Read Online Morning Noon & Night by Sidney Sheldon - Free Book Online Page B

course. They’re wonderful! But I think they’ll look especially good on me.” She was so nervous that she was stammering.
    The designer nodded sympathetically. “This is your first job, isn’t it?”
    “Yes, sir.”
    He had smiled. “All right. I’ll try you. What did you say your name was?”
    “Kendall Stanford.” She wondered if he would make the connection between her and the Stanfords, but of course, there was no reason for him to.
    Roxanne had been right. Modeling was a tough business. Kendall had to learn to accept constant rejection, go-sees that led nowhere, and weeks without work. When she didwork, she was in makeup at six A . M ., finished a shoot, went on to the next, and often didn’t get through until after midnight.
    One evening, after a long day’s shoot with half a dozen other models, Kendall looked in a mirror and groaned, “I won’t be able to work tomorrow. Look how puffy my eyes are!”
    One of the models said, “Put cucumber slices over your eyes. Or you can put some chamomile tea bags in hot water, let them cool, and put them over your eyes for fifteen minutes.”
    In the morning, the puffiness was gone.
    Kendall envied the models who were in constant demand. She would hear Roxanne arranging their bookings: “I originally gave Scaasi a secondary on Michelle. Call and tell them that she will be available, so I’m moving them up to a tentative.…”
    Kendall quickly learned never to criticize the clothes she was modeling. She became acquainted with some of the top photographers in the business, and had a photo composite made to go with her portfolio. She carried a model’s bag filled with necessities—clothes, makeup, a nail-care bag, and jewelry. She learned to blow-dry her hair upside down to give it more body, and to add curl to her hair with heated rollers.
    There was a lot more to learn. She was a favorite of the photographers, and one of them pulled her aside to give hersome advice. “Kendall, always save your smiling shots for the end of the shoot. That way, your mouth will have less creasing.”
    Kendall was becoming more and more popular. She was not the conventional drop-dead beauty that was the hallmark of most models, but she had something more, a graceful elegance.
    “She’s got class,” one of the advertising agents said.
    And that summed it up.
    She was also lonely. From time to time she went out on dates, but they were meaningless. She was working steadily, but she felt she was no nearer to her goal than she was when she had first arrived in New York. I have to find a way to make contact with the top designers , Kendall thought.
    “I have you booked for the next four weeks,” Roxanne told her. “Everybody loves you.”
    “Roxanne…”
    “Yes, Kendall?”
    “I don’t want to do this anymore.”
    Roxanne stared at her, disbelievingly. “What?”
    “I want to do runway modeling.”
    Runway modeling was what most models aspired to. It was the most exciting and the most lucrative form of modeling.
    Roxanne was dubious. “That’s almost impossible to break into and—”
    “I’m going to.”
    Roxanne studied her. “You really mean it, don’t you?”
    “Yes.”
    Roxanne nodded. “All right. If you’re serious about this, the first thing you have to do is learn to walk the beam.”
    “What?”
    Roxanne explained.
    That afternoon, Kendall bought a six-foot narrow wooden beam, sandpapered it to avoid splinters, and placed it on her floor. The first few times she tried to walk on it, she fell off. This is not going to be easy , Kendall decided. But I’m going to do it .
    Each morning she got up early and practiced walking the beam on the balls of her feet. Lead with the pelvis. Feel with the toes. Lower the heel . Day by day her balance improved.
    She strode up and back in front of a full-length mirror, with music playing. She learned to walk with a book on her head. She practiced changing rapidly from sneakers and shorts to high heels and an evening