“Of course.”
Of course?And all this time she’d thought he’d been considering transferring to another university. One of the reasons he had wanted to attend Harvard was its renowned law school.
“Besides, Ari will start attending next fall, and we’ve always looked forward to being at Harvard together.”
She nodded again and let out a deep breath. She’d overreacted. Things weren’t as bad as she’d thought. Not attending law school wasn’t the end of the world. Besides, as a political science major, he could always attend law school later, when he was older. He could even venture into politics.
No longer feeling tense, she leaned back against the sofa cushions, smiled and asked, “So, what would you like to do after college instead of going to law school?”
“I want to become a stuntman like Dad.”
* * *
Iris was convinced all the blood had drained from her face. He could not have said what she thought he had. No way did he just say he wanted to become a stuntman. The very occupation that had taken his father from her. From them.
She shook her head. “No, Garlan, you can’t. There’s no way I can let you do that.”
“Mom, please calm down.”
Iris hadn’t realized she’d stood and was talking to him in a raised voice. “I can’t calm down, Garlan. Being a stuntman is how I lost your dad. I refuse to lose you the same way. I can’t.”
“I figured you would behave this way, Mom. That’s why I didn’t want to tell you. But a part of me felt you should know. Not sharing something that means a lot to me was tearing me up inside. I haven’t been able to eat, sleep or think about school, Mom. We’ve always been able to talk about everything, but I knew the topic of me becoming a stuntman was something I couldn’t share with you until I thought you were ready to hear it.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. “Well, I’m still not ready to hear it.”
“But you’ve heard it, Mom. My decision has been made. I still have two years left at Harvard—I’m not giving that up. But I’m thinking ahead to when I turn twenty-one and have college behind me.”
“But why a stuntman?”
“After studying hard at Harvard for four years, I want to do something I will enjoy. It’s been a passion of mine.”
“A passion of yours? Since when?”
“Since those summers I spent in Westmoreland Country and helped my godmother at her acting school. I enjoyed doing the hard stunts, and then that summer, when a real-life stuntman came to give a workshop, he recognized my name and said he was a friend of Dad’s. He told me how good Dad was, so I began watching many of the movies he had performed in. It didn’t matter if no one else knew, the man with the hardest part in the movie was my dad. I knew it, Mom. For the last few years, being a stuntman has been my dream. I refuse to let you take it away from me.”
“Garlan…”
“No, Mom. You’re taking this just how I figured you would, which is why I never shared it with you. I was hoping you would meet someone like Mr. Caulder and not worry so much about me. I wanted you to have a life of your own, so you wouldn’t have time to want to control mine. I know how my Dad died. I know. But I have to live my life the way I want. Hopefully, one day you’ll do the same.”
He then turned and walked out of the house.
* * *
“I’ve lost him, Pam,” Iris said in a sob.
“Iris. Iris, listen to me. You haven’t lost Garlan. You were upset, and now he is, too. Give him time. He probably just went for a walk on the beach to think about things.”
“I can’t believe he wants to become a stuntman,” Iris said, unable to stop her tears from falling. “I refuse to believe it.”
“At least it’s after college, and he’s not thinking about dropping out.”
Iris paused in wiping tears from her eyes. “Does it matterwhenhe plans to do it, Pam? There’s no way I can support him being a stuntman. You of all people know how hard Garlan’s death was on me. I had to go to therapy for a full year afterward to deal with my loss. There’s no way I could lose my son to the very thing that took his father away from me.”
“I hate to say it, but it’s not your choice.”
“Pam!”
“Just keeping it real. For a while, you’ve suspected something was bothering Garlan, and now you know what it is. From what you said, he told you it’s been a passion of his for a while. His dream. In that case, maybe it’s time for you to do something, Iris.”
