Lose Yourself

Meet Cute

chapter 1 scene 1

Em's phone lit up and he motioned for Rex, his bodyguard, to turn down Deep Cover by Dr. Dre. No matter what kind of mood he was in, his heart warmed hearing his daughter's calm voice. "Bailey!"

She cut to the chase. "Dad, you need to get out more."

Em put the phone on speaker while he filled his blender with bananas, raspberries and unsweetened Greek yogurt. "Babygirl, you need to stop worrying about me so damn much."

"You don't go anywhere."

"Untrue." Em measured out a spoonful of local clover honey. "I just got back from a run."

"Oh that's nice." Bailey tried not to sound impatient, she had deliberated waited until her tracking app showed that he'd gotten home from his morning run. "But I mean socially."

"Rex and the squad took me out last night."

"That's untrue." Bailey drummed her glittery blue nails on her marble countertop. "Rex's daughter is one of my best friends and she said that her dad is worried about you because you never want to go out."

Em's eyes shifted over to Rex, his most trusted bodyguard. "Dude?"

Bailey barreled on. "According to him, you all stayed in last night and watched a documentary about an octopus."

He shook his head at Rex and mouthed the word asshole.

His bodyguard's eyes shifted away from him, returning to the online chess game he was playing with Big Dave, while he watched the security cameras.

"Sooooo Dad, since you're not actually doing anything, I need you to take the gift bag I left by the door to Chippewa Valley High School today."

"What the fuck? No. Absolutely not." Em added cinnamon and flaxseed to the blender.

Bailey carried on, unfazed. "I am the co-president of the alumni association's fundraising committee, so I am in charge of the teacher appreciation gifts." Bailey waited for her father to argue.

"Can't we just Venmo somebody?"

"No Dad, we cannot just Venmo somebody. There is a Christmas tree in the main office of the school with nothing under it. Not one single gift." She held her breath hoping he wouldn't ask why they'd have a Christmas tree up before Thanksgiving. "I'd go myself but I'm driving Stef to get a haircut."

Across the room, her younger sister turned to her with a confused expression. "I don't have an appointment." Stef whispered.

"Fine." Em exhaled slowly. "But does it have to be today?"

"Yes." She lied seamlessly. "The gift cards need to go to Mr. Coulson today."

"Your English teacher?" Em stood up a little straighter thinking about Sam Coulson. "OK. Fine. I'll do it if you talk to your sisters about Thanksgiving."

"For the last time, we're having it at my house. And we're having smoked salmon."

"What?!" Em's finger hovered over the blend button, trying to decide if he wanted to add protein powder or not.

"Dad, you said we could be in charge of the menu and we've voted: no turkey."

"OK, whateverthefuck on the turkey but let's have it and my place. Your security system is –"

"Oh my god Dad! Our security system is fine. You picked it out. And we're not calling it Thanksgiving anymore. Stef said we should call it the First Nation's Day of Mourning and we are all making donations to the Foundation for Potawatomi Nation Indigenous land acknowledgments movement."