1
Rob Gordon called Karen on Monday afternoon. He was excited and wanted to talk with the family face to face.
“All I’ll say over the phone,” he confided, “is that Jamie is definitely a hot property. When’s a good time for me to come over?”
“Seven is good,” answered Karen. “We’ll be finished dinner by then and there shouldn’t be any distractions.”
“Perfect. See you then.”
As Karen hung up the phone, she wondered if she ought to start reading the contract Rob had left with them. She thought about calling a lawyer, but she decided it wouldn’t be prudent to spend a dime without knowing exactly what Rob had come up with.
She did everything in her power to distract herself and pass time for the remainder of the afternoon. She and Jamie discussed the possibilities for almost an hour. The only thing that they both agreed on was that things were definitely changing quickly in their lives.
When Vic arrived home that evening, Karen pounced on him immediately as he walked in the door.
“Rob Gordon called this afternoon. He’s coming over at seven to tell us something. He said Jamie was a hot property.” Karen was out of breath from excitement. “I was dying to tell you, Vic. I even thought about driving over to the site to tell you.”
“My day? Oh, it was fine,” he joked.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Vic. That was so rude of me. Let’s start again.” She kissed him hello. “Enough about you,” she exclaimed, and they both laughed.
Vic turned serious and asked, “Does it sound good to you?”
“Just the fact that Rob called us back sounds good to me. I’m a little too excited to trust my own judgment right now.”
“So where’s my favorite little girl?” Vic asked.
“Jamie, come on down here,” Karen hollered.
A moment later Jamie came running into the living room to give her father a hug and kiss. “Dad, did Mom tell you?” she queried.
“You bet! Our little superstar is certainly in the spotlight today,” he beamed.
Karen suggested, “Let’s eat dinner so I can clean up before Rob gets here.”
.....
The doorbell rang almost exactly at seven. Karen led Rob into the living room and they all sat down to talk. Rob kept them in suspense as he calmly opened his briefcase and extracted a note pad.
Rob finally spoke. “It seems that our friends out in sunny California believe that Jamie would be a very hot box-office item, given her celebrity and her intellect. They seem to like precocious child actors for their movies.” He flipped through the pages of his book and found what he was looking for. “They said Jamie would have to take a screen test before they could make a bona fide offer. But they were thinking probably no more than three or four a year on a five-year renewable.”
Karen looked puzzled. “Three or four a year? What’s that mean?”
Rob closed the book and flopped it down into his briefcase. He leaned back and answered, “What it means, my friends, is two things. First, it means three or four hundred thousand dollars a year for five years. Second, it means that we can probably do better than that if they like how Jamie tests.”
Vic let out a loud whistle. “Are you serious?” he asked.
“Dead serious, Vic,” Rob assured him. Then he smiled sheepishly and asked, “Do you want to go talk with a lawyer about the contract yet?”
Karen wanted to know, “What’s this test all about?”
Rob explained, “They’ll do some filming to see how good Jamie looks on camera. They’ll have her say some lines to see how she sounds, acts, and memorizes. That’s probably all there is to it.”
Jamie piped in, “That’s easy. I can pass that test.”
Rob laughed and agreed, “Jamie, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that you’re correct.” He addressed Karen and Vic again. “This involves a lot of legal stuff. You’ll really have to get a lawyer if they make a serious offer. If you give me the go, I’ll set up a screen test as quickly as I can. We should be able to do it in New York City, so it shouldn’t be too inconvenient.”
Karen looked at Vic, then at Jamie. “What do you think?”
Jamie said, “It sounds good to me. How about you, Dad?”
The family talked it over for a few minutes, then they decided to have Rob go ahead and arrange the screen test.
As Rob packed up to leave, he commented, “I really didn’t think this would be as big as it now appears. I’ll make you a good-faith offer, my friends. If this deal comes in at three hundred or more for five years, I’ll set our contract up at ten percent, my lowest rate.”
“Wow,” Karen exclaimed. “That sounds great. Thanks, Rob.”
“My pleasure,” he assured her. “My pleasure, indeed.”
.....
After Rob left, the level of excitement in the Meyers household was unbelievable. By the time Jamie’s bedtime arrived, they envisioned her playing the lead roles in every movie that would be coming out of Hollywood for the next twenty years.
Jamie went to bed feeling wonderfully confident. She was a little bit nervous about taking a screen test, but mostly because she didn’t know exactly what it involved and what would be expected of her. She made a mental note to ask Brittany Peters about it. She was determined to do well.
This could be the perfect scenario for accomplishing her mission, and she began to give serious consideration to planning her next step in locating the others. She knew she had to be extremely careful. She had been too careless in her initial endeavors. She never imagined getting caught on that phone call to Corina. And when her parents questioned her, she had almost blown it entirely. She was so relieved that they believed her. She chalked it up to “lessons learned” and vowed to herself she would never make such a serious mistake again.
The next step was to start tracking down the families of the other four. She had her doubts about how useful that information would turn out to be, but it was certainly important to find out early if family contacts had been made by the others. Zoron and Jonah both feared that the five might reveal their knowledge to others. That would make things more complicated.
.....
On Tuesday afternoon, Rob called to tell them the screen test was confirmed for Wednesday, early afternoon, in Manhattan. They arranged for him to pick them up early in the morning and drive them over.
Jamie called and spoke to Brittany to get some tips on how to pass the test. Brittany assured her that there was nothing special she should worry about, and that Jamie would do just fine by simply following the instructions she was given. While Brittany was on the phone, Karen got the name of an attorney friend who could take a look at the contract for her.
Karen called and asked how much the attorney would charge for his service. He asked Karen who the agent was, and how many pages the contract was. When she gave him all the information, he told her he’d have to take a quick look at it first, but it would probably cost about $300 for a full review and recommendations. When she inquired about his charges to look over a studio contract, he couldn’t even give her a clue until she had an offer for him to look at.
That evening at dinner, Vic declined Karen’s offer for him to accompany them to the test. He was just too busy at work. It had been hard enough for him to get the week off for the California trip, but now things were behind by two whole weeks.
“You guys will do just fine without me there to get in the way,” he assured them. “I guess you’ll be getting home real late tomorrow. I’ll grab dinner for myself on the way home from work. I can’t wait to hear how it all goes.”
Jamie hardly ate any dinner. She poked and pushed her food around her plate. “I’m nervous,” she confided. “So much depends on how I do.”
Karen assured her, “Whatever happens, happens. Even if things don’t work out, it’s not the end of the world.”
Vic just listened. He chose not to comment on Karen’s last remark. He was intrigued by the amount of money that was at stake, and he seriously doubted that he could brush it off easily if the deal went sour.
.....
The screen test was nothing at all. Jamie was asked to read some lines, memorize them, and then say them while they filmed her. They instructed her to act out a whole bunch of moods to go along with the specific lines she said. A woman who worked for the studio stayed off-camera and read lines out of a script so Jamie could have a true dialogue while she acted.
They tried happy, sad, excited, scared, confident, angry, and a bunch of other moods as part of the test. They all seemed amazed that Jamie was able to bring on tears at will. They commented on how well Jamie memorized things and expressed emotion.
When they were through, the director told them that he thought Jamie had really done well. He promised that he would Fed-Ex everything that evening and that it would be at the Hollywood studio by tomorrow morning.
The drive home was a long one, especially since Karen and Jamie were so anxious to tell Vic all about their day. When they got hungry for dinner, Karen convinced Rob to get take-out food so they wouldn’t get home too late.
As they walked in the front door, Vic greeted them with, “Tell me! Tell me!”
Jamie said, “I think I did real good, Dad. It was like a great big game of make-believe.”
“She’s right,” Karen confirmed. “Jamie really did do well. I myself felt she did well, but the director confirmed it too. I can hardly wait to see what the studio says.”
Vic made a strange face and cautiously asked, “Do you think this thing might just really happen?”
Karen admitted, “I’d put money on it, Vic. I’ve got a very good feeling about this.”
“Me too!” Jamie added.
Vic smiled confidently. “Way to go, kid,” he said to Jamie as he bent over to kiss her on the cheek.
Karen looked at her watch and told Jamie, “You’d better run right up to bed, honey. It’s way past your bedtime.”
Jamie kissed everybody good night and pranced up the stairs as proud as could be.
Vic gave Karen a big hug and said, “I can’t believe this is happening to us. It’s fantastic. By the way, your Mom called and so did Brittany Peters. Your Mom was just checking to see if you got back yet, and she said she’ll call you in the morning. Brittany said she received the final edited tapes of the TV news magazine segment, and that she’d bring our copy over tomorrow. She said it looked great! Oh, and some guy called to talk to you about Jamie. He said he’d call you tomorrow. I guess it’s some other offer or something.”
“Did Brittany mention what time she planned to come by?”
“No. I think she said she’d call you in the morning, though.”
“I’m so tired I can hardly think straight,” Karen apologized. “Do you mind if we pack it in for the night?”
2
The phone rang at 8:00 AM sharp. Karen knew it had to be Brittany. “Hello,” she answered in her most bubbly voice.
It was a man’s voice on the line. “Mrs. Meyers?”
“Yes.”
“My name is Michael Pearlstein. I called last night and your husband said you were out for the evening. I know it’s early. Have I called at a bad time?”
“No, Mr. Pearlstein. I’m up and around. What can I do for you?”
“God, I’m not sure where to begin. I believe you called a friend of mine in California the other day. This friend gave me your number and I felt I had to call you.”
Karen interrupted, “This friend being who?” she asked cautiously.
“Her name is Corina. Was it you who called?”
Karen was puzzled and a bit uneasy. “Yes, Mr. Pearlstein, but I’m a little confused. Who exactly are you and why are you calling?”
“Your daughter called Corina first and I was trying to figure out why.”
“She was calling to talk to Corina’s daughter who works at the studio we went to.”
“It’s probably nothing, Mrs. Meyers, but I think someone at the studio might have told your daughter some confidential information about my family. I know I must sound like a lunatic to you, but I’m trying to spare my family some distress.”
“Well, you certainly have my curiosity piqued, Mr. Pearlstein. I’m not quite sure what you’re talking about.”
“Mrs. Meyers, I need to talk to you, and I can’t do it over the phone. I’d like to give you my work number so you can first call and verify who I am and that I’m not some loony. I know this is an unusual request, and I can’t force you to cooperate. But, what I have to tell you is important. It concerns your daughter and my family.”
“Please go on,” invited Karen.
Michael chose his words carefully, trying not to alarm Karen. “There’s probably a simple explanation, but until I find it out, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t speak to your daughter about it.”
“Please, Mr. Pearlstein,” Karen begged, “You’ve got to tell me more than this.”
“Have you ever heard the name Pearlstein before, Mrs. Meyers?” Michael asked.
“Absolutely not. Now what?”
“I’ll tell you as much as I can. I’ll just have to trust you to understand and keep this from your daughter for the time being.” He took a deep breath. “Somehow your daughter knew the name Pearlstein and connected it with Corina. There’s almost no possible way that your daughter could have known that connection, but she did. The point is that this connection must be kept a secret or it could potentially ruin the lives of my mother and brother....well, my whole family for that matter.
“I really need to talk with you face to face and explain this, because it involves something....well, I’ll use the word ‘supernatural’. If your daughter finds out about this in advance, I’m afraid I might lose any hope of finding out the explanation for this supernatural thing. That’s about all I can say for now. Do you think I’m a loony, Mrs. Meyers? I guess I wouldn’t blame you if you did.”
Karen’s thoughts were going wild. She remembered the look in Jamie’s eyes when they confronted her about the phone call, and the feeling that she had lied to them. “No, Mr. Pearlstein, I don’t think you’re a loony at all. For reasons I won’t go into right now, I happen to believe you’re sincere. I’d like to take you up on your offer to call your employer, though. It’s not by any chance some three-man office where your friend answers the phone and covers for you, is it?”
“No, Mrs. Meyers. It’s one of the largest defense companies in the world.”
Michael gave Karen his home number, wife’s name, employer’s name and number, and all of the information she would need to verify his identity and employment.
“I’m also listed in the telephone directory,” he assured her. “After you’re totally satisfied about my identity, please give me a call here or at home. I would only ask that if you call my home, please don’t mention to my wife or children what the purpose of the call is. I’ve had to keep this secret from them too.”
Karen assured him, “I’ll check you out and then get back to you as quickly as I can. And I promise I won’t discuss it with my daughter. You’ll probably hear from me today.”
“Thank you so much, Mrs. Meyers. You don’t know what a relief it is for me to hear you say that. Good-bye for now.”
“Good-bye.” Karen was almost numb and she wasn’t even sure why. Her daughter had lied to her and this shocked Karen. Yet she had enormous faith in her daughter’s goodness and sincerity. Something was fishy. Michael Pearlstein might be able to shed some light on it. Karen thought of the way he used the word “supernatural”, and it frightened her.
.....
Karen didn’t have long to think about Michael Pearlstein before the phone rang again. It was Brittany Peters and she made arrangements to come over to the house at noon. She was all excited about how great the tape of the show had turned out.
When she hung up, Karen decided to check out Michael Pearlstein. She called information and verified his home number, then the number for his employer. She called his employer and asked for the Personnel Department. She asked to verify his employment and told them the personal information he had given her. They asked her to wait, then came back a few minutes later asking for her number so they could call her right back. She gave it to them, hung up and they called twenty seconds later. They verified everything he had told her. She hung up, called back and asked for him by name. Michael Pearlstein answered and she told him she would call him back that evening at his home.
By nine, Jamie came down for breakfast. Karen told her that Brittany was coming over for lunch and she was bringing the tape of the network magazine show. Both of them were excited about finally getting to see it.
Karen’s mother called while Jamie was eating breakfast and Karen told her all about the screen test. After Karen went over the whole story, her mother wanted to talk to Jamie too. Jamie repeated everything nearly verbatim while Karen just sat there shaking her head. When Jamie was through, she handed the phone back to Karen.
“Checking on me, Mom?” she couldn’t help but ask. “That’s all right... Love you too. Bye now.”
“Your grandmother is really proud of you, Jamie. I think she only calls here just to talk to you.”
“No way, Mom. She calls you lots of times without talking to me.”
“That was before you were such a star, darling,” Karen kidded. “Now she only goes through me as a formality. I’ve become your press secretary. May I have the afternoon off, Miss Meyers?”
Jamie giggled. “To do what, Mrs. Meyers?”
“I’ve got a great idea,” she told Jamie. “We can do some shopping.”
Jamie played the role to the hilt, pretending to be a great actress talking to her secretary. “Why that sounds positively exciting, Mrs. Meyers. Please cancel my appointments for this afternoon and arrange to have the car brought around.”
Karen laughed with delight. “Really, honey, I do want to get out and do some shopping this afternoon after Brittany leaves.”
.....
When Brittany arrived with the tape, Karen had it playing in the VCR within thirty seconds. Jamie and Karen watched it in awe. It was a masterpiece. They didn’t expect anything as professional as this. The other things they had done were amatuer compared to this. It was like watching a movie.
“Well, what do you think?” Brittany asked.
Karen was almost speechless. “We really came off great, didn’t we? And the way they edited everything is fabulous. I swear I don’t even remember doing and saying all that stuff.”
Brittany got serious and said, “This is really good stuff. I’m not just saying it either. The gang at the station watched it this morning and they all felt the same way. I think Jamie’s going to be a phenomenal celebrity.”
“I think you’re right, Brittany,” agreed Karen. “Things are happening so fast that it’s like a dream. But what was that thing that Andy Warhol said? Something about everyone getting fifteen minutes of fame? I hope it’s more than that!”
“It’s going to be a lot more than that,” Brittany assured her. “It’s already well under way.”
.....
They left to go shopping right after lunch. They needed some Winter clothing and there were a few sales at the local department stores. Besides, Karen needed a diversion from this whole business about Michael Pearlstein and the lie that Jamie had told. There wouldn’t likely be any word on the screen test today, so it was a perfect time all around.
They didn’t get home until almost five. Jamie fell asleep on the ride home, and Karen had to wake her. “Hey, little sleepyhead, it’s time to get up.”
Jamie opened her eyes and looked around. She yawned and mumbled, “I guess I fell asleep.”
“You don’t say!” Karen teased.
“What time is it, Mom?”
“Time for me to get my little bottom into the kitchen to make some dinner,” she informed her daughter. “And maybe time for you to help me, too.”
Jamie grinned and then yawned again. “What should I do, Mom?”
“I think there are some carrots that need to be pared.”
They prepared dinner together. Karen threw together a stir-fry while Jamie helped make a tossed salad. Just a few minutes before Vic was due home, the phone rang.
Karen picked it up and cradled the phone on her shoulder to keep her hands free. “Hello.”
“It’s Rob, Karen. This has got to be the fastest I ever heard back from anyone, but they already viewed the tapes.”
“Oh, God. Hold on a second, Rob,” she begged. She put down the spatula she was using and turned off the fire under the wok. “Okay, I’m back. What did they say?”
“Tell Jamie she passed the test.”
“What else, Rob? I can’t stand this. Don’t do this to me.”
Rob laughed into the phone. “Okay! No more games. They want to make a formal offer. They’re really hot to trot, Karen. That means we’ve got a lot of bargaining power. They want to send someone out here next week to talk turkey.”
“That’s marvelous, Rob. What happens now?”
“Now you get that contract signed. Do you have a lawyer?”
“Yes, but he wants some money up front to....”
Rob interrupted her. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll pay him. It’s all chicken feed compared to what’s happening here. Get your lawyer working on it right away. I’ll bring over five hundred bucks tonight. That should cover it. It’ll come out of your first check if you make the deal. How does that sound?”
“It sounds fine. I can’t wait to tell Jamie and Vic. I’ll talk to the lawyer tomorrow if I can. Are you serious about the five hundred?”
“Absolutely, kid. I’m more excited about this than you are. I’ll stop by around nine if that’s okay.”
“Great! See you then.” Karen hung up the phone and filled Jamie in on all the parts she couldn’t hear. They both danced wildly around the kitchen.
When Vic walked in they told him what was happening and he flopped down on the sofa. “Then it’s really happening. It feels so strange all of a sudden. Before it was just speculation. It wasn’t real. Now it’s happening. This is absolutely fantastic.”
Jamie grinned. She was upset for a moment that her dad might change his mind. Everything was going wonderfully.
.....
That evening, Karen managed to sneak off into the bedroom right after dinner. In the midst of all the excitement, she still had to talk with Michael Pearlstein. That had been hovering over her like a dark cloud all day. With the wonderful news that Rob had given them, it was almost criminal that she had to face this other issue the same day.
She dialed and waited. Michael answered the phone, “Hello.”
“It’s Karen Meyers, Michael. How do you want to play this?”
They talked for about ten minutes. Michael arranged to come up to Buffalo the following week and meet at the house. He requested that he speak with Karen first, before letting Jamie know who he was. Karen agreed and they hung up.
“Just what I need,” she whispered to herself. “More complications in our lives.”
Karen returned to the living room and the three of them talked about what the timing might be if an acceptable offer came in. Vic wondered if they would have to relocate before Christmas. He and Karen both agreed that they hated Buffalo Winters, but Christmas was the single exception.
“There’s no reason we couldn’t come home for the holidays,” Karen reasoned. “It’s not like we’d be going to the moon.”
“You have a point,” Vic agreed, “but it would be expensive, especially for all three of us.”
While they were having their discussions, the doorbell rang. Rob was over an hour early.
“Hi, guys,” he cheerfully greeted. “Are you ready to be the Beverly Hillbillies?”
“Very funny,” Vic commented. “You’ve got no room to talk, Mr. Buffalo Hick-agent. How are you doing, Rob?”
Rob was obviously floating on a cloud. “I brought over the five hundred bucks. Are we friends now?”
Vic objected, “Karen says this lawyer guy probably only needs three hundred. Keep the other two for the celebration party after we make the deal.”
“Have it your way,” he agreed. He stuffed two hundred back in his pocket, handed Vic the three hundred, and commented, “My mama didn’t raise no fools!”
“Here! You’d better take this money, Karen. My mama didn’t do as well as Rob’s.”
They all laughed. It relieved some of the tension of this awkward moment. Vic was especially uncomfortable and embarrassed about taking the money, but he knew they needed it.
Rob got serious for a moment and advised them, “Get our contract taken care of right away, and I’d advise you to get your lawyer ready to get involved with the studio offer too. The laws are a little tricky concerning child actors. Jamie is my first one, so I really can’t give you any advice. There are tax angles and trust funds to consider. This deal is going to happen. You can count on it! You’ll need help making all the decisions.”
“We appreciate the advice,” Karen said sincerely. She held up the three hundred dollars and added, “And we appreciate the help.”
Rob left and they put Jamie to bed. With all the evening’s work out of the way, Karen curled up on the sofa with Vic and told him, “I’m scared.”
He ran his fingers through her hair and whispered, “I am too. We just have to look at this as an adventure. Think about Jamie too. This is the only way we can give her the life she deserves.”
“I love you,” she whispered back.
Vic leaned over and kissed her. “How about you and I hitting the sack a little early tonight?”
“Perfect,” she agreed. “I’m not tired at all.”
.....
Friday morning Karen visited the lawyer. Jamie stayed at home with Karen’s mother watching her. “Lawrence J. Strober, Esquire” was printed in large gold letters on the entrance door, but when she walked in, it was clear that there were two other lawyers sharing a secretary and a paralegal. Karen was impressed.
“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Meyers,” he greeted as he shook her hand. “Why don’t you just let me see the contract and look it over briefly.”
Karen handed it to him without further conversation. He made little humming sounds as he read it over. He looked up at her and said, “It’s really pretty basic, Mrs. Meyers. I can review it word for word and make my recommendations, if you like.”
“Please call me Karen,” she requested. “My agent says he really doesn’t want to hear about any changes, so I’m in an awkward situation here.”
He replied, “I’ll call you Karen if you call me Larry. The truth of the matter is that this contract’s probably acceptable the way it’s written. Why don’t I review it and give you a summary of what it says. I’ll make recommendations and indicate to you if any of them are show-stoppers.”
“That sounds great, Mr. Strober...I mean Larry. I’m in a little bit of a hurry, so I was...”
“Not a problem,” he jumped in. “I intend to do it as soon as you leave. I’ve got a slow day today, so it’s perfect timing.”
“There’s one more thing, Larry. A representative of the studio is coming some time next week. I think it’s going to be a negotiation. My agent, or agent-to-be,” she said as she pointed to the contract, “said it might be a good idea to have a lawyer there for us.”
“Oh, of course. Let me know as soon as you find out when this representative of the studio is going to be here. We can play it by ear.”
“I hate to bring it up, Larry, but we don’t have a lot of money.”
“This one right here I’ll do for $250,” he volunteered. “The negotiation shouldn’t cost too much if they offer you a standard contract. I don’t want to mislead you, so I’ll say it will probably cost between one and two thousand. All I can say is that I’ll do the first hour or two for one hundred per, and I’ll give you a firm price after I see how the offer’s being made. Brittany Peters told me to take very good care of you. I promise I’ll be more than fair.”
“Well, I guess I have to trust someone. It might as well be you. Brittany recommended you to me, and I trust her judgment.”
With that, the meeting ended and Karen left for home.
3
The weekend was the longest one they ever experienced. Karen and Vic were both nervous wrecks. Early Saturday morning they decided that it would be nice to take a drive up to Niagara Falls. They left about eleven-thirty and stopped along the way for a light lunch. When they got to Niagara, they walked around for a couple of hours before they got bored. Vic suggested they just drive around the Canadian side for a few hours, then have dinner in one of the restaurants near the falls.
It was dark by the time they started for home. All three of them were talked out. Karen drove back while Vic and Jamie slept. She spent the time thinking about the upcoming week. It was going to be one of the most significant weeks of their lives.
Karen pulled up to the house around nine. Vic and Jamie woke up the moment the engine stopped. They walked in and looked at the TV schedule. Nothing good was on TV and none of them were tired. At Vic’s suggestion they rented a movie.
Sunday it rained. The three of them practically went stir-crazy. They broke out Monopoly and Scrabble for a few hours. Then Jamie played chess with Karen while Vic watched the first half of a football game. Karen joined him for the second half of the game while Jamie read a book. By four, all three decided to go see a movie. They had dinner at a pizza restaurant after the movie, and then they came home and watched Sunday night television until they were tired enough to fall asleep for the night.
.....
Larry Strober called Karen Monday morning at ten.
“If you want to come over, I’ve reviewed the contract,” he told her.
“I’ll be right there,” she said, “if you’re free to see me.”
She and Jamie drove over to the office and sat down with Larry. After Larry and Jamie talked for a few minutes, Larry explained, “The contract’s fine the way it’s written. There are two areas I want to point out that I would change if I were you, but they’re not major enough to walk away over. One area I don’t like is this clause here that says he’s not liable for damages if he doesn’t provide bookings sufficient to satisfy you. The other area is this assignability clause. Over here I’ve written down the way I’d like the clauses to read, but it’s your call, Karen.”
“What do you mean ‘my call’, Larry?”
“First, I think Rob Gordon is going to bust his hump getting you all the bookings he can. I’ve known him for a few years. Second, he’s not going to try and assign the rights. Third, if he doesn’t book adequately or he tries to sell the contract, we’ll probably be able to go to court and win. It’s a much better idea to get the clauses changed up front, but you explained your position on Friday and I’m trying to accommodate you. All the rest of the contract speaks pretty much for itself. Read it and ask me if there’s anything that you don’t understand.”
“I’ve already read it, Larry,” Karen informed him. “It all seemed to make sense to me, but I wanted to have you look it over anyway.”
“That’s what I’m here for, Karen. I hate to admit it, but this contract is very well written. It’s in plain, simple English and there are no ambiguities at all. That’s a rare statement coming from my mouth, but it’s true. Rob Gordon is a good, hard-working, honest man in my opinion.”
“That’s all I wanted to know. Thank you for getting back so fast.”
“Do you know when you’ll be negotiating?” he inquired.
“Not yet. I’m hoping to hear any time now. I’ll call you as soon as I know more.”
“Fine. It’s been a pleasure meeting you, Jamie. Good luck to both of you on this deal. It sounds very exciting to me.”
They shook hands and the meeting was over. Karen drove back to the house. The answering machine was flashing when they walked in. There was a message from Rob to call him back as soon as possible.
Karen called him back right away.
“They just called me, Karen. It was only eight o’clock their time. They must be dying to close this deal.”
“Please, Rob! Get to the point before I explode!”
“Tomorrow morning, my office, ten o’clock. Is that to the point, my dear?”
“I just got back from the lawyer’s office. He reviewed your contract.”
“And?” he demanded.
Karen explained the problems Larry had with the two clauses and the wording he recommended, and before she could say anything further, Rob interrupted.
“I’ll change them, honey. Don’t you dare tell Brittany Peters I’m doing this or the deal’s off,” he kidded. “Be a dear and read that wording back to me slowly. I’ll have it changed and ready for signature tonight. How about if I stop over at seven so you and Vic can sign? That’ll make it all official.”
“That’s great, Rob. And thank you for making those changes. It really means a lot to me that you’re willing to do that.”
“Don’t rub it in,” he joked. “I feel bad enough as it is.”
“You’re great,” Karen told him. “My lawyer knows you and he said some nice things about you.”
“Let me guess! Larry Strober?”
“How did you know?” she asked. “Did Brittany tell you she gave me his name?”
“No, honey. I just figured she would. He’s the only lawyer she uses.”
“Can he come tomorrow, Rob? That is, assuming he’s available?”
“No problem,” he assured her. “It’s not a necessity, but it might speed things up. He’s one of the few lawyers I know who actually thinks about his clients’ interests first! I’ve worked with him before. He knows the ropes.”
“Great! I’ll call him now. I’ll see you tonight then. Bye now.”
Karen hung up and immediately called Larry. He told her he’d be there tomorrow, and Karen was quite relieved. Things were happening so quickly that she was afraid she wasn’t thinking straight. Having Larry in her corner tomorrow would help put her mind at ease.
.....
They met in Rob Gordon’s office at 10:00 AM Tuesday morning. Vic even took the morning off so he could join them. This was far too important for him to miss.
The negotiator for the studio was Alice Banks. It was protocol for her to put an offer on the table first, so she took control of the meeting from the onset.
“The studio has authorized me to make you a generous offer. I know you’re all very anxious, so let me cut to the quick,” she began. “We’re proposing a five year contract for three hundred thousand a year. Of course, we’ll cover reasonable and customary relocation expenses, and the usual perks.”
Rob responded, “Did you bring an itemization of the offer that we can look at?”
Alice smiled, reached into her briefcase and produced copies for distribution to everyone. She went over the deal item by item. When she was finished, she asked if there were any questions.
Rob suggested, “Three hundred is lower than we expected, Alice. To be quite frank, you’re the first studio who’s made an offer, and there are a few others who also expressed an interest.”
“What would it take to sign today, folks?” she asked matter-of-factly. “I’m not saying I can do anything about it, but I’d like to know if you’re here to sign or shop.”
“May I take a moment with my clients and their counsel?” Rob requested.
Rob, Vic, Karen, Jamie and Larry discussed the situation in private. They made some modifications to the existing deal and added a few more requirements. They decided that they would present their marked-up deal and a counter of six hundred thousand a year. They’d take four hundred thousand today if they could get it, or else walk away and let Rob negotiate for them later. Rob stressed that they must all remain calm and trust him to conduct the business.
Rob took the ball and ran with it. “Alice, here’s what it would take for us to sign today, assuming of course all the T’s and C’s meet with Larry’s approval,” referring to the basic contract ‘terms and conditions’. He handed her the mark-up and added, “And we’re looking for six hundred thousand. I guess that puts us pretty far apart, doesn’t it?”
Alice nodded as she read their offer and then commented, “I really can’t move much at all without calling in. Can I use the phone for a minute?”
She went over to the phone while Rob whispered to the others, “I don’t know how to read her. Maybe they’ll counter three-fifty and give a little on some of the other terms. I don’t think we’ll close today, though. She didn’t even attempt to counter on her own, so maybe she figures we’re too far apart.”
“We’ll trust your judgment, Rob,” Karen reassured.
After five minutes on the phone, Alice came back and inquired, “Are you sure you’re not just shopping?”
Rob read this as a good sign and answered, “We’re all here today, including counsel. If we were shopping, I’d be the only one here.”
Alice replied, “I’m amazed myself that they gave me the go-ahead to counter like this. Well, they’ll agree to all the terms you marked-up.” She stopped talking and studied them for a reaction.
Rob wanted desperately to play the game and just stare her down, but he feared one of the others would crack and speak first. “What’s the money line?” he asked, praying for that three-fifty counter offer.
Alice was a professional. She remained silent for a few moments longer, studying each and every one of their faces. “One shot deal! Take it or leave it! If you sign today, we’ll offer five hundred thousand.”
The paperwork was on the table for review three minutes later. Larry worked through every line with Rob before talking things over with Vic and Karen. They spent two hours reviewing it all and thirty minutes with Karen and Vic before they all agreed to sign.
When the signatures were on paper, Rob took Alice aside and said, “I’ve got to ask you what’s going on here. There’s none of the usual bullshit and restrictions on this contract. It’s an agent’s dream. Why?”
“I’m not really sure what’s going on here myself,” she confessed. “But I know that the screen test really floored them out in L.A. They think this kid’s another Shirley Temple. Maybe you’re in a better situation to answer the question than I am. You know Jamie and I don’t. What’s she like?”
“Like a grown-up in a kid’s body,” he admitted.
“Well this kid’s got herself almost a three million dollar deal if you add up all the perks. That’s about six hundred thousand a year for five years. That doesn’t happen very often to a three-year-old.”
.....
That evening was the most festive one that Karen and Vic ever spent. They went out to dinner at the finest restaurant in town with Jamie, Rob and Brittany. Rob even picked up the tab. They left for home at ten.
The ride back home was almost somber. Karen and Vic suddenly realized how much work they had to do to get ready to move out to the coast. The reality of things hadn’t really hit them until now. It wasn’t that they were having any second thoughts, though. They were just overwhelmed with how busy they would be for the next several weeks.
Jamie summed it all up in a few simple words. She told them, “I just can’t believe it.”
.....
Vic and Karen sat up in bed that night trying to absorb the significance of everything that was happening. They couldn’t fall asleep without first clearing their minds. That required talking things out and getting everything into its proper perspective.
“What should I do about my job here?” Vic wondered. “Should I give them notice?”
“I’d wait until the last minute, Vic. I’m more concerned over what to do about this house. Should we try to sell it?”
“I wouldn’t do that,” Vic advised. “After all, they’re going to give us a rental allowance out there, so why don’t we just rent this place out. I’m sure we could cover the mortgage that way.”
“I guess that would work,” she conceded.
“Why don’t you call a realtor this week and see what they can work out? Do you know what bothers me the most about this whole deal?”
“What, Vic?”
“I’m not going to be the provider for the family any more; Jamie is! We’ll live off half the money, and put the other half in trust for her. Even half is probably five times what I could make out there. Should I work or not?”
“What do you want to do, Vic? Even if you didn’t work, we could probably save up enough money in five years to come back to Buffalo and retire.”
“I don’t know. The reality of this thing is just sinking in. I think I need to work just to keep my sanity. But what am I going to do? Given all this money, I can’t picture myself sitting down at a construction site and eating a bologna sandwich with the guys. And what about friends? We’re not going to know anybody out there.”
“We’ll make friends, Vic. We always do.” Karen pictured living in some of the different neighborhoods they had seen when they were out there. “Maybe we should just live in a modest neighborhood. I think I’d feel intimidated living anywhere else. We’re pretty simple folks, you know.”
“You’re telling me? I’m a carpenter, Karen. I don’t want to live in Beverly Hills.”
“You’re a cabinetmaker! I hate when you put yourself down. Why do you do that?”
“Do you want to know the difference between a cabinetmaker and a carpenter? A cabinetmaker has credentials, but a carpenter has a job.”
“Knock it off,” she warned. “I’m proud of you! I don’t care what you do for a living. You’re a wonderful husband and father. You worked to lick your drinking problem for the love of your family. You’re pretty damned special to me, so I’m not going to listen to any self-pity.”
“Sorry,” he apologized. “I guess I’m getting pretty far out in left field, anyway. The issue is whether or not I should work out there.”
“I know you pretty well,” she commented, “and I think you should work. I don’t care how much or how little you earn. Just work and take a little pride in what you do. Deal?”
“I guess. You’re so good for me. I don’t deserve you.” He kissed her.
“That’s beside the point,” she joked. “Seriously, I wonder if you might want to work for the studio. That way you’d be able to spend more time with me and Jamie.”
“I guess that’s an option, but I don’t think I’d be treated as one of the guys.”
“No, I suppose you wouldn’t,” Karen admitted. “But does that matter?”
They both lay silently after that. Karen heard Vic begin to snore. She couldn’t help but wonder if Vic would be strong enough to stay away from alcohol. His masculinity was threatened by Jamie’s deal.
.....
Jamie couldn’t sleep. She could almost hear the voices of Zoron and Jonah telling her over and over again about God’s mission. So much depended upon her. The future of humankind possibly rested on her shoulders. She rejoiced in the glory of God and the glory of having been chosen by Him to do His work on earth.
The mission seemed so feasible now that she had located David Pearlstein. And she had done it at only three years of age. She imagined her ultimate reward upon completion of her mandate. She thought of Zoron’s words, ‘You will become the only mortal soul who will meet with God.’ She was overcome with love and devotion for her Creator.
She thought about fate and about predestination. She thought about the accident that killed Joan Spencer and the suicide of young Paula Austin. She never before felt so holy and so blessed. She thought that surely God must have known all along what was to happen. Then she decided that this mission must certainly be God’s test of her devotion and love.
Something in her heart ached to see Joan Spencer’s family. And she yearned to assure sweet Kim and Dan Austin that their baby daughter was all right. The mixture of sadness and joy confused her. She understood the very substance and plan of human existence, yet she understood nothing.
She focused her thoughts back to God. She thought about God’s infinite wisdom and love. She imagined meeting Him. What would it be like? Then she realized that she couldn’t possibly come close to imagining what it would be like.... ‘You will become the only mortal soul who will meet with God.’ She smiled and fell asleep.
