REVOLUTIONS
1818 Words
CHLOE
"I'm glad you're back," my dad, Gilbert Grayson, greets me. His eyes light up when he sees me walking towards him into our farm's storage room, putting rotten potatoes in a sack.
"Hi dad, want some?" I offer him my macchiato, but he declines.
My dad is frugal. He never buys coffee from a café, believing it is a waste of money. For him, coffee is coffee. It's all the same in every sense of the word.
"How was your interview with Carlos Leonards?" He asks.
"A disaster," I sigh, the corner of my lips twisting. "He stood me up. Not just once but three times!"
"What an arrogant bastard." My dad's forehead furrows, and his eyes narrow. "He wasted your time and effort. Did he know that it was a five-hour drive to Dansville?"
I roll my eyes. "I doubt he even knows geography."
"Next time, make sure you research the person well first so you don't waste a journey."
"I paid for two nights of lodging, and the food cost twice as much there." I exhale heavily, thinking of the wasted money. "It wouldn't have mattered with the advance the publisher promised with Carlos on board."
"What are you going to do now?" Dad asks curiously.
"I haven't figured out my next move yet." I shrug my shoulders. "I'll know once I call my publisher."
Actually, I'm afraid to know how my publisher would take the news that I couldn't include Carlos Leonards' interview in my first book. I wonder how I could break the news gently. I know they'd be disappointed or, worse, hesitant to move forward with the book deal.
"I'm sure they'll understand once you explain to them what happened," Dad says with encouragement.
"I really hope so," I answer, my heart heavy.
I've never felt this much pressure in my career. I would have been on the precipice of something great if Carlos Leonards had only been kind enough to show up to one of our scheduled meetings.
"Enough about me. Mom told me you have some good news?"
"Yeah." He nods. "Edward Phillips came here yesterday. He offered a partnership with us."
"Really?" My eyes grow big, surprised at the wonderful news. Dad smiles happily. "Oh, Dad, that's a dream come true for our potato farm. Finally, they trust us."
We hug each other as I share in his happiness.
Edward Phillips is the owner of Phillips Food Manufacturing Company, the biggest potato processing company in the world. They buy potatoes from different farms, including ours.
"Now that we've added more machinery and replaced our old, obsolete stuff, we can supply more potatoes to them. Planting, growing, and harvesting has been easier and faster."
"That's amazing, Dad. After all the hard work you've done, it all paid off."
"Nope. If it weren't for your hard work, we wouldn't have been able to afford to add more machinery," he answers, his eyes becoming watery.
Six months ago, my dad was so against my blogging. I still remember our conversation clearly.
"You're just wasting your time doing blogs, Chloe." His forehead furrows. "It won't get you anywhere. If you go to the city and work for a media company, then your talent in writing would be useful. You'll earn big bucks."
"I love working on my blog, Dad. It makes me happy and productive. I find it more fulfilling and important than money."
"But we need money to keep us going." His expression suddenly looks tired. "We have too many expenses pouring in every day. It's hard to keep up. The farm needs excellent machines. What we have is obsolete. The house needs repairs, and the twins... they're going to college."
I'm the only person that Dad talks to about his concerns in the family. He never told Mom because it would only worry her, and that would make her hysterical from sleepless nights.
I understand Dad, who carries all the weight on his shoulders. Being the head of the family and the only one earning a living is too much for him now that we are growing and the expenses keep coming in.
Dad did not go to college, just like Mom. All his life, he worked on the potato farm that he inherited from his parents. The reason it was important for our parents to get us all into college was that they had never experienced it, and they wanted us to have decent jobs.
"I'm putting 110% on it, Dad. I'm very passionate about what I'm doing, and I know success will eventually follow."
"When?" His lips twist, and my heart sinks.
"Just be patient, please. You promised to give me two years to focus on my dream, and it's only been a year," I remind him again. "I swear, if nothing works, I'll do what you want me to do. I'll apply to a media company right away." I promise him.
"Okay." He nods, still frowning. Oh God, I wish he would trust me.
Now that I have found success in blogging and paved my own little way, Dad is so happy that I can help him with our daily expenses. I have the plumbing and electricity in our house fixed, and my next project is to do a larger renovation and patch the leaks in the roof.
If the book deal falls through, however, I wonder if that would all be a pipe dream.
After helping Dad sort potatoes, I find my siblings Amanda and Liam in the kitchen. They are fraternal twins, both eighteen years old and five years my junior. They've just graduated high school and are enjoying the break before going to university.
"Hey, Chloe. Can I have a sip?" Liam gestures to the macchiato the moment I enter the kitchen door. He has obviously just woken up, judging from his messy hair and swollen eyes. He must have been out partying last night with his high school friends "You can have it." I give the macchiato to him, and he takes it, then gets busy on his phone.
I sit on the kitchen counter, watching Amanda make pancakes for her older twin brother -well, older by ten minutes.
"Did you just arrive?" She asks. When I nod, she continues, "I'm sorry about your failed interview, but don't worry, we have some good news. I'm sure you heard about it already."
"Yeah, I did. I just talked to Dad. It's all we've ever wanted for the farm. Now, we're secured in this partnership."
"His hard work really paid off." She grins widely. "I'm so happy that good things are happening in our family. Your blogging career, the farm, and me and Liam going to College."
"Yeah. If only I got that interview. It's the key to my multi-book deal."
"Don't lose hope. Carlos Leonards is not the only billionaire in New York. I'm sure many others would gladly agree to an exclusive interview with you," Amanda reassures me.
She has a point. Why haven't I thought of that?
My weary spirit instantly lifts. Hope overwhelms me as I think of interviewing other billionaires in New York.
"You're right, Amanda. I'll suggest it to my publishers when I talk to them later."
"Also, tell them that Leonards is a jerk," Liam snaps angrily. "He shouldn't have agreed to an interview if he's too busy hooking up with different girls!"
"He's a player?" Amanda asks as she puts a plate of pancakes on the kitchen table for Liam to dig in.
"Yeah. He's hooked up with actresses, models, celebrities, politicians' daughters, billionaires' heiresses-any rich and famous women he can find," Liam enlightens us.
"Oh, really?" Ananda sits across Liam at the table. "No wonder he's sensational."
"Exactly. And right now, he's front page news with the princess drama," I inform them.
"Yeah, I heard about that." Liam's lips twist, looking unimpressed.
"He's famous because of the issues he's involved in. In fact, I can't think of any billionaire here in New York that can beat him when it comes to popularity."
Realization suddenly sets in.
"You're dead right. No other billionaire has the clout or the drama Carlos does. It's the reason why my publisher wants his interview in my book."
"Oh." Amanda's eyebrows rise. "So, in that case, you have no other options but to interview the man."
I take a long sigh. "But that's not possible now. After what he did, I don't want to deal with him anymore." I grimace in distaste as I think of the obstacle that Carlos Leonards has brought into my career.
"You're a sensational blogger," Amanda encourages me. "You'll be okay. You write good stuff. That's why people love reading your blog."
"And you can always go to other publishers." Liam gives an impatient shrug. "There are plenty of them who want to publish your first book."
I shake my head. "But it's every writer's dream to publish a book under Skyline Publishing House. Now that I'm talking with them, I can't just give it up."
"You shouldn't. Just follow your heart's desire. Whatever makes you happy, we're here to support you." Amanda holds my arm, reassuring me. "Don't worry too much, Chloe. Things will be alright."
***
Later, I receive an email from my publisher asking about my exclusive interview with Carlos Leonards.
I detail the incident of Carlos Leonards' obnoxious behavior, standing me up in our interview three times. He showed no interest in being interviewed, so I suggested we stop pursuing any interviews in the future.
The following day, my publisher responds. What I feared most happened. Because I couldn't do the exclusive interview with Carlos Leonards, they decided to reevaluate my manuscript and let me know of their decision soon.
My heart sinks....literally.
Darn it. I'm back to square one!
My dreams feel like they're crumbling into a million pieces. The hard work and sleepless nights I invested in my first book have gone to waste.
My lips thin in anger. This is all because of that obnoxious and arrogant billionaire, Carlos Leonards! He made me believe that he wanted to be interviewed, only to make a fool of me.
He's the most selfish, disrespectful, and rude person that I've ever met. He doesn't give a damn about other people's time, efforts, or feelings.
Oh, how I hate him! He should be exposed for what he did to me so he'd learn his lesson. Someone needs to tell him that what he did is wrong, or he'd keep on repeating the same behavior!
A notification pops up. Another email.
It's an invitation to be a guest on the TV show Good Morning USA. They want me to talk about my success in blogging.
It's like an answer to my wish.
"Of course, why not?" My eyes narrow as anger overwhelms me. "Watch out, Carlos Leonards. I'm going to expose you to the public!"
- Writer
