Emily glanced at the clock worriedly, then at her phone. Ian should have been home by now, they had to leave very soon and his clothes for their photo session were still laying on the bed. They had decided it was time to get some family pictures taken of the three of them, since they really didn’t have many posed photographs, just paparazzi shots and candids taken on their phones. But Ian wasn’t home, and he wasn’t answering her texts. Emily was worried to say the least, especially since Sophia was cranky and wasn’t going to cooperate very well for photos, she didn’t think. But at least she and Sophia were dressed and ready, in case Ian got home immediately and changed faster than he ever had.
It reached the point where Emily knew she had to leave if she wanted any chance of making it to the photographer on time, and she decided that she’d go and hope that Ian met them there. She texted him the address of the location where the photos would be taken, and then she got herself and Sophia’s things and got her daughter settled in the car. She drove them to the location, sighing as she parked the car. Her phone still had no messages from Ian, nor was his car anywhere near them. She got Sophia out of the car quickly, knowing they were already late, and she hurried inside, a huge bag of things in tow in order to keep Sophia happy throughout the photo shoot.
The photographer greeted them when Emily walked through the door, and once Emily had set Sophia’s carseat on the floor she started filling out forms for the photographer. Sophia immediately started fussing, so Emily bent down and got Sophia out of her seat, balancing the baby on her hip while she filled out paperwork. On the forms, she indicated that they were a party of three, desperately hoping that Ian would show up any minute. When he wasn’t there by the time the photographer read over that page, he looked at Emily curiously. “Is the third dad? Is he on his way?” he asked.
“Yeah, it’s her dad, Ian. But I’m not sure if he’s on his way, something may have come up at work. Let’s just do some of just Sophia for now and hope he shows up,” she said.
The photographer nodded, writing something down. “You can bring her back here when you’re ready,” he said, walking over to his camera. Emily got Sophia settled in her car seat, then brought the car seat over to the backdrop. She put Sophia’s car seat down, and the photographer managed to get a couple shots before Sophia started crying because she realized she wasn’t being held. Emily rushed over to her and picked her up out of the seat, holding her close and humming softly to her. Once Sophia was calmer, she got her daughter set up against some pillows that the photographer had set up, and they did some pictures of Sophia like that. After a few more backdrops and poses, the photographer was clearly running out of ideas, and Ian still wasn’t there.
“Have you heard from him? Is he coming? If not, do you want some of the two of you at least?” the photographer asked.
Emily checked her phone to be sure, then shook her head. “I think he must have forgotten, or something came up. Let’s just do this for today, I’ll pay you for the full session and we’ll schedule again for the three of us. I’m so sorry for wasting your time,” Emily said, her face getting bright red. This photographer wasn’t open to booking for just anyone, and she knew that it looked awful that Ian had no-showed for having his photos taken. But she couldn’t really do anything about that now.
She handed the photographer her credit card, and once he had run it and she signed the receipt, he gave her a printout showing how to view the photos online once they were ready. Emily thanked him and headed out of the studio, Sophia and a huge bag of their things in tow. She got Sophia back into the car. “Daddy’s in trouble, Sophia. I hope he just forgot about us, but we have to pout at him later either way,” she told her daughter while she buckled her in. Once she had Sophia settled, Emily got in the car and started it before driving away. She continued checking her phone at red lights, hoping that Ian would call.
“Ian, we need your say on extending the budget for when we film on location in New York.”
“Ian we need you on set in ten for your scene!”
“Ian, how does this show look? Should we roll it again?”
With every question and comment being thrown in his direction, Ian felt as though he was going to explode. He had never realized just how overwhelming both producing and starring in a movie would be but he knew that he had to find a way to make it work. Wolf of Wall Street was a movie that he believed in, one that he knew was going to make it big and definitely get Oscar nominees. However, there was a lot on his shoulders as well. Since his reputation had been tarnished slightly from his mental struggles, Ian knew that he had to prove himself. He had to show the world that he was getting better and that he could handle both his job and his family without falling apart. It helped that he was working with one of his favorite directors and friends while also having an extremely patient and supportive cast. As the day continued, the photoshoot Emily had set up for him, her and Sophia had completely slipped his mind. His phone had been long forgotten in his trailer as he focused on putting his all into his scenes. Shooting had just begun and he already knew that it was going to be a draining but equally rewarding role. It felt good to know that he had moved on from action movies and could shine in these more serious roles.
The sun had set by the time they wrapped for the day and as Ian walked to his trailer, his director James hurried over to him.
“Ian, you did great today. I know that you have a lot on your plate but we’re going to make an amazing movie. See you tomorrow!” As James headed off, Ian smiled and waved goodbye before he stepped into his trailer and let out a small sigh of relief. That relief, however, immediately disappeared when he grabbed his phone and saw the text messages from Emily. Shit. Of course he had forgotten the photoshoot.
Ian quickly grabbed his things before he hurried to his car and practically sped home, knowing that he was going to be in trouble with his wife. Once he pulled into the garage, he stepped hesitantly into the house before he found Emily and Sophia in the living room. “Em, I am so sorry I missed the photoshoot. I totally forgot and I left my phone in my trailer. Today was so overwhelming with all these people needing me for all different things and filming...” he trailed off as he let out a small sigh, feeling almost out of breath just thinking about his day. “I’m sorry I forgot, baby. What happened when you got there?” he asked her, knowing that he just wanted to make sure she wasn’t angry with him.
