Chapter 20

We continued on in the morning, arriving home at about noon. I relaxed by taking the bath that I had skipped this morning at the hotel. When the water had cooled, I refreshed it with hot water again and stayed in the tub until my fingers began to prune.

By 3 o’clock, I was dressed and ready to go to the theatre. Mom drove me downtown so that I didn’t have to take the bus. Marge and Barbara were playing cards when I walked into the Makeup room.

Barbara looked up as I entered and said, "Hey kiddo, welcome back. How were things in LA?"

"Alright, I guess. They sure kept me busy."

"Well, pull up a chair and tell your Auntie Barbara, and Auntie Marge all about it."

So I sat down and gave them a blow by blow description of the past several days at D & L’s offices. By the time that I was done, they had put their cards down and were hanging on my every word.

Marge said, "Your co-star for the clip sounds like a real hot looking stud. You are one lucky girl."

"It was just work. I’m sure that he doesn’t even remember my name."

Barbara said, "What’s next, kiddo?"

"Uh…. I don’t know, Barb. I guess that they'll try to find something for me to do. They’ll call if there’s any interest in me. Until then, I’ll just continue on like before. If nothing comes my way, c’est la vie. I still have my family, and both of you."

"Well, if you’re still around, you’ll definitely be the headliner in our next production. I think that your name alone will pull in the crowds."

"Do you know if Mr. Tucker left anything for me?"

"He didn’t say anything to us."

"Well, I’d better go check the desk backstage in case he did. Be back."

They returned to their cards as I left the room. I did find another manila envelope on the desk. It had my name on it so I opened it and began to read over the material. The new jokes were as good as the last group, and after reading them over to myself several times, I began to practice saying them aloud. I spent the next hour rehearsing the jokes, and working on my timing. Around 5 o’clock, other cast members began to arrive. I did the full monologue for my small audience once last time before ending my practice so that I could get into costume for the play. They howled with laughter as I told the jokes, and applauded when I finished. I wished that I had the talent to write such wonderful jokes, but I would have to content myself only with their delivery. I wondered where Mr. Tucker was getting the new material each week.

The evening’s performance was another success. The cast performed flawlessly, and the audience showered us with applause at the end. Autograph seekers waited at the stage door, but the numbers were much smaller than a week ago. Debbie drove me home and we parked where we would be shaded from the streetlights. We kissed for several minutes before my fear of someone seeing us overcame my passion of the moment. Because of my newfound fame, I had to be much more careful than ever before. I said goodnight to Debbie after we had shared one more kiss, and I got out of her car. She waited until I had opened the door to the house before waving and driving off.

Mom was still up when I went in. She was watching one of the late night shows, which had just come on. I sat down next to her on the couch and she put her arm around me.

She said, "Hi honey. Good show tonight?"

"Hi Mom. Yes, things went well. It’s all so automatic now that I almost find myself hoping that something will happen to change the routine. The introduction is the only thing that varies with each performance. If a joke doesn’t work, I don’t use it at the next performance, and I use different jokes at the Sunday matinee because of the younger audience."

"How much longer is the play going to run?"

"It looks like we will have two more weekends after this one, since ticket sales have started to slow down. That will make eight weeks, where it was only supposed to have run three. Future plays will have a difficult time trying to beat our audience numbers."

"You’ve done wonderful, dear. Whatever happens in the future, you can justly be very proud of your contribution to this show."

"Thanks, Mom. It’s been a great experience."

I was tired, so Mom came upstairs to help with my corset. She returned to Letterman when I crawled beneath the sheets. I slept deeply and didn’t even recall any dreams the next morning.

The rest of the weekend flew by. Saturday and Sunday’s performance went smoothly, and on Monday Mom and I drove up to the lake house after picking up some groceries. Aunt Jessica and Carol greeted us when we arrived, and Barry and Jason were there as well. I couldn’t wait to change into my swimsuit so that I could join Carol and the boys in the lake, but we had to wait until an hour after lunch before we could go swimming, so we spent the time sunning on the grass near the water. When the hour was up, we raced for the water and dove in from the end of our new dock. We all hit the water about the same time, but Jason and Barry beat Carol and myself to the swimming buoy. But not by much. While we rested by holding onto the inner tube that was our swimming buoy, Carol told me that the boys were going to make us a regular swimming platform. It would be constructed just like the dock. The two 4x8 platforms would be anchored side by side instead of end to end. When complete, the full platform would be 8x8. Barry had ordered the drums and we would start construction tomorrow.

The next day, Carol & I started painting the drums as soon as they were delivered, while the boys started cutting and laying out the wood for the platforms. At three, we stopped work and went swimming for the rest of the afternoon. On Wednesday, we followed the same schedule, and by Thursday, the platform was done. In the morning, we floated the completed platform out onto the lake and anchored it where our inner-tube buoy had been. Jason used the boat to tow it out, and the boys used four concrete blocks to hold it in place. Now when we swam out, we could climb aboard the platform to rest, or sun out there.

The week had seemed to fly by. On Thursday afternoon we received a phone call from Mr. Daniels in California. He and Mom spoke for about 15 minutes. Mom didn’t say very much during the call. Mostly just a lot of ‘I see’ and ‘Yes, I understand’ responses to whatever Mr. Daniels was saying. She said even less after the call. When Aunt Jessica inquired, she answered that we would discuss it tonight. I began to imagine that the news was bad. Perhaps the video test showed that I was not destined for work in television or movies. They had repeatedly told me to speak more softly. Even if that were true, then I could always work in the theatre. Unless, the thought occurred to me, they had uncovered my secret somehow. Or maybe they just suspected it. I’m afraid that I wasn’t very good company for the rest of the day. I was very preoccupied with my thoughts, and I was having another of my headaches. For weeks, I had been suffering a dull throbbing ache on a regular basis. Fortunately, aspirin relieved the pain, and I always had a bottle nearby.

Barry and Jason left as soon as it began to get dark so that they could get home while it was still light enough to pilot the boat. Mrs. Conroy left about 9 o’clock, after having had tea and desert. As soon as she was gone, we sat at the kitchen table to learn what Mom had been told by Mr. Daniels. I realized that Carol and Aunt Jessica were as anxious as I was to hear the news.

Mom said, "Oliver Addams has been offered a role in a new sitcom. He’s the young actor that Crystal co-starred with in the videotape demo. He’s been working in Hollywood for several years and has already had a number of acting roles when he signed with Daniels & Lewis a few weeks ago. The producer of the sitcom had seen him in a small movie role and wanted him for the lead in this new show, but the director didn’t know him. So they viewed Oliver’s demo tape together. That’s when they saw Crystal. They need a girlfriend for Oliver for the first episode. Oliver concurred with the selection of Crystal. He said that he was impressed with your ability and attitude. D & L showed Crystal’s portfolio to the producer and the director, plus copies of all of the press clippings about the play. They made a decision right on the spot since Oliver approved of Crystal for the part. The job is only for the one episode, since Oliver’s girlfriend disappears into the sunset, in a paragliding accident at an Acapulco resort, during the series opener."

Aunt Jessica said, "When do they need Crystal out there?"

"They want her there Tuesday morning. A script is being FED-EX’d today to the theatre. Crystal, you’ll need to know all of your lines by Tuesday morning. We’ll fly out Monday like before. I know that it’ll be difficult with the four shows, but you’ll have time on Saturday and Monday to study the script."

I sat in stunned silence. I was being offered a role in a new sitcom. It was only for one episode, but it was still a role in a TV show. My former fears had dissipated, and now new ones began to take their place.

I said, "I wasn’t expecting anything to happen so soon. I don’t feel ready for this."

Mom said, "Honey, this is a wonderful opportunity to show what you can do. It may only be for one episode, but it could open a lot doors for you later on. And there’s always the chance that you may be needed for additional shooting later on. You know how some series do flashbacks, and then add new ones to fortify a story line. I don’t think that you should pass it up."

I thought for a couple of minutes. "You’re right Mom. I don’t know when, or if, I’ll get any other great offers like this. And it’ll only be for one week. Right?"

"Yes. Mr. Daniels said that you’ll be back for the play on Friday."

"And you’ll be with me the whole time?"

"Of course, dear".

"Okay, then. I guess that we’re going to California."

Carol said, "How much do they pay for something like that? Crystal got a thousand dollars just for signing autographs at Barrett’s."

Mom said, "Mr. Daniels said that Crystal will earn fifteen thousand dollars for her role in the show, and the right to use her photographic image in all future shows in the series. Flashbacks will be paid at scale. Future appearances are negotiable."

"Her photographic image?", Aunt Jessica said.

"Yes. Like if Oliver has a picture on his nightstand that he occasionally talks to, or anything like that."

"Wow", Carol said, "Fifteen thousand dollars. You’re going to be rich, Crys."

Mom said, "That’s the gross amount before agent’s fees and expenses. Daniels & Lewis get 15% off of the top. That’s $2,250.00. Then there are the expenses of the trip such as airfare, hotels, meals, transportation, etc. And there’s a large bill for last week’s airfare, hotel, testing, and demo preparation work that has to be repaid. Crystal should only realize about $5,000.00 after expenses and taxes. And most of that will go into the college fund."

"$5,000 is a lot of money. Why that’s a quarter of a million dollars a year", Carol said.

"It would be with 52 weeks of pay, but actors who are not in a series may only work once a month, or even much less", I commented. "Most series only run about twenty weeks a year, not fifty-two. I visited SAG’s website. According to them, ‘In 1996, 85% of their members earned $5,000 or less, for SAG related work’."

Carol looked at me incredulously and said, "You’re kidding! $5,000 for the entire year?"

"Yeah. A big actor like Michael Douglas or Barbara Streisand can get 12 to 15 million dollars for two months of work on a motion picture, while most actors have to work regular jobs, in addition to their acting jobs, just to make a living. It may not be fair, but those are the facts."

Carol said, "12 to 15 MILLON dollars?"

"Yes. According to the magazine articles that I’ve read. Plus they get other major benefits like travel, limos, private chefs, physical trainers, nannies, nurses, bodyguards, residences, etc. etc, etc. When you make it to the top tier, the sky’s the limit. That’s part of what keeps so many wannabes in the lower ranks, even though very few ever make it. There’s a small middle class of supporting actors who make decent livings though."

We talked about Hollywood and show business for two more hours before going up to bed. I lay in bed thinking about going back to California again. This time it would be for a real job, and there would be many more opportunities for someone to discover my secret. How much longer could I maintain my feminine identity in the company of makeup people and wardrobe people? I sleep fitfully and dreamed again about being exposed on national television.

I awoke with a start and realized that it was morning. I padded to the bathroom and washed before going downstairs. I felt better as I drank a glass of OJ. I thanked God that the job was only for one episode, and by next weekend it would be over and we would be back home again. When I heard noises from upstairs, I got up and started to prepare breakfast. Mom came down and helped by making a pot tea. The waffles were ready when Aunt Jessica and Carol came down. While we sat at the table and ate, the talk again turned to California.

Carol said, "Mom, can I go with you and Crys the next time? I’d love to see California."

"We’ll see, dear. We’re not going to be there more than four days this trip so we won’t be doing any sightseeing or shopping. It’s all work."

Aunt Jessica said, "I’d like to visit California again. I haven’t been there in ten years. I have a friend who lived in Anaheim, right near Disneyland. Susan, do you remember Marjorie Benett? She was in my sorority at college."

"Yes, I remember her. Is she the one who lives in Anaheim?"

"Uh-huh. She works for some shipping company that operates out of LA. If you have any problems while you’re out there, give her a call. Or if you have any free time and need recommendations on what to do."

"We’ll probably be too busy this trip but I’ll remember. Thanks, sis."

Several hours later we had said goodbye to Carol and Aunt Jessica and we were on our way back to town, arriving a little after 2:30. Mom dropped me off at the theatre before continuing on home. I found Marge and Barbara playing cards, as usual. I sat down and we talked about what had been happening during the past week. When I told them about the job in California, they both jumped to their feet.

Barbara yelled, "What? How could you not tell us about that right away?"

Marge said in a slightly calmer voice, "Crystal, that’s wonderful. When does it start? What’s the name of the show? Who else is in it?"

"I have to be there on Tuesday. I don’t know the name of the show; it’s new. I only know that Oliver Addams is in it. He’s the one that I acted with at the agency’s studio. He recommended me for the job. D & L made all of the arrangements. Mom and I will be flying out on Monday. That’s pretty much all that know about it."

Barbara said, "How many weeks are they promising you?"

"Just one. I'll be playing Oliver Addams girlfriend. She disappears into the friendly skies of the ocean off Mexico while paragliding at a resort in Acapulco. End of girlfriend, and I’m back here."

"Bummer", Barbara said. "I figured that you were at least going to get several episodes."

"I’m happy. I'll only be gone for a week. We still have another weekend of shows after this one. It’s an opportunity for me to see what it’s like without a major commitment."

"We’re happy for you too, kiddo. And once they see you act they’ll want you for more episodes. Trust me."

Marge said, "I agree. You’re on your way, Crystal. And you thought that Oliver Addams didn’t even remember your name."

"I guess that he did remember me after all."

We all sat down and I went over it all again. I filled them in on every detail that I knew about the job, and everything that I remembered from my time with Oliver Addams. At 4 o’clock, I excused myself to go see if Mr. Tucker had left an envelope for me. I found two envelopes on the desk. One was a white Fed-Ex envelope so I assumed that that was the script from LA. The other was a large brown manila type. I opened the manila envelope and spent the next hour rehearsing the new jokes. When other cast members started to come in, I finished up so that I could start getting ready for the show. Marge and Barbara had spread the word of my acting job to everyone that they met, so I spent the next several hours telling and retelling my story. As curtain time approached, I finally got some time to myself as I prepared to go on. I used many of the new jokes plus a couple of the older ones that had gotten good responses last week. I didn’t think that very many, if any, of the audience members had seen any of last week’s shows.

The show went smoothly. Weeks of performances had honed everyone’s proficiency in their part. After the show had ended, and the audience had departed, I went through another period of explanations, and congratulations on my having secured a part on television. Mr. Tucker was the most elated. He couldn’t have been more proud if he was my father. He had taught me everything that I knew about acting, after all.

There were only a few autograph seekers waiting at the stage door when Debbie and I left. Over the past couple of weeks, the numbers had dropped significantly, which was fine by me.

Debbie and I kissed for several minutes outside my house before I got out of the car. I waved to Debbie after I had opened the door, and she sped off. Upon entering the house, I dropped the large Fed-Ex envelope on the table in the living room and sat down on the couch with Mom. She was engrossed in listening to Leno’s opening monologue but still greeted me with a smile and a "Hi, honey."

"Hi, Mom."

We sat in silence until a commercial came on.

"Is that the script for the series opener?"

"Yes. It was at the theatre when I got there. I haven’t read through it yet. It can wait until tomorrow."

"I would have thought that you’d start reading it the minute that you got your hands on it."

"I had to practice the new jokes for tonight’s monologue. I really needed to concentrate on that first. I’ll work on the script tomorrow."

"You’re not very excited about the series. What’s wrong, honey?"

"I’m nervous, Mom. They’ll be so many people around. It was bad enough at D & L, but it’s sure to be much worse on a television studio set."

"I’ll be with you, sweetheart. Don’t worry. Just leave everything to Mommy."

"Okay, Mommy." I smiled at my use of the term of endearment that was usually only used by small children these days. It did make me feel protected, loved, and more secure.

Mom put her arm around me and pulled me closer. We sat and watched Jay Leno together, and then went upstairs. Mom helped me to get ready for bed before going to her own bedroom. I fell asleep thinking about the upcoming trip to California. I wondered what new problems and situations would confront me out there. At least I knew that mom would be there for me. That was so reassuring, and I would not have even considered going without her.

I spent Saturday morning reading the script and developing the character in my mind. The director would, of course, have his own ideas on how the character should perform. But I wanted to at least get in touch with my own conceptual notions so that I would be prepared to blend the two characterizations. After lunch, mom took me to the theatre and stayed to talk with Barbara and Marge. She looked to them for advice about Hollywood because they both read the trade paper ‘Variety’. Barbara suggested that Mom subscribe as well. Mom stayed until it was time to start getting ready for the performance. Marge and Barbara both asked her to stay, but she declined since she had other errands to run.

The evening audience was very responsive. My monologue was very well received and I was becoming more comfortable doing it with each performance, even though I always had butterflies in my stomach just before I went on. Someone had posted a sign in the lobby telling the audience to look for me in the new series ‘Oliver Onboard’, premiering soon on network television. When I had finished my monologue, several people shouted out questions about the notice. I informed the audience that I was only scheduled to appear in the series premier. More questions followed and I told them what I could about the show. When I ran out of answers, I told them that I was holding up the play, and invited them to tune in the show next month. They applauded loudly as I left the stage. I didn’t wish to alienate or antagonize my fellow actors by grabbing too much of the spotlight. I had already received more than my share.

Upon exiting the theatre, I found that the crowd of autograph seekers had swelled again. Every little bit of publicity seemed to increase their number. Debbie and I signed their books and other things, and managed to disengage from them without too much difficulty.

On Sunday morning, I was surprised to see that the paper carried a rather large article about my upcoming appearance in ‘Oliver Onboard’. The critic had managed to secure a lot of information about the series and I was able to learn a great deal about the show and my fellow actors. Although my role was limited, I was the feature of the article because I was a hometown ‘girl’. The paper once again touted the play and advised people that only a few seats remained for the final performances. It proclaimed that this might be the last chance to see that star of stage, and soon ‘small screen’, Crystal Ramsey, in person. I shook my head in wonder at the remarks, but I guess that this is the kind of stuff that sells newspapers. And the publicity would undoubtedly help fill the theatre for the remaining performances.

The Sunday shows were wonderful. Everyone performed his or her role perfectly. I wondered if the other actors were trying to impress the audience with their performances to prove that someone besides me was onstage. I secretly hoped that no one held any animosity towards me because of the most recent article. I knew that there would be a little jealousy because of everything having just fallen into my lap, so to speak. But I certainly didn’t want to lose any of my friends over this. During the Sunday buffet, everyone was as friendly as always. At least, outwardly. Naturally most of the talk was about my trip to California. Everyone was ready to give me advice on how I should conduct myself, and interact with the other actors. I listened to everyone and thanked him or her for their suggestions. My head was swimming by the time that we had to start getting ready for the next show.

I was relieved when it was time to go home, until I stepped outside. The small crowd of autograph seekers had swelled to fill the alley. This was crazy. I was nobody. Why did people want me to scrawl out my name on their books and photos? Regardless of their motives, I complied and spent almost half an hour signing my name and a personal message to each person. Debbie and I finally managed to get through the crowd and make it to the car. We spent several minutes saying good-bye before I exited the car to go into my house. I wouldn’t see Debbie until next Friday.

Mom was still up when I went in. I told her about the crazy scene outside of the theatre before going up to bed. Knowing that there would be limited time tomorrow, I did my nails before getting into bed. As they dried, I read over the script again, flipping the pages with the eraser on a pencil. I would spend the time aboard the plane tomorrow working on memorizing the lines, but I felt that I knew most of them already. When my nails were dry, I turned off the light and slid between the sheets. I was tired and fell asleep quickly.

I awoke to find Miss Scarlet in my arms. Feeling silly, I kissed her before placing her back in her place on the shelf. Then I padded to the bathroom and washed before going downstairs. Mom was already up and we kissed in greeting. We hurried through breakfast because we had to catch a plane this morning. By 8:30 I had bathed, dressed, and finished packing. I had just carried my bag downstairs when the front doorbell rang. It was too early for the cab, which was supposed to arrive at 9 o’clock. I opened the door to find a man, which I judged to be about forty, standing there in a gray suit.

He looked very familiar. I knew that I had seen him before.

He said, "Carol?" And then I knew who he was.

I just stood there with my mouth a little agape.

He repeated, "Carol? Is that you?"

For what seemed like an eternity, but was in reality only seconds, I just stood and stared at him.

Than I found my tongue, and in a trembling voice said, "Hi, Daddy."

 

(continued in Chapter 21)

 

 

 

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© 1999 by Crystal Sprite. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, compilation design) may printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without express written consent of the copyright holder.
Anyone wishing to make comments is welcome to e-mail me at crystal@storysite.org