Read Online Lucid by Adrienne Stoltz, Ron Bass - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Adrienne Stoltz, Ron Bass
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actress.
“Fair enough,” says the director, and they proceed to politely ignore me as he shapes her performance for their next scene. So Boris and I sit and watch. We don’t discuss our reactions, but I sense that despite our differences, he agrees with my approval of their individual techniques. For some reason I can’t quite put my finger on, I begin to really like them as a couple. Even when they argue. It makes me wish I could find a guy to argue with. It’s not as easy as you’d think.
When they finish, he begins to strike the set, and she walks straight over to me and sits beside me on the bench.
“I have a dog at home in Barcelona. But he’s a big dog. I prefer bigger dogs.”
“This is Boris. You hate him, admit it.”
“Well,
hate
is such a strong word. Let’s just say that he repels me on every level. At heart, he’s probably a loving and gentle creature, but I somehow doubt it.”
“Wow, you’re a shrewd judge of dogs.”
“Men too,” she says, glancing at Andrew.
It’s clear that he was listening to everything we were saying because he turns and nods his appreciation for the compliment. Boris merely yaps. The actress holds out her hand, tells me her name is Carmen (which I already knew from my eavesdropping) and that her boyfriend (which is exactly how she introduces him) is Andrew, don’t call him Andy.
“What will happen if I do?” I ask, just to see how she’ll respond.
“Tell her, Andy,” she commands without a hint of a smile.
Without missing a beat, he says, “I’ll feel marginalized, diminished, and be reminded of my inferiority in every way to Andy Bachman, who was my nemesis in first grade.”
Carmen studies me. “You’re an actress.”
“Why would you say that?”
“Because I told her I thought you were an actress,” Andrew pipes in without looking up.
Carmen nods. “You were mouthing my lines, after the first take. Would you like to try the scene?”
I laugh. Actors are such a competitive species.
“This is his short film for workshop; I’m just helping him out while I’m working a shoot on the Upper East Side. Believe me, you’d be doing me a favor if he cast you instead.”
He reminds Carmen that her call is in an hour, offers her cab money, and to my surprise she grabs my shoulders and kisses my cheek as she leaves.
Meanwhile, her boyfriend has packed up and is ready to go. He glances at me.
“You weren’t only mouthing the lines, your face was in character.”
He looks at me so directly. His eyes are deep brown with nice lashes I hadn’t noticed before. Then a smile, which is somehow shy and lopsided. I instantly want to be his friend.
“I was trying to pretend I wasn’t watching you,” he says, “but I was. You were really good. I mean, in that moment when she says, ‘It’s been a while,’ your eyes went straight to anger, which I think was the best choice.”
“Then why did you wait a take to suggest it?”
“I wanted to see if she’d find it for herself.”
For a second he looks as if he’s afraid he was being disrespectful, and he quickly adds, “She’s very experienced. She did eight films in Spain, including two with Almodóvar.” I nod, impressed. He keeps looking at me as if he has something more to say. But instead says, “Nice meeting you.”
“I’m Maggie,” I say.
He smiles. “Nice meeting you, Maggie.”
And heads off toward his day.
Boris is now humping a labradoodle of indeterminate gender, who doesn’t even seem to notice. I pull out my phone to snap some doggie porn for Jade and notice a text from, oh my God, Thomas. It says:
Drinks at 6?
Now. There’s an art to this. Which unfortunately I have yet to master. Boris will be no help. Andrew probably wouldn’t have either. Where is Carmen when you need her? If I write
Yes
, does that seem too perfunctory or, on the other hand, too eager? How about
Why not?
Nope, too obviously straining for casualtude. Okay, let’s go with
Sure
. It’s
“Fair enough,” says the director, and they proceed to politely ignore me as he shapes her performance for their next scene. So Boris and I sit and watch. We don’t discuss our reactions, but I sense that despite our differences, he agrees with my approval of their individual techniques. For some reason I can’t quite put my finger on, I begin to really like them as a couple. Even when they argue. It makes me wish I could find a guy to argue with. It’s not as easy as you’d think.
When they finish, he begins to strike the set, and she walks straight over to me and sits beside me on the bench.
“I have a dog at home in Barcelona. But he’s a big dog. I prefer bigger dogs.”
“This is Boris. You hate him, admit it.”
“Well,
hate
is such a strong word. Let’s just say that he repels me on every level. At heart, he’s probably a loving and gentle creature, but I somehow doubt it.”
“Wow, you’re a shrewd judge of dogs.”
“Men too,” she says, glancing at Andrew.
It’s clear that he was listening to everything we were saying because he turns and nods his appreciation for the compliment. Boris merely yaps. The actress holds out her hand, tells me her name is Carmen (which I already knew from my eavesdropping) and that her boyfriend (which is exactly how she introduces him) is Andrew, don’t call him Andy.
“What will happen if I do?” I ask, just to see how she’ll respond.
“Tell her, Andy,” she commands without a hint of a smile.
Without missing a beat, he says, “I’ll feel marginalized, diminished, and be reminded of my inferiority in every way to Andy Bachman, who was my nemesis in first grade.”
Carmen studies me. “You’re an actress.”
“Why would you say that?”
“Because I told her I thought you were an actress,” Andrew pipes in without looking up.
Carmen nods. “You were mouthing my lines, after the first take. Would you like to try the scene?”
I laugh. Actors are such a competitive species.
“This is his short film for workshop; I’m just helping him out while I’m working a shoot on the Upper East Side. Believe me, you’d be doing me a favor if he cast you instead.”
He reminds Carmen that her call is in an hour, offers her cab money, and to my surprise she grabs my shoulders and kisses my cheek as she leaves.
Meanwhile, her boyfriend has packed up and is ready to go. He glances at me.
“You weren’t only mouthing the lines, your face was in character.”
He looks at me so directly. His eyes are deep brown with nice lashes I hadn’t noticed before. Then a smile, which is somehow shy and lopsided. I instantly want to be his friend.
“I was trying to pretend I wasn’t watching you,” he says, “but I was. You were really good. I mean, in that moment when she says, ‘It’s been a while,’ your eyes went straight to anger, which I think was the best choice.”
“Then why did you wait a take to suggest it?”
“I wanted to see if she’d find it for herself.”
For a second he looks as if he’s afraid he was being disrespectful, and he quickly adds, “She’s very experienced. She did eight films in Spain, including two with Almodóvar.” I nod, impressed. He keeps looking at me as if he has something more to say. But instead says, “Nice meeting you.”
“I’m Maggie,” I say.
He smiles. “Nice meeting you, Maggie.”
And heads off toward his day.
Boris is now humping a labradoodle of indeterminate gender, who doesn’t even seem to notice. I pull out my phone to snap some doggie porn for Jade and notice a text from, oh my God, Thomas. It says:
Drinks at 6?
Now. There’s an art to this. Which unfortunately I have yet to master. Boris will be no help. Andrew probably wouldn’t have either. Where is Carmen when you need her? If I write
Yes
, does that seem too perfunctory or, on the other hand, too eager? How about
Why not?
Nope, too obviously straining for casualtude. Okay, let’s go with
Sure
. It’s
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