It's only seven in the morning as my phone lights up with a FaceTime call. I groan as I reach for it from beneath the covers, already knowing who's calling by the ringtone they'd set. The beginning of, "We Don't Believe What's On TV" by 21 Pilots blasts through the room. I manage to snag the phone, sitting upright while pushing my hair out of my face.
No makeup, blurry eyes, and bedhead is what they'll get if they insist on calling me so early I think to myself as I slide my finger across the screen accepting the video call.
Dusty grins at me through the screen. "Ha! Told you. Pay up." He says to someone off screen. I can hear my youngest brother's annoyed groan as his eyes appear at the top of the screen.
"Nooooo, Andi. Why are you still sleeping? It's 10 am." Oliver hands Dusty a vinyl record as I watch bewildered.
"Oliver it's 7 am here. I'm still on the west coast."
"What?! Dusty you lying, piece of---" Oliver tackles Dusty to the ground knocking the phone over so it's looking at the rotating ceiling fan.
"Ohhkaaay!! What happened? What did I get pulled into?" I hold my phone closer trying in vain to see what's going on. "Guys cut it out."
Dad's face appears over the phone looking at it curiously. "Hi Andi. Didn't know you were going to be calling home today. Picked an odd time to do it. I was just going to meet your mom and head into work. She's at the store right now." Something crashes nearby and I can hear Dusty and Oliver pushing each other into things while yelling east coast euphemisms at each other. My dad doesn't even glance in their direction.
"Uhm, yeah, odd timing. How're things at the store?" I ask politely.
"They're good, your mom's still holding out that this will be the year you come back and take things over so we can retire but I keep telling her you're really happy out in the smog. She's pretty persistent though so it might be a good thing she wasn't here when you called." Oliver and Dusty are visible in the background again, smiling this time.
"Do you still have that mace I bought you? I can send you another one if you've run out." My dad offers.
"Dad. I'm glad I have it but I like I've told you a bajillion times, I haven't used mace since I came down here. I used more mace back home than I have here." I explain for the umpteenth time.
"Well that's bear mace. I don't imagine there're many bears in LA." He teases.
"Honey! Are you there?" My mom's voice booms through the house. All of the men in my family instantly look guilty like they've been caught chain smoking or drinking moonshine.
"Don't look like that she'll know!" I hiss waving frantically at the screen. Dusty grabs the phone handing it quickly to Oliver. I can see the panic in his eyes as he turns left then right before handing it to the next closest person.
My mothers face fills the screen causing my stomach to sink.
"Andrea. I didn't know you were calling. How many weeks has it been since you were bored enough to call us? How's the smog?" My mother asks, smiling sweetly. I'm not fooled by it for a second and if I were in the same room as my brothers I'd be kicking each of them like they were a football at kick off.
"Hi mom. I just, really wanted to say a quick hello before work." I say gritting my teeth. This is the one setting where honesty won't get me anywhere good.
"Well hello. Have you called to tell us good news? Are you finally making it big?"
"Yeah you know things are really great right now. I met this amazing guy the other night at a big party. He's a producer in town for a big show. We really hit it, off. But, obviously I can't say anything about it, confidentiality rules and everything." I hesitate. Man, she's going to see through this. I'm so bad at lying. What is it that Greg always says when I call him on it, he's not lying, just embellishing the truth to make it more interesting.
"Uh-huh. You know if you're not really making it out there Andrea you should just come home. You have a great career waiting here for you. Our family business is something we've always wanted to pass on to you. You'd have stability. You could finally get a house. Plus there are a lot of cute guys moving into the area. I know you've always fought me on it because you grew up with the boys around here but now there's a whole new pool of them to pick from!" My mom brings the phone closer and closer to her face as she talks until it takes up the entire screen. I'm tempted to fake my phone dying just to end things. If faking my death would end this conversation I would.
"You know I'm really, happy. Pursuing my dream out here is what I want to be doing. I'm really making headway." I try to add confidence to my voice as the constant dead end jobs, the humiliating social encounters pop up in my mind unbidden.
"Oh Andrea, when are you going to call it quits. You can't live out there for another five years saying someday, someday. What happens if someday never comes? You're going to waste all those years you could've been happy making friends and meeting a great guy, having a meaningful career and a family. All because you were too stubborn to admit when something isn't meant to be." Somehow she knows every one of my fears, nailing them all on the head. I can feel whatever spark I had for the day shriveling up. I feel like I'm an inch high about to be swallowed up by my mothers face, suffocated by the covers I'm clenching.
"I'm not coming back to run the store!" I explode.
"Andrea, don't yell at your mother." My dad interjects for the first time since my mom came in.
"You know I'm just trying to look out for you."
"No, you're trying to control me. Why can't you let it go? I don't want to run the store, I'm not changing my mind!" If I could stomp my foot to make my point this would have been the moment. Instead I'm arguing with my mother from beneath my covers, makeupless, ill prepared for the battle I had unknowingly woken up to.
"Well if you're going to be ungrateful and rude than fine we won't talk about it again." She responds coldly.
"I'd appreciate that." I grumble back.
"Of course when you eventually leave the smog, disillusioned and unhappy you won't have a store to come back to. I have other people who actually see it as a blessing and want to be part of our family business. People that aren't even family can see and appreciate how amazing it is." She shoots back.
I open my mouth ready to keep the battle going when Dusty swoops in snagging the phone. "Sorry to steal my phone back but I've gotta get ready for work guys. Andi great seeing you we'll chat again soon." The fake cheerfulness oozes out of his voice as he hangs up on me.
Flopping back in my bed I sigh. How can you end a call feeling both disappointed and like a disappointment.
An hour later, with the conversation somewhat showered from my mind I head to the kitchen ready for the day. Jen sits on the counter eating a bowl of cereal while scrolling through her phone. "Hey!" She greets. I smile a hello grabbing a bar from the cabinet.
"I heard your mom on the call this morning. Are you ok?" Concern fills her voice. She knows what a rocky relationship my mom and I have.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll be fine." I put on a cheerful smile. "We don't have to get along. We're thousands of miles away from each other. I only have to see her at holidays and unexpected FaceTime calls." I hesitate. "I just hate that she says all the things I feel! That's what makes it so hard to hear from her. What if I never make it? What if I keep saying someday and someday doesn't come? Am I being honest with myself about my shot at this?" I ask the last question quietly, afraid.
"Of course you're going to make it!" Jen hops down from the counter placing her bowl in the sink. "This stuff takes time and a little effort to connect and show them how good you are." She throws in.
"I've just been kicking myself since that party at Gregs last week. Like, what if that was my project. The one that launched it all and I totally blew it."
"Being honest, being yourself, is what you're great at Andi. You can't just give that up to get in someones good graces. But I also see where Gregs coming from. Sometimes I think you use your honesty as a shield so you don't have to find a way to connect with people. You know, find the common ground. Greg is really great at that. I think it's one of the reasons he's got a million friends and no enemies. He finds the commonality and builds on that." Jen offers.
I groan at the mention of Greg. "Uggh, on a scale of Sunday at Church to the 36 Hour Day in the Vasquez Desert, how bad was our fight the other night?"
She thinks for a moment, "Probably right around the Inn & Out drive thru at 5 o clock."
I grimace, "Well that's not great."
"But you know what would make it up to him? He told me he's throwing another party tonight and needs someone to pick up the beer at a local brewery that's sponsoring it. I bet if you brought it over all would be forgiven." She throws in.
I eye her skeptically. "Are you sure this isn't just a ploy to get me to go to a party?"
She grins at me. "Can't it be both? You know, multitasking is a very desirable trait for a showrunner." We laugh but I recognize that she's offering an olive branch to bring us all back together. Plus she's right. Greg forgives quickly, especially when gifts are involved.
"Alright I'm in. Text me the deets. I've gotta run. The day job is calling." With that I head out the door, hopeful the day will be better than the morning started off.
Wow. We just got an inside look at Andi's relationship with her family, specifically her mother. But after an encouraging conversation with Jen it seems like she's ready to put that behind her; as well as make up with Greg. But will all go as planned on her already rocky day? Stay tuned to find out.