That opened the floodgate to questions. I took the next half hour to assure her everyone was okay. Then I told her about snowboarding and meeting some cool people.
I told her about the problems with Ford.
“...and then I got fired,” I shared.
Tracy was appalled.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Things worked out. Kendal used it to rework my contract. Ford is offering a five-year deal. That’s huge. When I get back from the church ski trip, I want to sit down with you and plan what we want to do. I could actually go full-time as a model. I don’t want to forget baseball in the spring, and football. But this may be too big to pass up.”
“You want me to help you decide?”
Tracy sounded shocked.
“Of course I do. We’re a team, aren’t we? If I’m going to do this, I need your support. I won’t do it if you’re not on board.”
There were several moments of stunned silence. Then a big grin that warmed my heart came across Tracy’s face.
“You really do love me,” she whispered.
I just nodded as tears appeared in her eyes. I didn’t trust myself to say anything. Her voice caught.
“I have to go. I need to cry, I’m so happy.”
I waved goodbye and we both logged off.
I went to bed knowing that Tracy and I were on the right path. I felt the happiest I had in many weeks.
Monday December 9
I GOT UP EARLY AND started the coffee for Clare. I then went and worked out and swam. I was feeling good when I went to breakfast and found Clare waiting for me.
“Good morning.”
“You sure are chipper this morning. What gives?” I asked as I smiled at her.
“Someone made me coffee. Once I’ve had a cup, I’m ready to go.”
“What’s on the agenda for today?” I asked.
“Today you have studio work; no more traipsing through knee-deep snow. You have all the men’s clothing line to do. They’re going to be very aggressive in the shoot schedule, so you’ll be running all day. If they can get it done, we can catch the last flight out of here tonight. You should be back home by midnight. Otherwise, we’ll shoot in the morning and be back late afternoon on Tuesday.”
We hurried up and were on the road by 7:30, so we were at the hotel by eight o’clock. Bev was in charge of today, and there were racks of clothes that I looked at and sighed. It was going to be a long day. I took Bev aside.
“Look, I’ve done some work like this. If you can get wardrobe organized, I can just change on set, and we can power through this.”
She looked relieved.
“I promise I won’t make too much fun of your underwear.”
That got a smile out of Clare.
“Let me get it arranged. If you start feeling tired, let me know and we can take a break. I also brought water and power bars so I don’t kill you,” Bev said.
I chuckled. At least she was being a good sport.
“Thanks. I always feel like such a wimp when I faint.”
Bev had a blue screen set up so that they could add background later. I got ready and we began a grueling day. Catalog and Internet work is not glamorous. You put on an outfit and then do four or five poses. The photographer and/or marketing person checks to make sure they have something that works. If all is good, you change clothes and go again.
The problem for a model was to keep animated. The repetition was monotonous and mind-numbingly boring. At breaks, I stretched or jogged in place to get my blood flowing. By the end of the day, I was exhausted, but there was a sense of accomplishment. They had scheduled two other models, but because of circumstances, I had to do the shoot on my own. Bev was complimentary.
“The marketing team is going through everything, and it looks like we’ll have to do some retakes in the morning. They’re happy with the rest.”
I guess we’re not leaving tonight.
WHEN I GOT IN THE CAR to go back to the ranch, I saw I had eight messages. I played the first one and it was Tami.
“David, call me when you get this. Please do not call anyone else or listen to any other messages. Trust me. Call me as soon as possible.”
I dialed her number.
“Thank God. Where are you?”
Her voice sounded strange, and I started to get scared.
“I’m still in Utah doing the Range Sports shoot. Why, what’s up?” I said as I struggled to remain calm.
“I need you to be strong. Can you do that for me?”
“Oh God, what’s wrong?”
I started to get choked up.
“I’m just going to tell you: your mom got her results back. She has leukemia.”
I could hear her crying on the other end of the phone.
Tami was always the one that gave me bad news. For some reason, I took it better from her. I leaned over in the front seat of the SUV, covered my face and sobbed. Clare pulled the car over in concern, and I handed her the phone.
I could only hear Clare’s side of the conversation.
“Hello, this is Clare Thomas ... Oh God ... No; he won’t be home until tomorrow afternoon. ... How bad is it? ... I’ll take care of him.”
She undid her seatbelt and wrapped me in her arms.
“How bad?” I asked.
Clare just hugged me. The silent answer was it was bad. She gently rocked me in her arms until I could finally get myself back together. I did my deep-breathing exercise to calm myself and tamp down all my emotions. I pushed them into a little box and sealed the lid. I looked at Clare’s glassy eyes.
“Are you okay to drive?”
She gave me a nervous laugh.
“Probably not. But let’s get back to the ranch and eat.”
We drove in silence. When we got back, I ate what Clare put in front of me. I changed and went to work out; I got on the treadmill to run. I found my zone and let my mind work it out. I wasn’t sure how long I ran, but I almost collapsed from exhaustion when I stopped. I grabbed a couple of Gatorades and hit the shower. I walked out and soaked in the hot tub until I was light-headed.
I went to bed and was out. The mental and physical exhaustion was just too much.
Tuesday December 10
IF I THOUGHT THAT MONDAY had been a bad day, Tuesday was horrible. Somehow, I finished the shoot, but everyone was walking on eggshells around me. I was very careful because I found I had a very short fuse. Clare had to take me aside and remind me of my responsibilities; that seemed to settle me.
The flight home seemed to take forever. When I landed, I made my way to baggage claim. I found Tom and Tracy waiting for me. I was doing pretty well until that point, and I broke down when they took me into a group hug. Tom took charge, to the relief of Clare. I said goodbye and thanked Clare for her help. Sometime yesterday, we became friends.
Tom got us loaded into his SUV. He put me in the back seat with him and made Tracy drive.
“David, your mom’s prognosis isn’t good. She’s delayed seeing a doctor for quite some time. Most recently, your dad lost his health insurance at work. They made a decision to wait for the government program instead of taking the COBRA benefits, because of the cost.
“In hindsight, that plan doesn’t look so good. We’ve been trying to get something in place, but the website for the government health care insurance wasn’t working. There was also talk of delays in starting the new health care insurance. For now, they’d have to pay out of pocket because of the pre-existing condition,” Tom told me.
I let that sink in.
“I talked to your dad, and they’re giving your mom a 20% survival rate.”
“Okay, then we can beat this thing. What can I do?” I asked Tom.
“Right now the biggest concern for your mom and dad is funds. If you’re willing, we can loan your folks the money needed against your future earnings.”
I nodded. “Of course, whatever it takes.”
“I told your mom and dad that would be your response. They agreed, but wanted to give you the courtesy of asking.”