Todd

What’s so bad about a cheery demeanor? Well, probably nothing if the smile doesn’t come off as the sort of grimace Jack Nicholson wore in the movie The Shining. That was Todd, sitting at the showroom’s front desk, grimace in place. He seemed less interested in selling custom cabinets than running you through the large planer, smiling all the way. However, the owner, Mack, seemed oblivious to Todd’s shortcomings as a frontman.

The previous summer, I worked as a temp at the back end of the operation, gluing up small panels for cabinets. It was an OK job for a summer layoff from school, but not something I’d ever want to return to. There I was, though, more than a visitor, less than an employee shooting a documentary, more an infomercial for the owner.

The owner, Mack, decided that Todd would be the video’s narrator. But while watching the results of an afternoon of shooting, Mark realized that Todd wouldn’t make it as a spokesperson. His grimace, looming presence, and anime-like fly-away hair didn’t inspire confidence. A screaming fit ensued, with Mark insisting that Todd visit a dentist and plastic surgeon to rectify the grimace. Long-standing but ignored family issues boiled to the surface, with Mack screaming, ” If you did just one positive thing to improve yourself, fixing your mouth would be it. And your Mother would be so happy!” The Mother comment seemed to make Todd snap. ” There is nothing wrong with me, I’m just as God made me, and I’m satisfied. Even if you and Mother are not!” With that, he strode off, and we did not see him over the next several days.

I had been using some friends from the film school as crew for my shoots. They had noted Todd’s appearance, and before long, he appeared as an actor in video projects produced by film majors. One of the videos won a prize at a competition—a buzz began about the lanky, rather bizarre young actor. Soon, Todd had an agent and several roles in bigger-budget productions. Within a year, he was cast as a character in a Netflix series.

Mack is unhappy, and Mother is unhappy. Every time Todd is mentioned, Mack looks like he has been drinking the juice from several freshly squeezed lemons. But Todd is a good son. The retirement home he built for his parents is slowly overcoming their unhappiness.

Todd did something to help himself, but like most children, it wasn’t what Mom and Dad expected.

Daily writing prompt

Describe one positive change you have made in your life.

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