I am in LA with my fiancé, Greg, and his son, Jordan. Jordan is going to do an internship for three months at “Young Hollywood” so he can learn more about being an actor, director, screen writer, and film maker. I am so excited for him! I came along to visit my brother, see friends, and do a little reading.
I realized when I was landing in LA last night that there was something wrong with my ear…no wonder Adam, who had frequent ear infections, did not like to fly! Somehow I got an ear infection! The doctor said that people usually get them from poking themselves with Q-tips but I swear I did not do that. He said, “Well, you are just luck then.” Lucky I am now taking an antibiotic so I can fly back to Colorado Springs on Sunday. Woowee! Well, enough about that!
To learn more about Adam feel free to read an excerpt from the prologue from “Radical Survivor” which you can download tomorrow and Sunday from Amazon. You can also sign up to get a free copy of the book during the month of February on Goodreads!
PROLOGUE
SEPTEMBER 24, 1995
AS THE SUN peeked through the blackout curtains in our Las Vegas ho- tel room, I looked over at the boys, sleeping peacefully in their own queen- sized bed. Turning my head, I caught Joel smiling at me. Sixteen years of staring at those impossibly long eyelashes still had not tempered my jeal- ousy of them. He reached out to me. Memories of the previous night, and what we’d gotten away with after the boys fell asleep, were clearly still on his mind. I scooted backwards so we could spoon. We lay that way until I heard Adam whisper to Seth.
“Be quiet, Mom and Dad are still asleep.”
Seth, eleven as of the day before, rolled out of bed on his way to the bathroom, holding the stuffed white tiger he’d won at an arcade after seeing the real thing at The Mirage Hotel. He tiptoed by and I winked at him. Reconsidering the urgency of his trip, he climbed into our bed. Adam, almost thirteen, quickly assessed the situation and scrambled in with us. Joel turned suddenly and the tickling started in earnest.
“STOP! STOP!” Adam screamed as his fingers reached unsuccessfully for Joel. Seth and I slid as far away as we could, but before we knew it Adam was on top of us trying to get away from his dad. Yelling and laughing as we poked his ribs, Joel groped blindly for retaliation. Seth and I shrieked and tumbled onto the floor.
“Wasn’t that an amazing show last night? How could anyone be that strong?” I gushed, hoping for a momentary distraction. We had seen the Cirque du Soleil show Mystère as part of Seth’s birthday celebration the night before. The feats had been spellbinding. My change of subject worked. Joel grabbed Adam and they attempted their own version of a Cirque act, with Seth joining in.
“Nice muscles. Maybe you guys should audition,” I teased as they rolled onto their backs.
“Who’s up for a breakfast buffet?” Joel said breathlessly.
***
This had been a good idea. Late in August, Joel’s friend Homer Osborne had stopped in at Joel’s shop, Total Tennis. Homer suggested that they go to Las Vegas to watch the Davis Cup tournament in September. Homer had a pilot’s license. If Joel could get tickets, Homer would rent a plane and fly them to Vegas. Joel couldn’t resist an adventure that included tennis, and knew our sons would be up for it as well. As an elementary school principal, I presumed I would be too busy to go, so Joel bought tournament tickets for himself, our sons Adam and Seth, and Homer and his wife Linda.
Then I realized I would miss Seth’s eleventh birthday, which was September 23—Saturday of that weekend. I wanted to go with them.
I checked with Homer about joining the trip. He told me the plane had only four seats, and Seth was already going to be sitting on Joel’s lap. There was no room for me, so I had booked a seat on a commercial flight to Las Vegas. It was a little convoluted, but everything had worked out. I had enjoyed relaxing by the pool. We’d celebrated Seth turning eleven the night before with dinner and the Cirque show. He would only turn eleven once—I was glad I’d been there.
We got dressed, packed, and delivered our suitcases to the hotel valet. The sun was shining as we walked down the street holding hands. The only people on the sidewalk were families and tennis fanatics like us. The finals between the USA and Sweden would be held at Caesar’s Palace after breakfast. We were all feeling a bit rushed: the boys because Joel didn’t want to miss any matches; I needed to catch my flight home. It was okay that I was going home a little early—my workweeks often extended beyond Friday. Sundays were for catching up.
“That looks like a good one,” Adam announced, pointing across the street to a restaurant with a buffet.
Sitting down to eat, Joel checked with the boys about their homework. They could finish it on the plane ride home, they assured him. I started to think about the school newsletter column I would write on my flight. We’d all be doing our homework high above the Rockies.
“I will keep this hat forever.”
Seth was admiring his prized possession from the previous day’s matches. By a stroke of luck, we’d seen both Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi after the competition, and they’d autographed the hat.
“It’ll be worth a lot of money,” he added. My budding tycoon. I smiled and agreed. Adam and Joel were in a deep discussion about the upcoming tennis match.
Joel paid the bill and we walked back out into the September heat. We headed toward Caesar’s Palace where the matches would be played. I had a boy on each side of me. I was holding their hands. We arrived at the crosswalk in front of the hotel. I kissed Adam then Seth and said, “I love you” to each of them.
Joel hugged and kissed me. We offhandedly gave each other the I-wish-you-weren’t-leaving-but-see-you-soon smile of people who are in love and must separate for a short time. No big deal.
He said, “I love you. Be careful.”
I looked straight into his eyes. “I love you. You be careful!”
My family continued across the street. I headed back to the hotel, picked up my suitcase, and took a cab to the Las Vegas airport.
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