The camera pans between Lincoln and his family in the front row as he blows them a kiss.
“Aw, your boy is gone,” Millicent says. I can’t tell if she’s secretly happy or not. She didn’t watch him during his first stint on reality TV, so she clearly doesn’t have the attachment I do.
“I want Henry to win,” Ryder declares.
Henry is a Michael Bublé wannabe. I feel like he would have done well ten years ago, but his sound would be hard to brand in today’s market.
“Sure, we can root for Henry,” I say, trying not to show how much Lincoln’s elimination has bummed me out.
“Can they still give Lincoln a record deal?” Daisy asks.
I wrap my arm around her shoulder. “I hope so. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”
Millicent stands up. “We should probably put you two munchkins to bed. Daisy, your mum has a big day tomorrow.”
The kids complain, but I echo Millicent’s statement. “That’s right. I have to leave early, so I need a good night’s rest.”
Tomorrow, I’m flying to Sydney to pitch to the acquisitions department of a chain of independent supermarkets to try and convince them they should stock my bento boxes. My business is a meal delivery service that creates cute and healthy lunches for school kids. My mum is Japanese, so I’ve been to Japan a lot, and a few years ago I became obsessed with the art of designing edible masterpieces with a few simple ingredients. My favourite thing to do is create animals and cartoon characters out of rice, egg, and seaweed. I started uploading photos to Instagram, and almost immediately, people asked me where they could learn how to make them, so I ran a few online tutorials. But it turned out everyone really just wanted the finished product, so I began working with a chef to have them made in bulk to sell at markets. From that point, it just snowballed. I now have a website where customers can order my stuff directly, and after tomorrow, I’m hoping I can start stocking them in the refrigerated section of supermarkets throughout the east coast.
I get the kids organised with their toothbrushes and give Millicent a quick hug. “Thank you so much for looking after Daisy while I’m away.”
“It’s cool. Your place is nicer than mine anyway, so I’m happy to stay here. Plus, I expect a very expensive present once you land this deal.”
“No problem. What are we talking? A fancy dinner at Urbane? Or a sports car?”
“Yeah, I’m thinking along the lines of a new Audi convertible,” she says, eyes twinkling.
I laugh. “We’ll discuss this again if I get the contract.”
“You are totally scoring that contract. Now go on, get your beauty sleep. I’ll see you when you’re back.”
I kiss Ryder on the top of his head and pull Daisy in for a big noisy kiss on the cheek. She shrieks. “Mum! You put spit all over me!”
I playfully wipe her face with my hand. “Love you, honey. I’ll be gone before you wake up in the morning, but you know you can get Missy to call me if you want anything.” Millicent doesn’t like it when we use her proper name, saying it sounds like an old grandma, so it’s always Miss or Missy.
“I know. Love you, too.”
I tuck her into bed and make sure Ryder is comfortable on the floor on the trundle before checking that Millicent is set for linen in the spare room.
I head to bed and lie there, staring at the ceiling. My brain is a jumble of thoughts.
As I drift off to sleep, flashes of bento boxes and Lincoln Page blend together in a nonsensical montage of weirdness.
I hope one day I can find my own rockstar.
TWO
Lincoln
I walk backstage and let out a deep breath. So. It’s over. I’m not quite sure how I feel yet. On the one hand, I’m disappointed. Of course I wanted to win. But on the other, it’s kind of a relief. After what happened the last time I won a reality singing show, I was scared of history repeating itself.
The rest of the cast and crew are waiting for me in the wings, and they all line up to give me the obligatory post-elimination hug. I knew it was coming because I’d done the same thing to all the other contestants who left before me.
“Well done, mate,” my mentor, JC, says as he pats me on the back. “You did me proud.”
“Thanks. Sorry our team didn’t win.”
He waves a hand dismissively. “It’s just a show. It doesn’t mean anything in the scheme of things. What’s important is what you do next. You’ve built up a decent fan base, so you need to capitalise on that now. What’s the current situation with your band?”
I’ve been in a cover band for the last ten years. We mostly play local gigs, but the pay is barely enough to support my family. When it’s particularly slow, I work as a barista at a friend’s coffee shop in the city.
“They’re eager to get back to a regular playing schedule. Obviously, I haven’t been around much, so they’ve suffered a bit financially.”
“Well, I might be able to do something about that. I was talking to…”
“Lincoln.”
I turn to see Rachel and the girls standing behind me. The twins run up and each grab one of my legs.
“We’ll finish this conversation later,” JC says. “Come find me when you’re done.”
“Will do.” I bend down and wrap the girls in a hug. “You two are up way past your bedtime.”
“But we’re not tired, Dad!” Isabella protests.
“Yeah, we’re big girls,” Madison adds.
“I never said you weren’t. But it’s getting late. I have to stay for a bit longer, otherwise I’d come home with you right now. Mummy will take care of you tonight, and then I’m all yours from tomorrow onwards.”
“So that’s it?” Rachel says. “You’re done?”
“I guess. I mean, I’ll be in the finale for a couple of group performances, but that won’t require much time to rehearse.” I look up at my beautiful partner and see she doesn’t seem particularly happy. “Are you all right?”
“I’m just disappointed.”
I stand up so we’re at the same level. “Because I didn’t win?”
“Of course! You worked so hard for this. I thought for sure you’d make it to the end.”
“It doesn’t matter. It was a great experience, and I managed to get my name out there again. I’m sure that can only mean good things for the band.”
She doesn’t say anything. I didn’t realise she was so invested in the outcome.
I kiss her on the forehead. “Don’t be sad. This is all good. Hey, do you want me to see if we can get a babysitter for the girls and then you can hang out here with me tonight? We’ll have a few drinks…”
“No, no. I think it would be best if I took the girls home myself. They’ve had enough excitement for one day.”
“As long as you’re sure. I won’t stay out all night—probably just an hour or so to thank JC and the crew. Is that all right?”
She nods. “Come on, girls, we need to go.”
“No! We want to stay with Daddy!” Madison wails.