As soon as we got home, I rushed to my bedroom and locked the door. Flopping onto my bed, I pulled open the drawer on my bedside table and reached for my notebook. I flipped through the pages quickly.
Albert.
The phone rang and rang, just like last time, and I was just about to give up when someone answered it.
"Hello?"
"Hello?" I replied. "Is this Albert?"
"Yes. And you are?" Albert sounded impatient and a little... snotty.
"I'm a relative of yours. I'm Keith's daughter."
"Keith? Keith who?"
"Keith Madison. Your cousin?" I swallowed hard. This was not going well.
"Oh. Well, what did you want?"
"I... I'm just calling around. I want to get to know my relatives." I struggled to find a good way to say please can I come live with you.
There was silence on the other end of the phone and I began to panic.
"I hope I'm not bothering you," I started to say.
"Actually, I really do need to get back to work." I could tell I was losing him.
"Do you have any kids?"
"No," Albert replied shortly. "I don't. I'm not very fond of children. No offense."
He said it as if he did mean to offend me.
"Where do you live?"
"On the beach. How did you get my number?"
He already didn't like kids, but I didn't feel as if I could lie. I can't start to on a lie, I thought.
"I stole it. From my Mom's address book," I said.
A guffaw echoed across the phone and I couldn't help but grin.
"From Diane? Whew, kid. You've got guts. I have to give you that. Why did you steal it?"
Uh oh, time to come clean.
"Well, uh. I... I'm trying to find somewhere else to live."
Silence again.
"How's that going?"
"Not too well. I don't have too many relatives."
"Look, kid."
"Lindy."
"Look, Lindy. I'd like to help you out. I would. But it just wouldn't work out. I'm not the type of person you want to live with, believe me. And, like I already said, I'm not very fond of kids."
"I'm not a kid. I'm a teenager."
"Even worse. But I feel for you, I do. I know your mother and that's got to be tough."
"She's trying to make us into stars."
"Figures. I wish I could help you out."
I could sense he was about to hang up and I spoke quickly, the phone sweaty in my hand.
"Albert? I don't know what to do."
He paused and then let out a long sigh. "I know, kid. Diane's a force to be reckoned with."
And before he could hang up, I had told him everything. He listened without speaking until I got to the very end.
"So what should I do?" I asked finally.
"The way I see it, Lindy, you've got three choices. You can keep trying to find kind relatives and good luck with that in your family, or you can go along with what she has planned with for you, or..."
"Or what?"
"You could make your own plans. Think outside the box. What about boarding school?"
"Boarding school?" I repeated, excited. I hadn't thought of that and it would solve all my problems. I couldn't wait to get off the phone and start researching. "Thanks, Albert!"
"No problem. But Lindy?"
"Yeah?" My mind was far away, imagining a life full of expensive boarding schools and campus in the fall and best friends and horseback riding.
He hesitated. "I remember when you were little, you loved to perform. And you had it, too. That star quality. Maybe I should have never mentioned it to your mom, but I did."
"You knew me when I was little?" I was surprised. I didn't remember him.
"Yep. Anyway, just make sure that this is what you really want. Don't let a great chance to do what you love pass you by because you don't want your mother to win in some kind of battle," he hesitated. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"Don't worry, I won't," I said. "It was nice talking to you."
"Anytime."