CHAPTER TWO
" Jane Raines!" my mother yelled as I stepped into the kitchen and walked across her freshly waxed floor. "I'm going to kill you, child!"
"Aww, Mama," I said with a sheepish look of apology. "I didn't know you'd just waxed. I'm sorry!"
"It doesn't matter how old you kids get to be, you're still completely intent on driving your mother crazy!"
"Who's driving their mother crazy?" my father asked as he stepped into the kitchen and walked the same path I'd just walked.
"TONY RAINES!" my mother yelled. "I'm going to kill you and your offspring alike!"
"What did I do now?" my father asked with a genuinely confused look on his face. He had a pencil tucked behind one ear and several sheets of printer paper in his hand.
"Pop, she just waxed the floor," I said as I nudged him in the ribs with my elbow.
"Oh, I'm sorry, dear," he said as he flashed my mother the grin he knew would cause her to forgive his sin as he bent down and pecked my cheek. "How're you doing, Brookie?"
"Dad," I said. "It's Brooke, just Brooke now. I'm a lawyer, not a first grader."
"You'll always be my Brookie," he said with a smile as he danced a few steps. "I'm your dad, it's my prerogative."
Both my mother and I groaned at his terrible ’80s reference. My father has been the entertainment reporter for the LA Times since the early 1970s and as a result, we are constantly treated to his encyclopedic knowledge of entertainment history in every conversation. My mother shook her head and ran the mop over the ruined part of the kitchen floor as she muttered under her breath. She's been a math teacher at Lincoln High for the past twenty years, and is a perfectionist when it comes to having a clean house, refusing to let anyone else clean, even though between the two of them, they make enough to hire a housekeeper. We knew no one else would meet her standards, so we all just grinned and took our lumps.
"What are you doing all the way out here, Brooke?" my mother asked.
"I wanted to stop by and see if you and Dad were free for dinner next week," I said as I opened the fridge and grabbed the orange juice pitcher that my mother kept filled with fresh-squeezed juice.
"And, you couldn't have called to ask?" she replied. "I smell something fishy going on here."
"Mom, I dropped by to see about dinner, that's it," I said as I poured a glass of juice and then looked at her as innocently as I could while sipping it. Then, mumbled into the rim, "And, I wanted to talk to Dad about something."
"I knew it!" my mother declared. "I knew it wasn't a simple visit. It never is."
"Mom, that's not fair!" I protested. "Fine, but dinner? Yes?"
"Yes, we'll have dinner with you," she said smiling as she moved to the sink and rinsed her mop. "When and where?"
"I'll figure it out and let you know," I said before turning my attention to my father who was now completely engrossed in editing something on the sheets of paper he'd brought into the kitchen. "Dad, can you help me write a convincing ad that will bring in more business for the firm?"
"Huh?" my father looked up, confused. "What about it?"
"An advertisement, Dad," I said. "I need help writing something that will make people flock to our firm and hire us."
"Business is tough, is it?" he said as he made another mark on the paper in front of him.
"Incredibly tough," I said.
"Broke, is this a thinly disguised request for a loan?" he said as he pushed his reading glasses to the top of his head.
"No, Dad, it's not," I said, knowing full well that it was. "It's a request for help writing a persuasive ad that I can use to drum up more business."
"Kid, never play poker," he said shaking his head. "You're a terrible liar. I'll get the checkbook, but you're going to need to tell me exactly what you need."
"Just one month's rent," I muttered. "I can swing the rest."
"Are you sure that's all you need?" my mother called from where she was bent over the sink. "Tony, give her more than just rent money. Add phone and electric and groceries. No, better yet, I'm going to cook meals for you. That way I can give half to you and half to your brother."
"Mom, Teddy eats at the fire house," I reminded her.
"Well, he still has a few days off, doesn't he?"
"Yeah, but he spends them at Gina's," I said. "And, I assume that he knows how to cook for himself by now."
"So do you, but I still like to feel needed."
"Alright, I've got the checkbook. Lay it on me, Brookie," my father said as he came back into the kitchen. "How much do you need?"
"Just one month's rent, Dad," I repeated. I knew that I needed much more than that, but I already felt guilty about the fact that my parents had footed the bill for my undergraduate education and my law degree, so I didn't want to ask for more than I could justify in my own mind. I could put off paying the electric bill for one more month and cross my fingers that business would pick up.
"Brooke, I know you're not telling me the whole truth," my father said as he filled out the check, and then ripped it out of the checkbook and handed it to me. "So, I'm going to use my own discretion."
"Dad!" I protested as I looked at the check. He'd given me six months rent plus expenses and then added a cushion. "You cannot give me this much money!"
"I can do whatever I like, thank you very much," he said as he tucked the checkbook in his back pocket and poured himself a cup of coffee. "I'm a grownup."
"Thank you," I said softly as I walked over to where he and my mom stood and hugged them both. "I'm going to make this work, I promise."
"Brooke, we know you're doing the best you can," my mother said. "We want to help you as much as we are able to."
"And since we can't take it with us, it just makes sense to use it now," my father added.
"Don't even joke about that," I warned.
"I'm not, I'm serious," my father said. "We might not always be able to help, but if we can, we will."
"Thank you both," I said as I hugged them again and then headed out the door. "You're the best."
"Sure, sure, you say that now," my father, laughed as he waved me off. "Dinner next week. We'll pick the place and you meet us there."
I waved at both of my parents and headed out to my car. I needed to deposit the check and pay my late rent before I headed over to meet with Roger and Jordie at the office and decide if we could salvage our business.