CHAPTER 14: ALABAMA’S BIRTHDAY WISHES

“And then what happened, Gramma Alabama?” asked Sonya.

“Yeah, Gramma, then what happened?” echoed little Helene.

I smiled at my granddaughters. “Why don’t you two climb into bed, and then I’ll tell you.” The girls brushed their teeth, changed into their jammies, and got into their beds. “Well now, let’s see,” I said, continuing the story.

What happened next is that I celebrated my 18^th birthday. Everybody came to my party—Magnum, friends from school, even Maulik and Perla took time away from their busy lives to celebrate with me. Before blowing out the candles, I made a wish. Actually, I made a lot of wishes.

In the future I wished for, my dad’s political career really took off. After serving on city council, he became mayor and did a lot to solve the homeless crisis in our city. The he ran for state senator and won. The voters all loved how down-to-earth he was, and how passionately he spoke about the issues that mattered most, like programs to help the poor and programs to clean up the environment.

His girlfriend Dahlia was by his side the whole time, helping him with his campaign. She was good for him in other ways, too, like encouraging him to read more books and to eat healthier. They even started jogging together every morning and kept it up for years.

Soon after she moved into our condo, they discovered that she was pregnant. Dad was going to become a father again! Months later, Magnum and I got to meet our new twin baby brother, Lachlan, and our baby sister, Linda. The song we wrote about them made it to number 2 on the pop music billboard charts.

I reconciled with my Mom after that. She had left her marriage with the Mountain and was now pursuing her dream to become an actress on Broadway. She kept apologizing for not being there for me when I was growing up and encouraged me to travel down to Alabama, to meet my other relatives. I promised her I would do that someday.

In the meantime, I kept right on focusing on the thing that brought me the most joy—singing songs in front of crowds of adoring fans.

Magnum kept right on singing, too. In fact, he eventually became more famous than me, because he began composing some of the most beautiful songs anyone had ever heard. When he played the piano and sang, well, it could even bring tears to anyone’s eyes. I believe his music could turn thorns into roses. I didn’t mind, though. I was famous enough. My time to shine in the spotlight lasted for many years.

But all my fame and fortune didn’t even compare to the day I married Daniel. I was young and in love, and a little bit foolish, I supposed. After we got married, we moved down to Alabama, bought this gorgeous old house, and fixed it up.

We didn’t stay married very long, but we did give birth to two healthy children, including your dad. And later, much later, my beautiful grandbabies were born.

Now some of those birthday wishes didn’t actually come true. But this is the way I like to remember things happening. The most important wishes did come true, and that’s why I get to be here tonight, tucking you girls in.

Now go to sleep, both of you. Tomorrow is another day for you to grow, and dream, and reach for your own shining stars, whatever that might look like.

THE END

CHAPTER 13: IT’S ALL PUBLIC NOW

It’s ridiculous how shy I felt when I first showed up at high school. What could I possibly have to worry about? I was Alabama freaking Holliday, one of the world’s biggest pop stars. People literally worshipped me (not that I asked them to).

Still, my stomach was so jumpy during my first week of school, I could barely eat anything. Everything was strange. Though I was famous, it’s not like kids flocked to me to want to be my friend. They seemed content to fawn over me from a distance, and intimidated if I came near. When at last I was included in a conversation, everyone kept looking at me like they were waiting for me to say something funny, or profound, or interesting. Instead, I’d wind up saying something completely awkward.

It took some time, but eventually I made some friends. Mostly artsy types who liked to burst out singing the songs of Broadway musicals at random moments.

I even met Daniel, a cute boy that I really clicked with. He was sophisticated and quiet, and he treated me like a human being, not like an untouchable star.

Dad took his girlfriend, Dahlia’s advice and announced his bid for city council.

Politics kept him super busy. Despite our crazy schedules, we still tried to carve out moments together, even if those moments were while I was doing homework and he was trying his best to help me. Dad had never been great with the school stuff, though, and half the information he gave me was totally wrong. But I appreciated his attempts to be there for me.

We went out to eat sometimes, too. We both had a thing for street food, like tacos or satay. But our growing popularity meant that everywhere we went, we were bombarded by fans.

I even started to disguise myself when I went out in public, to stave off the stans and paparazzi.

In what was left of my free time, I kept pushing forward with my music career, churning out new albums and performing concerts, as long as they didn’t disrupt my schooling.

Magnum’s music career was still going strong, too. By the end of the school year, we each had a song in the Top Ten on the pop music charts. Okay, his song hit number 3, and mine only hit number 5. Magnum knew that drove me crazy and teased me about it.

One day, just for fun, Magnum and I went onstage together at a local benefit concert and sang a song together. It was completely unplanned, but it blew up on social media. Overnight, we were shipped by our fans. Maglabama. They were calling us.

“Shipped with you? Yuck!” I said, laughing.

Magnum made a face. “The feeling’s mutual.”

Luckily, Daniel, who by now was my boyfriend, was totally understanding about it. Especially when I explained that Magnum and I were more like brother and sister.

If only I’d known how close to the truth that was.

Magnum’s mom decided to throw a birthday party for Magnum. Dad and I both went, as did Uncle Maulik and Perla. It was the first time any of us had ever been invited to Magnum’s house, which was an enormous mansion in the hills, with sweeping views of the city lights below. There were other celebrities there, too, along with a few kids from Magnum’s private school.

While Magnum and I were busy entertaining the guests, and unexpected thing happened. Magnum’s mother entered the room and let out a little shriek.

“Antares!” she cried, rushing toward Dad. Dad hugged her, his expression bewildered. “It’s me, Lindsay,” she said. “We dated a little, years ago.”

“Oh, Lindsay, of course!” Dad’s face reddened. He was probably remembering how disrespectfully he’d treated her, back when he was going through a phase of being a dick. “How…how’ve you been?”

She tugged him toward the nearest couch. “Look, there’s something important I’ve got to tell you.”

Later, I learned that this was the moment Dad found out the truth. The last night he and Lindsay had been together, she’d gotten pregnant. The baby boy had been Magnum, my brother. My real, actual brother from another mother.

Dad ran through a whole list of emotions. He was shocked. Then angry. Then embarrassed that all these years had passed, and he never knew that Magnum was his son. And now, as he stood next to Magnum, it was glaringly obvious. Magnum was practically a carbon copy of my dad.

CHAPTER 12: MEGA-STARDOM AND CUTE SOCKS

As I grew, my fame grew with me. By the time I was fifteen years old, I had achieved the very thing I’d dreamed of. I was a superstar. No, a mega star.

Three of my songs hit number one on the pop music charts during the same year. My concerts all sold out quickly. And I have to tell you—there is no feeling in the world quite like the euphoria of stepping out on the stage in an arena packed with adoring fans, all screaming their heads off because of you. Because of the music you make for them. Because of the lyrics you sang that touched their lives, and your rhythms that set their feet to dancing.

The only person I knew who fully understood what I meant was Magnum. The media caught onto our friendship and really played us up as rivals. They compared our every move—every concert, every interview, every public appearance. It was kind of annoying. Especially for Magnum, who wasn’t the competitive type at all.

“I’m not out here to be the best,” he told the media over and over again. “I’m just out here to share my music with the world.”

Not me. I was out here to be the best, secretly thrilled when fans preferred something I did over something my best friend did.

Even Dad was amazed at the power I wielded. Though his political campaign was coming along just fine, he sometimes asked me to join him at protests and political events, since my presence could draw a crowd.

It was at one of these events that he met Dahlia. She was fun, and energetic, and super smart. She also happened to be deaf. Though she could read lips and speak aloud, she also communicated using sign language. Dad was so infatuated, he signed up for ASL classes online so he could communicated with her even better.

Dahlia was great for Dad. As they got to know each other, she began nudging him to go bigger.

“Forget about all this grass roots stuff,” she told him. “If you really want to make an impact, you should run for city council.” He agreed.

One night, before a televised live concert, I couldn’t find my shoes anywhere. “What am I supposed to do?” I asked my manager in a panic.

She glanced down at my feet. “Just go out there in your socks,” she said.

“My socks?” I mean, cringe, right? My socks were cute, but come on—socks with no shoes? I was out of time, though, so I took a deep breath and stepped onstage in my socks.

Talk about pandemonium.

The trend caught on like a forest fire. Guys and girls everywhere started buying up every pair of cute socks in existence and wearing them without shoes. Schools started sending kids home for breaking the dress code and blaming it on me. Kids were winding up in the hospital with injured feet and frostbitten toes. Parents wrote me letters and posted desperate pleas on social media.

“Please, for the love of God, Alabama Holliday, put on some shoes!”

The next time I appeared on TV, I wore the biggest, punk-est pair of boots I could find. And guess what became the new trend?

Then Dad made a decision that brought my career to a screeching halt.

“It doesn’t look good for me to run for public office while my own daughter is being educated by private tutors,” he said. The next week, I began the scariest, most nerve-wracking experience of my adolescent life so far.

I became a student at a public high school.

CHAPTER 11: AN UNEXPECTED MEETING

Dad didn’t waste a second after he made up his mind to make a difference in the world. He left his office job and jumped headfirst into politics. Soon, he was giving speeches to the public and organizing rallies and protests against the high cost of living and the lack of help for the city’s homeless population.

Lots of people listened to him—at first because they recognized his good looks from all the underwear ads he’d done. But soon, they listened to him because he was a great public speaker and really good with people.

“I know how to schmooze the right people for support and favors,” he explained to me.

I was still busy trying to push my singing career to the next level, but I was super proud of Dad for what he was doing.

One of the best things that came from Dad’s shift to politics was the money. All of a sudden, we were rolling in it. As soon as we saved enough, we packed up and finally moved out of that dumpy little house on the bad side of town. Dad rented us a gorgeous, modern condo right in the heart of Del Sol Valley.

For the first time in my life, I had a bedroom of my own. I decorated it with my favorite colors and decorated my walls with pictures painted just for me by Maulik.

Speaking of Maulik…or I should say Uncle Maulik, since he was like an uncle to me. His art had suddenly become a hot commodity. Everyone wanted to buy his work. He was suddenly richer and more famous than Dad and me combined!

He used his money to buy a big house across town, then he moved his wife, Perla, and her ailing mother back from the Philippines.

It was strange not having Uncle Maulik live in the same building as us. I was so used to running upstairs for his company or advice. But he and Perla came to visit often. So did Magnum.

Then one night, something unexpected happened. My dad was at a campaign party when he ran into someone he hadn’t seen in years, except on TV.

My mom.

She looked as young and glamorous as he remembered her, and she could still light up a room with her smile.

“I thought you and what’s-his-name moved to Costa Rica,” said Dad.

“That shoot ended years ago,” said my mom. “Davis and I live in Alabama now.”

“Isn’t it hard to shoot movies while living down south?” asked Dad.

She shrugged. “I work as a weather forecaster now, for a local news station. And Davis…well, he hasn’t had any work in a few years now.” A cloud passed over her face as she said this. Dad wondered what had happened to the great Davis Duff, but he decided not to pry.

A few days later, Dad brought me to a nearby lounge, where I met my mother for the first time since I was a tiny baby. She was beautiful. I couldn’t stop staring as she told me all about her family home down in Alabama.

“The people there are so nice,” she told me. “Very hospitable, warm people. I just know they’re going to love you, too, when you come down to live with me.”

“Whoa…time out!” I said. “Excuse me? Who said anything about living with you?”

She looked flustered. “Well, I just thought maybe, since your dad has had you all to himself all these years, you might be ready for a change.”

I scowl. “You really thought that after all these years of nothing, you could just sweep in here and make me leave my whole life behind? Forget it!”

“Maybe you can try visiting your mom for a month and see how that goes,” Dad suggests.

I whirl on him. “Really? Are you trying to get rid of me, now?” My heart squeezed tight at the thought of this. It had always been Dad and me. Always. I didn’t want that to change ever.

Mom stood up quickly. “I can see now that this was a mistake,” she said. “I’m sorry, Alabama. But it was so nice to meet you. I’m glad you’ve turned out to be so pretty.”

“I’m more than pretty!” I yelled after her as she left. “I’m smart, and talented, and I don’t need you!”

“Alabama!” Dad’s voice was sharp. I knew I’d gone too far. But it was too late. I couldn’t take back my angry words any more than my mom could make up for all those lost years.

CHAPTER 10: CHASING FAME

One thing I learned quickly was that no matter how famous you got, there was always someone more famous. I was already a star. That was obvious by the size of the crowds I drew wherever I went, and the number of likes I got on my TikTok and Simstagram.

My producers started booking me for more and more concerts, at bigger and bigger venues. I even got to sing a duet with Lula Pop – only THE most amazing performer EVER!!

Kids especially loved me. I started a thing with wearing hats all the time. Next thing I knew, it became a trend. Kids all over the country started wearing hats just like mine and singing along to my songs into pretend microphones.

But it wasn’t enough. I wanted more than simple stardom. I wanted to become famous around the whole world, just like Lula Pop. I wanted Alabama Holliday to be one of those names that makes the Ticketseller app crash, because so many people want to come to my shows.

So what was standing between me and superstar status? Just one person. Magnum Farris. He was still my bestie, but he also turned out to be a pain in my rear. His shows sold way more tickets than my shows. And he got to go on TV interviews and everything after his song, Baby Two More Times, hit number one on the pop charts.

If that wasn’t enough, I found out Magnum could do more than just sing. He could play the keyboard AND sing at the same time! So unfair!

“I need to take piano lessons,” I begged my dad. “Pleeeease!”

Dad was actually kind of broke. His new job had an okay salary, and the money I made got mostly stashed away into savings for college. But life in Del Sol Valley was really expensive. And we still lived in the same dumpy house we’d always lived in. I didn’t even have a bedroom of my own and had to sleep on the couch.

But Dad relented, and in addition to my school tutor, he hired me a piano tutor. Thing number two I learned very quickly: playing piano is HARD! I practiced every day for two hours, but I still kept hitting all the wrong keys.

One day, who should appear while I was busy practicing, but Magnum Farris.

“Oh, that was you trying to play?” he asked, pretending to be surprised. “I thought maybe a cat was jumping all over the keys and making that noise.” He laughed and laughed.

“You shut up!” I yelled at him. “Just wait…I’m going to be so much famouser than you, nobody will even remember your name!” He didn’t speak to me for two weeks after that.

While I was busy chasing fame, Dad was working on his own dreams. He liked his job as a businessman, but it was kind of dull. He missed being in the limelight, and he wished he could be doing something important. Something that would make a difference.

One evening, he took a walk around our neighborhood and cut through a local park. He’d often seen homeless people in this park and around the community, but had scarcely paid attention to them. For some reason, on this night, he stopped and looked. Really looked.

He saw how many people there were without homes, and imagined how difficult it must be for them to live this way, without the conveniences so many of us are used to.

Their plight tugged on his insides in a way nothing ever had before.

“I’ve decided that I’m going to do something about the homeless issue in this city,” my dad told Maulik later. “Enough is enough. If the bureaucrats that run this town won’t do anything to help, then it’s time I threw my hat in the ring.”

Maulik raised his eyebrows. “You tellin’ me you’re gonna run for office?”

“Someone has to. And if I can manage to sell people a bunch of expensive underwear, then I can sell them on doing what we need to to make this city a more affordable place to live. For everyone.” Dad pounded the table for emphasis.

“Spoken like a true politician,” said Maulik, nodding in approval. “You got my vote.”

CHAPTER 9: LITTLE MISS ALABAMA HOLLIDAY (AND MAGNUM)

The cool thing about living in such a star-studded city is that anyone with a little bit of talent could become famous overnight. And as my dad discovered, I didn’t just have a little bit of talent. I had a LOT of talent. Dad wasted no time at all in capturing my skills. He drove me to a popular place on the strip, where tourists come all the time, hoping to catch a glimpse of a movie star. He had me stand in front of a microphone he’d borrow from a friend while he operated a big, professional-looking camera.

“Now sing,” he said.

“Sing what?” I asked.

“Anything. Just show off your voice.”

So I sang. I sang songs I’d heard on the radio. Songs by Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez and Harry Styles and Beyonce. I sang every song I knew the lyrics to. Within a few minutes, I began to draw a crowd.

My first crowd!

When I was done with my little acapella performance, everyone stood and applauded. It was the best feeling in the world.

By the end of the week, I had a music producer, who worked with a team to promote me. I still went to normal school during the day, but I spent long afternoons and evenings in the music studio, recording songs someone had written for me to sing. It was fun, but exhausting.

My producers started to book gigs, too. Mostly, they were concerts for some more famous singer, and I was an opening act.

“Introducing a very talented, up-and-coming superstar,” the announcer would tell the audience. “Put your hands together for little Miss Alabama Holliday!” The audience always cheered, then broke into awwwww as I stepped out on the stage and reached up for the microphone. Then I would belt out one of my songs, and everyone went nuts, stamping their feet, whistling, clapping.

For me!

It was all very exiting, but the celebrity life started to take its toll. I was often exhausted after late nights in front of the crowd, or signing autographs, or doing publicity photo shoots. My grades at school started to slip.

“Maybe we should cut back on your concerts and signings,” Dad suggested.

I lost my temper at this. “This is MY career!” I yelled at him. “Don’t you DARE try to sabotage it just because your own career went down the tubes!”

Dad was stunned into silence. Later, he told me he wanted to punish me, but his mind went blank. How exactly do you discipline a celebrity kid? You can’t exactly ground them, or their career might suffer. Instead, he calmly told me to speak to him with respect from now on. Then the next day, he pulled me out of school and signed me up with a tutor who specialized in teaching celebrity kids.

That’s how I met my best friend, Magnum Farris. Like me, Magnum was an up-and-coming singer. And we also liked some of the same stuff, like swimming and trading Voidcritter cards.

“You’re my first-ever best friend,” he told me. “Before you, all I had was my mom.”

“I totally get it,” I said. And I did. Because before I met Magnum, all I had was my dad. And Maulik, of course.

“Be careful with this new friend,” Dad told me. “You’re both competing for the same spot. Just remember that the sky isn’t wide enough for two suns to shine at the same time.”

At that moment, I became determined to prove him wrong.

CHAPTER 8: THE KID WITH PIPES

My dad became a different person almost overnight. First, he turned into a clean freak, scrubbing and vacuuming our house until it glistened. He set out rat traps and insect bait and made our house much safer and cleaner. He even took down the pictures of himself modeling underwear. Well, most of them.

The biggest change was that my dad retired from the modeling business. He got a job working in an office.

The work was kind of boring by comparison, he said. No glamorous trips, no photo shoots on tropical beaches. But it paid well, and he got along with his new coworkers.

Best of all, the hours were shorter. He was able to see me off to school every morning and spend every evening and weekend with me.

Occasionally, I still hung out upstairs with Maulik, who was often busy painting, but still made time for me. One day, he even painted a picture just for me. I liked it so much that I made up a song about it and sang it for Maulik. I sang all the time when I was by myself, but it was the first time I’d ever sung for anyone else before. He was shocked.

Later how told my dad all about it. “You know, I think your daughter has a really special talent. You ought to hear those pipes. Kid can blow!”

Dad had never heard me sing before. “You think so?” he asked.

“Yup. You need to get her signed up with a music producer. She’s that good, man.”

Dad wasn’t sure. He knew how hard it could be for talented kids to grow up in the public eye, and he just wanted me to live a normal, happy life.

Only, I wasn’t normal, and I wasn’t happy. I was lonely. I played by myself and was mostly ignored by other kids my age. The only time I was happy is when I was singing.

Then one day, Dad and Maulik took me to the local park. Maulik was busy making art while Dad shot some hoops.

I had no one to play with and felt too shy to talk to other kids. So I started to sing. I was only singing to myself, but then a bunch of other kids started crowding around me to listen.

“You’re really good,” one of them said. “Are you like, famous?”

My dad noticed the crowd and came over to check on me. When he heard me sing, he stopped in his tracks. For the first time, he saw that I was an extraordinary kid. I was bound for much bigger things than he or I had ever imagined.

CHAPTER 7: WHAT MY DAD DID RIGHT

Now that you know that this is a story about my father and me, I’ll tell you the rest from my perspective.

My dad…well, he did his best. Thrust into parenthood all of a sudden, with no parenting classes or books or even TikTok videos to guide him, he was kind of clumsy about the whole thing. Sometimes it took him a little too long to change my diapers, and he didn’t always remember to place me on my back instead of my tummy. And our house was probably not the safest or cleanest environment to raise a baby. But with the help of his friends, he somehow managed to keep Baby Me alive. So I guess that was the most important thing.

He got a lot of things right, too. Dad read me stories, and he was always willing to get down on the floor to play with me. Sometimes I think he liked to play with my toys even more than I did.

But most of what I remember about my early childhood was how alone I felt. I can’t blame my dad. Antares was a very popular model, and that meant frequent long days at photo shoots, away from home. And to his credit, I’m sure he hired babysitters or left me in his roommate’s care.

I spent a lot of my childhood alone, playing games on my toddler tablet and eating in front of the TV.

Dad was there for me in his way. He never forgot special occasions, like my birthday. I’m grateful for that.

But still, he was gone a lot. I couldn’t exactly invite other kids over to play, because who would want to play in my weird house, with all those photos on the walls of my dad in his underwear? Did he have any idea how creepy that was?

As for my mom, well, she and the Mountain got married after they filmed an action movie together. Then they signed contracts to shoot another film, and then another. So one year stretched into two, then three, and so on. She sent postcards and money, and as I grew older, she even called me on the phone occasionally, filled with news about her world travels and film shoots. When we hung up, I’d usually go into a sad funk for a day or two, not talking much to anyone.

Anyway, I finally confessed to Maulik about how sad I was feeling.

“Cheer up, princess. I’ll talk to your dad for you,” he said. I felt better already.

True to his word, Maulik took Dad aside. “Look man, it’s time you get your shit together. You can’t be staying out all hours of the day and night doin’ who knows what. Your daughter needs you.”

Dad frowned at this. He knew Maulik was right. But all he knew was modeling, and he had to take every job that came his way in order to make ends meet. But the truth was, he was approaching his thirties. His agent was sending fewer jobs his way, as all the underwear companies wanted younger models to show off their stuff.

“I don’t know how else to make a living,” he admitted. “I started modeling straight out of high school. I don’t exactly have any other skills I can use to make money.”

“The lucky thing is, it’s never too late to switch it up,” said Maulik. He loaned Dad an old computer of his and helped him get enrolled in online classes at the local community college. Going to school meant a lot of extra hard work, but my Dad stuck with it, often studying long after I’d already gone to sleep.

That was the beginning of when our lives started to change. But things didn’t change in the way you might imagine.

CHAPTER 6: BABY ALABAMA

Late one night, the doorbell rang just as Antares was climbing into bed. Exhausted after a long, challenging day on the set, shooting a commercial for men’s shampoo, he pulled the covers over his head and tried to ignore it. But then it rang again. And again. Then one long, drawn-out ring, followed by an annoying blast of short rings.

“Alright, alright,” he grumbled, climbing out of bed and yanking on some clothes. “This better be an emergency,” he said as he marched over to answer the door. “Do you realize it’s almost two in the m—” He stopped, mouth dropping open in surprise.

It was Kelsey.

He hadn’t seen her in months. And now here she stood, on his porch, looking as beautiful as ever, despite the deep shadows beneath her eyes.

“Hello Antares,” she said. “Aren’t you going to invite us in?”

Us. It was then that Antares noticed the squirming bundle cradled in Kelsey’s arms.

“Is that….a baby?” he asked.

“Yep.” Without waiting, Kelsey came inside. She lay the baby on the couch, went outside again, and returned a moment later, rolling a pink, frilly bassinet. Parking it in the kitchen, she began to pull items out of it. “There are plenty of bottles here, formula, clothes…” She stacked everything on the couch, then picked up the baby and placed her in the bassinet. “There are enough diapers for a day or two, I think.”

“What’s going on?” asked Antares. “Whose baby is this?”

Kelsey straightened up and looked at him. “She’s your daughter.”

The room spun. “Wait…what?” Antares took a breath that didn’t seem to fill his lungs. “I’m not…I don’t have a daughter.”

“Hello?” Kelsey waved a hand. “Your daughter’s right here.” As if on cue, the infant began to cry.

Antares covered his ears. “How do you make it stop crying?”

“She, not it.” Kelsey scowled. “And you get to make her stop crying. I’m out.”

“What do you mean, out? You’re not leaving!”

“I have to,” she said. “Okay? Davis and I—” Antares recoiled at the name of Kelsey’s boyfriend. “Oh grow up!” said Kelsey. “Davis and I got offered lead roles in a new movie. It’s an amazing opportunity, and of course we accepted.”

“What does that have to do with me?” Antares raised his voice over the sound of the baby’s cries, which had increased in intensity. “Why is she still crying?”

“I don’t know, she’s probably hungry!” Kelsey said. “Anyway, we start filming in three days, onset in Costa Rica. We’ll be there at least a year.”

“A year! You expect me to take care of that…her for an entire year? Are you out of your mind?”

“Oh, so just because I’m the mother, I’m supposed to give up my career to raise a kid? My career’s worth way more than yours.”

She was right, and Antares knew it. But how was it fair for her to waltz in here, after months with no communication, and spring something like this on him? “I don’t know anything about raising a baby,” he muttered.

“You’ll learn.” Kelsey shrugged, then headed for the door.

“Wait! What’s her name?”

Kelsey looked back. “Her name is Alabama. Alabama Faith Holliday.”

(“Grama, that’s your name! Were you the little baby?”

“Yes, yes, I was the baby. Now hush and let me tell the story.”)

Antares made a face. “Alabama? After the song?”

“No. After the place I grew up.” Her voice took un a soft, southern drawl he’d never heard her use before. “After the beautiful state where her people still live.” With that, she left, leaving him alone with a baby who was still screaming her little lungs out.

He stared down at her, paralyzed with fear. What was he supposed to do? What if he screwed up her life the way he was currently screwing up his own life?

“What in God’s name are you doin’ up in here with a baby?” asked Maulik, who had burst into the room. “I thought it was a cat yowling.”

“I’m trying to get her to quiet down,” said Antares. “I think she hates me.”

“I think she’s hungry,” said Maulik. He picked up one of the bottles and set about preparing some formula. When the bottle was ready, her handed it to Antares. “You have to pick her up and feed her.”

Hands trembling, Antares reached into the bassinet and scooped up the baby. When he lifted the bottle , her tiny mouth latched onto the nipple and began to suck hungrily. Soon, the bottle was empty, and little Alabama was fast asleep. Antares gently placed her back into the bassinet.

“So…you’ve got a kid,” said Maulik.

Antares swallowed down the panic he felt. He nodded. “I’ve got a kid.”

CHAPTER 5: ANTARES VS. THE MOUNTAIN

By the time his doorbell rang the next evening, Antares had already forgotten about the drunken phone call he’d made. But when he saw Davis Duff standing on his front porch, it all came rushing back. Anger surging through his veins, he yanked open the door and stepped outside.

“Look, dude, I don’t want to start any trouble,” said Davis. “I just came over here to tell you to your face that you’d better keep your hands off my girl.”

Antares snorted. “She wasn’t your girl when my hands were all over her. In fact, she didn’t mention you at all.”

With a growl, the Mountain lunged at Antares.

Though he had to weigh twice as much as Antares, Antares was able to throw a few good punches, one of which knocked his rival off balance. Davis flipped over the metal railing and tumbled to the hard ground below, whacking his head against a stray chunk of concrete. Blood still roaring in his ears, Antares stared down at Davis, who lay unmoving on the ground, eyes closed.

A crowd of neighbors began to gather, all staring at Davis’s body in the dirt.

“It’s the Mountain!” someone cried out.

“Oh my god, is he dead?”

“Call an ambulance!”

Antares tugged at the collar of his t-shirt, which seemed to be choking him. He couldn’t have killed Davis, right? It was just a stupid fight. Which Davis had instigated, he reminded himself.

Luckily, Davis opened his eyes and sat up just before the emergency vehicles arrived. Unluckily, when the police asked what had happened, Davis pointed a finger at Antares.

“He attacked me and tried to kill me!” he said. The police, who were huge fans of the Mountain’s films, immediately arrested Antares.

After sitting in a jail cell all night, Antares finally managed to get ahold of Maulik, who posted bail.

“Looks like you’re free to go,” said the police officer on duty. “But hey, can I get your autograph first?”

“You must have me mixed up with someone else,” Antares said glumly. “I’m not famous.” If he had been, maybe he could have convinced Kelsey to stay with him, instead of returning to her loser action hero boyfriend.

“Look, don’t even trip,” said Maulik once they were back at home. “My wife’s brother’s a lawyer. He’ll get this whole mess straightened out.”

“Wait…your who’s brother?” asked Antares, blinking at his roommate.

“My wife.”

“Since when?” As far as Antares knew, Maulik was just a bachelor like him, living alone in the apartment upstairs. “And anyway, I thought you were gay.”

 “Naw, bruh. I’m pan AF,” said Maulik. “And Perla and me got married four years ago. I didn’t tell nobody. She lives in the Philippines, though, taking care of her sick mama.”

“Why didn’t you move to the Philippines, too?”

Maulik laughed and waved a hand dismissively. “What would I be doing up the Philippines? Do I look like I speak Tagalog? I have a hard enough time trying to speak Tamil with my Indian family.”

After that, Antares threw himself into work. He took on every modeling gig that came his way, except for two offers to pose in the nude. That just wasn’t his thing.

He also took on a few small acting gigs his agent scrounged up. He hated the long days on the set, but if he had to be a famous actor to capture the heart of Kelsey Holliday, then he was willing to do whatever it took.

When he wasn’t working, he was compulsively dating. Although maybe dating wasn’t quite the right word for it.

He wasn’t proud of his recently behavior. He treated some of the women he was seeing like trash. Sometimes literally.

And he let a few treat him like trash, too, which seemed to even the score. He’d hit a new low, and he didn’t know how to climb back up. He wasn’t even sure if he cared. The truth was, Kelsey Holliday was the only woman he’d ever loved. And now that she was gone, he didn’t think he could ever love anyone again.

I’m happy to say that he could not have been more wrong.