Page 121 of Rhymes with Metaphor
Chapter 29: Joel Finds His Maxibon
Reg looked after Joelwhile his foot healed.Because Joel couldn’t put any weight on his foot for the first while after it was done, Reg would drop him off at M.House each morning and collect him in the afternoon when he was finished, then drive him to the studio where the audio play was being recorded.According to Joel, participating in the audio play was much less taxing, as he didn’t have to voice all of the dialog.He found the experience much more enjoyable than reading a book aloud.He enjoyed it so much that he made an announcement after the play had concluded, at a late lunch he and Reg were eating to celebrate.
Once the server had delivered their food and left the table, Joel said, with exaggerated casualness, “I’ve found my Maxibon.”
“What?”
“I want to be an actor.”
“You already are, in a sense.”
“No,” said Joel.“I want to formally train to be an actor.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes,” said Joel.“I’ve been thinking about it since I read your poems at the Old Mill.Then when you got me a part in this play, I knew that’s what was right for me.But I don’t want to just do audio plays.I want to do stage acting too.”
“What do you plan to do?”
“Apply to Juilliard,” said Joel, setting down his fork.
“There’s a ‘but’ in there.”
“It’s expensive.I had a full scholarship for pre-med, but I lost that when I dropped out.Technically, I have some money—I got part of the life insurance settlement when my dad died, but...”
“Yes?”
“Technically, it’s my dad’s money, and he wanted me to be a doctor.”
“Wouldn’t he want you to be happy?”
“Even if I told myself that, the money’s in trust till I turn twenty-one, and I don’t know if it’ll be enough to cover everything.”
“I’ll pay for it.”
“It’s a lot of money, Reg.I don’t know if I’ll ever make enough as an actor pay you back.”
“Your idea of a lot of money and mine are quite different, I think.And it would be a gift, not a loan.”
Joel named the figure.“That’s tuition for the whole four years, and it doesn’t include living expenses—in New York City.”
