
"Don't say it, love. What I said last Christmas in NYC, and reaffirmed a few days ago – stands! I am rock solid with you Caitlin. We are building a life together including our home. We have agreed on the environment we wish to have, and I am with that, with you all the way."
"What if I modified my stand?"
He jerks his head to look at her. "To placate my family? No, I don't want you to do that. I'm seeing the benefits of what WE are doing, and I like it."
"Jamie, how much pressure can you, we take?"
"More than they can dish out!"
She wraps her arms around his waist, squeezing hard. "I love you, Jameson Reagan!"
"I love you, Caitlin McKenna."
They relax as dusk turns to night. The city scape is as beautiful as ever.
"Do you trust me?" Jamie whispers.
"Implicitly!" She whispers in return.
"I probably will need to say a little about why you made that vow. I promise, I will not betray your secret. Or your trust in me."
"I trust you, Jamie. Tell your dad what he needs to hear, so that he understands my vow. At least a little."
"I will; thank you, babe."
"Thank you, love."
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THE NEXT DAY
"Babe, I have something to show you."
"What, Jamie?" She is curious.
"Well, I've been thinking about what to say to my dad. I wrote something up, can you read it and let me know what you think?"
"Sure, do you have it here?"
"Yup, here goes:
"Caitlin had begun playing piano at age 3. By age 20 she had started a limited touring schedule. She had signed her first recording contract, and her career as a concert pianist was just beginning. Like many young adults she had been consuming alcoholic beverages for several years . . .. and enjoyed them.
She was home for the holidays, and attended a party at her uncle's home. An alcohol fueled incident cost her the life of her best friend, her recording contract, and her concert pianist career. She descended into a year in hell. Toward the end of that year, she made a vow to herself – no more drinking and if she was lucky enough to make a home, it would be alcohol free. That vow helped her climb out of the pit she was in. She followed friendly advice and sent a tape to Julliard. And here we are."
Jamie holds his breath. "Too much?"
"Well, please leave my uncle out of it. Otherwise, it's more than I would like the world to know. But to ease your dad's mind, I suppose it is necessary."
She holds Jamie tightly, laying her head on his chest. Several tears escape her eyes.
Jamie tightens his hold on her, "I'm sorry. I can shorten it."
"Can you try, please?"
"Yes, I will."
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AND THE NEXT DAY
Jamie's revision: "Caitlin had begun playing piano at age 3. By age 20 she had started a limited touring schedule. She had signed her first recording contract, and her career as a concert pianist was just beginning.
She was home for the holidays, and attended a party where an alcohol fueled incident cost her the life of her best friend, her recording contract, and her concert pianist career. She descended into a year in hell. Toward the end of that year, she made a vow to herself – no more drinking and her home would be alcohol free. She followed friendly advice and sent a tape to Julliard. And here we are."
"Well?" Jamie cocks his head.
She smiles at him. "Thank you, Jamie. Much better. 1-4-3!"
"Back at ya; 1-4-3!"
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Father vs. Son
Frank and his youngest son are talking in Jamie's condo.
Caitlin has taken 4 kids to the San Diego Zoo; Nicky, Jill, Jack and Wendy (Jack's girlfriend). This clears the condo for the men to talk.
"Jamie, Pops is quite incensed over this alcohol-free home thing. Can you help me understand what's going on?"
"I think I can. But I need to respect Caitlin's privacy in doing so. She has shared the depth of her secret with me, and knows about this talk. First, everything I say MUST remain between the two of us. Can you promise me that, dad?"
Frank pauses for several moments, thinking.
"Jamie, living with Pops in such close quarters has its challenges. I knew that going in. This issue has only magnified that. Now, I am not looking to you or Caitlin to solve that for me. But if I can find a way to compromise on this . . . well, that would help. Can you see that?"
"Yes I can. But that doesn't answer my question regarding confidentiality."
Frank pauses some more. "If we can find some middle ground, then I will have a much easier time keeping a promise to you and Caitlin. Short of my promise, can you tell me anything, Jamie?"
"I will try: Caitlin had begun playing piano at age 3. By age 20 she had started a limited touring schedule. She had signed her first recording contract, and her career as a concert pianist was just beginning.
She was home for the holidays, and attended a party where an alcohol fueled incident cost her the life of her best friend, her recording contract, and her concert pianist career. She descended into a year in hell. Toward the end of that year, she made a vow to herself – no more drinking and her home would be alcohol free. She followed friendly advice and sent a tape to Julliard. And here we are."
"What was the incident?" Frank asked.
"You don't need to know that. No-one does." Jamie is firm.
"Do you know?" Frank presses.
"Yes, she has shared everything with me."
"And she imposed this vow on you?" Frank presses harder.
Jamie is getting angry. "NO DAD!"
Silence for a few moments.
Jamie calms himself. "When it became obvious to both of us that our relationship had long-term potential we had two serious talks. The upshot was: she looked me right in the eyes and asked, 'Jamie, can you live like that? Can you eat meals without an alcoholic drink?' I thought for a moment. All that she meant to me flashed before my eyes. I said without hesitation 'YES'. And I have never, and will neve look back! I'm all in, dad!"
Frank sits looking down at his hands for a while. Finally, he says, "I understand, now. I'm proud of you, Jamie. I will see what I can do with Pops."
"Thanks, dad."
"Jamie, may I share this with the whole family?"
"Yes, you may."
They stand, embrace and part.
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TBC
A/N: Caitlin's full story & the question she asked Jamie are in chapters 2 & 4.