Chapter Seven
Caleb
I thought it was going to be just me and my parents, but it turned out that Dad invited some of his friends to dinner, as well. The table was buzzing with chatter and energy. The rich really knew how to talk and drink. It didn’t stop my father from going in on me, however. Embarrassing me in front of people was pretty common for him.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket when I felt it vibrate. There was a text message from Matthew. Just the guy I wanted to kill for the night before.
Matthew- Hey, man, saw that video. WOW! Your dad must want to kill u.
I shook my head. Unbelievable. I typed back a message.
Caleb- You’re dead. How could you let me do that?
Matthew- Me?! How can u blame me 4 that? I didn’t even remember it happened until I saw the video. Sorry, man, we drank too much.
Caleb- No shit, u have no idea the day I have had.
Matthew- Sorry, man. I can just imagine. You put on quite a show tho lol ;) Sick boxers!
I chuckled to myself. I wanted to kill him, but there was nothing I could do while I sat there with my parents. I wanted to blame Matthew, but he wasn’t my babysitter. I was the one who had acted like an idiot and allowed it to get taped. The girl I had taken home probably was hoping I wasn’t going to call her again after she watched that video. She was certainly a celebrity now, as well. She was, after all, the one I was dancing with.
Now, I would have to get a girlfriend because of my nonsense.
I had considered getting one of my friends to do it, to just fake with me for awhile. It would be cool to hang with a girl I already got along with, but then I thought about who would want to do that all while in the public eye. I couldn’t think of anyone. And, it was out of the question for me to get a real girlfriend. I wanted no part of it.
I had been thinking of hiring someone, like an escort…or better yet, an actress to help me with the situation. That way, she would not have to give anything up she could just look at it like a job. It made the most sense because it would work perfectly for the both of us. She would just be doing her job and would basically do as she was told. I could move around as I wished without worrying that some girl was going to fall in love with me. That was the last thing that I wanted.
I was startled from my thoughts by my father’s voice. I slid my phone back into my pocket.
“So, son, rumor has it you were doing a striptease at a club last night. I know there’s no such thing as bad publicity, but don’t you think you might be pushing it?” There were a few chuckles around the table, and I rolled my eyes. He had a smile on his face, but it wasn’t a friendly one. It was the one that he gave around company to convince them it wasn’t a fight they were seeing. He had no problem embarrassing me, but he didn’t want to make his guests uncomfortable.
I decided to play along. I wasn’t about to let him embarrass me. “Well, you know Under Armour likes it when you show the world how much you love their product. They couldn’t say enough good things about the video. I’m sure you saw it, Grace?” I looked over at my mother’s friend and winked. She blushed and giggled at the same time.
“It certainly was something to see, Caleb. But if you were my son, I would have killed you,” she said, wagging her finger at me. She was only joking, but my father was probably eating it up.
“Well, it keeps Father on his toes,” I said.
My father nodded as he took a sip of his brandy. “Caleb likes to push my buttons, and that’s okay. I just want to make sure that you’re focused for the majors, as they are right around the corner.”
I sighed. “Dad, I have been practicing daily. Just because I go out to blow off some steam doesn’t mean my head is not in the game. It’s a hard game, and I remember when you used to drink after a game.”
“Well, I was a PGA Tour champion; I’m allowed to blow off steam. When you get to the end, then we can talk about you blowing off steam.”
“Curtis!” My mother glared at my father. “Maybe now is not the best time for this talk.”
The whole table had gone silent, and I just slowly shook my head. I guess I shouldn’t complain about the whole thing; he was right. I was not the champion, and I didn’t even know if I was going to be that year. It was a lot to take when even your father thought you were a joke. How was I supposed to rise above that?
“Sorry, Mom, the video was really stupid, and I definitely didn’t mean to embarrass you, at all.”
My mother smirked. “Yes, well. That was certainly a sight; let’s just not repeat such things. Maybe it’s time you settled down and got rid of those partying ways.”
I smiled; it was as if she read my mind. “Well, you never know, Mom.”
The table then slipped into the regular business conversation, and I was thankfully forgotten for the time being. I worked on the lobster in front of me and got a few drinks into me. It was the only way I could get through the rest of the dinner. I had to be careful, though. My father would kill me if I got drunk over dinner. Besides, I needed to talk to him and would need my wits about me. I needed some help and didn’t know who else to go to. If anyone could get me out of trouble, it would be my dad.
When dinner was over, the guests retreated to the study where there was more brandy. My father would sometimes pull out the cigars, and they would have a real time of it. The whole situation bored me to tears, but it was their routine. As the guests filtered to the study, I approached my father getting up from the table.
“Dad, can I talk to you for a moment?”
He nodded. “Yes, of course. What is it, son?”
“I have a bit of a situation, and I’m not sure how to handle it.”
He frowned. “You mean, aside from that epic stripper video I saw?”
I cringed. The thought of my father watching that video was humiliating, to say the least. He must think his own son is a complete moron, and I was the only one he had. “I’m not going to live that one down, am I?”
“I just don’t know why you have to behave that way. You’re a grown man, why are you acting like a teenager? I would expect this from a 16-year-old, not a 24-year-old. Do you think that people are going to take you seriously on the green after watching a display like that one?”
I sighed, “I suppose not. It was a mistake; you don’t need to ream me for it over and over again. I fucked up; I get it. You act like I make my own personal videos every weekend.”
“Well, let’s hope not. What situation are we talking about here then?”
“Well, it’s sort of connected. What would you say about me hiring an actress to play my girlfriend for awhile?”
“Why would you do something like that?”
“I had a meeting with Under Armour today, and you can imagine how they felt about the video. They want me to portray a better image until the majors are over, and I’m sure you want the same thing. They suggested that I get a girlfriend and slow down the partying. Lay low for awhile, make people think things are different. What do you think?”
My father looked at me with surprise, like he couldn’t believe what I was saying. I was waiting for a cutting remark from him, but it never came. Maybe he was so relieved that I was being forced to get my act together that he didn’t want to jinx it by insulting me further.
“I think it’s a wonderful idea. A real grown-up decision. The last thing you need is for sponsorship to drop you when you are so close to the end.”
“How do I go about doing this? Any ideas?”
“I know a guy that can help you out with that. He sometimes works with acting agencies. He’ll work on it. I can’t imagine it would take more than a week.”
“Great. Thanks, just let me know.”
“You’re doing the right thing, son. Your career is very important. You never know; you might decide that you want to settle down.”
I scoffed, “Let’s not get carried away. I’m more than happy being a bachelor.”
My father laughed, “Okay, son; why don’t you join us for a brandy.”
“Dad, I’m pretty exhausted. I’ve had a long day. I think I would just like to go home.”
“Sure. Thanks for coming for dinner.”
I nodded and quickly went into the study to say goodnight to my mother. She kissed me on the cheek and thanked me for coming. I wanted to get out of there as soon as I could. I was tired and wanted to be on my own. I was not impressed by how the day had gone at all, and it was all because of one night of fun. I should be the poster child for why you shouldn’t drink in access. I planned on strangling Matthew for not being my wingman. How could he let me strip and let people video it?
I felt like shit, and it had to do with more than a hangover. My life was about to change big time, and there was no appealing aspect to it at all. The idea of having a girlfriend caused a shudder to take over my entire body.
All I heard from my family was about the majors, not once did they even ask me how I was doing in my life. Was I happy? Did I even want to be doing what I’m doing? No, I just heard about how I better do this or that in regards to winning the championship. It was honestly enough to make me want to give up completely. Just for once, I would love it if my parents would talk to me about anything but golf, but that didn’t seem to be in the cards.
What was worse was now I wasn’t going to be able to live my life like I wanted to for awhile. All my days of fun had just flown out the window. What the heck was I going to do with a girlfriend? I usually preferred women to come and go, not stick around. I had no interest in commitment or marriage. I just wanted to be left alone for the most part. A girlfriend. Great.