Kevin absolutely loved spending time with Kristin. He loved it more than anything, so he was bummed that she was in New York. Bummed at the fact that she was working and he wasn't.
He was going to travel back up there but decided against it. He figured time alone would be a good thing for him. He hadn't had much free time lately. Even with the hiatus, he had kept extremely busy. Chicago being the thing that took up most of his time.
All the time in the world now though.
He had told his agent, after is favorable reviews in Chicago, that he would be willing to look at any acting offers that were thrown his way. He had the confidence he needed.
At least he thought he did.
He was naive at first. Just like he was when he got into this business in the first place. He assumed that anything he wanted he would get. No offers had come though. Little things like national tours and smaller less established companies were interested in him, but nothing like the scope a Broadway show gave him. Or the Backstreet Boys.
Both things larger than life.
So, as the days passed by he grew less and less confident and more and more weary of his talents.
To take his mind off things he journeyed to the beach. He couldn't remember the last time he had been there just for the sake of going. No stupid photo shoot, no promotional stop, just relaxation. He loved sitting there on the sand, letting the waves rush in to hit his feet.
One of the perks to living in California, was being this close to the ocean. It seemed you couldn't really go anywhere in this state without eventually falling into the ocean. He thought about brining a surfboard. But not wanting to draw attention to himself he decided against it.
He laid his towel down and sat watching the waves.
Picking up stones he tossed them making them skip through the water. He did that with his father on countless trips to the lake near his home as a child. The men of the Richardson household gone fishing, his dad used to kid. He would say that, before giving Mom a peck on the cheek and whispering something sweet into her ear.
They would spend the entire day at the lake. Fishing, swimming, and bonding. He and his older brothers listening to his father's tales. Sometimes his dad would go on and on about the silliest things, but it never bothered Kevin. He would sit and listen for hours. Long after Jereld and Tim would grow board and go off by themselves. He would stay behind.
"You're a good boy Kevin" Dad would tell him patting his head and wrapping an arm around his shoulder. "I love you son"
That's why Kevin always associated water with the people he loved and cared about. So it was normal for him now to think about his father as the waves crashed against the rockwall off to his side.
He thought about his father all the time, but it seemed to happen more often these days. He would find himself stealing a look up into the clouds before he did anything. Still seeking his father's approval. Waiting for that pat on the head followed by "You're a good boy Kevin, I love you son"
He wondered what his father would have thought about all of this.
Glancing at his watch he smiled. He had all the time in the world but yet he always felt rushed. Nothing to do, nowhere to be, but it didn't matter. Relaxing felt like failure. So he pulled himself off the sandy ground, picked up his towel and headed for home. Maybe a call from his agent would be waiting for him.
Maybe a call from Kristin.
As he walked away, he once again glanced up to the sky, seagulls were flying directly over his head. He took that as a sign that dad was watching.
Watching and proud...
