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the best photographers in the country for Angel’s modeling portfolio. I was doing everything to help my daughter pursue her dreams, and everything that she wanted and needed was right here in Los Angeles.
    Angel scooted away from me and crossed her legs yoga-style. Her face glowed as she said, “Mom, you should see the school. It’s amazing.”
    â€œYou’ve been there?” I asked, wondering when Bobby and Caroline had snuck Angel to New York.
    â€œI haven’t, but I know a lot about it. Mom Caroline and I used to watch this old TV show called Fame . It was about all these kids who wanted to grow up to be all kinds of performers, and after every show, Mom Caroline always said that I was better than all of those actors. She said that she thought that would be a good school for me.”
    When Angel said Caroline’s name, my ears perked right up. “So, it was a TV show about the high school?” I asked, crossing my arms.
    â€œUh-huh. There were all these cool actors and a long, long, long time ago even Janet Jackson was on it. She was way younger then, but, Mom, so many famous people graduated from that school. Like Robert De Niro and Al Pacino and Ben Vereen and Jennifer Aniston.”
    How did my child know all of this?
    â€œI did my research,” she said, anticipating my question. “I’ve been reading everything I can. I looked on the Internet and Mom Caroline found out a lot of stuff about the school, too. She even had them mail me some information.”
    I was beginning to smell a rat. A refined, rich, well-dressed rat! “And where is all this information?”
    â€œAt Dad’s. Mom Caroline kept it, but after we got it, we talked to Dad and told him that I really wanted to go there. And he said that it sounded like I’d thought it all out in a mature way, so that’s why they’re changing their whole life around. Just for me.”
    I wanted to ask my daughter why she’d done all of this with Caroline. Why hadn’t she talked to me? But it was beginning to sound like this hadn’t been Angel’s idea alone.
    â€œThat’s all good, but why move across the country when you’re living where all the movies are made? If you need better acting lessons and dance classes, we’ll find them, but—”
    â€œNo, Mom.” She sighed like I didn’t know anything. Then she went on to school me. “Most movies are filmed in Atlanta or even Canada now because of tax breaks.”
    How did Angel know this?
    â€œL.A. used to be the film capital of the world, but not anymore,” she said, shaking her head as if she were an expert.
    â€œAnd really, as an actress, I think I’d like to try theater rather than film because it’s live acting and you get to interact with the audience, and get immediate feedback. Being on the stage, being on Broadway, now that’s real, real, real acting.”
    It had to be all over my face—I was in awe. My child was weeks away from being twelve, but just like Bobby said, she’d put a lot of thought into . . . her future.
    Was going to New York really the best thing for my child?
    No!
    Especially not if it had been Caroline’s idea.
    â€œWell,” I began, “you’ve given me a lot to think about and we still have a couple of years—”
    â€œIt’s not that far away,” she said, not letting me finish. “There’s a lot to do. It’s a public school, you have to be a resident of New York, so Dad has to pull some strings. He said I might have to do my last year of middle school in New York.”
    What!
    She continued, “And I have to get prepared to audition.”
    After a moment I said, “I’ll think about all of this . . .” I kept the rest of the words to myself—and my answer would still be no.
    â€œThanks, Mom!” She kissed my cheek. “You’re the greatest.”
    I opened my