Ambush

Chapter 26

It’s hard to be anything but grateful when a woman like Mary Catherine greets you at the door after a long day. She gave me a kiss that would’ve been longer if Chrissy and Shawna hadn’t run up, chattering like monkeys, waiting for their father to pick them up.

I appreciated the enthusiasm and bundled both girls over my shoulder as I started to march through the apartment, greeting the older children as I went. I was impressed that Jane, Ricky, and Eddie were all studying in the dining room. Books and papers were spread across the table, and all I got was a cursory nod as each of them looked up.

Bridget and Fiona were practicing some sort of stretching routine on the floor of the living room. A PBS yoga person from the nineties was giving slow, deliberate instruction on TV.

A few minutes after I got home, Juliana practically skipped through the front door. Her excitement was contagious. It immediately drew Jane away from her studies.

My oldest daughter squealed, “I got it. I got it.”

When I looked over, I saw that she was holding something in her hand. It looked like a credit card, but I couldn’t tell what kind.

I dropped the little girls onto the couch and followed Mary Catherine to Juliana. She held up the card in front of me and said, “I’m official. I got my SAG card. You only get that when you’re a professional actress.”

This was exciting news. When she held the card in front of me, I had to stare for a minute. All I could say was, “Who is Jules Baez?”

Juliana gave me a sly smile and said, “That’s my stage name. No two stage names can be the same.”

Mary Catherine said, “There was another Juliana Bennett?”

“No. I just felt this was more unique. The director helped me figure it out. He said it gave me more of an edge.”

I had to ask, “Why do you need an edge?”

“Jules Baez just sounds edgier. It’s subtle, Dad. You need to be in the industry to understand things like this.”

I was about to respond when I felt Mary Catherine’s hand on my shoulder. She had a way of gently calming me down and distracting me.

We let Juliana hurry into the dining room as all the kids gathered to see her fantastic new Screen Actors Guild identification card.

Mary Catherine eased me back into the living room and said, “She’s excited. Let her have her moment. I know you’re uncomfortable with her using a different name and wanting to be edgier, but you have to remember who she is. She’s a good girl who has never given you any problems. We need to trust her judgment. At least in something like this.”

I nodded. My fiancée had an outstanding connection to the kids. She read them as well as any parent I had ever seen. I’d be an idiot not to listen to her.

After dinner, the kids settled back into their studying routine. I was happy to see that Juliana had joined her younger brothers and sister at the dining-room table. Wearing her glasses, focused on algebra, she was my girl again, and I felt a wave of relief.

I joined Mary Catherine on the balcony, and we looked out toward the river. She leaned her head against my shoulder and said, “I hope you realize what a good dad you are.”

I thought about Brian. “I’ve made some mistakes.”

“Isn’t that what we humans are supposed to do?”

She never failed to make me feel better when I was a little troubled. I kissed her on the top of her head and said, “Have you given any thought to a date for our wedding?”

She turned and gave me a smile. Then there was a squeal inside the apartment. Nothing out of the ordinary, just the usual sounds of kids.

Mary Catherine turned from the railing and said, “What on earth?” Then she hurried inside without answering my question. I took a few moments to be alone on the balcony.