That Ship Has Sailed

Chapter 6: Same Script, Different Cast

"You were so tiny going through the withdrawals," Satomi added. "I couldn't bear to see you in such pain, so I made it my mission to personally oversee your care. I think it was then I fell in with love you and saw you as my own child that needed me."

Liam lowered his eyes. "Did my mother have a name?"

"The police checked her belongings," answered Todd. "All she had was a broken dirty purse that had some dime bags, some cash, broken needles, and a driver's license with the name Harriet Dunbar and nothing else."

Satomi jumped in. "When the social workers were planning to put you in foster care, your father and I pulled our connections to formally adopt you since there was no contact to anyone in your birth family to claim you. We filled out your birth certificate with the name of your birth mother but kept Dunbar as your middle name so that you always had a connection to her."

"And the outbursts?" Liam wondered.

"Six months in," Satomi explained. "We thought the crying fits were due to colic or, more likely, neonatal abstinence syndrome since you were born drug addicted. However, when you started to walk, you would get into violent fits that you would hit or strike us whenever you got extremely angry or agitated but then revert to a normal, happy state. It was almost bipolar."

"We didn't know what IED was," said Todd. "Until a specialist friend observed your sudden outbursts and recommended a specialty facility for it in southern California. Once again, I pulled some strings and got in touch with a clinic in San Diego that specializes in IED. I put in an offer at the hospital and soon we were all relocating here."

Satomi jumped in. "Since your father and I had a nice nest egg, I retired from nursing and focused on being a stay-at-home mom to you since you struggled the first three years of your outbursts. I took you to your therapy sessions and discussed your medications with your doctors. Little by little, you were getting better and obviously, it showed."

"What made you decide to enroll me at youth theater groups?" Liam wondered.

"Even though you were getting better and coping well with your IED," his mother replied. "You were still an extremely introverted, shy kid. You had no friends, and you were overly cautious that you might have sudden outburst. These kids' theater classes helped you overcome your shyness and you learned to make friends. Plus, it began to us to me and your dad that you have some hidden acting talent inside you!"

"Don't forget," said his father. "If you didn't do that community production of Oliver, Natalie Martin wouldn't have scouted you and signed you up for her agency. You wouldn't be doing commercials and guest television appearances or even get a one season sitcom on Cinemascope Kids Network. You wouldn't have gotten on a successful soap opera and be now a working actor in Hollywood."

"Good point," smiled Liam. "I can always count on my parents to bring things into perspective."

"Now," his father suggested. "Why don't we finish this meal I made before you drive back? This is one of the few times we have any family time together."

"Exactly," Satomi agreed.

They enjoyed their breakfast as Liam shared the exciting news of his upcoming nationwide commercial while just appreciating the moment.

He was simply happy to be with his loving family.

---------------------------------------------

Monday table reads were always nerve racking. Between the actors not knowing what the next storyline would be to seeing the grueling work schedule, the trials, and tribulations of putting on a hit television show took plenty of effort.