Adulation by Lorello Elisa

Author:Lorello, Elisa [Lorello, Elisa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: none
Published: 2013-02-11T05:00:00+00:00

“Yes, that’s true,” he replied, wishing she would change the subject, the car still in park. “Unfortunately I inherited that from him.”

“But you stopped drinking.”

“Yes, I did.”

“Because of the accident.”

Please God, make her stop. And please don’t let her ask me to take her to the scene.

“Why are you bringing all this up, El?” he protested with more annoyance in his voice than he intended. “You know I don’t like to talk about this.”

“I’m sorry, Dad,” she said, sounding more mature and less like a remorseful child. “I guess I’ve just been wondering if that’s what makes you so sad now.”

Danny turned sharply to face her. “What makes you think I’m sad?”

“You’ve been this way ever since your movie came out. It’s like you played your last baseball game because your knee went out and you’re bummed about not being able to play anymore.”

Ella rolled on before Danny could put together a response. “Everyone knows you’re going to get the Oscar, but you’re acting like it’s the end of the world. You’ll still write movies and TV shows and anything else you want to write. Write a novel or something,” she suggested. “Or can you only write dialogue?”

He had looked pensively past her and at the house next door to his own, trying to make out the faces of neighbors past. “I’m not sure.”

“Anyway,” said Ella, “I just wanted to know where you came from.”

He looked at his daughter, noticing how her hair fell softer and straighter than when she was younger, how her skin showed traces of blemishes, a breakout of acne thwarted by some magical skin care system that most teenagers couldn’t afford, and wouldn’t allow himself to look any further.

“Do you regret having me as a father?” he heard himself ask.

A look of shock overtook Ella’s face. “ What? Of course not! Are you nuts?”

“I mean,” Danny backpedaled, “it can’t be easy having a father who’s so public, dating someone who’s larger than life, seeking the spotlight...”

It was the first time he’d admitted that.

“And then there’s the alcoholism thing and the scandal with the accident. I know you’ve gotten grief about that from your classmates.”

“Please, half of my classmates’ parents have been in rehab or got divorced over cheating on their spouses with hookers or their exes or their exes’ brothers and sisters, or they’ve come out as gay on reality shows or something. Forgive me for saying this, Dad, but you’re not nearly as fucked up as some of the parents of kids I go to school with.”

He couldn’t help but laugh. “Thanks, El.”

“Have you ever thought about moving back here?”

“Here?” he asked, horrified.

“No, I mean Long Island in general.”

“Oh. Not really,” he lied. The idea of doing so had flashed across his mind’s eye like a comet when he’d met Sunny that day outside the theater. “Why?”

“Because you seem more comfortable here. I mean, not right here in front of your old house, but in general. You seem more like yourself, although I’ve mostly seen you in LA.

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