Mary beams. "A yodeling champion! That sounds precious."
"I haven't stated my request."
"That's precisely the problem, Father. The WMA is the primary governing body for competitive cowboy poetry and yodeling in Texas. If I win their junior yodeling championship, I can leverage the title to propose amendments to their judging rubric. Their current criteria overemphasize 'twang authenticity' over mathematical pitch accuracy. It's an outrage."
The room goes quiet. Brenda sighs. "Mr. Cooper, please—"
The room erupts in applause. Mary cries. George Sr. whispers to Missy: "That's my boy."
Sheldon finishes, red-faced, and walks stiffly offstage.
George almost laughs. "No. They get found out." He hands Sheldon a flyer.
The audition. Sheldon steps onto a small stage. George Sr. and Mary are in the audience—Mary clapping, George with his arms crossed. Missy films on her phone, already bored.