Chapter Thirteen
Ronny
At the hotel, I lay awake, thinking. I had spent so many years wanting a career as an actor.
I’d taken classes in not just acting but dancing and singing.
Not that I was great at those two things, but I had achieved a minimal competence.
Headshots and other photos showing my ability to play all sorts of roles filled folders and my hard drive.
All the auditions and all the nos before I received that one yes.
The answer to all the dreams I had ever permitted myself, and one that took me from a complete unknown to someone who costarred in a huge release.
It was a launching point that any actor would be quick to take advantage of.
Since I began filming, I’d received multiple other offers.
Some good, some bad, some mediocre. Now I had to decide what I wanted to do.
There would never be a better time for me to leapfrog into a lifelong career.
The director and producer had both shaken my hand at the premiere and said they hoped to work with me again in the future.
A great compliment, for which I thanked them and told them they’d made the movie an experience I’d never forget.
The other cast members had been standoffish at first, but some of them had softened toward me, and I felt sure that if I worked with them in future, most would get over it.
And if they didn’t, I had a life with or without their friendliness.
There was always a tension among them, as if they feared someone new might be a threat to their own success.
The man who walked off the set had been blackballed, rumor had it.
He wasn’t currently filming anything, nor was there anything on the horizon.
Some days, I’d felt like I was in over my head. Others, I just enjoyed the craft.
And when I realized my omega was carrying our child, that added an extra element of concern. Any big projects were likely to take me away from home for extended periods of time. Would I expect my mate and child to come along? Not likely.
As I fought the urge to toss and turn, not wanting to keep my mate awake, all those thoughts ran through my head on a screen as big as any my movie was showing on.
The various possible futures played out.
First, I continued on as I’d always planned, accepting the best parts and trying to get home to spend time with my mate and child whenever possible.
The plusses and minuses of that option were clear.
I would enjoy my work, gaining the acceptance from others in the industry in time.
My family could live in a beautiful home, my children attend the best schools, and my mate shop anywhere he liked. To many, that would sound wonderful.
To me, it was completely the opposite.
My mate and I belonged together. As much as possible.
When we were apart, I missed him. Add in our young, and I probably wouldn’t be very good at my job.
So, yes, I could bring them along with me, at least until our child was old enough to go to school and have a schedule of their own.
In some instances, that would be fine. If there was a nice hotel or maybe a rental home.
If we were filming in the same area for long enough that they weren’t constantly having to pack up and move.
If my hours weren’t so long that I never saw them anyway.
And based on my own experience as well as the conversations I’d overheard, the hours were almost always long.
The only thing that cut them off were craft unions.
So, I’d be pulling my mate away from home so he could be all alone in a strange place.
With a child. No, not a good option. But both of those would provide a good income for my family. They would never want for anything.
Except my company.
From the moment I scented my mate’s pregnancy, plan A and B were no longer possible. But what was plan C?
A way to practice my craft, support my family, and give us the life we could all be proud of. But I had no idea what it was.