Page 34 - James Caan - The Real Deal

The Real Deal

We were all scared about how he would react. In the history of
our family no one had ever stood up to him. This was new
territory for all of us. I think my brother spoke to him first and
said I was talking about moving out, but my dad wouldn’t believe
it unless he heard it from me. I remember just pacing up and down,
not sleeping, not knowing how I was going to explain it to him.
All I could think about for days was him and what his reaction
would be, trying to anticipate what he would say and if I would
be able to respond.
The following Saturday, before he went out to see his clients, I
plucked up the courage and went to talk to him. My brothers and
sisters all knew what I was going to tell him and so they stayed
upstairs. My dad was in our drawing room and as I stood at the
doorway I had a lump in my throat so big I wasn’t sure if I’dbe
able to speak.
‘Can I have a word?’ I managed.
He nodded.
My heart was beating so hard that I had trouble getting the
words out, but eventually I told him that I didn’t want to go to
school any more. At first he perhaps thought that this was because
I wanted to start working with him, but then I dropped my
bombshell.
‘I don’t want to join the family business. I want to do my own
thing. And I am moving out.’
There was silence for a moment. His first words were: ‘Well,
where are you going to go?’
I think he thought I would crash at a friend’s.
‘I’ve found a place.’
He was calmer than I had expected.
‘And where have you found a place? How have you found a
place?’
‘It was advertised . . .’
‘Whose place is it?’

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