Starring Me (9 page)

Kara stood again and Addy pulled her down. “I think that’s a great start.”

“What?”

“You should write a monologue about writing a monologue.”

“That’s not a bad idea.” Kara stood again. “I could be a totally neurotic spaz. That would take real acting, of course.”

“Of course.” Addy laughed.

A voice over the loudspeaker announced,
“Flight 2352 to Islip, Long Island, now boarding.”

Kara grabbed her overnight bag and hugged Addy. “That’s me. Thank you, Addy. For everything.”

She returned the hug. “I’m so glad you came.”

“See you in a week,” Kara said with a squeal.

“I can’t wait.” Addy hugged Kara again.

Kara waited in line, showed the ticket agent her boarding pass, walked down the terminal onto the airplane, and finally found her seat. She buckled in and reached into her purse. No paper. A receipt and some gum wrappers, but no paper.

“Great.” She sighed and picked up the in-flight magazine, hoping it had some blank pages inside.

“Excuse me.” A huge man tried to squeeze past Kara to his seat. It was a no-go.

“I’ll get up.” Kara unbuckled as the man stepped aside so Kara could move into the aisle.

Great
. Kara watched the man try to stuff himself into the window seat.
I get seated next to a sumo wrestler. Perfect. And I have no paper. Which doesn’t matter since the ideas are all falling out of my head every minute I’m not writing. I’ll be the only one at the audition with no monologue. The directors will send me home and pick some other girl who can actually write a monologue, and it’ll be over before it even started
.

Kara sat and tried to scribble some ideas on the back of her receipt from the airport lunch counter. But her pen refused to mark on the slick paper. It wouldn’t even work when she laid it on the magazine. She was lifting the tray table with her left hand, her right elbow pinned to her side by Sumo Wrestler, when she saw white paper sticking out of the pouch.

Yes!
The paper was halfway out when Kara realized it was actually the airline’s barf bag. It was large and had plenty of room to write on.
But it’s a barf bag. Can I write on this without thinking about what it’s used for?
Kara turned it over, then looked inside just to make sure it hadn’t been used. All clear.

Here goes nothing. At least I’ll be able to say I have suffered for my art
.

Chapter 11

T
o Kara McKormick, next big star.” Kara’s brother Joey lifted his glass of sparkling grape juice into the air. Dozens of McKormicks joined him in the toast, all cheering and splashing juice around the dining room.

“Sit, everybody.” Pop herded his large family into the living room. A blended family, Ma and Pop each had two children when they met and married almost thirty years before. Two more children followed. Kara was the youngest of the six and enjoyed that position in the family immensely. She loved that she had nieces and nephews just a few years younger than she, and she loved that when everyone was together, her house was so full it threatened to explode at the seams.

“Kara, are you nervous?” her sister Mary asked.

“A little, I guess.” Kara reached for Mary’s nine-month-old daughter, Ruth Ann. “But more excited than nervous.”

“We’ll sure miss you.” Kara’s brother Sam squeezed himself between Kara and Mary. Sam was twenty-seven—closest in age to Kara. “Who am I gonna tease now that you’re gone? Little Ruthie Ann is too small. Right, little lady?” Sam pinched Ruth Ann’s cheeks and the baby reached for her uncle with a smile. “She knows who loves her.”

“Hey.” Kara grabbed for her niece. “Always taking what’s mine. Some things never change.”

Ma walked to Kara. “You two fighting again?”

“He started it.” Kara pointed to Sam.

Mary laughed. “We may have to send some siblings down every once in a while to check up on you.”

“All right.” Kara smiled. “But in birth order.”

“So I’m last?” Sam bounced Ruth Ann on his knee. “Where’s the love?”

“My little Kara.” Pop nudged Sam over on the couch so he could sit next to her. “I’m going to miss you.”

Ma pulled out a handkerchief and wiped her eyes. “We thought we’d have a few more years before you left the nest.”

“You might,” Kara said. “I haven’t made it yet.”

“But you will.” Ma put her hands on her hips. “You’re the most talented girl in the world.”

“Too bad you’re not the director.” Kara laughed.

Her brother Patrick joined the family by the couch. “So, how are we going to keep you from getting a big head? ”

“A big head?” Kara pushed her brother. “Me? How dare you. Hey, where’s my bouncer? Get this guy outta here.”

Patrick raised his hands in surrender and laughed. “That’s my girl.”

“So,” Joey said, “a month of auditions, huh? What do you do for a month?”

Kara shrugged. “I’m not really sure. Different kinds of screen tests, I guess. Different types of sketches.”

“So, no mud obstacle courses?” Joey referred to one of the competitions in
The Book of Love
.

“I doubt it.” Kara pushed her other brother. “But if you recall, I did pretty well on that. Only missed one question, thank you very much.”

“She’s brilliant.” Ma handed Kara a piece of chocolate from the crystal candy dish on the end table.

She refused the candy, and Patrick grabbed it from Ma’s hand. “Watch it, Ma. You’re making us think Kara here might be your favorite.”

“All my children are perfect. Smart, beautiful, talented, every one of yous.”

Kara turned to her mother. “Come on, Ma. We all know I’m your favorite. You don’t have to pretend.”

This statement caused a storm of good-natured protests from the other five siblings. Each child was sure he or she was the apple of their mother’s eye.

Pop silenced them all with a clap. “All right, you hooligans. Your mother doesn’t have any favorites. She loves you all the same. Now me, on the other hand . . .” Pop finished his sentence with a smirk and a shrug.

More shouting and laughing resulted, and Kara sat back and took it all in.
They are great
.
Loud and opinionated and awesome
.

The McKormick clan spent the day talking and laughing. Kara was sad to see the last of her siblings go.

I’m so used to seeing them all the time
.
I missed them like crazy while I was gone on
The Book of Love
, and I knew that was just for a few weeks. If this works out, I’ll live in Orlando for months at a time. Am I ready for that?

Ma gathered up the plates and cups scattered throughout the living room. Kara helped, and the two walked to the kitchen in silence.

“It’s going to be so quiet without you here.” Ma teared up again.

“You guys could always move down with me.” Kara looked at her mother. “Dad can retire from teaching, can’t he?”

“Technically, he could. He’s been at the same school since before we met.”

“I know he doesn’t enjoy it as much as he used to.” Kara dried the dish her mother gave her and put it in the cabinet.

“That’s true. The last few years have been tough.”

“And with his cholesterol . . .” Kara put down the towel and sighed. “I worry about him.”

“You and me both, honey.” Ma scrubbed the plate harder than necessary.

“So if I make the show, be like every other New Yorker and retire to Florida. Pop can learn how to golf and you can join a book club.”

“What about all the others? We can’t leave your brothers and sisters.”

“And the grandkids.” Kara smiled.

“And the grandkids.” Ma shook her finger as she spoke. “Patrick’s in-laws, they moved down to Florida two years ago, remember? The grandkids barely know them. Last time they were up, little Ethan cried and cried, wouldn’t even let Sally touch him.”

“Ma.” Kara placed another plate in the cabinet. “Sally and Dale barely saw Ethan and Emily when they lived here. They were always traveling or out with their poker friends. You and Pop, you’ll always make sure you have time with your grandkids. Plus, there’s video chatting. You can call them every day if you want, even see them. They’ll never forget who you are.”

“This is home, Kara.” Ma dried her hands and sat at the kitchen table. “Your pop and me have lived here in Smithtown our whole lives. We want you to follow your dreams. But we just can’t go with you. Our roots are here.”

“All right, Ma.” Kara joined her mother at the table. “If I were Addy, I’d tell you I would pray that you changed your mind.”

“I like that Addy.” Ma smiled. “She’ll be nearby to keep an eye on you.”

“She will.” Kara touched her mother’s hand. “But I’ll still miss you and Pop like crazy.”

“And the others?” Ma dabbed her eyes with her handkerchief.

“Of course. I’ve got the best family on earth. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Pop walked in and joined Kara and Ma in the kitchen. “What’s with the waterworks, ladies? This is a great day.”

“I know.” Ma motioned for him to sit at the table with them. “But she’s our baby.”

“Of course she is.” Pop patted Kara’s back. “That’s not going to change.”

“But she’ll be so far away.” Ma’s tears flowed more freely. Kara felt her own tears spilling down her cheeks.

“Two hours in a plane.” Pop hugged his wife. “That’s nothing.”

“I’ll call every day, Ma,” Kara promised. “And I’ll show you how to use video chatting so I can show you around the house where I’ll be staying.”

Ma dried her eyes. “I’d like that.”

“And we can come down,” Pop said. “I’ve got another month and a half before school starts. Maybe we can take some of the grandkids and go to Disney for a couple days.”

“That would be fun.” Ma smiled. “Emily would love to see Mickey and Minnie.”

“She sure would.” Pop grabbed a cookie from the plate at the end of the table. “Can’t you just see her little eyes light up?”

Ma laughed. “I sure can.”

“So we’re all good now?” Pop asked. “No more tears? ”

“Not until I get on that plane,” Kara said.

“The phone is lighting up.” Ma picked up the receiver and dialed the number for voice mail. “With all the noise, I didn’t even hear it ring.”

“It’s probably one of Kara’s friends wishing her good luck.” Pop gave Kara another hug.

Ma started pressing buttons on the phone.

“What is it, Ma?”

“I’m trying to get it on speaker.” Ma handed the phone to Kara like it was a shard of glass. “You do it.” Kara pressed the speaker button.

“So if you’re interested, please give us a call back at this number
.
”

“Who was it?” Kara pressed the Replay button.