The Perfect Family

Chapter 17: Jack

"Hit me again and keep them coming, Evan" I say to the brown haired muscular bartender.

"Are you sure? This will be your fourth one and I wouldn't want you to over do it before teh interview, which starts pretty soon. Do you need me to walk you back?" Evan asks as he checks his watch.

"You're right. I should head back. Its okay. The center is just across the street, right?" I respond.

"No, no. I insist. I know my way around. Plus I can vouch for you when your wife asks you where you've been. I'll just get someon to cover for me" Evan says as he snaps his fingers to attract the attention of a younger, skinnier male.

"Alright" I respond as I yawn and rub my eyes.

As we make our way back to the convention center, I take the time to enjoy the beauty of Vancouver's calmness. It is a lot calmer than New York and the air is a lot fresher.

"Where are we headed?" Evan asks as we approach the lobby.

"Actually, I can take it from here. My wife is over there" I say as I notice Emilie talking to the receptionist.

"Alright. I'm going to take off. Good luck today, Jack. I'll be rooting for you" Evan says as he places a hand on my shoulder.

"Thanks" I say just as he leaves and I make my way to Emilie at the front desk.

"He's about 5'8 and he has blonde hair, blue eyes. Jack Alexander" Emilie stressfully describes me.

"Hey, Em!" I exclaim as I hug her from behind.

"Jack! What the hell?! You scared the crap out of me. Where the hell have you been?" Emilie asks.

"In all honesty, a bar across the street. No big deal" I laugh.

"We have to get you back to the room, the book signing and interview starts soon and I already met Oliver Bradley" Emilie responds.

"Oh you did? Is he as nice as he appears on Tv?" I ask.

"Yeah, he is. But we'll talk about it later. Here, have this" Emilie says as she pops a mint in my mouth to rid my breath of the alcoholic odour and straightens my hair out on the way.

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"Okay, people. Form a single file line and please wait patiently for your copy to be signed. I understand that some of you have been anticipating this for the longest time, but nonetheless, plese be patient" the coordinator instructs.

As crowd files in and I attempt to count the amount of people, even though I know its impossible, I can't believe its actually happening. Career wise, this is a major dream of mine.It's finally coming true.

After a good 45 minutes, Emilie warns me that it is almost time for the interview and we are told to go back stage and get freshened up.

"Are you okay?" Emilie asks as she helps me with my tie back stage.

"Yeah, sure. I can do this. I'm floating on a cloud" I joke.

"Really?" Emilie says as she raises an eyebrow. She knows that when I get sarcastic and joke about my anxiety, I am actually starting to panic.

"Okay, you know me too well" I respond.

"Hey, its going to be okay. I know it is" Emilie assures me.

"How can you be so sure?" I ask.

"I have faith in you" Emilie answers as she pulls me in close and gives me a kiss for good luck.

"Okay. I think I'm feeling a bit better. Thanks" I say. 

"I love you and I'll be out there within the crowd to congratulate you when its all over" Emilie replies. 

"I love you too" I respond as my name is announced on stage.

~X~ 

As I walk onto the stage to take my  place next to Oliver Bradley, the spotlight hits me, my palms start to sweat, the crowd starts to cheer and my heart begins to race. I think to back out, but then I keep in mind what Emilie said earlier and I think I will be able to get through this.

"Hey, Jack. How are you?" Oliver says as the crowd begins to quiet down.

"I'm doing great, Oliver. How about you?" I ask.

"Great, thanks. So, you're an author. A best-seller. That's gotta be exciting for you" Oliver says.

"Yeah. Its really exciting. I think of writing as an escape from the real world. When you think you can't take the pressure of the world around you, writing can take you anywhere. Its a limitless universe" I respond.

"That's true. You can be anything and be anywhere. I could be a talking dog with three legs in a castle in, I don't know, Neverland" Oliver laughs.

As I process the moment, I begin to think that everything is not as anxiety-provoking as I thought. Talking to Oliver is like talking to someone you've known for a long time It just feels like there is no pressure to impress; just casual conversation.

"I want to take a moment to talk about your family, Jack" Oliver says.

"Alright" I respond.

"You have a beautiful wife who I met a while ago, she's here today. isn't she? and four kids. That's gotta be one lively household you've got in New York" Oliver says.

"Oh, yes it is. But I don't mind it. I love spending time with them. They are my life. I do everything for them and I am every bit as strong as I am because of them" I respond. At this, the crowds begins to awe and tear up.

"Your kids, how old are they?" Oliver asks.

"Our daughters, Julia and Lucy are four and a half. Our oldest son Maddox is two, and our youngest, Kyson just turned one on the first of this month" I answer.

"Well, happy champagne birthday to the little man" Oliver says as the crowd starts to cheer. "The reason I want to talk about them leads up to the book. You wrote it based on your life. Can you tell us more about it?"

"Yeah. Well, when he was nine months old, we took Maddox to get evaluated because we noticed that he was not meeting a number of age appropriate milestones. He had never made eye contact with us or responded when we called his name.  After his first birthday, we received the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder" I responded.

"You, as a writer, have the ability to write about anything, and obviously you have written about other things. But is there a particular reason you chose to write Endless Journey; paying tribute to your own life?" Oliver asks.

"Of course. Not a lot of people know about autism. Its not as popular as cancer or whatever else may be up there. I just wanted people to be a little more aware. Also, for those that know about this condition and perhaps are dealing with it, whether they are just starting out or have been going through it for a long time, I just want everyone to know that there is hope" I answer.

"That's a very smart way to promote the issue" Oliver observes.

"I think the book also covers life in general. Its not always easy. We're all faced with our own forms of adversity, but as long as we are not going through it alone, everything should be fine. We must always remember that we are never given a load we are not strong enough to bear" I conclude.

"Beautiful. Well, thank you for your time, Jack. We have to go to commercial, stick around, more enteretainment coming up" Oliver says as he reaches out to shake my perspiring hand and the crowd begins to clap.