Family Plan

Nemo Farid:

"Sweetie," my mom says. She looks away from the clipboard in her hands and looks at me. "I still don't really get it."

"Neither do I," my dad says. He stops setting up the museum's exhibits and looks at me. "How exactly did you get a 'starring role' in an upcoming movie? I mean, what were you even doing at a movie studio?"

"Uhhh," I say. I look to my side and see Akio just standing there with his arms crossed. When he sees me looking at him, Akio just shrugs his shoulder.

"Uhh, I was just...there," I answer, trying to be as truthful as I can. "And the producer, I think, saw me, and for some reason that I still can't really understand, he said I have potential to be 'Boston's new stars'."

I shake my head when I'm done talking. It's the day after I was "hired" and after my parents asked me if I wanted a sneak peek at the newest exhibit at the Boston Natural History Museum where both of them work as curators, our conversation somehow turned toward my new job.

"Potential," my mom repeats.

"To be an actor," my dad goes on. "Nemo. It's not that we don't believe in you. You're our son. We do believe in you, and you are a very smart kid."

"Thank you for all of that, Dad," I say, "But I sense a 'but' incoming. What's the 'but'?"

My dad sigh when I say this. His head bounces up and down like he's trying not to say what he wants to say but the words force their way up.

"But, do you remember your second-grade play?"

Almost immediately, I see a flash and I find myself back in the second grade, doing the play. I can't remember exactly what happened but I do remember my mom and dad, along with all the other parents, cheering, laughing, and taking pictures. Shortly afterward, I remember all of them screaming and running for their lives. Then the manager of the Franklin Park Zoo telling me and my parents we are forever banned from the zoo. The flashback ends with the zoo staff taking our pictures and thumbprints.

"Yeah, Dad," I say through my teeth. "I remember my second-grade play. They still have our pictures taped in the ticket booths. On the bright side, it's not like we go to the zoo a lot anyway."

"The second-grade play," Akio whispers. "What happened during your play? And what is this about a zoo?"

I wave my hand, motioning for Akio to be quiet.

"It wasn't my fault," I whisper, leaning to tell Akio without looking too suspicious in front of my parents. "At least, not entirely. The goat was the one that chewed the ropes. And I didn't know that myth about mice and elephants was true."

"What?"

I wave my hand again and turn away from Akio.

"Nemo," my mom says, "So what are you going to do? Are you going start acting?"

"I don't know," I answer with a sigh. "I honestly don't. I mean, for now, I guess I'll do it and see how things go."

"Really," my dad asks.

"Yes, really. Dad. Besides, I won't be alone. Noon will be with me."

"Oh, Noon," my mom says with a big smile. "The girl from your class? Oh, she's lovely."

"Yeah," I say, "She is. Anyway."

I look to the side at the exhibit my parents have been working on since early this morning.

"Mom. Dad. What is all of this?"

I take a step back to fully look at the new exhibit. When I do, I see a whole display of beautifully shining flowers behind a large glass window.

"Seriously, what is all of this? This looks amazing."

My dad laughs as he climbs down the ladder. Walking to my side, he places his hand on my shoulder and looks at the exhibit with me.

"This i the museum's newest exhibit," my dad starts, "Glass flowers."

"Glass flowers," I repeat.

"Glass flowers," Akio repeats.

"Glass flowers," my mom says. She joins my dad and me and looks at the exhibit with us.

"Why are we all looking at glass flowers," Akio asks.

"I don't know. Mom. Dad. What are we all looking at glass flowers?"

"Nemo," my mom says. Judging from her crooked eyebrows, she looked a little mad. "These are more than glass flowers. This is one of the museum's most treasured collections. These glass flowers are almost 100 years old. Made by Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka, a father and son team of Czech glass artists, the two spent over 50 years studying almost 800 plant species to make these."

"Wow," I say, taking another hard look at the glass flower. "That's quite an accomplishment."

"It is," my dad says with a nod. "It makes you think. Could the two of us do something as amazing as Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka?"

My dad then looks down at me with teary eyes.

"Uhhh," I say, my eyes shooting around. They dart to Akio, then to the glass flower, and finally to the floor. None of which help me."Suurrreeee Daddd."

I grab my dad's hand and pull it off me.

"I--I need to go to the restroom. See you, Mom. Bye, Dad. I'll see you at home."

I wave at my parents as I run to the restroom.

Raymond Farid:

"Raymond," my wife starts. "Not to be rude or anything but I think that was a bit forced."

I sigh and lower my shaking head.

"I'm sorry Quinn," I say, looking at my wife in her eyes. "I know it was a bit forced, but, well, don't you think it had been a while since the three of us did something altogether? Or, I don't know, even just the two of us? I mean, when was the last time you and Nemo did something together?"

My wife opens my mouth to say something but all I hear is the sound of the museum's a.c running. I can tell my wife is racking her brain for an answer but she's having a very hard time.

"You can't remember, can you?"

Quinn shakes her head.

"Okay," Quinn says with dropped shoulders. "I'll admit, maybe it had been awhile since we did anything as a family, but there's nothing we can do about it. We're busy with work, and our son is growing up. He had other interests, other people that he rather be with."

Now I'm the one with the dropped shoulders.

"I guess," I say, shaking my head. "Still."

Looking at the glass flowers, handcrafted by Leopold and Rudolf, I raise my shoulders a bit.

"I can have a little bit of hope. We can have a little bit of hope."

Hearing this, Quinn steps up and kisses me on the cheek. I smile and look at my wife.

"Come on," she says with a wave of her hand. "We still have to get the rest of Blaschka flowers from the museum's basement."

"I'm coming," I say, following my wife.

Fox:

Throwing my orange and red hairs over my shoulder, I reach into my jacket pocket and pull out a stick of gum. Taking off the wrapper, I throw the gum into my mouth. I chew it while watching the two leave the glass flower display.

"Finally," I think with a roll of my eyes. "Took them forever to leave."

Turning around, I pat the security guard on the head as I take his ID badge.

"Thanks for giving me control of the cameras. I'll be leaving now."

The security guard tries to stop me from leaving but with hands, feet, and mouth all duck-taped, all he can do is jump up and down while moaning and groaning.

Leaving the security office, making sure to close the door before I go, I then look up at the ceiling. More precisely, a vent in the ceiling.

Jumping and climbing in, I make sure to close the vent before crawling through it.

"Let me see, let me see."

I blow a bubble as I pull out and look at my phone screen. According to the map I managed to get, this vent should lead me right to the glass flower display.

"Shiny, expensive, jeweled flowers," I think with a smile. "Here I come."

Akio Hisashi:

While Nemo is talking about something, I stop and look up.

"Did you hear that?"

"Hear what," Nemo asks. He walks to where I am and looks up. The two of us are looking at the ceiling but I don't see anything unusual.

"I thought I heard something," I say. I keep looking at the ceiling, scanning it thoroughly. I focus on a series of large metal pipes. The pipes seem to be leading to many different locations.

"Akio," Nemo says, waving his hand in front of me. "Hey, please. I could really use your help here."

"Why," I ask, still looking at the pipes. Your father wants to spend time with you. What is wrong with that?"

"Nothing," Nemo answers, "Excuse me, my dad and I, we're not exactly close. The same can be said about my mom. I mean, we have family dinner every night, but other than that, we really don't do much together. What am I supposed to do if my dad does ask me to do something with him?"

I shake my head before looking down at Nemo.

"Just do it," I firmly answer. "Your father wants to spend time with you. You should be happy."

"I'm not saying I'm not happy that my dad wants to spend time with me. It's more like, I have no idea what we would be doing if we did spend time together. I'm worried. My parents are smart. They like to attend lectures and learn all sorts of new things. The last lectures they attended together it was about jumpstarting their own business."

"That is funny," I say, "I wasn't aware your parents wanted to start their own business."

"They don't," Nemo replies. "They just went to learn how to jumpstart one. Akio, I'm an artist. I like to draw and create new things. As far as I can tell, my parents have never once attended any lectures having to do with art. We don't have any common interests. What am I supposed to do?"

"Listen, Nemo," I say, looking my hosuto straight in his eyes. "You are thinking too much about this. Your parents want to spend time with you. That is it. Now, please follow me. I think something is about to happen."

"Something is about to happen," Nemo repeats, following me. "What is about to happen?"

"I think the glass flowers are about to be stolen," I answer.